Victoria & Vancouver on Coast cruise leaving in 2 days!!!

I know this is last minute request. We are on the HAL coastal cruise and will be in Victoria (wed) from 8am to 11pm and Vancouver (Fri) from 7:00am to 10:00pm. Help! I need ideas of what to do with 5 people, ship excursions are quite expensive with 5 people. Any ideas?

Rent a car (or take a cab) to Butchart Gardens in Victoria - heck, you could even take the local transit bus to save even more money ($5pp for a day pass) you have so much time! Compared to the ramped-up cruisline excursion which doesn't even have enough time at the gardens, your own transport plus the entry fees is a huge, huge bargain.

Wander downtown (daytime and after dark to see the lit-up buildings), take a tour of the BC Parliament (free - and rarely available to cruisers due to the limited hours normally spent in port ). Visit the Royal BC Museum, walk around Beacon Park, hit up the more castle-y Hatley (easier if you have a car) rather than the actually-just-a-manor-house Craigdarroch (though it does have nice stained glass and period furniture, so while it's totally misadvertised it's still a nice house).

Vancouver... cheesy peeps, even a long port day like that is nowhere near enough to hit just the highlights! You really need to focus on what YOUR group will most enjoy. I'd suggest starting with Tripadvisor's top Things To Do and having everyone pick which ones they like the sound of from the top down - anything you all select should be visited, but given how easy transit is here and how many things are walkable from the pier you could easily split up if the group can't find a few things you all want to see.

Things that, without doing, nobody will believe you've been to Vancouver include walking at least a little of the Seawall, Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown (with compulsory photos for all cruisers of the Steamclock and the Gassy Jack statue). After that though - we're a large city with a multitude of things to do in all categories except a few gaps in high culture (opera/ballet type stuff is few & far between), and more beautiful scenery around us than you can shale the proverbial stick at...

Thanks, you have given me some great ideas, didn't think about the parliament. Going to check out trip advisor!:D

Thanks, you have given me some great ideas, didn't think about the parliament. Going to check out trip advisor!:D

Downtown Victoria is a short walk from the cruise terminal. Lots to do in Downtown Victoria.

If you are into gardens that was covered in a previous post.

The parliament tour is about 30 minute tour, free and there is a stand just in front of the building. The Royal British Columbia museum is excellent. It is located near the parliament building.

As for Vancouver the cruise terminal is the downtown core. Lots to do within a few blocks of the terminal. All depends on what your interested in.

Couple of ideas for you in Vancouver:

Van Dusen Botanical Garden and Queen Elizabeth Park (especially if you don't get up to Butchart Gardens)

Stanley Park - Totem Poles!

Granville Island

Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver

Great neighbourhoods: Gastown, Yaletown, Olympic Village, etc