Victoria Port to Empress Hotel Quickly?

[radarcruiser]

We arrive at 5pm and DW/DD have signed up for tea at the Empress starting at 5:30.  Is that doable?  Long walk to exit port? Taxis plentiful?  It’s a Thursday afternoon.

[cruiseryyc]

That might be tough; just because the ship docks at 5:00 doesn't mean anyone is getting off immediately!

 

Best bet is to be at the front of the line to get off and then run to the nearest taxi (there will be lots at the port).

 

I highly doubt you'll make it be 5:30, good luck!

[martincath]

^Agree - you'll need to be very proactive, find out which gangplank is going to be opened and be among the first people waiting, then hustle (the cab waiting area is just beyond the secured area of the pier, so pretty close) and hope. If you hit the pier within 15mins of official arrival, good chance - but the typical wait is longer than that, even ignoring any issues with weather, propulsion etc.

 

Also, unless this is some sort of 'arranged through the cruiseline' special seating - if it is, then tea should be served when the group arrives - the last service of Afternoon Tea this year is 5pm (and that's only Thu-Sun, Mon-Wed it's 3pm).

 

At over CAD$90 a pop with local tax it's a pricey thing to miss out on, so I would be contacting the hotel directly (email: emp.diningres@fairmont.com) to verify what they will do for late-comers/no-shows (Victoria suffers from occasional wind issues that make docking challenging or even impossible).