This was our 4th NCL cruise having previously sailed on Sky (AK), Pearl (AK), and Epic (Med). I was excited to be back on a Jewel-class ship as the Epic wasn't my favorite.
Pre-cruise: I'm including this since we booked an NCL hotel (Holiday Inn Vancouver Airport). Free airport shuttle on the ½ hour arrived right on time. Nice, basic hotel for one night but nothing nearby but McD's and car dealership. River Rock Casino has a free shuttle to the casino after 4pm and the Canada Line train is across the street with machines to purchase tickets. $9 daypass for all Vancouver transport including Seabus to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. Casino shuttle back to hotel. At hotel check-in we received a letter from NCL with transportation procedures to port. Our luggage was picked up at 9am and we were to meet in the lobby 9:30-10:30 for transfer at 11. Well, the bus didn't arrive until 12:15 and the NCL rep that was sent over was very apologetic for the delay.
Vancouver Embarkation: By 1pm we were at Ballantyne Pier. What a zoo. We stood in the winding line for over an hour to get to security. Rumor was the previous cruise disembarkation was delayed due to an elevator problem. Cruise check-in took maybe 5 minutes and we were in Tsar's Palace for lunch by 2:15. After lunch we went to our cabin and our luggage was outside the door.