Never heard of Westjet before today

Old Apr 21, 2010, 7:27 pm
  #1  
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Never heard of Westjet before today

Looking for flights LAX to Vancouver to meet a cruise ship and came across non-stop with Westjet for the first time.

Saw reviews about late departures and wonder if anyone can give me an idea of what a non-stop LAX-YVR experience can be like. The last thing we need to do is arrive late for our cruise ship departure.

One arrival times give us only 3 hours before the ship leave, another gives us 5 hours. (20 minutes from airport to cruise port)

Thanks.
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Old Apr 21, 2010, 7:52 pm
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there should be no problem taking westjet, they are IMO the most reliable carrier we have in Canada. If you figure, off-plane and through immigration 30-45 min, luggage 20 min. max, get a cab (10 min) and 20 min to port, still leaves you plenty of time. enjoy the cruise !!
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Old Apr 21, 2010, 8:12 pm
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Indeed... though, 20 minutes to the cruise ship is a bit optimistic, especially if it's anywhere near rush hour. If the cruise terminal is Canada Place (for Ballantyne you need a cab), and there are fewer than maybe 4 people, it's probably a better idea to take the Canada Line (train) to waterfront, at a reliable ~25 minutes.

In my experience WJ and AC are comparably reliable for domestic/USA flights to/from YVR, and better than for example UA.
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Old Apr 21, 2010, 9:05 pm
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Book the 5 hours before flight to reduce your stress level. If your LAX-YVR arrive after a few jumbo jet from Asia, the wait through customs can be more than an hour.
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Old Apr 21, 2010, 11:24 pm
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Thank you for your very helpful advice. Looking forward to our trip and we did decide on the 7am departure and an overnight at the airport to save the stress of getting there by 5am from 100 miles away! It is supposed to be a relaxing vacation ........
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Old Apr 21, 2010, 11:52 pm
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Originally Posted by sbagal
Thank you for your very helpful advice. Looking forward to our trip and we did decide on the 7am departure and an overnight at the airport to save the stress of getting there by 5am from 100 miles away! It is supposed to be a relaxing vacation ........
I find it more relaxing to arrive in the port city the day prior. Only once did we arrive on the day of, and never again if I can help it. But if you can't help it, then yes the earlier the better. I think you also clear US immigration before boarding the ship as well, so that just adds one more line to wait in, although it's nice to have that out of the way instead of doing it at your first US port of call like you sometimes end up doing on a Caribbean cruise.
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 5:34 am
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Originally Posted by DanJ
I find it more relaxing to arrive in the port city the day prior. Only once did we arrive on the day of, and never again if I can help it. But if you can't help it, then yes the earlier the better. I think you also clear US immigration before boarding the ship as well, so that just adds one more line to wait in, although it's nice to have that out of the way instead of doing it at your first US port of call like you sometimes end up doing on a Caribbean cruise.
Dittto... and keep in mind, you can board most ships in the 12-1pm time frame too to make the most of day 1 since you are paying for it!
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 7:42 am
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I am a Westjet flight attendant and we often have guests making connections to a cruise (mostly in Florida, it seems) on our flights THE SAME DAY. Now, I think winter is finally over, but regardless, I highly recommend that you fly the day before your cruise to eliminate any stress of delays for any reason. I hope you enjoy your flight with us and your cruise! Be sure to tell us all about your experience when you return!
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 10:52 am
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Advice taken. Am now looking at arriving in Vancouver the day before. Looks like an easy connection via rail from YVR to Canada Place port terminal and close by hotels for the overnight.

Thanks
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 12:39 pm
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Made my Westjet reservations and will get into Vancouver in early afternoon. Plan on taking the Canada Line to the Waterfront area near Canada Place ship terminal, meaning we will be rolling our one large bag each.

Any preferences between the Fairmont Waterfront or the Pan Pacific, for ease of access to either the Canada Line or Canada Place .... or both?

Or any other convenient hotel locations to both Canada Line and Canada place?

