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Trip Reports

Dan, AJK here and here , Chapshnell, UshDadude, sam28, YudiG, Tzfas, mochada, jagstangz, Neil, dpk4588, BKYW, tzifanya54, stever, mordechain, nafnaf12, SLMYRCB, Friars500


Flight Options (as of 04/18)

Cathay Pacific flies directly to/from JFK (777-300ER).         

Final date for this route, 02/23/20

Economy:
12.5K BA OW
17.5K AS OW
20K CX OW (30K RT)

Premium Economy:
25K BA OW
20K AS OW
24K CX OW (36K RT)

Business Class:
37.5K BA OW
25K AS OW
25K CX OW (50K RT)

First Class:
50K BA OW
35K AS OW
40K CX OW (70K RT)
Air Canada flies directly to/from EWR (787-800).
Economy:
12.5K SQ, UA, AC OW

Premium Economy:
20K AC OW

Business Class:
20K SQ OW
25K UA, AC OW

There is also a Delta flight direct to/from JFK in the summer months (prices vary as expected from Delta).   

DP01 (07/13): CX availability becomes better closer to the flight. (MEIR613)
DP02 (04/18): CX availability disappears 3-5 days out on BA and AS. (SLMYRCB)
DP03 (08/18): CX availability can only show up on BA or AS if there is more than 1 seat remaining, if it's only 1 seat, it will only be available on CX.com Use CX.com to see actual # of seats available. (@Yehuda)


Food - BC Kosher List

Cafe Forty One (dairy - cholov yisrael) formerly Shuk Eat/Play
5750 Oak Street
Vancouver, BC
V6M 2V9, Canada
Tel: 604-563-4141
Delivery Service via Skip The Dishes (Fairmont Pacific Rim is not within the deliverable area)
"Really great, everything tasty good value, best Caesar Salad ever, and order pizza in advance for good "camp" like homemade yummyness." (shiframeir)
"Nice selection of pastries in addition to their dairy menu. The pizzas and sandwiches are very good." (SLMYRCB)

Nava Creative Cusine (dairy/pareve - non cholov yisrael)
950 West 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Tel: (604) 676-7579
Located at the JCC - right around corner from Cafe Forty One

Omnitsky's Kosher (meat)
5775 Oak Street,
Vancouver, BC
Tel: (604) 321-1818
Just across the street from Cafe Forty One

Sabra Bakery (meat)
3844 Oak Street
Vancouver, BC
Tel: (604) 733-4912
Two miles down Oak Street near the Sharei Tzedek Shul

Maple Grill (meat)
1967 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V6J 1Z3, Canada
Tel: (604) 568-4885

Mount Royal Bagels - North Vancouver
701 Queensbury Ave
North Vancouver, BC
V7L 3V9, Canada
Tel: (604) 904-1116

Real Canadian Superstore
Marine Drive
Has kosher products

Kosher Food Warehouse
612 Kingsway (rear)
Vancouver, BC
Tel: (604) 709-9889


Shabbos

Chabad Downtown - walkable from many hotels, no Eruv, Shacharis on Shabbos followed by Kiddush, Friday night Minyan last weekend each month.
TheKollel - in the community, yes Eruv, Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre only points hotel in the Eruv, Airbnb options, all Minyanim, free Shabbos meals. Some hotels downtown (outside the Eruv) are about an hour walk.
Eruv - https://goo.gl/maps/D2oLBC39GT72


