Would I make this flight?

[Donna S]

We hope to book a cruise to Alaska, via Vancouver, in Sept. 2009. The ship is the Zuiderdam and I assume the dock is Canada Place. Would we make a 10:30 am flight to Atlanta on a Saturday morning? How long does it generally take to go through customs? Thanks,Donna

[Putterdude]

We hope to book a cruise to Alaska, via Vancouver, in Sept. 2009. The ship is the Zuiderdam and I assume the dock is Canada Place. Would we make a 10:30 am flight to Atlanta on a Saturday morning? How long does it generally take to go through customs? Thanks,Donna

 

This year all HAL ships did use Canada Place but that can change from year to year so here is a link that you can check back on after the new year.

 

Your 10:30 flight will be all but impossible to make. There will be 3 or more ships in port on a Saturday so there will lines for everything. You ship will get in about 7 am but before the first pax gets off it will be about 8 am. It will take 30 or so mins to get your bags and clear Canadian customs. You will then line up for a cab and that can be anywhere from 30 to 60 mins. You have about a 30 min drive to YVR and you must be there 2 hrs before your flight to clear US customs and secruity. It just doesn't work. Even if you use a limo or US Direct you still can't make it. Sorry, however there are quite a number of flights to CA during the day.

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/schedule/index.php

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/infoPassengers/usDirect.html

[paylady]

I concur, do not book a flight leaving at 10:30am. We used US Direct and still had three lines to contend with. One to claim our luggage from an area for US Direct passengers, one for customs and one for airport security. The customs and security lines were long but moved, albeit slowly.

 

We didn't care since our flight left around 2 so we weren't frazzled at all.

[uppitycats]

It's never a good idea to book a morning flight, the same morning your ship gets to port. There is always confusion, congestion, all that.

 

One idea -- Vancouver is a TERRIFIC city, and even an overnight is worth the money. Book a hotel, go there, and then explore a bit of the city. Stanley Park is huge, lots to do there, and if you did nothing else, you'd get a sense of the beauty of the area....

 

and then fly out on Sunday.

[uppitycats]

It's never a good idea to book a morning flight on the same day your ship comes in to port. Like the others said, getting off the ship, getting your belongings, getting to the airport -- and supposedly you're supposed to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight...

 

Here's one suggestion --Vancouver is a terrific city! We loved it so much we planned a whole week's vacation there, and still didn't do everything we would have liked! So book a hotel room and spend the rest of the day there, and fly out on Sunday.

 

Stanley Park is a whole day trip in itself, and it's right there in the city.

[cruiseryyc]

Would you make a 10:30 flight - simple answer, NO. Do not book a flight before noon.

[Donna S]

Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions. Has anyone used Priceline for a Vancouver hotel, and if so, do I bid the downtown area only? Thanks

[Putterdude]

Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions. Has anyone used Priceline for a Vancouver hotel, and if so, do I bid the downtown area only? Thanks

 

 

Yes quite a number of people use it. I would recommmed bidding downtown only and start with 4 stars.

[Ephraim]

I wouldn't even TRY, especially if you have to go through US customs. They are notoriously slow.

[woodranch]

How about a noon flight?

[Putterdude]

If your airline and cruise line participate in US Direct then noon will be doable. If not then it is a bit of a crapshoot and I would focus on something later than 12:30.

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/infoPassengers/usDirect.html