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Victoria in the evening.

yvettem113
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yvettem113

yvettem113

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Looks like we will be docking in Victoria late in the day (5pm - 10pm) on May 9th and will miss out on the things we wanted to do there - Butchart Gardens and Afternoon Tea at the Empress. There are 3 of us in our late 20s/early 30s and now don't know what to do other than pub-crawl our way through Victoria.

 

Any suggestions on any other activities, restaurants, or particular pubs we might enjoy would be very much welcomed.

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Putterdude

Putterdude

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Looks like we will be docking in Victoria late in the day (5pm - 10pm) on May 9th and will miss out on the things we wanted to do there - Butchart Gardens and Afternoon Tea at the Empress. There are 3 of us in our late 20s/early 30s and now don't know what to do other than pub-crawl our way through Victoria.

 

Any suggestions on any other activities, restaurants, or particular pubs we might enjoy would be very much welcomed.

 

Are you sure that your ship will not offer a Butchart Gardens tour?

Other things that you may care to consider would be a horse drawn carriage tour. A walk on Government St. visiting some of the unique shops. A walk thru the lobby of the lobby of the historic Empress.

As for restaurants, I know that any number of us could come up with ideas if we had an idea of what you were looking for.

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yvettem113

yvettem113

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I was on the website for the Gardens and saw that they close at 5pm. That's the same time we dock. HAL shows only a daytime tour offered.

 

As for restaurants...I'm really open to suggestions. Nothing too extravagent or expensive. One of the girls on the trip is a pretty picky eater so I don't think she would enjoy anything that is too out of the norm. Good atmosphere. Are there restaurants that a younger (20s/30s) crowd gravitates towards?

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Putterdude

Putterdude

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I was on the website for the Gardens and saw that they close at 5pm. That's the same time we dock. HAL shows only a daytime tour offered.

 

As for restaurants...I'm really open to suggestions. Nothing too extravagent or expensive. One of the girls on the trip is a pretty picky eater so I don't think she would enjoy anything that is too out of the norm. Good atmosphere. Are there restaurants that a younger (20s/30s) crowd gravitates towards?

 

Sadly I can not longer say that I am even in my early 60's so I am going to bow out on this....but I know you will get some good advice on this, stay tuned.

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Steve H

Steve H

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You could try The Cactus Club, Browns Social Club or The Sticky Wicket in the Strathcona Hotel. For pubs close by Swans The Canoe Club and the famous Spinnakers brew pub would be good choices. These are brew pubs that all serve good food and the beers are brewed on site mostly in the British style. In the case of Spinnakers the beer is all English style brews and they are fantastic!

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operabob1

operabob1

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Even though Butchart might show as closed in the evening they are open for cruise groups when ships are in town.

 

All of this is the result of the US Jones-Sanofi Act which requires foreign cruise lines to visit at least one foreign port/trip. Because Victoria is so close to Seattle or Vancouver ships hit Victoria at the worst hours. Many businesses keep later hours to accommodate cruisers.

 

While Butchart is a "must see" Victoria over all is "The Must See" on the Alaska run. If you go to Butchart you're going to spend 1 1/2 hours sitting on the bus getting there and back (YAWN!).

 

Wandering the Inner Harbour and heading to the Sticky Wicket (up behind the Empress) is my Rec for young people. You could also try the "Bard & Banker" or the "Irish Times" just a block north of the Empress on Government Street. There's a lot of history to the Bard & Banker. The pub food is good but over-priced IMO.

 

I like the rec. for the Cactus Club but have been very disappointed with Brown's Social Club. Both are chains but the Cactus is a local chain out of North Vancouver. I don't know the origins of Brown's.

 

Have you checked out this thread?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36743916

 

Operabob and Operabob1 are the same person. CC fouled up my logon and were never able to correct it!

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scottbee

scottbee

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Even though Butchart might show as closed in the evening they are open for cruise groups when ships are in town.

 

All of this is the result of the US Jones-Sanofi Act which requires foreign cruise lines to visit at least one foreign port/trip. Because Victoria is so close to Seattle or Vancouver ships hit Victoria at the worst hours. Many businesses keep later hours to accommodate cruisers.

 

While Butchart is a "must see" Victoria over all is "The Must See" on the Alaska run. If you go to Butchart you're going to spend 1 1/2 hours sitting on the bus getting there and back (YAWN!).