Activities

Stanley park - trolley, rent bikes at Bayshore Bike/Spokes/lots of other places (Westin Bayshore provides 2 hours of free bikes), playground/water are, 9 o'clock gun
Aquarium in Stanley Park
Capilano suspension bridge - also tree walk and cliff walk
Capilano Salmon Hatchery
Lynn Canyon suspension bridge and hikes (Twin Falls, 30 Foot Pool) - free
Grouse Mountain - gondola up, can take chairlift even higher, then an elevator to top of windmill, view of Vancouver, ziplining, parasailing, lumberjack show, see grizzly bears, Grouse Grind - way to hike up the mountain instead
Granville island - market, street performers, kayaking, stand up paddleboat, false creek ferries, brewery tour, kids play area, rent a boat, can bike to here
Seaplane around Vancouver harbor or to Whistler -  http://www.harbour-air.com/index.php 
Whale watching
Victoria Island - ferry to the island/back, Butchart Gardens (expensive, underwhelming), Miniature World, Fisherman's Wharf, oldest Synagogue in Canada. Victoria seems to be very expensive, ferry $30, to bring a car $100, gardens $30.
Bowen Island
Seabus - cheap ferry across harbor and back
Deep Cove kayaking
UBC Garden - Greenheart TreeWalk (look for Groupon)
Zoo
Harbor boat tours - boatrent.ca, Harbor Cruises was terrible - dpk4588
Sea wall
Watch sea planes
Cypress Mountain
Seymour Mountain
Art Museum
Science center imax
Pacific Center Mall
See Olympic torch
"Tour Guys" free walking tour
Rivers to see salmon spawn (swim upstream)
Robson street
Denman street
Vancouver Convention Center - Olympics memorabilia
Kitsilano Beach
Kids Bowl Free
Takaya golf centre
Poets cove
Elizabeth gardens
Van dusen gardens - better than Elizabeth gardens
Canada Place - fly over canada ride experience
Brittania Mine Museum
Vancouver Lookout
Gastown - steam clock
Chinatown
Yaletown
http://scenicrush.com/ - exotic car drive up the Sea to sky highway
Dr SunYatSen Chinese Garden (Dan and a DDFer said not worth it)
Free Chinese Garden
Lighthouse park
Safari Eco Boat Tour and Seaplane flight  Sewellsmarina.com

On the way to Whistler: (see Whistler Master Thread)
Sea to sky highway
Sea to sky gondola in Squamish, can hike up and take gondola down
River rafting in Squamish
Shannon Falls
Brandywine Falls
Panorama Ridge Hike in Lake Garibaldi in between Squamish and Whistler

« Last edited by pointer on February 16, 2020, 11:32:24 PM »

Author Topic: Vancouver Master Thread  (Read 274660 times)

Offline Tzfas

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #140 on: May 28, 2013, 11:54:01 PM »
Does this itinerary work? What would you change?

Wed. night cx business jfk-yvr
thu-shabbos in yvr
sat. night drive up to whistler.
sun and monday in whistler.
monday night cx business yvr-jfk

Thoughts? too much moving around? not enough time in either place?
Thanks
Just to give you some tips about Vancouver; we did not do Whistler so I can’t comment on that.
Some tips: If you’re not by the Avis counter by 1AM they close unless you call them when you land to stay open which they will till 2:15 (We learnt the hard way and ended up taking a taxi in to downtown which Avis reimbursed us for the next day).
The food situation is so so, there is NO cholev yisroel there at all we did bring 2 bottles of milk along with us so we had.
Shabbos:  Chabad in downtown only has a small kiddush by day which was ok for us, Friday night we ate in our room with some food we picked up from Maple grill and Sabra. Or you can walk to the kollel which is above Maple grill and they have both meals there but it’s about an hour walk from Downtown.

Also the Hyatt has a few issues with the door activating the lights and AC, so it has to be overridden there is a sensor on top of the door. Rooms start only on the fifth floor so there will be some steps to walk.

Activities: The best and cheapest place to rent bikes near Stanley Park is Bayshore bicycle we biked around the whole park which was fun took about an hour and forty five min.

Grouse Mountain was in between seasons so nothing much was going on except the grizzly bears, but now in the summer season should be better with all the shows there.

We did a sea plane tour that was really really cool and fun we had a whole plane just for ourselves.


