Planning Time at Expo Saves Waiting, Frazzle

With summer in high gear, suitcases are packed and millions of travelers are making final preparations to head north to Vancouver and Expo 86.

The world’s fair here is playing to a big box office, with daily admissions expected to hit 140,000-plus for the school vacation period through Labor Day--just when you and your brood could be planning to be there, along with other Californians visiting the 54-nation fete that runs through Oct. 13.

Crowds are a big part of the scenery at Expo’s main attractions, but with a bit of planning and selection in your daily itinerary, your family will save considerable time, stress and money.

One major forewarning, though: You won’t be able to see it all in three days, as Expo’s advance publicity suggested you could. To take in all the attractions demands at least a week, especially with children in hand.

Three Days at a Time

Considering the average human’s physical and intellectual exhaustion levels, three days is probably enough at one stretch. Remember, though, that the three-day ticket most visitors buy does not have to be used on consecutive days.

If you can manage a second three-day session, with time off between to tour Vancouver or nearby Victoria, so much the better. But if you’re locked into a shorter time frame, there are many advisories you might heed.

First, getting from a hotel to Expo: Although civic officials urge visitors to take city buses or SkyTrain rapid transit to the fair, driving and parking is surprisingly easy. There is ample parking, some at only $5 all day, within a 5- or 10-minute walk from the site, so driving can be a happier alternative for a family, especially as Expo runs a low-cost bus shuttle from designated lots. Two AM radio stations, frequencies 530 and 1600, broadcast traffic and parking reports from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Some buses run only half-hourly and crowds in the SkyTrain stations can be huge in the late-evening outward rush. Public transport costs about U.S. $1.15 for an adult one-way ticket in peak hours (85 cents off-peak), 40 cents for children at any time.

(All prices here are in U.S. equivalents, calculated at U.S. 75 cents to the Canadian dollar.)

Not-So-Early Start

Second, there’s no need to rise early, as the full site doesn’t open until 9:45 a.m. and the pavilions until 10. The Plaza of Nations entertainment area and three cabarets stay open until 1 a.m.; the pavilions close at 10 p.m.

Now, armed with Expo’s “Official Souvenir Guide” ($3.75), let’s head for the pavilions, where some hard choices must be made. The 136-page guide is an indispensable aid in making selections, plotting daily routes and providing myriad information on the city, the fair and its many features and services for kids.

Expo has 80 national, provincial, state and corporate pavilions, each treating the fair’s transportation-communication theme of “World in Motion--World in Touch” in its own way. Many are brilliant entertainment and educational experiences.

Among the must-see pavilions are those of Canada, Czechoslovakia, Japan, British Columbia, Ontario, Telecom Canada, Expo Centre, Great Hall of Ramses II, Roundhouse, General Motors, Canadian Pacific and the Pavilion of Promise.

Conversely, others are little more than trade-show kiosks, dispensing tourism and investment-seeking hype (Eastern Caribbean, South Pacific), high-tech overkill (France, Norway, Switzerland), or dry recitations of socio-scientific progress (Saudi Arabia, United Nations, European Community).

Middle Ground

Most fall into a varied middle ground, with a pavilion’s appeal depending on a visitor’s own taste. They might be classified as “Low-Key Good Show” (Italy, Indonesia, Pakistan, Washington state); “Refreshingly Different” (Australia, Hong Kong, Saskatchewan), or “Nice Try, but . . . “ (West Germany, Quebec, Air Canada).

The United States, Soviet Union and China pavilions also qualify under “Must See,” but only because they are the superpowers. Generally, their presentations are disappointing.

U.S.A.: A somber, sparse pavilion whose theme is “Why Explore?” It features models of a space capsule, rocket and space station interior, and a theater-shaking film of a missile launch, among a few other super-serious, all-aerospace exhibits. At the end of a too-brief walk-through, you might ask: “Is that all there is?”

Soviet Union: The Soviets have crammed their pavilion with a teeming collection of scientific gear and even a bit of whimsy. Much of it is fascinating, but it’s lost in this attic full of high-tech paraphernalia.

China: For the less fanatic about aerospace, the Chinese hall is perhaps the best of the Big Three. It mixes technology with exploration, a chunk of the Great Wall and exquisite art and crafts for a more eclectic exhibit. Still, it’s nothing special.

