Well the long awaited for trip to Alaska finally came. 11 of us flew from Florida to Alaska and all of our luggage made it on time!!!! I know that sounds hard to believe but its true. We arrived to Vancouver airport around 5:00 pm and had to take a taxi to our hotel. First note of interest to those traveling to Vancouver from the United States, there is an exchange rate difference. When we traveled 30.00 US was equivalent to about 36.00 Canada. All the cab drivers were your typical New York cabbies that could barely speak English but had no problem speaking Arabic to each other. They will take the cab fare in US currency without giving any consideration to the exchange rate. So if you cab ride is 30.00 and you give it to them in US currency plus 7 or 8 dollars in tip, then you way overpay my friend. Don't be expecting change back either. Our cab driver told us they normally charge an extra 10.00 for luggage while our traveling companions were told 5.00.
Anyway your cab driver will tell you the areas to stay out of in Vancouver. There is a huge methamphetamine drug problem in Vancouver. "Meth heads" are walking around everywhere. One of them nearly attacked a poor couple right in front of us and our hotel. As I stated though...I felt safe in Vancouver just by listening to the cab drivers and hotel staff as to what places to avoid.
We did a pre-cruise excursion which allowed us to view the beautiful city of Vancouver. If you go to Vancouver you should definitely stop at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It is really spectacular. There are also smaller suspension bridges there which allow you to "walk in the tree tops". Vancouver had a lot to offer. Stanley Park and Granville Island were definitely two other favorites in our group.