Thanks
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 12:54 pm
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Originally Posted by sbagal
Made my Westjet reservations and will get into Vancouver in early afternoon. Plan on taking the Canada Line to the Waterfront area near Canada Place ship terminal, meaning we will be rolling our one large bag each.

Any preferences between the Fairmont Waterfront or the Pan Pacific, for ease of access to either the Canada Line or Canada Place .... or both?

Or any other convenient hotel locations to both Canada Line and Canada place?

Thanks
Waterfront is connected to Canada Line.
Pan Pacific is at Canada Place.
They are right across the road from each other.
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 1:13 pm
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Originally Posted by cedric
Waterfront is connected to Canada Line.
Pan Pacific is at Canada Place.
They are right across the road from each other.
Any problems rolling luggage from one place to the next? Is it easy to get off the Canada Line and then on over to the Pan Pacific?

Or would it be best to settle in to the Waterfront with the direct Canada Line access, and make then arrangements to get our luggage to Canada Place cruise terminal the next day?

Thanks
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 4:11 pm
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Originally Posted by sbagal
Any problems rolling luggage from one place to the next? Is it easy to get off the Canada Line and then on over to the Pan Pacific?

Or would it be best to settle in to the Waterfront with the direct Canada Line access, and make then arrangements to get our luggage to Canada Place cruise terminal the next day?

Thanks
It will be just as easy to get luggage to either hotel from the Canada Line (which has lots of room for bags on the trains too) as the Pan Pacific is literally across the street from the Waterfront. Only difference is crossing Waterfront Street


Either way you will be fine. enjoy. And as others have mentioned, no issues with Westjet.
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 4:23 pm
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Originally Posted by calgary_jay
It will be just as easy to get luggage to either hotel from the Canada Line (which has lots of room for bags on the trains too) as the Pan Pacific is literally across the street from the Waterfront. Only difference is crossing Waterfront Street


Either way you will be fine. enjoy. And as others have mentioned, no issues with Westjet.
Thanks, ultimately settled on Fairmont Waterfront Portside View room as it came with the online best price booked directly with them and apparently they will deliver your bags to the cruise terminal.

What sold me on either of them was hearing how wonderful it was to have a view of the port and see the ships come in, and Fairmont offered the best rate for that view aspect.

It was great getting all this expert help having never heard of Westjet and now was able to spend the money I saved with them on an upgraded hotel room and a nice relaxing start to the cruise rather than hassling getting to a very early Air Canada flight, and arrriving on the same day.

Everything now all in place ..... and assume you will all be sending out good weather vibes for a glorious Alaska voyage from Vancouver and back - Holland America Zuiderdam - fresh out of dry dock and all spiffed up. They also had a great deal on a deluxe suite with an expanded verandah over their regular verandah cabins, so this sounds like the way to go when the scenery along the way is the daily entertainment.
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Old Apr 23, 2010, 7:15 am
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Originally Posted by sbagal
Thanks, ultimately settled on Fairmont Waterfront Portside View room as it came with the online best price booked directly with them and apparently they will deliver your bags to the cruise terminal.

What sold me on either of them was hearing how wonderful it was to have a view of the port and see the ships come in, and Fairmont offered the best rate for that view aspect.

It was great getting all this expert help having never heard of Westjet and now was able to spend the money I saved with them on an upgraded hotel room and a nice relaxing start to the cruise rather than hassling getting to a very early Air Canada flight, and arrriving on the same day.

Everything now all in place ..... and assume you will all be sending out good weather vibes for a glorious Alaska voyage from Vancouver and back - Holland America Zuiderdam - fresh out of dry dock and all spiffed up. They also had a great deal on a deluxe suite with an expanded verandah over their regular verandah cabins, so this sounds like the way to go when the scenery along the way is the daily entertainment.
I really, really enjoyed the Fairmont Waterfront on a one night pre-cruise stay last May before sailing on the Zuiderdam. The staff are so efficient, professional while friendly and engaging they complimented the wonderful water views the location offers. It may be worth enrolling in Fairmont's President's Club hotel loyalty program even for one stay because of the free internet offer for members. There is a link to that program from fairmont.com.

Happy travels!
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