 

Wandering the Inner Harbour and heading to the Sticky Wicket (up behind the Empress) is my Rec for young people. You could also try the "Bard & Banker" or the "Irish Times" just a block north of the Empress on Government Street. There's a lot of history to the Bard & Banker. The pub food is good but over-priced IMO.

 

I like the rec. for the Cactus Club but have been very disappointed with Brown's Social Club. Both are chains but the Cactus is a local chain out of North Vancouver. I don't know the origins of Brown's.

 

Have you checked out this thread?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36743916

 

Operabob and Operabob1 are the same person. CC fouled up my logon and were never able to correct it!

 

Actually it's the Passenger Vessel Services Act [PVSA] not the Jones Act. Jones applies to cargo, PVSA applies to passengers.

 

As for pubs, I would skip the Cactus club and Brown's, and stick to the locally owned establishments. (Although I will say that the Scotty Brown's in the BLI airport did have good beer, something that isn't locatable at a Cactus Club).

 

Stick to Victoria's excellent brew pubs Spinniker's, Swan's or Canoe club, and you can't really go wrong. In a pinch, the Sticky Wicket on Douglas is going to have a good selection of local brews too (from VI, Phillips and Lighthouse). Victoria is definitely the beer capital of Canada.

 

If you want to save yourself a little bit of a walk, the very low key James Bay Inn is also pretty close to the dock (Govt St @ Toronto IIRC)

 

This map should help you get your bearings: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212770407613531027445.0004665d7f3e28f06866d&msa=0&ll=48.420429,-123.382988&spn=0.024636,0.066047

Edited by scottbee
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operabob1

operabob1

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Thanks Scott for clearing that up.

 

Funny no one is mentioning Pagliacci's

 

http://www.pagliaccis.ca/

 

or a little further along for a hamburger joint (more than just burgers) John's Place. It's even been featured on the Canadian equivalent to Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives called You Goyya Eat Here.

 

It's a quirky place the locals eat at:

 

http://www.johnsplace.ca/

Edited by operabob1
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Putterdude

Putterdude

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Thanks Scott for clearing that up.

 

Funny no one is mentioning Pagliacci's

 

http://www.pagliaccis.ca/

 

or a little further along for a hamburger joint (more than just burgers) John's Place. It's even been featured on the Canadian equivalent to Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives called You Goyya Eat Here.

 

It's a quirky place the locals eat at:

 

http://www.johnsplace.ca/

 

I have often had breakfast at John's Place and they are great. Dinners are always a good time at Pagliacci's particularly on nights they have bands...people line up to get in.

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scottbee

scottbee

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Thanks Scott for clearing that up.

 

Funny no one is mentioning Pagliacci's

 

http://www.pagliaccis.ca/

 

or a little further along for a hamburger joint (more than just burgers) John's Place. It's even been featured on the Canadian equivalent to Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives called You Goyya Eat Here.

 

It's a quirky place the locals eat at:

 

http://www.johnsplace.ca/

 

The lineups for Pags are always bad in the evenings at Pags, and it can be very crowded and hence impersonal. I like it better for lunch, especially the soup & bread (bottomless) special.

 

John's Place is always good, solid diner food, likewise the Blue Fox is an awesome breakfast joint.

 

For a quick out and about bite, there's also the Noodle Box (multiple locations)

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operabob1

operabob1

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John's Place is always good, solid diner food, likewise the Blue Fox is an awesome breakfast joint.

 

Only thing I have against the Blue Fox is the breakfast "special" disappears on Sunday mornings. As Yvette and party are arriving at 5:00 PM is the Fox open in the evening?

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scottbee

scottbee

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Only thing I have against the Blue Fox is the breakfast "special" disappears on Sunday mornings. As Yvette and party are arriving at 5:00 PM is the Fox open in the evening?

 

Blue Fox is (was) breakfast and lunch only last I was there.

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Urban trekker

Urban trekker

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Yes you can walk from Ogden Point where the ship docks to the Inner Harbour - as you exit the terminal turn left and start walking - stay as close to the water as possible - it is signed as the Seaside route - you will come to the house boat village and see Barb's fish and chips - this is a must stop for me any time I am in Victoria whether on a cruise ship or not.

 

It is about a mile and very scenic.

 

Scott Bee can probably give you some more precise distances as he lived there for a number of years.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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