Easy Vancouver/Victoria

[KimCHouston]

My husband and I booked a cruise out of Vancouver.  We are hoping to spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling luggage, carry-on, etc.  I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria.  Here’s what looks easiest to me, but I could use validation or other ideas.  I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/other to know whether or not this would be the best way for us to do it.  My thought is to fly to Vancouver, rent a car, drive to Tsawwassen, take the ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver before the cruise.  Does this seem easiest or are there other options that might be better for us?  If this is the best way, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?  Is there anything else that I need to know about booking/using the ferry?  I’m new to that mode of transportation.  Again, any ideas and/or advice to make this as easy as possible will be appreciated.  Thanks.

My husband and I booked a cruise from Vancouver in early October.  We are hoping to go a few days early and spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling the luggage, carry-on, etc.   I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria before the cruise.  Here’s what looks like the easiest option to me, but I could use some validation or any other ideas.   I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/etc to know whether or not this would be the best way to do it.  We would fly to Vancouver, rent a car and drive to Tsawwassen to take ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver.   Does this seem best or are there any other options that might be better?  In booking the ferry, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?   Again, any ideas and/or advice will be appreciated.  

 

Kim

husband and I booked a cruise from Vancouver in early October.  We are hoping to go a few days early and spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling the luggage, carry-on, etc.   I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria before the cruise.  Here’s what looks like the easiest option to me, but I could use some validation or any other ideas.   I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/etc to know whether or not this would be the best way to do it.  We would fly to Vancouver, rent a car and drive to Tsawwassen to take ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver.   Does this seem best or are there any other options that might be better?  In booking the ferry, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?   Again, any ideas and

Kim

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, KimCHouston said:

My husband and I booked a cruise out of Vancouver.  We are hoping to spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling luggage, carry-on, etc.  I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria.  Here’s what looks easiest to me, but I could use validation or other ideas.  I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/other to know whether or not this would be the best way for us to do it.  My thought is to fly to Vancouver, rent a car, drive to Tsawwassen, take the ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver before the cruise.  Does this seem easiest or are there other options that might be better for us?  If this is the best way, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?  Is there anything else that I need to know about booking/using the ferry?  I’m new to that mode of transportation.  Again, any ideas and/or advice to make this as easy as possible will be appreciated.  Thanksou allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?   Again, any ideas and

Kim

 

When dealing with luggage for a cruise, hiring a car and taking the ferry is probably your most convenient and easiest option.

 

However, I would definitely recommend making a reservation, as 2 to 3 sailing waits are common during the summer months. We came over to Victoria yesterday afternoon and it was a 2-sailing wait at 17:00 for those that didn't have a reservation. You can make reservations online on the BC Ferries website.

 

Vancouver traffic can be busy, especially around the Massey Tunnel from about 14:30 to 18:30. From the airport you can make the ferry terminal in 20-25 minutes, but I would allow 45 mins to 1 hr. With a reservation, you must arrive no earlier than 1 hr before departure and no later than 1/2 hr before departure. Onboard services are still minimal, with only the cafeteria open. The buffet and quiet lounge are still closed.

 

The ferry arrives in Swartz Bay, which is about 20 miles from downtown. Allow about 1/2 hr once off the ferry.

[em-sk]

7 hours ago, KimCHouston said:

My husband and I booked a cruise out of Vancouver.  We are hoping to spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling luggage, carry-on, etc.  I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria.  Here’s what looks easiest to me, but I could use validation or other ideas.  I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/other to know whether or not this would be the best way for us to do it.  My thought is to fly to Vancouver, rent a car, drive to Tsawwassen, take the ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver before the cruise.  Does this seem easiest or are there other options that might be better for us?  If this is the best way, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?  Is there anything else that I need to know about booking/using the ferry?  I’m new to that mode of transportation.  Again, any ideas and/or advice to make this as easy as possible will be appreciated.  Thanks.

