? Vancouver Airport to Hotel to Ballantyne ?

[Z-Knight]

I would appreciate some advice as to how I should handle getting from the airport to Ballantyne pier for my Radiance of the Seas cruise on August 28th. I have a couple of categories of questions: airport to hotel category, and a hotel to pier category.

 

Airport to Hotel Questions

===================

My current plan is to arrive at midnight on August 26th, so I figured I would either rent a car for the two days I have (full day 27th, till noon on 28th before cruise) or take some kind of shuttle or cab to the hotel and then rent a car for just one day. Which do you think would be best, given that I have a 2 other people traveling with me.

 

Are there shuttles from the airport to some downtown hotels that are still running that late (midnight and later)? I don't have a hotel yet so I'm open to getting one closest to transportation, etc. Or is a cab cheaper for the 3 of us?

 

The main thing that we wanted to do was get a car to drive around and see the area without having to be constrained by buses or trains, etc...but if I take a cab to the hotel, will I still be able to easily rent a car nearby? Or will I have to go back to the airport to pick up a car? I guess, I should check with the rental companies to see if they have other locations, right?

 

Hotel to Ballantyne pier

=================

Since I'm on the Radiance it seems we use the Ballantyne pier, which makes no difference to me as this is my first time, but I'm curious if I should know anything before hand. My plan for this part was to drop of my other two travelers at the pier and then take back the rental car and get a shuttle or cab back to the pier...does anyone have suggestions here? If I get a rental car at the airport and return it there, are there shuttles from the port to this Ballantyne pier and how much do they cost and how long does it take to get there?

 

 

I think I covered my general questions right now...hopefully the read was not too long. Thanks in advance.

[Ken076]

The shuttle to downtown Hotels is YVRairporter $13.50pp http://www.yvrairporter.com - service ends at 11:00PM or Midnite. You can get a towncar High end Limo http://www.highendlimo.ca for fixed $39 + Taxes + tip at the Luggage area, or a Cab downtown for about $35 + tip.

 

An alternative to rental car is to use the super-convenient HOHO Trolley http://www.vancouvertrolley.com to see Vancouver, then take a quick Taxi from Hotel to Pier.

there is also a (ALL Day) Bus Tour to Bouchart Gardens and area for about $170pp.

 

ken

[ell52]

Unless there is a particular reason you need a car (e.g. to go far outside the city/away from transit lines), I highly recommend that you do not rent a car for your limited time. Parking is very expensive at hotels ($28 - 30/nt) and street parking is both hard to find and expensive.

 

The downtown area is very walkable and other popular sights (such as Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Gastown, Chinatown, etc.) can be accessed, either by the HoHo trolleys or public transit.

 

If you decide to go with a car anyways, I'd suggest taking a taxi to hotel on the 26th, then renting from a downtown location the next morning. On the 28th, just drop off the car and take a taxi to the pier. It's a short ride ($10-ish). There's really no need to drop off passengers first.

[Z-Knight]

I'm beginning to see that a car rental would be a waste after seeing the trolley map and your mention of parking costs and limited parking.

 

So it seems like the best idea is to take a cab from airport to the hotel, then a cab from the hotel to the pier.

 

Cool, that settles that. Thanks.

[orchid72]

Airport to Hotel Questions

===================

My current plan is to arrive at midnight on August 26th, so I figured I would either rent a car for the two days I have (full day 27th, till noon on 28th before cruise) or take some kind of shuttle or cab to the hotel and then rent a car for just one day. Which do you think would be best, given that I have a 2 other people traveling with me.

 

Are there shuttles from the airport to some downtown hotels that are still running that late (midnight and later)? I don't have a hotel yet so I'm open to getting one closest to transportation, etc. Or is a cab cheaper for the 3 of us?

 

The main thing that we wanted to do was get a car to drive around and see the area without having to be constrained by buses or trains, etc...but if I take a cab to the hotel, will I still be able to easily rent a car nearby? Or will I have to go back to the airport to pick up a car? I guess, I should check with the rental companies to see if they have other locations, right?

 

Here are my thoughts:

 

1. It is highly unlikely you will find a downtown hotel that offers a shuttle service to and from the airport (unless you book a hotel in Richmond). That said, I recommend you take a limo or cab to your hotel downtown. Considering there are 3 of you travelling, and you will be arriving around midnight, your best bet is to get a limo to get to your hotel. At $39+tax, it is a good value. You can take a cab for about $35-$40 (more like $35 because there will be no traffic), but depending on how much luggage you have, 3 people might not fit in the cab (most of them are compact to mid-size), unless you get a minivan cab. Because of the time you are scheduled to arrive, these are your only choices.
   
