Victoria BC for 4 hours

[JaneyLynn]

The last stop for the Spirit is Victoria BC from 730pm until 1130pm, is there anything within short walking distance of the pier to see or do?

[vegasnine]

There is a double decker hop on hop off bus you can take and see what you can see....

[scottbee]

The last stop for the Spirit is Victoria BC from 730pm until 1130pm, is there anything within short walking distance of the pier to see or do?

 

Downtown Victoria is worth visiting, there are port shuttles, but it's a short (1/2 mile) walk, or the city bus runs from right in front of the cruise terminal

[April2986]

Does the Sapphire Princess dock at the Canada Place Pier?

[Langley Cruisers]

Does the Sapphire Princess dock at the Canada Place Pier?

 

Canada Place is in Vancouver. This thread is about Victoria, B.C which is on Vancouver Island and can cause this sort of confusion. Assuming you will be in Victoria, the one and only cruise ship pier is Ogden Point, and it is a very nice walk to the downtown core, or a short cab or shuttle ride.

 

If you meant Vancouver, there are two piers there: Canada Place and Ballantyne Pier.

[Putterdude]

There are a number of things that can be done and/or seen in downtown Victoria in the evening. Some folks like to do a pub crawl which can be done by walking in the downtown core. Others enjoy horse-drawn carriage ride, there are little harbour ferries that you can travel on, a walk on Government Street visiting some of the unique shops is always interesting. You can visit the historic Empress Hotel or perhaps take in the buskers who perform on the causeway in front of the the Empress.

http://www.victoriaharbourferry.com/

www.victoriacarriage.com/

http://www.tallyhotours.com/

http://www.causewayartists.ca/[url=http://www.causewayartists.ca/welcome.html][/url]

[JaneyLynn]

thanks!!

[April2986]

Canada Place is in Vancouver. This thread is about Victoria, B.C which is on Vancouver Island and can cause this sort of confusion. Assuming you will be in Victoria, the one and only cruise ship pier is Ogden Point, and it is a very nice walk to the downtown core, or a short cab or shuttle ride.

 

If you meant Vancouver, there are two piers there: Canada Place and Ballantyne Pier.

 

Sorry, wrong thread:o We'll be in Vancouver.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We were in Victoria last year on the Spirit for just a few hours in the evening like you. When we got off the ship we took the blue CVS shuttle bus to downtown ($7.50 pp r/t). It may be cheaper to take the city bus, but at this point we were all about convenience and the price did not really bother us.

 

Once downtown the driver let us off and we asked him to recommend a place for a fish & chips dinner. He pointed to a pub right across the street and we did have a nice, relaxed dinner in a quaint British atmosphere with delicious fish and chips.

 

After dinner we walked down to the Inner Harbor, watched the street performers and enjoyed the beautiful lights as they came on. My only disappointment was that the shops were mostly closed - or we would have spent a lot more time browsing. We did find a place with some yummy gelato before we headed back to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

 

There were also carriage rides available at the pier, but we felt they were a bit pricey. However, we talked to some who did that & they enjoyed themselves. Also, my DD has friends who enjoyed a ship sponsored Pub Crawl.

 

We are looking forward to next year when our Pacific Coastal Cruise will allow us an entire day to enjoy this city even more - and I will finally be able to visit Butchart Gardens!

 

Here are my pictures of our evening in Victoria. Enjoy.:)

[scottbee]

We were in Victoria last year on the Spirit for just a few hours in the evening like you. When we got off the ship we took the blue CVS shuttle bus to downtown ($7.50 pp r/t). It may be cheaper to take the city bus, but at this point we were all about convenience and the price did not really bother us.

 

Once downtown the driver let us off and we asked him to recommend a place for a fish & chips dinner. He pointed to a pub right across the street and we did have a nice, relaxed dinner in a quaint British atmosphere with delicious fish and chips. \

 

Best fish and chips are 4 blocks from the cruise terminal at Barb's at Fisherman's wharf. The shuttle is grossly over-priced for a trip that's under a mile and less than $10 cab fare.

 

Frankly the walk is wonderful, and highly recommended, at least one way; if not the #30/#31 buses run from the road the cruise dock is on, straight into town, quite frequently too, and give you the opportunity to spin past Beacon hill park, or get on or off at the legislative buildings on Government Street

[Putterdude]

The shuttle at $7.50 is round trip so that doesn't strike me as being grossly over-priced, in fact it is quite reasonable.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Best fish and chips are 4 blocks from the cruise terminal at Barb's at Fisherman's wharf. The shuttle is grossly over-priced for a trip that's under a mile and less than $10 cab fare.

