vacay in Vancouver then sailing Wonder from Vancouver to San Diego

[halfmonkey]

We're thinking about going to Vancouver for our next vacation. We've never been there before so I have some questions that I'm hoping you guys can help with. We're thinking of spending some time in Vancouver in Sept 2015. We'll fly there from San Diego with one way tickets. We'll return home to San Diego taking the cruise from Vancouver to San Diego in 2015. The cruise is from Sunday to Thursday.

Since we've never been to Vancouver, how much time should we actually spend in Vancouver prior to the cruise back home? We'll be goings a group of 7 people with an 8 y/o, 6 y/o, and almost 3 y/o at the time.

Can someone tells us what the major attractions are in Vancouver? I know they have a large Chinatown so we'll be looking into that. The cruise back to San Diego stops off in Victoria as well. Anything to do there in port? Do they even have port excursions in Victoria?

Any help, tips, or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Vancouver is a wonderful city with lots of things to do. I would recommend you start here to answer some of your questions.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2283011

 

[DahliaRW]

If you like amusement parks, I have fond memories of going to playland: http://www.pne.ca/playland/index.html

 

[for my family]

We're thinking about going to Vancouver for our next vacation. We've never been there before so I have some questions that I'm hoping you guys can help with. We're thinking of spending some time in Vancouver in Sept 2015. We'll fly there from San Diego with one way tickets. We'll return home to San Diego taking the cruise from Vancouver to San Diego in 2015. The cruise is from Sunday to Thursday.

Since we've never been to Vancouver, how much time should we actually spend in Vancouver prior to the cruise back home? We'll be goings a group of 7 people with an 8 y/o, 6 y/o, and almost 3 y/o at the time.

Can someone tells us what the major attractions are in Vancouver? I know they have a large Chinatown so we'll be looking into that. The cruise back to San Diego stops off in Victoria as well. Anything to do there in port? Do they even have port excursions in Victoria? Any help, tips, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Vancouver is a beautiful city. However, I would skip Chinatown. We were not impressed.

Highlights for us were Robson Street shopping, Granville Street people watching, walking around Coal Harbor, Lonsdale Quay, and Stanley Park. Others have enjoyed Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Granville Island and several wonderful museums. Enjoy!

 

[MouseMomx2]

Vancouver is an amazing city. You could easily spend a week or more in Vancouver. On our first visit we stayed for 2 days and barely scratched the surface. We are going again next Summer and can't wait to visit our favorites and explore some new areas.

Some of our favorites:

• Renting bikes and riding the sea wall around Stanley Park
• Stanley Park in general
• Granville Island
• Steamtown

Things for our next trip (7/15):

• Grouse Mountain
• Capilano Suspension Bridge
• Aquarium

 

[halfmonkey]

Vancouver is a wonderful city with lots of things to do. I would recommend you start here to answer some of your questions.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2283011

Thanks for the link. Great information.

There are still a couple of questions I have that I wasn't able to find in that thread. It was of course 171 pages so I didn't go through all of them in one sitting but will try over the course of time.

So at the time of the planned trip, our kids will be 8, 6.5, and almost 3.

1. It looks like there's some kind of train or subway or metro train that we can take from the airport into downtown vancouver. Does this require a car seat for the little ones?
2. If we rented a car to use during our stay, does the car rental place offer car seats? If so, does anybody know how much they charge on average?
3. If we don't rent a car and use taxis or shuttles, do they offer car seats?
4. Do the kids require anything special to fly on the plane in terms of seatbelts or anything like that? Can they just sit in the seat and be buckled in or do we need to use a car seat on the place as well?

