Philly to Vancouver Air, Hotel,, Etc Questions,

[momoftwins]

Alaska 2020 here we come

Anyone have any advice on airline, timing, etc? We can't book yet, but really more of I assume we need to fly in day before? What about hotel recommendations, transfers to the ship?

Thanks all!!! Really appreciate any advice!!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Alaska 2020 here we come

Anyone have any advice on airline, timing, etc? We can't book yet, but really more of I assume we need to fly in day before? What about hotel recommendations, transfers to the ship?

Thanks all!!! Really appreciate any advice!!

We haven’t sailed yet (May 2019) but I booked everything way ahead because I used airline and hotel points. We are flying into Vancouver on Saturday, cruise departs Monday. So far our flight has changed from arriving in Vancouver at 9am, to arriving at noon. If I had booked a later flight, and it changed 3 hours, I’d be more concerned if we flew in only 1 day ahead. Booked the Hyatt, which people say is walkable to the port. There are closer hotels, but I had points so this one was free. We also booked a night near the airport after the cruise since our flight leaves at 10am, not enough time after debarkation.

 

[dclpluto]

There’s not any good flights from philly to Vancouver and vice versa. Air Canada is probably your best option. Only problem with that is you stop in Toronto and you have to pick up your luggage and get it reinspected and security also.
Transportation to the port area is cheap by taxi. Make sure you have some Canadian money.
Hotels you want to look at Priceline.

 

[lilsonicfan]

You can fly through United if you don't mind them, they have flights that stop in Chicago, or San Fran or I'm sure many other places. I am from Vancouver and personally I think it's a great city. Come a few days early if you can.

Hotels near port (downtown Vancouver) are going to be pricey, but downtown is very walkable once you're there.

 

[bcwife76]

With Air Canada you can also connect through Montreal and I would choose that over Toronto any day!
There are plenty of hotels near the port within walking distance or a short cab ride away. Vancouver taxi drivers are notorious for saying they don't accept credit cards or that their machines are broken - both LIES. Always better to get some Canadian cash, but yes you can use credit cards as well. Some places even accept American $ because our CDN $ is so bad right now.

 

[LAX]

If OP lives north of Philly, can consider heading to Newark for a nonstop.

LAX

 

[otten]

It’s easier to connect through a US airport because you don’t need to do customs during the layover. Unless you’re in a major hub like Chicago etc you’re probably connecting. Flying to and from Vancouver from the east is generally a whole day affair so I would definitely not attempt to fly in day of.

Pan Pacific and Fairmont waterfront are the closest to the port and during cruise season will be priciest. You can walk to the port from pretty much any downtown hotel. If the downtown hotels give you sticker shock stay in Richmond at an airport hotel and take the Canada line to the port.

Hopefully by 2020 we will finally have Uber/Lyft but if not keep in mind that taxis can be at a premium when there are ships in port. Allow plenty of time to get a cab.

 

[emilymad]

We are debating flying into Seattle instead of Vancouver since there are easier flights from Philly. My work has offices in Vancouver and colleagues hate traveling to Philly since they are no direct flights.

 

[JTlikestheDuck]

As others have mentioned, if you can't get a direct flight, connect in the US to avoid going through customs/immigration then trying to catch your flight. We stayed at the Hampton Inn (free shuttle to the port) downtown on Robson near the soccer stadium in Vancouver last summer for our Alaska cruise. Spend some time in Vancouver before your cruise, it truly is a great city with lots to see. It is very walkable if you stay downtown. Calipano bridge is really neat, just get there early.

Also for your return flight, US Customs/Immigration at the Vancouver airport closes early so if you have a late/redeye flight out of Vancouver, you will need to go through customs/immigration in the US which may make a connecting flight more difficult time wise.

 

[Dug720]

Clarifying terms...

If you are talking about a flight that takes off from your beginning airport and ends at your destination, you are talking about a “Non-Stop flight”.

A “Direct flight” may have one or more stops, but the flight number remains the same. Usually the equipment does as well, but there could be an equipment change.

“Connecting flights” are where there is a change of flight number and usually though not always equipment.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We are debating flying into Seattle instead of Vancouver since there are easier flights from Philly. My work has offices in Vancouver and colleagues hate traveling to Philly since they are no direct flights.

