1. Arrive in Vancouver at least one day before your cruise ship sails. Of course, I may be a bit biased, but Vancouver will be one of your main ports of call during this cruise. Very often I have seen cruise ships fly into Vancouver on the day of their departure and completely miss out on this wonderful city. Plus, the added stress level of getting your ship on time is no way to start your vacation if everything doesn’t go according to plan. All it takes is a missed plane connection, mechanical difficulty, border issue or bad weather and your entire vacation could be ruined. Trust me, the ship will not wait for you in Vancouver if you are late, and you are solely responsible for getting to the ship on time. Not only that, but the tides and currents that flow out of Vancouver mean that, in many cases, the captain must leave on time or risk staying in port for hours until it is safe to leave again. There are amazing tours and sightseeing options in Vancouver and if you can trade the weather, it’s definitely worth it. The same is true for the day of your departure: why end a perfectly good cruise vacation stressing over whether or not you’ll make it off the ship in time for that ridiculously early flight home?
2. Get to the ship. There are several ways to do this depending on whether you’re going to completely ignore tip number one and try to go straight to the ship, or go straight to your hotel. 2015 marks the first season in a long time that Canada Place will only be used for cruise departures, and thank goodness for that! Those of you who have sailed from “the other” pier known as Ballantyne Pier in the past will no doubt agree with me that it was a disappointing start to their cruise, to say the least. Ballantyne Pier is poorly located outside of the city center and far from most of the city’s hotels. Fortunately for you, Canada Place is your ship’s departure destination this year. The cruise terminal is located in Canada Place, which is very close to many hotels, taxis and the Canada Line; Vancouver’s fully automated rapid transit train line. Some cruise lines offer bus transfers to the ship or hotel, however my recommendation is to do the math first. A taxi from Vancouver Airport to Canada Place with a 15% tip will cost you around $35 to $45 Canadian dollars and takes around 30 minutes. Most bus transfers purchased from ships will cost you about the same per person, so they may not be the best deal unless you’re traveling alone. If you don’t mind lugging all your luggage and walking a few blocks, the Canada Line train costs just under $10 per person and is about a 30-minute ride to the pier; not bad if you have a backpack, but with luggage I’d recommend against it. After getting off the train, you need to walk to the ship, which is about ten minutes from the train to the ship’s baggage drop-off point. My first option would be to arrange a pre-cruise tour company pickup or perhaps a private sedan to take you to your hotel. There are many luxury tours and trips available online or at the airport and you should arrange them before you get on the plane. A private sedan or limousine will usually set you back around $60-$80 Canadian plus tip. If you arrive early, keep in mind that check-in time at most hotels is between 3 p.m.
3. What is the best time to get to the ship? Well, if you like to sit, stand in line or wait at immigration, go first thing in the morning. If you’re like me and prefer to spend the day enjoying Vancouver or getting some sleep, you need to think carefully about what time you’ll arrive at the Canada Place cruise terminal to board your ship. The time it takes you to board the ship from being dropped off at the dock can vary between 20 minutes and 4 hours, depending on when you arrive and how many ships are in port. Keep in mind that the ship will most likely drop off a few thousand guests who have just completed their cruise. It usually takes at least until 10:00 am to clear the ship of departing guests, and another hour before they allow newly arriving guests to begin the check-in process. If your first port of call is a Canadian port like Victoria or Prince Rupert, you probably won’t have to go through US Immigration at Canada Place Pier. However, if your cruise is like most Alaska cruises and your first port is in Alaska, you will most likely go through US immigration inspection just before the ship check-in process at Canada Place , so you need to have your passport. practical. The procedure normally runs in this order; bag drop, security check, US immigration processing, cruise line check-in, and then the moment you’ve been waiting all this time to board the ship! Even if you’re the first person on board the ship at 11am, you won’t be able to access most of the ship, including your staterooms, until around 1pm, when the ship’s staff have finished cleaning and preparing everything for you . What this means is that the first two or three hours of check-in you’ll be sitting or standing in a big line, and then when you get on board, if it’s before 1:00 pm, you’ll be forced to wait in a public area of the ship with your hand luggage until your rooms are announced over the ship’s public address system. My advice is to enjoy Vancouver and show up a little later in the early evening to check in instead of trying to get to Canada Place at 9am so you can queue up with 2000 other guests. Having said that, of course be sure to check your departure time and don’t leave it to the last minute either. Please be at the pier at least 90 minutes prior to departure time, as check-in typically closes at least one hour prior to departure.
There you have it, the first of many tips for this year’s Alaskan cruise season. Don’t miss the next time I’ll tell you all about what to expect on your first day on board, from how to get room upgrades to what to do on day one of your cruise and what to expect through day two. Until then, thanks for reading and have a good trip!