In reviewing the information about Vancouver, we were originally thinking of maybe staying a full week in Vancouver but after doing a little more research, it seems that maybe 4 days is plenty. The trip would be late Sept so the weather isn't hot either. It appears that it would be on the cooler side so it's not like we would be snorkeling or laying at the beach like if we went to a place like Hawaii. It seems like a lot of the activity would be centered around the downtown city life with some outlaying activities in the nearby mountains.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I love vancouver. And I was just there. The downtown Sheraton is a great hotel. Stanley park is wonderful to explore. Try to have lunch at the tea house there. Robson street is great for wandering and shopping. If you have a car I suggest a day trip out to Whistler. Beautiful drive. As for Victoria, it too is a wonderful city. Incredible harbor. The architecture is stunning. We have been to Victoria many times including once on the Disney ship. You can walk to downtown from the port. There wasn't much time there when we stopped with the ship but I believe there was an excursion to Buechart gardens. Truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Otherwise just walk into town and enjoy the harbor. Visit the empress hotel which is right on the harbor and gorgeous. Enjoy the lights of the buildings at night. You will soon realize thst a few hours in Victoria is never enough.

 

[Tenkawa]

Thanks for the link. Great information.

1. It looks like there's some kind of train or subway or metro train that we can take from the airport into downtown vancouver. Does this require a car seat for the little ones?
2. If we rented a car to use during our stay, does the car rental place offer car seats? If so, does anybody know how much they charge on average?
3. If we don't rent a car and use taxis or shuttles, do they offer car seats?
4. Do the kids require anything special to fly on the plane in terms of seatbelts or anything like that? Can they just sit in the seat and be buckled in or do we need to use a car seat on the place as well?

1. Yes there is lots of rapid transit. http://www.translink.ca
1b. No, no need for carseat on it (or busses), and strollers are allowed. With a 3 year old, I recommend considering a small one just in case
2. Most do. It is a major international airport, you just need to specify the option when you book the rental car. I know Hertz has them for sure.
3. No they do not, and by law it is not required for these methods (But it sure gave me the shivers when I thought about being in a taxi without one)
4. No they do not require anything special, however with the 3 year old it is recommended to either have a car seat that is air certified (most are), or get a CARES restraint system (cheap set of belts that strap the child to the seat).

I travelled with my just over 3 year old from Vancouver to Long Beach, CA last november and use the car seat for it. Very glad to use it, plus when using the rental car, I knew it was my seat, how it worked, and how it had (not) been abused.

 

[HeyyCali]

Thanks for the link. Great information.

There are still a couple of questions I have that I wasn't able to find in that thread. It was of course 171 pages so I didn't go through all of them in one sitting but will try over the course of time.

So at the time of the planned trip, our kids will be 8, 6.5, and almost 3.

1. It looks like there's some kind of train or subway or metro train that we can take from the airport into downtown vancouver. Does this require a car seat for the little ones?
2. If we rented a car to use during our stay, does the car rental place offer car seats? If so, does anybody know how much they charge on average?
3. If we don't rent a car and use taxis or shuttles, do they offer car seats?
4. Do the kids require anything special to fly on the plane in terms of seatbelts or anything like that? Can they just sit in the seat and be buckled in or do we need to use a car seat on the place as well?

In reviewing the information about Vancouver, we were originally thinking of maybe staying a full week in Vancouver but after doing a little more research, it seems that maybe 4 days is plenty. The trip would be late Sept so the weather isn't hot either. It appears that it would be on the cooler side so it's not like we would be snorkeling or laying at the beach like if we went to a place like Hawaii. It seems like a lot of the activity would be centered around the downtown city life with some outlaying activities in the nearby mountains.

We took the repo cruise to Vancouver stayed a couple of days and flew home. We had our five year old and two year old with us. Vancouver is wonderful! We took the Skytrain (Canada Line) to the airport. Kids were free. No car seats needed. The boys loved the ride. Try to sit in the front car. There is a window and the underground portions of the track are lit!

I have rented cars in the states and rented car seats. In the states they are $13 per day.

Taxis did not offer car seats.

As for the plane, no car seat is required. You can use your car seat on the flight if you prefer. You can buy a CARES Harness as well for added peace of mind. Or they can use the seat belt on the seat. It's up to you.

My boys loved Stanley Park! There is a kiddie train they loved and the grounds were so beautiful. We couldn't get enough. And the people- so kind and so friendly! Enjoy your trip!

