i am doing some extensive research on hotels for vancouver. i am going to go with priceline or hotwire for downtown. a 4 star is a guarenteed good hotel and the price will be much better than booking direct. as far as things to do . i wish i could stay in vancouver for at least a week.
dont miss--- capilino suspension bridge ( alot of people did not make it across but i did ), grouse mt., stanley park and the aquarium and sea wall there, gas and china town, grandville market is a great place to buy any kind of wine you could want cheap to take on the ship and there are museums and shops there also. the list goes on and on. try
www.bcpassport.com to get some good info. they have a harbor dinner cruise that sounds really nice. and the look-out tower downtown is a great way to see the ships and sights way up. i hope this helps and have a great time.