Hawaii Cruise & Return Flight from YVR

[Nibby1]

Just wondered if there's anyone out there who has flown to Honolulu, taken the 12-day cruise including Hawaii and then on to Vancouver and flown out of Vancouver back home. My question is would a 10:30 am flight out of Vancouver be doable? What is the nature of and timing for customs at YVR? We will not have been outside the USA on the 12-day cruise until we arrive in Vancouver. I know the ship (Millennium) docks in YVR at 3:30 am but I'm sure debarkation doesn't start till around 7 or 8 am, right?

 

Thanks for any advice that folks might have on this question?

[beachchick]

Assuming you are correct about disembarkation, you would be extremely hard-pressed to make such an early flight. First, you do have to go through Immigration and Customs. That's not a big deal in Canada, but there will be hundreds of other pax doing it at the same time. Second, you need to get to the airport. YVR is about 10 miles from the pier (maybe a smidge more, but I'm remembering 10-ish), which is not far, but you still have to factor in travel time and the fact that you'll be with hundreds of other pax trying to make flights too. Lines at the airport are likely to be long. It's a very spread out airport. I swear it felt like we walked 2 miles to get from the gate (United flight) to the main terminal. It's a beautiful airport, so the walk isn't exactly horrid, but it is long.

 

You could certainly risk an early flight, but with the way things are going (fewer flights and overbooking) you have the risk of not being able to simply "catch the next one" if you miss your flight. Now, we love Vancouver, but the point here is that you are trying to get home the same day you disembark. After some of the horror stories I've read this year (e.g., pax stranded an unable to get a flight for 2 days), I wouldn't book a flight earlier than noon.

 

If you are allowed to disembark earlier than the "standard" times, then you'd probably be fine. A call to the cruise line may be in order to determine when Canadian Customs and Immigration actually arrives at the pier and how early they start processing both the ship and the pax. If you can get off the ship and on your way before 8 am, then the 10:30 flight would most likely be no problem.

 

beachchick