Where to stay in Vancouver before a cruise, or after! (Best hotels near Vancouver cruise port) Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

The Vancouver cruise terminal is at a place that’s called “Canada Place.”

It’s in a very convenient location in downtown Vancouver.

I have stayed in downtown Vancouver before a cruise, and once I got to Canada Place I thought it was really easy to know where to go. There were signs so I knew exactly where to go!

So the location of the cruise terminal means that a downtown hotel is a very convenient place to stay before your cruise! (Or after your cruise!)

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While it’s convenient to stay before your cruise, you should know that downtown Vancouver is known for having expensive hotels.

Like, the Pan Pacific, THE Vancouver cruise port hotel. It’s right there at the cruise terminal.

It’s not uncommon for a question in a cruise facebook group to ask for recommendations of cheap hotels, with “cheap” being less than $300 a night!

And even that can be difficult.

So, just like the cost of Alaska cruise excursions 🤪, be prepared to be shocked by the prices of hotels near Vancouver cruise port.

If you’re researching in the off-season (aka winter in North America), then you’ll want to plug in your dates for when you’re checking hotel prices.

If you’re just looking around and don’t have a cruise booked, you still want to plug in a random date that’s during the Alaska cruise season, like some time between May and September, with June, July, and August having the highest prices.

The downtown Vancouver hotel prices can vary wildly in peak season vs off-season.

If you are truly just looking for a place to sleep before or after your cruise and/or you don’t mind commuting in the name of saving some money, then there is a capsule hotel near the Vancouver airport in Richmond. (aka NOT downtown Vancouver.) It’s not for everyone, but it can be for you, especially if you’re a solo traveler or it’s 2 of you. It’s called the Panda Pod Hotel. I have stayed here during a trip to Vancouver. You get a bed in a shared room. It’s an easy 30 minute train ride to get downtown and to the cruise port (map).

Okay, ready to be shocked by downtown hotel prices?! 🤣😭

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1. Pan Pacific Vancouver

• Read the reviews and check the price

The hotel absolutely nearest to the Vancouver cruise port and Canada Place is the Pan Pacific.

You literally can’t get any closer to the cruise port than the Pan Pacific!

The Pan Pacific is at Canada Place, which basically means it is at the cruise port. The cruise embarkation spot is on the lower level of the connected building. This also means that it’s in a good location of downtown Vancouver.

You can also get your luggage delivered from the hotel to the cruise ship. Having your luggage handled from the hotel can make for a stress-free embarkation process. No need to drop off your luggage at the cruise ship yourself!

Because of the (very) convenient location and luxury stay, this hotel gets frequently recommended in cruise facebook groups.

👆 The hotel that is the absolutely nearest to the Vancouver cruise port is the Pan Pacific Vancouver. You can’t get a hotel that’s more convenient for a cruise from Vancouver, especially with the luggage service for the cruise ship. Explore the map.
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2. Blue Horizon

• Read the reviews and check price

The Blue Horizon is also commonly recommended by cruisers. This hotel is not as close to the cruise port, but it’s still located in a convenient area of downtown Vancouver. You can get a taxi or uber in Vancouver, and it’s about a 5 to 10 minute drive to the cruise port, depending on traffic. If you have light luggage, you can walk around 20 minutes to get to the terminal.

If you are interested in going to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, then there is a free Capilano shuttle from the Blue Horizon to the Capilano suspension bridge park. See more details about the shuttle schedule.

The shuttle pick-ups are from Canada Place, the Blue Horizon, and the Hyatt Regency.

See more about the Capilano suspension bridge park on my post about things to do in Vancouver before cruise!

👆 The Blue Horizon Hotel is located about a 5 to 10 minute drive by taxi or uber from the cruise port. Or, you can walk 20 minutes! Explore the map.

3. YWCA Hotel

• Read the reviews and check price

You can get at a “cheap” downtown Vancouver hotel and be charitable by staying at the YWCA Hotel. This is a nonprofit hotel, and staying here means that you will be helping to fund YWCA community programs for women, children and families. (You don’t have to be a woman, child, or part of a family to stay here!)

Part of what makes the cheapest rooms “cheap” is that there are rooms with a shared bathroom. (There are also rooms with a private bathroom.)

It’s about a 5 minute drive to get to the cruise port, or a 20 minute walk.

4. Victorian Hotel

• Read the reviews and check price

A boutique hotel in downtown Vancouver with Klondike Gold Rush history is the Victorian Hotel. If you’re going to Skagway during your Alaska cruise, you will appreciate the history of this hotel. Skagway was a gateway town for those who were a part of the Klondike Gold Rush in search of gold in the Yukon!

The Victorian Hotel was built as accommodation for those adventurers in search of gold in British Columbia. (If you stay here, you also need to go to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center in Skagway!)

👆 The Victorian Hotel is a boutique hotel with Klondike Gold Rush history that’s located a 5 minute drive or 15 minute walk from the cruise port. Explore the map.
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5. Days Inn by Wyndham Vancouver Downtown

• Read the reviews and check price

In cruise facebook groups, one of the commonly recommended “cheap” hotels in downtown Vancouver is the Days Inn. (The reviews are lower however, so just manage your expectations if you’re staying here in the name of saving money.)

