Public Beach Experience

[tundra1]

On 11/2/2023 at 8:50 AM, bookbabe said:

Depends on what you want out of a beach.  If you need facilities/food, see my post above.  If you just want to DIY and throw a towel on the sand, Governor’s Beach is probably the nicest, IMO.

 

For the return trip, go back to where they dropped you off and wave at the bus as it approaches.

We want to go to Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach via Public bus.  If our ship leaves at 5pm, at what time should we leave the  beach to walk to the bus stop and take the bus back to the tender port?  We are there on a Sunday if that makes a difference.  TIA!

[bookbabe]

7 hours ago, tundra1 said:

We want to go to Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach via Public bus.  If our ship leaves at 5pm, at what time should we leave the  beach to walk to the bus stop and take the bus back to the tender port?  We are there on a Sunday if that makes a difference.  TIA!

A 5pm ship departure usually means the last tender would be at 4:30, so I’d personally want to be back at the port no later than 4pm, so I’d leave in a taxi by say 3:30 at the latest.  Taking the bus will take longer than a taxi, there’s no way of knowing how many stops they’ll make on the way, so my comfort level would have me leaving by 3 pm.  But your mileage may vary, as they say, but I’d rather leave a bit early and have a bit of time to look in the stores at the pier than be delayed and miss the ship.  Adjust these times based on when your ship says the last tender is…you want to be back well before the departure time of the last tender.

 

[tundra1]

5 hours ago, bookbabe said:

A 5pm ship departure usually means the last tender would be at 4:30, so I’d personally want to be back at the port no later than 4pm, so I’d leave in a taxi by say 3:30 at the latest.  Taking the bus will take longer than a taxi, there’s no way of knowing how many stops they’ll make on the way, so my comfort level would have me leaving by 3 pm.  But your mileage may vary, as they say, but I’d rather leave a bit early and have a bit of time to look in the stores at the pier than be delayed and miss the ship.  Adjust these times based on when your ship says the last tender is…you want to be back well before the departure time of the last tender.

 

Thanks!  That is a big help!

[bookbabe]

27 minutes ago, tundra1 said:

Thanks!  That is a big help!

As an FYI, traffic along that main road (West Bay Rd) gets HORRENDOUS after about 4pm.  A 10 min drive in normal traffic can take up to 40 min.  We got stuck in it Friday (Camana Bay to downtown took 45 min). Whatever you do, make sure you are back in the area of the port well before rush hour starts.

Edited December 10, 2023 by bookbabe

[tundra1]

8 hours ago, bookbabe said:

As an FYI, traffic along that main road (West Bay Rd) gets HORRENDOUS after about 4pm.  A 10 min drive in normal traffic can take up to 40 min.  We got stuck in it Friday (Camana Bay to downtown took 45 min). Whatever you do, make sure you are back in the area of the port well before rush hour starts.

We will be there on a Sunday.  Is traffic bad on Sundays as well?  I think we will try to get to the beach early in the morning and then head back around lunch time, so we can get some shopping done as well.  

 

Do you recommend shopping along West Bay Rd, or somewhere closer to the port?  It would just be for the usual souvenir stuff:  refrigerator magnets, ornaments, earrings, and maybe a cute T-Shirt for the grandkids.

 

Thanks!

[bookbabe]

59 minutes ago, tundra1 said:

We will be there on a Sunday.  Is traffic bad on Sundays as well?  I think we will try to get to the beach early in the morning and then head back around lunch time, so we can get some shopping done as well.  

 

Do you recommend shopping along West Bay Rd, or somewhere closer to the port?  It would just be for the usual souvenir stuff:  refrigerator magnets, ornaments, earrings, and maybe a cute T-Shirt for the grandkids.

 

Thanks!

Sunday is usually better, but all bets are off when more than one or two cruise ships are in port.

 

On a Sunday, you’ll likely need to shop near the port.  Not sure what’s open, stores are usually closed on Sundays.  However, I don’t spend any time downtown on a Sunday, so maybe the stores near the port open up on a cruise ship day.

[debvm]

On 11/2/2023 at 8:50 AM, bookbabe said:

Depends on what you want out of a beach.  If you need facilities/food, see my post above.  If you just want to DIY and throw a towel on the sand, Governor’s Beach is probably the nicest, IMO.

 

For the return trip, go back to where they dropped you off and wave at the bus as it approaches.

Hello. There are no beach chairs, or bathrooms and governors beach? More info on that please. Thank you!

[bookbabe]

39 minutes ago, debvm said:

Hello. There are no beach chairs, or bathrooms and governors beach? More info on that please. Thank you!

There’s usually portapotties there.  Generally no rentals or food.  It’s a stretch of beach beside the governor’s residence.  It’s not a beach club or anything even as developed as Public Beach.