I can understand this but it’s a 3 hour drive from Seattle at a minimum and that doesn’t include border wait time. Not a huge time savings over a layover.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Under that terminology there are still no direct flights to Vancouver from Philadelphia. Everything is a connecting flight.

 

[LAX]

We are debating flying into Seattle instead of Vancouver since there are easier flights from Philly. My work has offices in Vancouver and colleagues hate traveling to Philly since they are no direct flights.

Keep in mind one-way car rental across border can be expensive. If you are thinking about Amtrak, I have heard it's not reliable, especially during rainy season due to risk of landslide. Flying to Seattle would make sense only if you make it part of your trip, IMHO.

With regards to no nonstop slight between Philly and Vancouver, making the drive up to Newark may be worth the trouble.

LAX

 

[bumbershoot]

You can walk to the port from pretty much any downtown hotel.

Yep. Or a quick taxi ride, which I’ve always found to be decently priced and clean.

We are debating flying into Seattle instead of Vancouver since there are easier flights from Philly.

It causes another set of transportation plans, though, so work all of that out before making your decision.

eep in mind one-way car rental across border can be expensive.

Or it’s not. The only absolute with car rentals is that there are no absolutes.

If you are thinking about Amtrak, I have heard it's not reliable, especially during rainy season due to risk of landslide.

Getting from point a to point b is perfectly reliable. It just won’t be on a train if there’s has been a landslide that affects the tracks within the past three days. It’ll be on a bus, which is nowhere near as fun as on the train.

But of course there are only two per day. One leaves before you can get there from an early-landing flight, so you need a hotel room. One leaves in the afternoon after the ship leaves, so again, you need a hotel.

It’s not a decision to be made lightly.

 

[Little c Travel]

We are debating flying into Seattle instead of Vancouver since there are easier flights from Philly. My work has offices in Vancouver and colleagues hate traveling to Philly since they are no direct flights.

We have visited Vancouver numerous times and we always fly into Seattle. Flying out of Atlanta there are very few direct flights and it is typically 25 to 45% cheaper to fly into Seattle. The drive has typically taken us between 2:45 minutes and 3:15 minutes with the border crossing. I love Seattle so spending time in the city is always worth it to me. Even if it is just a couple hours.

 

[MamaBear58]

we connected in Toronto and do not recall customs being an issue at all. We did not have a particularly long layover either. Honestly, it was fine.

 

[LAX]

Yep. Or a quick taxi ride, which I’ve always found to be decently priced and clean.



It causes another set of transportation plans, though, so work all of that out before making your decision.



Or it’s not. The only absolute with car rentals is that there are no absolutes.



Getting from point a to point b is perfectly reliable. It just won’t be on a train if there’s has been a landslide that affects the tracks within the past three days. It’ll be on a bus, which is nowhere near as fun as on the train.

But of course there are only two per day. One leaves before you can get there from an early-landing flight, so you need a hotel room. One leaves in the afternoon after the ship leaves, so again, you need a hotel.

It’s not a decision to be made lightly.

With regards to Amtrak, I have not experienced it myself, so don't really have much to add. While it's true Amtrak would send a bus if the trains can't run, the trip would take longer even before factoring in traffic on the I5 corridor. To me, reliability is more than just getting me from point A to point B. I will need to arrive at a destination within a reasonable time frame on a fairly regular basis. Thus, I am throwing it out there so people can be aware of potential issues.

LAX

 

[NYCMommy]

We flew las summer from a NYC and had to connect through Toronto on the way there and Calgary on the way back. We struggled to find flights, waited too long, prices went up and up and we ended up having to use miles. Book early! I will echo the long lines for cabs at the port especially if you are a group of five like we were. We waited almost an hour to find a cab large enough and ended up having my husband share with a party of two and we went as a party of four and met him. It was so wonderful it was worth losing the travel days!

 

[disgreat]

We live in the Philly area. When we did our Alaska cruise, we went from Newark to Vancouver so that we could take a direct flight. It worked out great for us. We took a shuttle from our home to the Newark airport.

 

[RedSox68]

When we sailed out of Vancouver in 2012, we found the flight prices very high to fly into Vancouver. So we flew into Seattle for a couple of days, then took Amtrak to Vancouver and it was just the most wonderful train trip (the scenery is amazing). And it still costs us less than flying into Vancouver directly.