My husband and I booked a cruise from Vancouver in early October.  We are hoping to go a few days early and spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling the luggage, carry-on, etc.   I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria before the cruise.  Here’s what looks like the easiest option to me, but I could use some validation or any other ideas.   I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/etc to know whether or not this would be the best way to do it.  We would fly to Vancouver, rent a car and drive to Tsawwassen to take ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver.   Does this seem best or are there any other options that might be better?  In booking the ferry, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?   Again, any ideas and/or advice will be appreciated.  

 

Kim

husband and I booked a cruise from Vancouver in early October.  We are hoping to go a few days early and spend a couple of days in Victoria and a couple in Vancouver.  My husband doesn’t walk well, which leaves me juggling the luggage, carry-on, etc.   I’ve been looking at different options to visit Victoria before the cruise.  Here’s what looks like the easiest option to me, but I could use some validation or any other ideas.   I’m not familiar enough with Vancouver/Victoria/ferries/etc to know whether or not this would be the best way to do it.  We would fly to Vancouver, rent a car and drive to Tsawwassen to take ferry to Victoria, then reverse a couple of days later and return to Vancouver.   Does this seem best or are there any other options that might be better?  In booking the ferry, how much time would you allow between flight arrival and ferry departure?   Again, any ideas and

Kim

 

You could fly into Victoria Airport.  Spend a few days in Victoria then transfer to Vancouver by shuttle bus.   Air Canada, WestJet and Alaska are the major airlines the serve Vancouver.  Sometimes it cheaper to fly into Vancouver and other times Victoria.  That means you only need to do one crossing on the ferry.  

 

The is a downtown to downtown coach bus service details are at:  https://bcfconnector.com/ 

 

If you do want to fly into Vancouver and rent a car that sounds reasonable it just takes time.  There are two options for the ferry.  You can show up and travel standby or you can pre-book a reservation.  Reservations are cheaper on less popular sailing and more expensive on the peek period.  Standby is a flat fee.  I would go with reservation.  

 

If your husband qualifies for special disability parking, bring the car tag along and put in the front window of your car.  When the crew load the ship they will try to position those vehicles close to elevators. 

 

 

 

[martincath]

I'd say that as you are considering a rental car - and it sounds like even for pootling around the Victoria area you might use it if hubby can't walk far - then why not take two different ferry routes and see more of the area instead of just repeating the same route twice? Airport to Tswassassen on the way over, btu consider driving up to Nanaimo (Departure Bay terminal) to get to Horseshoe Bay by ferry on the way back.

 

If you come back to the mainland in the morning, that puts you on the Sea to Sky Highway with plenty of time to take a relaxing drive up to Squamish and a couple of sights before heading back to Vancouver. While DH might not want to go hiking, there are lots of scenic viewpoints right on the side of the road - and the Sea to Sky gondola ride is enjoyed by many as a 'no calories burned' way to get up into the mountains! There's also a railway museum a little north of Squamish, and the excellent Britannia Beach Mining museum.

 

Personally, with ferries being cancelled recently not just for maintenance or weather but most recently at very short notice due to lack of staff, I would not risk a ferry ride on the day of embarking a cruise or the first day you fly in - I'd be inclined to split your Vancouver time in two, fly here then stay over, head to Victoria and return for at least one other night in Van before the cruise. This also helps insulate you from issues with flights - if you prebook a ferry and car rental but your flight is delayed you're now paying for hours, maybe even a day of not getting to use the car you paid for stuck and then joining everyone else without a booking on the ferry too.

 

Splitting your Vancouver nights both sides also means you can look at renting cars downtown - without mandatory airport extra fees on every rental day! Last I checked those were over 20%, so for a simple 'rent it and return it to the same location, no travel outside BC' you will almost certainly find a cheaper rental rate from an office that isn't at YVR. Of course it's always worth comparing multiple office locations and multiple brands - especially these days with car availability still challenging. Costco is superb if you are a member, if not Kayak has an easy-to-use multiple location comparison feature.

 

 

[KimCHouston]

Thank you all for your ideas and tips.  You’ve given me some great options to look into.  The CruiseCritic community always comes through.  Best.