 

[halfmonkey]

A couple of question about Grouse Mountain and Capilano Bridge. Would visiting both of these places require a full day each or can both of them be done on the same day? It seems like Grouse Mountain is mainly riding the skybox to the top of the mountain and maybe doing some zip lining and then maybe grabbing something to eat.

At the Capilano Park, it seems that you can walk the suspension bridge, do the cliffwalk out over the tree tops, and also do the treetop adventure walks. It seems you can also have lunch here.

Anything else at either location that is doing with a family of young kids? 8 y/o, 6.5 y/o, and almost 3 y/o.

Whistler is also near by. I don't really think of going to the mountains in the summer. Is it worth spending a day going to Whistler? Again, keep in mind the age of my kids. Would it be worthwhile? What is there to do in the summer besides ride down the mountain on a mountain bike?

 

[Tenkawa]

A couple of question about Grouse Mountain and Capilano Bridge. Would visiting both of these places require a full day each or can both of them be done on the same day? It seems like Grouse Mountain is mainly riding the skybox to the top of the mountain and maybe doing some zip lining and then maybe grabbing something to eat.

Excellent views, lots to see and do at the top, including wildlife. Highly recommended to see it. If you didn't have the little ones I'd recommend doing the Grouse Grind. 2 hours of stairmaster hell hiking up the mountain.

At the Capilano Park, it seems that you can walk the suspension bridge, do the cliffwalk out over the tree tops, and also do the treetop adventure walks. It seems you can also have lunch here.

Yes, I'm not a huge fan of Capilano Suspension Bridge, as I find it expensive and touristy. I'd recommend the Cleveland Dam park just up the road (part of the same park system) which is completely free.

Overall, both can be done in one day with no problems. Lots of transit options (Grouse and Capilano Suspension Bridge both run free shuttles from the port, but there is local transit busses that go in that area too).

Whistler is also near by. I don't really think of going to the mountains in the summer. Is it worth spending a day going to Whistler? Again, keep in mind the age of my kids. Would it be worthwhile? What is there to do in the summer besides ride down the mountain on a mountain bike?

Ok, so Whistler is a lot of things. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Vancouver along one of the most beautiful highways in the world (Sea-to-Sky), and there is tons to do both along the way and at Whistler. In Squamish there is a train museum (If that is your thing). In Whistler there is an excellent Native Peoples museum at the edge of the North Village, where part of the tour includes making cedar woven bracelets. (Did this myself a month ago).

Whistler also has zip-lines, ATVing, you can ride up one mountain, over the peak to peak gondola, and back down the other (or bike down), and all the restaurants there are really good (if a little on the pricy side).

There is also the sliding center from the 2010 Olympic Winter games.


Since you have 3 kids, I'll let you in on a local secret of Vancouver. La Casa Gelato on Venebles st. You need to drive or cab to get there, but it is well worth it. 130+ flavors of gelato, all available for sampling and buying, and it is GOOOD. Absolutely flooded on summer nights by locals.

 

[halfmonkey]

Excellent views, lots to see and do at the top, including wildlife. Highly recommended to see it. If you didn't have the little ones I'd recommend doing the Grouse Grind. 2 hours of stairmaster hell hiking up the mountain.



Yes, I'm not a huge fan of Capilano Suspension Bridge, as I find it expensive and touristy. I'd recommend the Cleveland Dam park just up the road (part of the same park system) which is completely free.

Overall, both can be done in one day with no problems. Lots of transit options (Grouse and Capilano Suspension Bridge both run free shuttles from the port, but there is local transit busses that go in that area too).



Ok, so Whistler is a lot of things. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Vancouver along one of the most beautiful highways in the world (Sea-to-Sky), and there is tons to do both along the way and at Whistler. In Squamish there is a train museum (If that is your thing). In Whistler there is an excellent Native Peoples museum at the edge of the North Village, where part of the tour includes making cedar woven bracelets. (Did this myself a month ago).

Whistler also has zip-lines, ATVing, you can ride up one mountain, over the peak to peak gondola, and back down the other (or bike down), and all the restaurants there are really good (if a little on the pricy side).

