The Disney Alaskan Cruise Bible

[RedSox68]

Thank you, it took a lot of time, and I figured others would like to have all of the information in one spot too.
All of this is on the Wonder, Crown and Fin is from the recent dry dock updates.

Do they serve fish and chips type things?

 

[GPaLarry]

VANCOUVER

“You want 2 or 3 days in Vancouver as it's bigger than all the Alaskan ports combined.”

Expect a 30 to 35-minute trip to downtown from airport.

A cab fare will run about $35 CDN/$31 US (to Pan Pacific or Cruise Terminal)

HOTELS

Only 3 hotels offer a free shuttle from hotel to Canada Place and they are:

1. Best Western-Downtown on Drake St.
2. Hampton Inn (must be reserved, uncertain availability)
3. Executive Vintage Park Hotel

However, a free shuttle isn’t necessary; as a cab fare from most downtown hotels to Canada Place is only $10 and in some cases you may even be able to easily walk it.

We just got back from a week on the Wonder and a point of clarification:
We drove up from Portland, OR and stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront. There was a Disney desk in the lobby and I asked them if they would take our bags onto the ship the next day. They said that only if we had booked our flight or arranged transportation through DCL would they do it. In other words, if you are there by your own means, you pack it across the street yourself. It is not that far. Walk across the street, down the sidewalk on the left side of the public parking driveways to the cruise line level. Stay left all the way to the front (follow signs), drop your bags off then follow the signs and staff to sign in.

• It is very hard to find a downtown Vancouver hotel during the cruise season for much under $200 unless you bid on Priceline or use Hotwire.

The following are some of the most recommended hotels in Vancouver:

• Fairmont Waterfront- across the street from cruise terminal. “Luggage was picked up in our hotel room and taken to the ship”
• Pan Pacific Hotel

Elevator ride to Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• their website prices are outrageous.
• you can get a room on Hotwire for about half the listed rates on their website. Google for how to make sure you get the Pan!
• Can call the bell desk, and ask someone to deliver bags to the cruise terminal.
• Auberge Hotel
  • 2 blocks to Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• No shuttle to Canada Place Cruise Terminal
• Microwave and refrigerator in every room
• central to the pier. They even provide a service of transporting the bags for you and it is a really easy walk.

• Blue Horizon. 5 minute cab ride to pier; they will reserve a taxi for you and assist with luggage. Very nice hotel right in the middle of everything and reasonable at around $150 US per night
  • On Robson Street is convenient to the cruise terminal. It’s a 30-story hotel and every room is on a corner, so it has views in two directions with city views, the cruise ships, mountains, the bay and float planes.
  • Its best to book the "Deluxe" rooms...they are on the higher floors and have been upgraded. The rooms are small but nicely done. The staff is friendly.
  • Taxi to cruise terminal was less than $10.00 CA.
  • A lot of shopping, entertainment, restaurants and Stanley park are all within walking distance. (or short cab ride if you don’t want to walk).
  • Breakfast at the Hotel restaurant: full breakfast $12; small fruit dish and muffin $8.

• Hyatt on Burrard for about $150 a night. Very nice and central to a lot of dining and sightseeing options

• Fairmont Pacific Rim

• 1 block to Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• Delta
  • 5 blocks to Canada Place Cruise Terminal
  • No shuttle to Canada Place Cruise Terminal
  • Airport pick up available.
  • Taxi to harbor will be $15.00 Cdn or $13.00 US.

• Days Inn Downtown $100 - $150 per night
  • 2 blocks to Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• No shuttle to Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• Executive Hotel Le Soleil Vancouver

In downtown Vancouver near Robson Square

3 blocks from Canada Place Cruise Terminal

• Hampton Inn Suites Downtown
  • Robson street
  • Mini kitchen
  • Free internet
  • Free bfast

- Nice combination of Hampton Value and big city services (luggage storage room, concierge, luggage handlers, shuttle). Rooms were nice, modern, and clean. Breakfast was better than the Hampton average. The hotel also has a beautiful game room, exercise room, hot tub, and patio on the roof.

Taxi from airport $25. Taxi dock to Granville is 5 minutes walk. Hampton inn free shuttle to get to cruise terminal if you can reserve space in time.

• Time Square Suites Hotel

Apartment style hotel (full kitchen, living room, bathroom AND laundry). Taxi ride to port was around $8.00.