Also interesting was watching all the cruise ships docking and people getting on the boat, and setting sail, listing to all announcements being made on the ship, you are so close and can almost touch the ships.

Chinese garden was nothing special.
The steam clock was a nice site to see especially on the hour when it makes along chime and tons of smoke billows out of it.

If you want anything specific just ask and I will try and be happy answer.

Offline Tzfas

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #141 on: May 28, 2013, 11:56:23 PM »
Wife won't go for longer (and schedules don't really allow). What would you do?Shkoyach. You have some magic potion to make it avaiable?
Yes wait till three days before the flight it usally opens up it did for us!

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #142 on: May 28, 2013, 11:58:32 PM »
Yes wait till three days before the flight it usally opens up it did for us!
That was the plan (to book and cancel if it becomes available)
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Offline Tzfas

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #143 on: May 29, 2013, 12:08:09 AM »
You might want to try Air Canada for one way we used them for the return, no lie flat seats but much better kosher food than CX.

Another point Ask CX to contact BA to order kosher Food for you in the lounge at JFK, we got one meal since there was an extra kosher meal from a passenger going with BA to London that did not come to the dining room for their pre departure meal. The attendant at the lounge mentioned that idea and said that what people do.

Offline Elchay

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #144 on: May 29, 2013, 08:49:34 AM »


We did a sea plane tour that was really really cool and fun we had a whole plane just for ourselves.

How much was seaplane tour? which company did you use?

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #145 on: May 29, 2013, 11:05:46 AM »
Does this itinerary work? What would you change?

Wed. night cx business jfk-yvr
thu-shabbos in yvr
sat. night drive up to whistler.
sun and monday in whistler.
monday night cx business yvr-jfk

Thoughts? too much moving around? not enough time in either place?
Thanks
Bump. Anyone else have thoughts (I'm still looking at you AJK)?
Seems like many people just make whistler a day trip. Stay the whole time in Vancouver and just drive up to whistler one day? Does that sound better?
« Last Edit: May 29, 2013, 11:22:45 AM by Ergel »
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Offline MEIR613

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #146 on: May 29, 2013, 12:02:11 PM »
Does this itinerary work? What would you change?

Wed. night cx business jfk-yvr
thu-shabbos in yvr
sat. night drive up to whistler.
sun and monday in whistler.
monday night cx business yvr-jfk

Thoughts? too much moving around? not enough time in either place?
Thanks
Where are you planning on staying?

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #147 on: May 29, 2013, 12:03:34 PM »
Where are you planning on staying?


Dunno. Haven't even started planning
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Offline AJK

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #148 on: May 29, 2013, 12:16:21 PM »
Bump. Anyone else have thoughts (I'm still looking at you AJK)?
Seems like many people just make whistler a day trip. Stay the whole time in Vancouver and just drive up to whistler one day? Does that sound better?

I didn't do Whistler so I can't comment on that beyond saying I hear from my wife it's beautiful.

That said, I think you'll find enough to do in in YVR proper for your stay. I just have a gut feeling if you do both you'll do neither well.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #149 on: May 29, 2013, 01:55:02 PM »
I didn't do Whistler so I can't comment on that beyond saying I hear from my wife it's beautiful.

That said, I think you'll find enough to do in in YVR proper for your stay. I just have a gut feeling if you do both you'll do neither well.
Thanks, Maybe we'll just do Sunday in Whistler (or decide on the fly).
Hyatt regency (2 anniversary certs + 36k points, plat status) vs. Westin Grand (40k points, no status but mistama could get gold)
Thoughts? Hyatt regency is much closer walk to the kollel if we want to eat there on shabbos. Westin is on the water.
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Offline AJK

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #150 on: May 29, 2013, 02:04:33 PM »
Westin Grand on the water? Do you mean Westin Bayshore?

We stayed at both, and both were nice. My wife absolutely loved the WB, but then again she special nostalgia for it from her childhood.

Perhaps stay at the HR for shabbas (that is, if you want to eat at the kollel) and then switch to WB for the other days?