There is also the sliding center from the 2010 Olympic Winter games.


Since you have 3 kids, I'll let you in on a local secret of Vancouver. La Casa Gelato on Venebles st. You need to drive or cab to get there, but it is well worth it. 130+ flavors of gelato, all available for sampling and buying, and it is GOOOD. Absolutely flooded on summer nights by locals.

Thanks for the info. I see that you're in Vancouver. In your opinion, how much time would you recommend we spend in Vancouver before going home on a Disney cruise? We're thinking maybe 4 or 5 days. The cruise would leave on Sunday so we're thinking of flying in on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

We're thinking of renting a car from the airport and returning it in downtown. Is this possible? We would also need to get a car seat at least for our littlest one and maybe one for our 6.5 y/o or we may just bring his boaster seat.

 

[jrabbit]

I prefer Victoria over Vancouver. That would involve the Ferry over and back.

The inner harbor area by the Parliment building and the Empress Hotel is beautiful. Buchart Gardens is impressive. There's a butterfly garden on the way to Buchart that the kids (and everyone else) should love. There is a totem pole park and the natural history museum. Other "museums" in the area.

Vancouver has cleaned up and gotten to be much nicer over the last 40 years or so that I have been going up north to visit - and you really can't go wrong there either.

 

[Tenkawa]

Thanks for the info. I see that you're in Vancouver. In your opinion, how much time would you recommend we spend in Vancouver before going home on a Disney cruise? We're thinking maybe 4 or 5 days. The cruise would leave on Sunday so we're thinking of flying in on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

We're thinking of renting a car from the airport and returning it in downtown. Is this possible? We would also need to get a car seat at least for our littlest one and maybe one for our 6.5 y/o or we may just bring his boaster seat.

4 or 5 days would work, depending on how much you cram in. Yes it is possible to rent airport and return downtown. Avis I believe is the only one that has a return/pickup at the Cruise terminal, but Hertz and Enterprise both have locations downtown a couple blocks away as well. Picking up the car is easy, exist the airport and go into level 1 of the Parkade structure. The bottom level is all car rental pickups and returns.

If you want to go see whistler (and if the weather is nice, that is the day you want to do the drive), budget a day for it.

Grouse mountain/Cap Suspension bridge would be a partial day.

Other interesting things in and around the city:
* Science World (now known as Telus World of Science). - Very cool science museum with tons of hands on exhibits, great to do with kids.
* Granville Island - a large market, lots of artists, neat place to check out (Don't be fooled by the name, it is just outside downtown).
* Metrotown Mall - If shopping is your thing, this is the mall to go to. Largest in the area, and has tons of clothing stores, etc. Warning: Canadian clothing prices suck, but a bunch of the stuff you won't see elsewhere
* Richmond, specifically No.3 Road. This is a suburb over 50% asian, featuring some of the best asian food this side of the pacific. Don't be afraid to ask and point, and try new things. I like the Korean BBQ (all you can eat grill your own at table) + Sushi place on the back side of Richmond Center, but there are TONS of little places along No.3 Road from Bridgeport to Richmond Center.
*Stanley Park - Rain or shine, this park will suck up a day. There is a walking path around the entire park, featuring harbour views the entire way. It was voted one of the best urban parks in the world recently.
*Vancouver Aquarium (In Stanley Park) - This is one of the best aquariums in the world. Not the largest, but they have a large variety, and are conservation experts. It is not built around putting on shows, but education. Definitely worth the visit.
*Try the sushi. Any sushi restaurant will do. Vancouver has a higher Sushi restaurant per capita than any other city in the world, and there is a reason why. High quality fish, fresh, at a good price. Often found as little hole in the wall places service lunch crowds, they are all good.


JRabbit: Their cruise stops in Victoria.

 

[halfmonkey]

4 or 5 days would work, depending on how much you cram in. Yes it is possible to rent airport and return downtown. Avis I believe is the only one that has a return/pickup at the Cruise terminal, but Hertz and Enterprise both have locations downtown a couple blocks away as well. Picking up the car is easy, exist the airport and go into level 1 of the Parkade structure. The bottom level is all car rental pickups and returns.