2. I do not suggest renting a car for 2 days. Most downtown hotels will charge you for parking, and it is not advisable to use a car if you are only planning on sightseeing downtown. The downtown core is easily seen on foot, and if you opt to drive, you will spend more time in traffic and looking for parking. If you plan to leave the downtown core, and would rather drive than take public transit, rent a car for the day. Most car rental companies are within walking distance from most hotels, and some of them also offer pick up services. Major car rental companies you would find downtown are: Avis, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, and Thrifty.
   

 

Hotel to Ballantyne pier

=================

Since I'm on the Radiance it seems we use the Ballantyne pier, which makes no difference to me as this is my first time, but I'm curious if I should know anything before hand. My plan for this part was to drop of my other two travelers at the pier and then take back the rental car and get a shuttle or cab back to the pier...does anyone have suggestions here? If I get a rental car at the airport and return it there, are there shuttles from the port to this Ballantyne pier and how much do they cost and how long does it take to get there?

 

Again, here are my thoughts:

 

1. Check with your hotel first to see if they offer shuttle services to Ballantyne pier. If not, see #2 below.
   
2. You can take a cab from most hotels downtown for about $10-$15.
   
3. If you do decide to rent a car downtown and decide to keep it until you have to board your ship, you could do your original plan of taking your travelling companions to the pier and then returning the car. OR if the car rental company offers a shuttle service to the pier, just return the car and have them drive you to the pier to save time.
   

[scottbee]

Unless there is a particular reason you need a car (e.g. to go far outside the city/away from transit lines), I highly recommend that you do not rent a car for your limited time. Parking is very expensive at hotels ($28 - 30/nt) and street parking is both hard to find and expensive.

 

The downtown area is very walkable and other popular sights (such as Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Gastown, Chinatown, etc.) can be accessed, either by the HoHo trolleys or public transit.

 

If you decide to go with a car anyways, I'd suggest taking a taxi to hotel on the 26th, then renting from a downtown location the next morning. On the 28th, just drop off the car and take a taxi to the pier. It's a short ride ($10-ish). There's really no need to drop off passengers first.

 

I was about post pretty much the same thing. Renting a car, and then staying downtown costs a lot, as the hotels have outrageous parking fees (like a lot of downtown hotels).

 

The main thing that we wanted to do was get a car to drive around and see the area without having to be constrained by buses or trains, etc...but if I take a cab to the hotel, will I still be able to easily rent a car nearby? Or will I have to go back to the airport to pick up a car? I guess, I should check with the rental companies to see if they have other locations, right?

 

YVR->Downtown will be 30-35 in a taxi. A lot of taxis are small cars like Corollas and Prius in Vancouver, but it is possible to get a minivan taxi too, just ask at the taxi lineup at YVR. Or, a limo will cost $39+tax (no need to pre-book).

 

Downtown->Ballantyne is $10 in a taxi (there's really no other way to do it).

 

As for getting around, the bus wont constrain you at all. For instance, to get to Grouse Mountain or Capilano suspension bridge, you take the SeaBus across Burrard inlet (w/ a nice view of all of the port facilities), then hop a bus up to Grouse (which passes right by Capilano). Seabus/bus to grouse runs every 15 minutes (you might actually wait longer for a taxi to arrive!). If you're lost at all, ask ANY bus driver "How do I get to..." and you'll get an answer. You can even text the local bus stop number to 33333 and it will tell you the next few buses that arrive.

 

A day pass on the Vancouver bus/Seabus/Skytrain system costs the very reasonable sum of $9, and tickets are available at any ticket merchant (look for any store/newsagent with the transit sign in the window)

[Z-Knight]

The limo idea sounds like the best...you say there is no need to pre-book? Do you think that is still true at Midnight? Are they basically at the airport or would I need to call them once I get there? Thanks.

[ell52]

No need to pre-book. There is a taxi/limo stand right outside the Arrivals area.

[Z-Knight]

thanks

[Choozin Croozin]

Hi Z-night - I see you are on the same cruise as we are. If you'd like to join our roll call, we'd love to have you. We have a few fun things planned. Nice group of people we are.;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=752237