Victoria, BC Late Night

[TexasCruiser84]

Cruise stops in Victoria 9pm-12am....lol.  I get it, have to stop in a foreign port. Anything close to the cruise dock worth doing that late? Any pubs/restaurants to check out if we feel like getting off of the boat just to say we did?

[YVRBassElectric]

WOW 9pm to 12 am, that's ridiculous! I live in Vancouver, have been to Victoria lots and would probably stay on the ship.

that being said, Bard & Banker is about 1/2 hour walk, along the waterfront, pretty lights on the Legislature building, they might have live music

[mapleleaves]

are you sure it's 9pm.  Usually it's around 7pm.

Depending on your cruise date, it may be light until 10pm so definitely worth disembarking.  

The Inner Harbor is beautiful, about a 20-30 minute walk from the cruise dock......Parliament Bldgs, Empress Hotel, gardens, and a very active harbor with boats, ferries and scheduled floatplanes.   About halfway to the Inner Harbor you'll come to Fishermans Wharf ... restaurants, houseboats, seals. 

http://fishermanswharfvictoria.com/page/index

[TexasCruiser84]

11 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

are you sure it's 9pm.  Usually it's around 7pm.

Depending on your cruise date, it may be light until 10pm so definitely worth disembarking.  

The Inner Harbor is beautiful, about a 20-30 minute walk from the cruise dock......Parliament Bldgs, Empress Hotel, gardens, and a very active harbor with boats, ferries and scheduled floatplanes.   About halfway to the Inner Harbor you'll come to Fishermans Wharf ... restaurants, houseboats, seals. 

http://fishermanswharfvictoria.com/page/index

Yep definitely 9pm.  I'm on the 5/4 sailing of Joy out of Seattle. Thanks for the recs!

[roger001]

Only a required stop to meet the rules.  You'd be lucky to have 2 hours.   It's a pretty daylight stop with a few more hours.  But for this one, might as well stay on the ship.  

[martincath]

Victoria for 3 hours? Wow, that sucks even worse than the usual token PVSA-requirement stop!

 

If you've never been I would get off, there's plenty of lit-up buildings and as you arrive you might get some really nice pics during sunset. It's a like a Hollywood version of London, red double-deckers and a lots of impressive stone buildings downtown (parliament and the Empress hotel especially). Pub-wise, B&B does have live music frequently so if that's of interest it's a good recco. They're a 'fake Scottish' pub with a reasonable choice of beers, but definitely not the best choice if it's beer you are interested in - one of the local brewpubs would be my reccomendation if that's the case: Spinnakers is best visited by water or normal taxi as it's a long walk for such a short visit, but Swans is feasible on foot at maybe 30mins each way (and would tie in with a quick wander around Chinatown). Both of these make beer on-site and serve it at the proper temperature, with some true hand-pulled cask-conditioned live options. Sticky Wicket I think still has the widest range of beers in town, though most are macro-lagers rather than craft ales.

[memoak]

Not a lot right around the port -

[nwcruiselover]

Every time I have been on one of those late night Victoria stops I have just stayed on the ship.  Victoria is an interesting place to visit but not for a couple of hours in the dark.

[Hotspring]

4 hours ago, nwcruiselover said:

Every time I have been on one of those late night Victoria stops I have just stayed on the ship.  Victoria is an interesting place to visit but not for a couple of hours in the dark.

 

 

But as previously mentioned there are many things in Victoria one cannot see unless it is dark.   The lighted hotel and government buildings, the dank Victoria era mood set in the area of some of the pubs, glow of the condo lights on the harbor.   With just three hours , I would suggest a nice stroll to the light house at the end of the pier next to the ship.   We have encountered Orcas swimming there at dusk.  While the Fisherman's Wharf usually closes down at sunset, you can still wistfully stroll through the houseboat community.   It is a easy walk to the inner harbor on the board walk, you can always horse carriage back to the ship if you indulge too much.   Or you can take short cuts through the residential neighborhood to get back to the ship and observe how another culture lives---particularly if you are Texas.  While I sympathize with the short stay, you need to stay couped up on the ship.

[Aesop081]

Wow, three hours.  Way to suck NCL.  So as a resident of said "city" most of the suggestions are quite valid.  But it would seem that you really have only about 2 hours total time.   Catch a cab, if not to busy, or bus (usually provided by city to get you into town) if available that night and get off in front of the Empress.  If it's not a rainy evening it should be quite magical.  The inner harbour glows from the lights from the Legislature building, lots of private boats and yachts tied up at the marinas, the Empress is the Grand Dame of a Hotel that fits the "More British than the British" motto Victoria used to use.  Pub suggestions as previously mentioned, Bard and Banker, Irish Times, Swans (not great to walk to that time of night due to homeless population but Cab is good), the Canoe, another microbrewery just down the street from Swans, (cab) they usually have Jazz if there is a band that night.  That early in the season there will be few stores that remain open for shopping that late at night.  Sort of a sleepy little city we are.  

Maybe as mentioned, stretch you legs and get off the ship and walk out along the breakwater to the end near the small lighthouse and sit on one of the benches and enjoy amazingly good sea air and a gorgeous view over the Straits to Port Angeles in Washington state.  

Word of advice, if they have one of those "British Pub" tours for 79 - 99 dollars US per person, don't do it.  If there is more than one of you, find out what the pubs are, take taxis, anything downtown is less than 20 dollars Cdn (14 US) each way, you can spend the rest on Beer and Food.

 

FYI

https://www.tourismvictoria.com/eat-drink/craft-beer-and-spirits/breweries-cideries

 

Funny how little time you have there.  I and my son are taking a 5 day coastal with Princess on the 5 of May from LA to Vancouver, we stop in Victoria but for 14 hours.   I might go to work that day, save vacation time.

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Aesop081