Likewise, California’s pavilion, a strange conglomeration highlighting special film effects, with random nods at the fair’s theme. For a world leader in aerospace and communications, it’s a superficial performance.

Golden State Flight

The California film, though, is really fun. When the ushers ask for volunteers, enlist your kids or yourselves for this five-minute flight over the Golden State in a model spaceship that projects you onto the screen.

Expo’s flagship is the huge, sail-roofed Canada pavilion on Burrard Inlet, a 3/4-mile walk or free SkyTrain or bus ride from the main site. Budget eight hours for this ingenious multimedia extravaganza.

Among the many live and film presentations, the supreme imperative is CN Theatre’s “Transitions,” the world’s first film combining 3-D with the Imax process.

Back on the main site at False Creek, the five-star pavilions include:

Japan, a model builder’s treat with miniature cities and landscapes depicting its transportation history. Japan offers a ride on its famous high-speed train (192 m.p.h. in real life), but the quarter-mile, 25-m.p.h. Expo version isn’t worth the sometimes hourlong wait.

Czech Interaction

Czechoslovakia scores with its novel “Actorscope” production, which employs interaction of audience, film and live action, with the lead actress stepping from the stage into the film at will.

Ontario and British Columbia, each presenting humorous and thrilling views of these provinces, both live and on 3-D and Imax films.

Telecom Canada and its “Portraits of Canada” in CircleVision. This wraparound spectacular plunges you into the midst of an avalanche, a forest fire, bicycle race and a lovers’ tryst, among other Canadian vignettes.

Expo Centre and yet another movie. This one, “A Freedom to Move” in Omnimax, is projected on the world’s biggest hemispheral screen with an image nine times larger than with conventional projection. When the space shuttle lifts off, you’ll swear you’re right on the launch pad, engulfed in the blast.

Egypt: Great Hall of Ramses II, a $35-million exhibit of 97 priceless artifacts from the era of the great Pharaoh (1290-1224 BC). Plenty of glitter and a dramatic taped commentary that should hold the youngsters’ attention.

Roundhouse, a comedy live and on film, about those magnificent men and their wacky machines in the pioneer days of motor transportation.

General Motors in a fascinating departure mounts an almost anti-tech pavilion called Spirit Lodge, with an Indian shaman questioning scientific “progress” through holographic images conjured from smoke.

Less Time in Lines

Now then, some advice on reducing time in lines:

Use the ticketing arrangements at Expo Centre, Ramses II, Roundhouse and the live shows and 3-D Imax “Transitions” at the Canadian pavilion. Attendants hand out tickets guaranteeing immediate entry at a specified time later that day.

Queues form quickly, even at the 10 o’clock pavilion openings. So choose the hall you want to see first, enter by the nearest gate when the grounds open at 9:45 and hustle straight to it. Lines start shrinking about 5 p.m., more so after 8.

Lines for the ferryboats, aerial tramways and site-circling monorail can be very long. They’re worth the wait for sightseeing, but it’s usually faster to walk Expo’s 1.7-mile, end-to-end central walkway, from which you can see almost every pavilion and assess their lineups.

Although the fair’s 173 acres encompass 2 1/2 times the area of Disneyland, Expo’s layout in a narrow strip makes it easier to cover.

Expo’s five amusement rides can generate long waits, so you might want to steer the kids toward the scores of the free entertainment spectacles, for which a list is distributed daily.

At mealtimes, a few of Expo’s most popular restaurants have waits of an hour or more. However, many accept reservations. With 60 food locations, lining up should not be necessary. They range from snack stands with hot dogs for $1.40, through fast-food buffeteria (pizza, deli and five McDonald’s, with Big Macs at $1.35), to fully licensed table-service restaurants with prime rib at up to $12. Sixteen pavilions have specialty restaurants; like most of Expo’s upscale restaurants, the majority have children’s menus.

Information: Tourism British Columbia, Ambassador Hotel Arcade, Suite 34, 3400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010. Telephone (213) 380-9171.

In Vancouver: Expo Info public information line, (604) 660-EXPO. ResWest Expo Lodging Bureau, P.O. Box 1138, Station A, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6 2T1, telephone (604) 662-3300. B.C. Transit Commission for city bus and ferry service, (604) 324-3211. Parking information and reservations ($10 all day), (604) 668-2886.