 

Frankly the walk is wonderful, and highly recommended, at least one way; if not the #30/#31 buses run from the road the cruise dock is on, straight into town, quite frequently too, and give you the opportunity to spin past Beacon hill park, or get on or off at the legislative buildings on Government Street

We knew about Barb's Fish & Chips, but we were late getting into port (I understand that is not uncommon) and were advised that Barb's would be closing soon. The dinner we did have was great - but I hope to go to Barb's next year.:)

 

For convenience the price of the shuttle did not worry me a bit. I do not take city buses in strange areas. That is just a phobia of mine. I cannot walk long distances, so walking was not an option for us.

[simcoeguy]

scottbee: the city routes 30/31 (nor any other route #) do not go anywhere near Beacon Hill Park!! The cruise shuttle bus does travel along the side of the park for 8 blocks. With the city bus costing $5.00 round trip, the extra $2.50 for the cruise ship shuttle bus is hardly "grossly overpriced" when the shuttle departs from just outside the door, drops you off/picks you up on Government St rather than blocks away on Douglas, and saves you walking through a messy/dangerous dock area (horse poop everywhere and so many moving vehicles). $2.50 over a city bus is a deal!!

[scottbee]

scottbee: the city routes 30/31 (nor any other route #) do not go anywhere near Beacon Hill Park!! The cruise shuttle bus does travel along the side of the park for 8 blocks. With the city bus costing $5.00 round trip, the extra $2.50 for the cruise ship shuttle bus is hardly "grossly overpriced" when the shuttle departs from just outside the door, drops you off/picks you up on Government St rather than blocks away on Douglas, and saves you walking through a messy/dangerous dock area (horse poop everywhere and so many moving vehicles). $2.50 over a city bus is a deal!!

 

The 30 and 31 both head along Superior, turning left at Douglas. Beacon Hill park's NW corner is Douglas @ Superior; I would classify "across the street" as "past Beacon Hill Park". And the earlier in the day #30 buses even terminate at 'Beacon Hill Terminus'. You might want to re-check the maps again http://bctransit.com/regions/vic/schedules/map.cfm?rmnu=dvMap&p=side&line=31&

 

 

As for the shuttle bus vs the #30/31;

 

• The shuttle leaves from in front of the Empress IIRC; the #31 leaves from ½ block further south, at the corner of Government and Belleville. Or you can take the #30/31 and get on or off anywhere along Douglas as you mentioned, which is exactly ONE BLOCK from Government (not blocks away). And also, no bus goes DOWN Government as it's one way northbound, from Burdett to Yates.
  
• The shuttle bus can only take you from the cruise ship to downtown. The city bus ticket will take you ANYWHERE in Metro Victoria, including Chinatown, over to Esquimalt/Vic West, all the way up to Mt Doug Park etc etc. Heck, you can even get to Butchart gardens on it for the same $2.50
  

[yyjguy]

Scottbee the last time I walked uptown, and that was today, I did notice Gordon St and also Broad St as being in between Government and Douglas. If having a look at Beacon Hill Park is wanted, the cruise ship shuttles do pass along the western edge with views of the gardens, bridges and ponds, and occasional wild blue herons. The city bus on the other hand, has a fleeting view of the corner of the park. The walk from Dallas Rd into Ogden Point can be a challenge, especially in the dark and rain, as the walkway twists and turns through the coach parking area. Short cuts are no longer possible owing to new fencing within the dock area. My work site is at Ogden Pt (with no connection to the bus industry) and tonight it is pouring rain, and a strong cold wind, making the walking difficult for those attempting the hike in. As the other local pointed out, a $2.50 cost over a city bus in a deal. You are picked up and dropped off withing 100 ft of the doors out of and into the security checks. The shuttles run constantly, not limited to the reduced evening service levels transit. If the ship is in all day, the shuttle ticket is actually a day pass, permitting multiple trips back and forth. There are proper storage racks 0nboard for shopping, and even space below for strollers, walkers scooters and wheelchairs. And unlike transit you never have to stand on the bus.

 

"grossly overpriced" I think not!!

[LeftcoastBC]

The last time I took the shuttle... two days ago I found once again that it is the most convenient way to get to downtown & back .....

 

Right outside the terminal to right outside the Empress and yards away from the start of shopping on Government st.

 

Frequent service all day.