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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 317768 times)

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #500 on: February 19, 2015, 12:22:00 PM »
Is 1 full day in Vancouver enough time to go to the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, take the gondola car up Grouse Mountain, and a bike ride around Stanley Park?

Sure, depending on how much time you want to spend in those places.

Offline Chapshnell

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #501 on: February 19, 2015, 12:37:13 PM »
Is 1 full day in Vancouver enough time to go to the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, take the gondola car up Grouse Mountain, and a bike ride around Stanley Park?

I would think so, wake up early

Offline D93

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #502 on: February 19, 2015, 12:39:37 PM »
Thanks!

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #503 on: February 19, 2015, 12:52:18 PM »
I would choose 2. A lot to pack in
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline D93

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #504 on: February 19, 2015, 12:59:49 PM »
I would choose 2. A lot to pack in
Which 2 would you choose (scenery wise)?

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #505 on: February 19, 2015, 03:40:24 PM »
Probably Lynn Canyon and Grouse mountain. If their is good visibility. Otherwise I would skip Grouse mountain and go to Stanley Park.
You can always start early and do Lynn Canyon and Grouse Mountain and if you enough time go Stanley park.
You cal also just drive around Stanley park if you are short on time (and get in and out of the car a couple of times).
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline D93

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #506 on: February 19, 2015, 03:45:47 PM »
Probably Lynn Canyon and Grouse mountain. If their is good visibility. Otherwise I would skip Grouse mountain and go to Stanley Park.
You can always start early and do Lynn Canyon and Grouse Mountain and if you enough time go Stanley park.
You cal also just drive around Stanley park if you are short on time (and get in and out of the car a couple of times).
Anyway to check beforehand if visibility is good?

Offline Ergel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #507 on: February 19, 2015, 03:56:17 PM »
Anyway to check beforehand if visibility is good?
Look up
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #508 on: April 23, 2015, 11:13:53 AM »
Any updates on nice hotels for Vancouver? I'm IY"H going next week for a few days. I know the Fairmont Pacific Rim is highly recommended, but I have no shaychus to Fairmont whatsoever - no status, no points, nothing. I don't even know if they do points. :P

I have SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, Accor Plat, Priority Club Plat, and GHA Plat. Any recommendations?

Any recommendations for a hotel? SPG or Hyatt please.

ETA: GH actually doesn't have an award nights available. Any SPG recommendations?

Offline casualchurner

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #509 on: April 23, 2015, 01:47:44 PM »
Any recommendations for a hotel? SPG or Hyatt please.

ETA: GH actually doesn't have an award nights available. Any SPG recommendations?
Availability keeps changing. I'm hoping to go in June and there is availability but it keeps changing. :( kinda annoying

Offline dpk4588

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #510 on: May 03, 2015, 09:29:07 PM »
If I'm booking JFK-YVR (OW) what should I be booking with? I know F is 50k Avios, what is it with AA? It doesn't show up on AA.com so I assume it has to be booked by phone. I want to assume that its 32.5k OW (because that's what it is via LAX) but I'm not sure. It would make a nice savings over the 50k Avios. While I have so many more Avios and the ability to transfer MR & UR and I got the 40% MR to BA bonus in Jan, but I still don't think that justifies the extra 17.5k if the AA First Saaver is in fact 32.5k.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
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Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #511 on: May 03, 2015, 09:54:32 PM »

AA First Saaver is in fact 32.5k.
that.

Offline dpk4588

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #512 on: May 03, 2015, 09:56:02 PM »
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein

Offline hvaces42

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #513 on: May 03, 2015, 10:11:59 PM »
Sweet! Thanks.
The difference is only 4500 more Avios if you got them with the 40% deal.
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Offline MEIR613

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #514 on: May 03, 2015, 10:36:22 PM »
The difference is only 4500 more Avios if you got them with the 40% deal.
True, but you can always use Avios for short haul economy flights.

Offline casualchurner

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #515 on: May 04, 2015, 11:08:56 PM »
If there's no availability for CX on BA's site, does that mean that calling up AA is a waste of time? Do they have same availability as BA (in other words does CX have one award bucket for partner redemption)?
Trying to find flights from NYC for end of June and coming up EMPTY!!!   >:( >:(

Any ideas or tips would be MASSIVELY appreciated!

Offline Matovu

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #516 on: May 05, 2015, 12:10:01 AM »
Wait
Sorry to interject but if AA was always 32.5 why was everyone saying BA for 37.5 all along ?
(And now that it's 50k then no question AA)
« Last Edit: May 05, 2015, 12:23:24 AM by Matovu »

Offline tzifanya54

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #517 on: May 05, 2015, 01:42:35 AM »
If there's no availability for CX on BA's site, does that mean that calling up AA is a waste of time? Do they have same availability as BA (in other words does CX have one award bucket for partner redemption)?
Trying to find flights from NYC for end of June and coming up EMPTY!!!   >:( >:(

Any ideas or tips would be MASSIVELY appreciated!
Just did it last year... Your only option is to wait until a few weeks before the flight for availability to open up.

Offline casualchurner

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #518 on: May 05, 2015, 08:32:49 PM »
Just did it last year... Your only option is to wait until a few weeks before the flight for availability to open up.
OK, I guess we'll play the waiting game.
Thanks

Offline Suz

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Re: Vancouver Master Thread
« Reply #519 on: May 11, 2015, 01:58:13 PM »
If there's no availability for CX on BA's site, does that mean that calling up AA is a waste of time? Do they have same availability as BA (in other words does CX have one award bucket for partner redemption)?
Trying to find flights from NYC for end of June and coming up EMPTY!!!   >:( >:(

Any ideas or tips would be MASSIVELY appreciated!

Opens up as it gets closer.  I have booked business class numerous times and within 10 days to 2 days I have always upgraded to first.