OTHER OPTIONS:

• Landmark
• Pinnacle
• Harbourfront
• Westin Bayshore
• Le Soleil
• Marriott Pinnacle

VANCOUVER – EXCURSIONS

For 2017 at least the best deals are at http://www.vancouverattractions.com/ where booking multiple vancouver attractions at once will save a significant amount on the door prices.

• Sea2Sky gondola is a new attraction that offers alpine hiking trails
• Canada Place Cruise Terminal – Fly Over Canada Experience (like a canadian version of Sorin’ over California)

Must do attractions are:


1) Grouse Mountain – www.grousemountain.com – this is a wonderful scenic mountain only about 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. Ride the airtram to the top for lots of fun activities that include a loggers show, birds of prey show, 2 movies (1 about the Vancouver area and 1 about the 2 Grizzly Bears who make their home on Grouse Mtn) ride a chair lift higher up the mountain to visit the wind turbine that generates approximately 30% of the power required for Grouse Mountain Resort and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears.. Enjoy a meal in any of the restaurants. Caveat only spend the money to go up on a clear day.

2) Capilano Suspension Bridge – www.capbridge.com – this is Vancouver’s oldest tourist attraction and I still enjoy visiting it! Located on Capilano Road just before you reach the Grouse Mountain parking lot. Walk across a suspension Bridge over the Capilano Gorge, wonder the trails thru the rain forest, walk thru the treetops on the new Tree Top Adventure, traverse a Cliff Top walk, visit the trading post for a huge selection of souvenirs, watch native weavers and/or carvers at work.

3) Capilano Fish Hatchery is also located on Capilano Road and is a great place to view salmon jumping up the fish ladders to get around the Cleveland Dam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_River_Regional_Park

4) Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge – www.lynncanyon.ca - is also located in North Vancouver and is much less touristy than Capilano but it also is not as spectacular. The bridge is slightly higher above the water but much shorter in span. Located in a Provincial Park this bridge comes with some nice hiking trails and you will find an ecology centre in the park as well as picnic tables and a food concession outlet. Should you choose to enjoy the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge always cross the suspension bridge first and then hike down the trail to the lower (Twin Falls wooden) bridge to cross back over the Lynn Valley River and return to your car – that way you are hiking downhill rather than uphill. It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/ - is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. As one of North America's largest urban parks, covering over a 1000 acres and offering an abundance of activities. Enjoy the totem pole collection near the Brockton Point Lighthouse, hiking trails, beaches, water parks for the kids (young & old), rose gardens, miniature train, aquarium –www.vanaqua.org – many view points, and several restaurants.

6) Vancouver Aquarium – www.vanaqua.org – is Canada’s largest aquarium and is committed to the conservation of marine life and education. Located in Stanley Park this is a fun place for the family to visit.

7) Gas Town – the location where Vancouver originated. The name is derived from a very colorful character named Gassy Jack who was one of the first settlers in the area and a salon keeper – while in Gas Town don’t miss your photo op with the statue of Gassy Jack and by the Steam Clock.

At the start of Gas Town is the

8)Harbor Centre Tower www.vancouverlookout.com a great spot to start your tour of Vancouver with a bird's eye view of the city. Either take the elevator up to the lookout level or go to the top and enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant. Your Lookout ticket is good for 24 hours. I like to go at twilight or sunset to see both night and dark at the same time. If you decide to have dinner at the Lookout.... your admission is free.

9) China Town is only about 6 blocks over from Gas Town. While in China Town enjoy a visit to the Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Gardens www.vancouverchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

10) Granville Island – www.granvilleisland.com – is a huge public market area which not only sells fruit & veggies but you can also buy frozen fish to be shipped to your home. Many artists make this their home and you can watch them at work in their studios – making this a great place to buy unique souvenirs. The Granville Island Brewery is also located here and you can stop in for a free tour & tastes. There are theatres for live performances and many fine restaurants. Plan your visit to Granville Island when the Public Market is open. Activities may be limited at night. A fun way to get to Granville Island is via the Aquabus – www.theaquabus.com

11) Burnaby Village Museum – www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca – is an open air museum with over 30 restored homes, shops, school, church and a 1912 carousel situated on 10 acres (not open on Mondays)

12) Gulf of Georgia Cannery – www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com – is a restored fishing cannery located in the historic fishing village of Steveston (part of Richmond). Here you see exhibits that showcase the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia. Once finished in the museum it is great fun to walk along the fishing docks and see the fishing boats which are selling their catch. There are also some excellent restaurants located here.