If you want to go see whistler (and if the weather is nice, that is the day you want to do the drive), budget a day for it.

Grouse mountain/Cap Suspension bridge would be a partial day.

Other interesting things in and around the city:
* Science World (now known as Telus World of Science). - Very cool science museum with tons of hands on exhibits, great to do with kids.
* Granville Island - a large market, lots of artists, neat place to check out (Don't be fooled by the name, it is just outside downtown).
* Metrotown Mall - If shopping is your thing, this is the mall to go to. Largest in the area, and has tons of clothing stores, etc. Warning: Canadian clothing prices suck, but a bunch of the stuff you won't see elsewhere
* Richmond, specifically No.3 Road. This is a suburb over 50% asian, featuring some of the best asian food this side of the pacific. Don't be afraid to ask and point, and try new things. I like the Korean BBQ (all you can eat grill your own at table) + Sushi place on the back side of Richmond Center, but there are TONS of little places along No.3 Road from Bridgeport to Richmond Center.
*Stanley Park - Rain or shine, this park will suck up a day. There is a walking path around the entire park, featuring harbour views the entire way. It was voted one of the best urban parks in the world recently.
*Vancouver Aquarium (In Stanley Park) - This is one of the best aquariums in the world. Not the largest, but they have a large variety, and are conservation experts. It is not built around putting on shows, but education. Definitely worth the visit.
*Try the sushi. Any sushi restaurant will do. Vancouver has a higher Sushi restaurant per capita than any other city in the world, and there is a reason why. High quality fish, fresh, at a good price. Often found as little hole in the wall places service lunch crowds, they are all good.


JRabbit: Their cruise stops in Victoria.

Regarding the mall, you said that there's stuff that we won't see elsewhere. Are you referring to clothes and brands of clothes or trinkets and stuff? When you say that this is the largest mall, are you saying that it's the largest with the most expensive brand names?

Is Richmond Rd part of Chinatown? If so, I hear it's a very large Chinatown, rivaling San Francisco and New York's Chinatown. Anything in particular you'd recommend checking out in Chinatown?

So I know Whistler is the place to go in the winter but I'm not sure what it might offer us during the late summer/early fall months. We'd be going with some young kids, my mom and mother in law who is in her mid 70's. Besides mountain biking down the slopes (which obviously we wouldn't be doing because of the young kids and age of mother in law), what else is there to do in Whistler?

Is it still whale watching season in Vancouver last September or has the season already finished by that time?

 

[bumbershoot]

Richmond is a suburb south of downtown Vancouver and just east of the airport. It's not Chinatown. Another poster said not to bother.

From wiki:

Chinatown remains a popular tourist attraction, and is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America. However, it went into decline as newer members of Vancouver's Cantonese Chinese community dispersed to other areas of the metropolis. It has been more recently overshadowed by the newer Chinese immigrant business district along No. 3 Road in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, which had been an Anglo-Saxon bastion until the 1980s. Many affluent Hong Kong and Taiwanese immigrants have moved there since the late 1980s, coinciding with the increase of Chinese-ethnic retail and restaurants in that area. This new area is designated the "Golden Village" by the City of Richmond, which met resistance to the proposed renaming of the area to "Chinatown" both from merchants in Vancouver's Chinatown and also from non-Chinese residents and merchants in Richmond itself.

Just googled "whistler summer" and got various links such as this: http://www.whistler.com/activities/summer/ This seems nice, too (http://www.whistler.com/family/) but it might be more for staying up there vs a day trip. Not sure, only skimmed the basic first page.

 

[EeyoreIsMyName]

In Vancouver, I would recommend Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium (www.vaquarium.com). Your children might enjoy the Britannia Mine Museum. They can pan for gold and ride an undergound train (www.bcmm.ca). You can find lots of information at Where Vancouver on Facebook or Twitter. They publish a monthly booklet also (where.ca).

Don't miss Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It is absolutely breathtaking!