The only comfort of leaving our beautiful ship was that we docked in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Vancouver, British Columbia is stunning. If you only have a day, here are our recommendations.
Get high.
Find a tall building and find the view. We scored a killer hotwire deal at the Sheraton Wall Center. Not only convenient as we walked easily with our luggage from the ship port, but we asked a kind Canadian at check-in for the highest room possible, and we got it – 25th floor!
Get on the water.
Drop your bags and head to Granville Island. This trendy area sits just under the Granville Bridge with the Granville Public Market, a hub of activity and delicious food. The adorable tugboat ferries take visitors to and from the island. At the island we rented a boat from Granville Island Boat Rental and drove around the city. Relatively inexpensive, Lakshmi with a coupon in hand, it was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. No boating license is required, only a driver’s license. Ravi had never driven a boat in his life but there we were, out on the water in Canada in the middle of the city. We highly recommend this experience.
Whale watching
Whale watching tours take off from the center of Vancouver. If you are in Vancouver and ready to see an Orca, get on a boat!
Unfortunately, there are minimal photos from our whale watching experience from Vancouver. Yes, we did see whales. We found Orca pods, and many of them. The catch is that Ravi’s eyeglasses found an unfortunate demise in the Pacific Ocean the very moment Orcas appeared. His overly excitable wife may knocked them into the water. It put a damper on things but we still recommend this experience. If you are in Vancouver prior or after a cruise from Alaska, the cost of whale watching in in Canada will be significantly less. Even if you viewed Alaskan whales, the Orcas are native to this area. Helpful money saving tip: check Groupon.