13) The Vancouver Maritime Museum located on the shore of English Bay is fun for the whole family with lots of hands on exhibits for the kid in all of us. Here to you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed from Vancouver to Halifax via the Northwest Passage and then completed the return journey in 1944. You actually get to tour this ship. www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

14) Queen Elizabeth Park www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth The 130 acre (52 hectare) park is one of the most beautifully maintained public parks in the world. Second only to Stanley Park in annual visitations, it receives nearly 6 million people a year who marvel at its superior standard of garden plantings.

The park was originally quarried for its rock which served to build Vancouver's first roadways. In 1929 the Board proceeded to acquire the property which had become an abandoned eyesore but still served as the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water. Dedicated as a park by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939.

14b) Bloedel Conservatory a fun, family-friendly indoor attraction located at the peak of Vancouver in Queen Elizabeth Park. Discover 120 exotic birds and over 500 kinds of tropical plants inside the dome and then explore the fountains, gardens and sculptures around Queen Elizabeth Park

15) Fort Langley is the restored wooden fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post. It is the origin of British Columbia and was the first capital. This Fort is operated by the Federal Parks Board. www.fortlangley.org

16) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many excellent wineries located in the Fraser Valley only about a 1 hour drive from your hotel. Almost all of the wineries offer free tastes & tours. Two of the wineries have excellent restaurants on the premises. This makes for a very fun and relaxing day. Check out the Fraser Valley Wine Association web site for a map of winery locations and a brief description of each winery www.fvwa.ca

17) VanDusen Botanical Garden is a scenic 55- acre garden of international renown – a living museum of plants collected from around the world and artistically displayed amidst rolling lawns, woodlands and five tranquil lakes, all in the heart of Vancouver and just 15 minutes from downtown.

Due to Vancouver’s mild climate, plants bloom at the Garden year-round. This same climate creates a unique environment where plants from varying climate regions thrive and grow – at VanDusen you will see plants from the southern hemisphere, tropical areas and the high Arctic tundra alongside native species. The Elizabethan Maze (one of only six in North America) provides year-round fun.

18) UBC Botanical Garden located at the University of British Columbia covers 110 acres and includes an Alpine, Asian, Native, Food, and Japanese Gardens. www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org

19) Enjoy a FREE walking tour of Vancouver. The Gastown tour starts in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the statue of Gassy Jack in Gastown. The Downtown tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Olympic Cauldron. The Chinatown tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Chinese memorial statue. All of these tours start at 11am. The Granville Island Tour starts at 3pm at the bus stop just at the entrance to Granville Island. Check these tours out at www.tourguys.ca The Tour Guys have added an afternoon walking tour of Granville Island and 2 evening tours….

20) Science World at TELUS World of Science Ignite your mind and discover the wonders of science at Science World at TELUS World of Science. Immerse yourself in interactive indoor and outdoor displays, inspirational feature exhibitions, jaw-dropping live science demonstrations, and larger-than-life OMNIMAX® films.

There's even a gallery designed just for kids from 2 to 6.

Vancouver has hop-on hop-off buses

• http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off

OTHER:

• Signature Liquor store for best price and selection. Open 9:30am til 11 pm.Located at Alberni & Bute; it's near Robson
• Harbour lookout Centre BC Liquor 10 am - 6pm. Few block from port. The Harbour Center liquor store is not open Sundays pre-cruise... a problem for Wonder cruisers departing on Monday's.

EATING IN VANCOUVER

• Restaurant mentions/recommendations on Cruise Boards:
  • Kirin on Alberni Street, a Chinese restaurant
  • For breakfast: White Spot on Dunsmuir and Homer, a chain restaurant that serves breakfast and other comfort foods
• Recommendations for Breakfast:
  • Scoozis – sit-down breakfast for $12 or less (chalkboard specials sometimes even cheaper) - or if pancakes absolutely must be had, the De Dutch location at the Convention Centre and has much more substantial offerings.
  • Tim Hortons (I don’t know, this is the ubiquitous Canadian breakfast spot, try it out!)