We personally picked up food from Omnitzky's for Shabbas and just ate in our room and loved it.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #151 on: May 29, 2013, 02:13:08 PM »
Not into switching hotels.

Sorry got confused. Westin Bayshore is not available Wed-Fri, so I guess that's out.

I guess you are right, we probably will end up eating in our room. So it's Westin Grand vs. HR. What would you do?
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Offline mguy

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #152 on: May 29, 2013, 02:36:06 PM »
Does this itinerary work? What would you change?

Wed. night cx business jfk-yvr
thu-shabbos in yvr
sat. night drive up to whistler.
sun and monday in whistler.
monday night cx business yvr-jfk

Thoughts? too much moving around? not enough time in either place?
Thanks

I've done YVR+Whistler in an even shorter trip, though it wasn't over Shabbos. Everyone is different (I personally prefer to keeping running around), but if you are doing it without kids I don't think it's too short.

As an alternative to Whistler, I considered taking a seaplane to one of the islands to stay there 1-2 nights (e.g. http://www.poetscove.com/). Can kayak, bike/scooter around the island, etc. If you are going when the weather is warm, may be worth looking into. Could then take a ferry to Victoria for a flight back through YVR, or ferry back to Vancouver. Though you may need one more day to do this comfortably.

Also, driving up to Whistler at night is a shame as you won't see anything. The scenery along the drive was the highlight of my Whistler excursion. And you can stop at a waterfall and parks, etc. Better if you can do it in day light.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2013, 02:41:13 PM by mguy »

Offline AJK

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #153 on: May 29, 2013, 02:40:37 PM »
Not into switching hotels.

Sorry got confused. Westin Bayshore is not available Wed-Fri, so I guess that's out.

I guess you are right, we probably will end up eating in our room. So it's Westin Grand vs. HR. What would you do?

I value SPG very highly, and since you have 2 certs for HR, I'd go HR, and depending on rates, I may pay cash for other nights.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #154 on: May 29, 2013, 02:43:05 PM »
I value SPG very highly, and since you have 2 certs for HR, I'd go HR, and depending on rates, I may pay cash for other nights.
I was leaving that way as well. I'm gonna use. Points for the other nights. Cash rates are high. will probably book one night on the executive floor and hope to stay there the whole time
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Offline AJK

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #155 on: May 29, 2013, 02:51:20 PM »
I was leaving that way as well. I'm gonna use. Points for the other nights. Cash rates are high. will probably book one night on the executive floor and hope to stay there the whole time

PM me regarding HR rates.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Tzfas

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #156 on: May 29, 2013, 05:57:44 PM »
I was leaving that way as well. I'm gonna use. Points for the other nights. Cash rates are high. will probably book one night on the executive floor and hope to stay there the whole time
Just remember about the steps if you’re at the HR over shabbos. We were first on the 26th floor and had to beg them to change us, the lowest they had was the 10th we only walked up once. There are four staircases 2 go into the lobby and 2 to the street, use only the lobby ones as the street one are alarmed.

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #157 on: May 29, 2013, 06:35:53 PM »
Just remember about the steps if you’re at the HR over shabbos. We were first on the 26th floor and had to beg them to change us, the lowest they had was the 10th we only walked up once. There are four staircases 2 go into the lobby and 2 to the street, use only the lobby ones as the street one are alarmed.
Is that the regency floor? Did you ask I'm advance to be put on a low floor?
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Offline Tzfas

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #158 on: May 29, 2013, 06:46:51 PM »
Yes I asked for a lower floor but they had a  big school group there  and they had to all be together. I’m not sure regarding the regency floor. Also try to get a room with a  front balcony, the back you only get to view the pool, the views are very nice and it helps regarding shabbos we ate on the porch  fri nitght and it was very nice.

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #159 on: May 29, 2013, 06:58:00 PM »
You asked in advance?
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