I always tend to dismiss port cities as a way point and not a destination. With all the flight issues and COVID testing, we wanted to get to Vancouver with time to spare, so we had a few days. I did minimal research and booked a tour for Day 2. I didn’t realize what a large city Vancouver was with so much to offer.

From the Airport on Day 0, we were able to take a train to basically the doorstep of our hotel, Pan Pacific Vancouver. We decided on Pan Pacific because it is basically located in the cruise terminal. In an unknown city, the last thing we need to be doing is lugging our backpacks all over the morning of the cruise. I am glad we booked Pan Pacific, but after seeing Vancouver, I would have been comfortable in a larger radius around the port. Vancouver has proven very walkable.

The first thing we did on Day 1, was grab a complimentary breakfast at the hotel and then take our COVID tests. This was the most nerve-wrecking part of the trip for me, but thankfully we received our negative tests and we are clear to sail!

After the COVID tests, we purchased tickets to the hop-on/hop-off bus to do some sight seeing around the city. This seemed the easiest way to get around and also included a Harbor Cruise.

To make the most of our time, we decided to hit the Harbor Cruise first, and it was just a few bus stops away from our hotel. Well, after waiting an hour for the bus, we missed our first time for the cruise and had to book the second time. With some extra time to grab lunch, we wandered up the street and happened upon a restaurant that we were hoping to eat at, Jingle Bao! Everything we tried was delicious. The kids love Bao buns, especially Kate, so this was a special treat.

After our delicious lunch, we had to run the few blocks back to the harbor cruise to make it in time. The Harbor Cruise basically is what the name implies, a short circle around the Harbor. If you all remember the story of the shipping barge stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, The Evergreen, it was in the port today.

From the Harbor Cruise, we saw many people walking and biking in Stanley Park. Somehow I got my family to agree to rent bikes and ride around Stanley Park with me. Stanley Park is known as the “crown jewel” of Vancouver with 1000+ acres of wooded park area. It is most known for it’s totem poles.

After a grueling uphill section, we made it to Prospect Point, which offered beautiful views and ice cream.

In my exuberance for the smell of coniferous trees and feeling the rush of wind, what I was hoping to be a 3-4 mile bike ride turned into 10+ miles. At one point we were caught in a city celebration, then realized we went to far and had to go all the way back through the city celebration. I wasn’t the favorite in the family at that moment.

After we returned our bikes, we got back on the hop-on/hop-off bus. We were lucky to find it as he told us he was the last of the night (at 5:30pm ). We were hot and tired and the bus was barely moving in heavy traffic. We found a stop within walking to our hotel and hoofed it back. We are going to try to use the bus tomorrow to catch some other neighborhoods, but at this point it seems like a big waste of money.

We found a quick restaurant to eat it that didn’t offer great air conditioning, gave money to a street performer and called it a night.