Victoria evening excursions

[eileeshb]

I'm sailing on Norwegian bliss in October and we're due to be in Victoria from 8pm to midnight (presuming 11:30pm all aboard). I'm wondering if it's worthwhile even considering and excursion.

The ones listed by the cruiseline are not jumping out at me but on a first round of research to book anything independently it seems our hours in port don't align with the local providers. It will be my friend's birthday that night so if there's anything anyone can suggest I'd appreciate it.

 

[cruiseryyc]

Try posting this on the Canada Pacific board as Victoria is not in Alaska.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/23-canada-alaskapacific-coastal/

 

Lots of fabulous pubs within walking distance of where the ship docks.

[martincath]

Let's see - you're Irish and someone has a birthday... I hate to jump straight to the stereotypes but as a Scot (all of whom of course came originally from Ireland, it just wasn't quite nippy enough for the Scoti tribe so on we moved to even less salubrious weather) I would suggest some beer, followed by more beer, maybe some nibbles to keep the beer down, then more beer to finish!

 

If any of your party are 'Real Ale' fans, Victoria is the single greatest city in the world to drink in outside the UK - two bars (Swans and Spinnakers) operate dual cellars and their own breweries, so you can drink the same beer the way God intended (hand-pulled, ~10C) or the heathen North American way (extra fizz, ~4C) in the same bar; if you get really lucky sometimes there's even a wooden cask sitting on the bartop with all-natural fermentation and just a simple gravity-fed tap & spile deployed for pouring the pints so you can do a vertical tasting of three iterations of the same brew.

 

Both brew Dry Irish stouts that are better than Guinness (thanks to the weaselly marketing scum who run that company it hasn't been the same beer for many decades - only one brewery actually makes it to an original recipe and that's the Foreign Extra Stout version from Nigeria, with god-awful quality control) but personally if I was in the mood for a dark beer in Victoria I'd be all over the Coconut Porter from Swans! As visitors, add Hoyne's Dark Matter into the mix - it's available year-round in Vancouver so it's not a priority for me when in Vic even though I do love Sean's beers (he created many of the recipes still used at Swans and Canoe, as well as his eponymous brewery).

 

If you're some of those new-fangled non-drinking types though, Victoria rolls up the sidewalks on ticketed activities at about 5pm even in cruise season - back in TheBeforeTimes Butchart stayed open late enough there might be a cruiseline excursion to see gardens in the dark, but everything else except the Royal BC Museum is pretty much done hours before you even dock. The IMAX theatre at the museum is open in the evenings, and on a Fri/Sat they used to also open the museum itself late, but this year I haven't seen any indication those policies are coming back unfortunately.

 

Afternoon Tea is a big deal for tourists from countries without this tradition - so much so that the Empress takes bookings for mad-pricey tea and nibbles sometimes as late as 9pm(!) - but I cannot imagine anyone from Ireland being daft enough to drop the kind of cash that costs for an experience they can easily enjoy at home with better scones for a fraction of the price any time they want!

[Haljo1935]

We also are in Victoria (in fact, there right now waiting to leave) 8pm - midnight w/1130 All Aboard, so yes,, not much time to do anything.

We take the shuttle from the pier to Downtown Victoria and have dinner at at Irish Times Pub. Live music, great food - good place for a b'day celebration!!

[gaeltrav]

Yes I would recommend the Irish Times pub which is a lovely Irish pub with great food ,Craic and atmosphere  a grand place for a birthday celebration 

[Aquahound]

31 minutes ago, gaeltrav said:

Yes I would recommend the Irish Times pub which is a lovely Irish pub with great food ,Craic and atmosphere  a grand place for a birthday celebration 

 

x2!!!  This is a great place to hang out at night and they typically have great live music playing.  

[janpa70]

I was thinking of doing the horse drawn trolley. Has anyone ever done this before?

 

[Haljo1935]

11 hours ago, janpa70 said:

I was thinking of doing the horse drawn trolley. Has anyone ever done this before?

 

I have not as we go to Irish Times Pub for dinner, but have seen them going by while we are walking. It's probably a lovely ride, just be sure to bundle up if you're there early or late season as it gets cold. Hope to see pictures if you do it.