Our Alaska cruise started and ended in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a first visit to this particular city for all 4 of us (first visit to Canada for our kids!). We intentionally planned our travel so we could spend a little bit of time exploring Vancouver before and after our cruise.
Our kids were 7 and 12 during our visit so every thing we did was geared toward families and kids. Getting to Vancouver took us 2 flights and pretty much our entire Saturday. After taking the SkyTrain to our hotel at Canada Place, we managed a quick dinner and then called it a night. The travel plus time change had us all exhausted, but also meant we were up early and ready to explore the next day!
Science World
After breakfast at our hotel on Sunday morning, we walked to the nearby SkyTrain station for a ride to Science World. Our kids always enjoy museums so we were sure this would be a hit and we were right. There is so much to see and do inside and outside with lots of great hands on opportunities to learn and play.
TIP: if you have a local museum membership at home, check the reciprocity information before you travel. We were able to use our membership at the Life and Science Museum in Durham, NC, to visit Science World for free.
Strolling City Streets
We left Science World by foot and began walking in the general direction of our hotel. Sometimes I plan. Sometimes we just go with wherever the day takes us. This was a mix and it was fun to see some of the city in this way.
We passed by Concord Community Park where lots of families were out enjoying the beautiful late spring day. Made our way through part of Chinatown and past Victory Square as we headed northward.
Gastown Steam Clock
I try to mix something uniquely local into all of our travels. Gastown Steam Clock was on my list to see while we were exploring Vancouver. Built in 1977 over a steam grate, the clock whistles on the quarter hours and blows steam at the top of the hour. We were just down the block when the hour struck and were able to experience both as we approached.
Hunger hit and we grabbed a quick bite nearby. I couldn’t resist a few more photos as we passed by the clock one more time. The afternoon lighting was perfection.
Swimming with a View
By midafternoon we were back at our hotel to relax and enjoy the heated rooftop pool. Our kids are always happy to go swimming any chance we get. This was no exception and, with the amazing view, it still felt like we were out and enjoying the city.
Our original 2020 plans for our Alaska cruise did not include staying at the Pan Pacific. After 2 years of cancellations, I decided it was worth the additional cost and it was. We enjoyed being right at the cruise port. Seeing the Disney Wonder sail into Vancouver Harbour the morning of our cruise just added to the fun and excitement.
Stanley Park
The following Monday morning after our cruise ended, we had a lot of time to fill before our evening flight. We left our luggage with the porters at the Pan Pacific for a small fee. Then used Lyft to get to Stanley Park. I specifically wanted to see the Totem Poles and had our driver drop us off nearby.
With no set plan, we just began strolling through the park. We started along the seawall, then found a path into the trees where we were in awe of the size of some of the trunks. Many far larger than our own arm spans!
As we continued onward, we came to Rose Garden Playground. Perhaps good luck in the time of day and being a weekday visit, it was pretty much empty so the kids could enjoy it all to themselves.
While we didn’t originally plan to, we continued walking and ended up walking the entire way back to the Pan Pacific to pick up our luggage. Although overcast, it was a such nice day. We enjoyed seeing this area of the city and harbor as we walked. It was also nice to stretch our legs and tire up a bit before a long night ahead with 3 flights to get us back to the east coast.
For almost 2 full days to spend exploring Vancouver, we saw and enjoyed quite a bit but also left so much more to see. Hoping we can return to this beautiful city someday in our future travels.