👆 The Days Inn by Wyndham in downtown Vancouver is one of the “cheaper” places to stay near the cruise port. It’s about a 10 minute walk or a 2 minute drive to get there. Explore the map.

6. Fairmont Pacific Rim

• Read the reviews and check price

The Fairmont Pacific Rim is one of the downtown Vancouver hotels that has harbor view rooms that directly overlook the cruise port! This is located across the street from the convention center and is one of the hotels that is closest to the cruise port. It’s about a 5 minute walk to the Vancouver cruise terminal.

👆 You can get a harbor view room that overlooks the cruise port at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, which is located a 5 minute walk to the cruise port. Explore the map.

7. Best Western Plus Vancouver Airport

• Read the reviews and check price

If Vancouver is literally just a place to sleep for you the night before your cruise, you might also consider staying near the airport for “cheaper” hotels.

For example, the Best Western Plus Vancouver Airport is usually cheaper than downtown Vancouver hotels near the cruise port, and there’s a free airport shuttle.

Then you can take public transportation in the morning straight to the cruise port. You can do either by bus or a combination of bus and skytrain… or just the skytrain if you don’t mind walking 20 minutes from the hotel. Explore the map for public transportation.

You can also get the free hotel shuttle back to the airport in the morning, and then take the skytrain direct from the airport to cruise port. Explore the map.

There is a skytrain station located a few minutes walk from the cruise port.

Or, you can take a taxi or uber in. It’s a 20 to 30 minute drive.

And instead of going directly to the cruise port from the train station, you might stop by Granville Square to see if you can see your cruise ship! See my post about walking in downtown Vancouver.

8. Fairmont Vancouver airport in-terminal hotel

• Read the reviews and check price

The hotel absolutely nearest to the Vancouver airport is the Fairmont Vancouver airport in-terminal hotel.

There is a direct skytrain from the airport to near the cruise port. The skytrain station near the cruise port is a 5 minute walk to get to the cruise terminal. Explore the map for skytrain directions. Or, you can take a taxi or an uber to go to the cruise port. It’s about a 30 to 40 minute drive.

9. Barclay House Bed and Breakfast

• Read the reviews and check price

For a luxury bed and breakfast in downtown Vancouver with a homey feeling, you’ll want to stay at the Barclay House Bed and Breakfast. This is about a mile from the cruise port, but otherwise it is in a centrally located area of downtown.

10. Auberge Vancouver Hotel

• Read the reviews and check price

A boutique luxury hotel in downtown Vancouver with waterfront views within walking distance of the cruise port is the Auberge Vancouver Hotel.

👆 The Auberge is a boutique hotel in downtown Vancouver that’s near the Canada Place cruise ship terminal. It’s about a 5 minute walk to get there. Explore the map.

11. Fairmont Waterfront

• Read the reviews and check price

The Fairmont Waterfront is another hotel that’s located very near the Vancouver cruise port with rooms that have views of Canada Place. You’ll walk across the street and the cruise port is there!

👆 The Fairmont Waterfront is one of the closest hotels to the Vancouver cruise port. It’s a walk of a couple of minutes to get to Canada Place. Explore the map.

Notes for Vancouver before your cruise

It’s always a good idea to arrive a day or 2 before your cruise starts. This allows some buffer in case of potential flight delays, and it allows you to get on the cruise ship feeling refreshed to start your cruise!

If you’re flying from East Coast USA, then arriving early will also give you extra time to adjust to the 3-hour time difference… which turns into 4 hours when you arrive in Alaska! (The time change will actually likely occur the night you get on the cruise ship.)

And of course, you can find things to fill your time! Take a look at my post about things to do in Vancouver.

You may even want to go to Victoria. I have a post about things to do in Victoria.

If you’re not staying in the immediate vicinity of Canada Place, it’s possible to take public transportation to the cruise port, as long as you don’t mind walking with your luggage for 5-10 minutes.

I’ve taken public transportation to get to the cruise port. Google maps is all you need to help you navigate bus stop locations and timings – look for the public transit option!

Similarly, depending on where you’re coming from, you can also take a train (“skytrain”) to the cruise port and then walk 5-10 minutes to the cruise port.

Again, google maps is all you need to help you with skytrain stations and timings! This includes getting from the airport to downtown for cheap.

You can also take a taxi or uber in Vancouver.

You can take a direct train (“skytrain”) from the airport to your hotel in downtown Vancouver that’s near the cruise port.

I’ve taken the skytrain from the airport to downtown Vancouver. Once again, use google maps to navigate! There a ticket machine at the train station where you can buy a public transport card called the compass card that you can use on the skytrain and bus. If you’ll be in Vancouver a few days and plan to use public transportation, I think the compass card is great! I found it to be super convenient.

Book sooner rather than later. More hotels are likely to be sold out of rooms the longer you wait, especially if you are traveling during peak Alaska cruise season. (Summer!)

More for planning your Alaska cruise: Vancouver | Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway

HAPPY CHOOSING A HOTEL NEAR VANCOUVER CRUISE PORT!