Victoria for the day

[VT-HokieCruiser]

Is it possible to disembark our ship (Serenade of the Seas) in Vancouver (I am trying to figure the earliest disembarkation time possible), take a taxi to our hotel (Best Western Downtown) to drop off our luggage, take a taxi (same taxi??) to the BC Ferries (Tsawwassen) to board a Ferry to Victoria (Swartz Bay), find a tour or transportation or walk (??) to the various sights in Victoria for the day, then return to Vancouver by Ferry, and take a taxi from the Ferry back to our Best Western Downtown Hotel? The established tours from Vancouver leave earlier than I believe we will make it to our hotel, so I thought we could maneuver the BC Ferries independently and then be able to spend the day in Victoria. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Putterdude]

Is it possible to disembark our ship (Serenade of the Seas) in Vancouver (I am trying to figure the earliest disembarkation time possible), take a taxi to our hotel (Best Western Downtown) to drop off our luggage, take a taxi (same taxi??) to the BC Ferries (Tsawwassen) to board a Ferry to Victoria (Swartz Bay), find a tour or transportation or walk (??) to the various sights in Victoria for the day, then return to Vancouver by Ferry, and take a taxi from the Ferry back to our Best Western Downtown Hotel? The established tours from Vancouver leave earlier than I believe we will make it to our hotel, so I thought we could maneuver the BC Ferries independently and then be able to spend the day in Victoria. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

Anything is possible but what you are thinking of is quite unlikely. By the time you are off the ship, got your bags, cleared customs, got a cab and reached your hotel it is probably going to be 9:30 or 10:00. You then have a 45 min drive out to Tsawwassen and if you make perfect connections with a ferry sailing you will be 1 hr 35 mins sailing plus another 35 mins taxi ride into Victoria. You likely won't be in Victoria until 1:00 going on 2:00 then you have to reverse the whole process. If Victoria is a priority with you and you are prepared to spend all that money on cabs then maybe you should consider a seaplane flight. There are two airlines that depart from Vancouver harbour and land downtown Victoria, the cost is about $200 pp rtn and the flight time is about 30 min each way. If that doesn't work for you than I am sure that you will have a great time in Vancouver.

 

www.harbour-air.com

 

www.westcoastair.com

[Luckysll]

In addition to what Putterdude has said, there's also Helijet, which leaves from Vancouver Harbour, close to Canada Place. They land in Victoria, just a short cab ride from the Inner Harbour, and the price is around $200 pp round trip.

 

http://www.helijet.com/

[VT-HokieCruiser]

Thank you for this information. It is exactly what I needed - not what I wanted - but what I needed! With just reading descriptions of cities and places to see and transportation options, I have a hard time putting it into a realistic perspective. I really do appreciate you sharing your first-hand knowledge. It looks like I can spread out my Vancouver options over two days (pre- and post-cruise) instead of just the pre-cruise day. Thank you again and have a great day!!

[scottbee]

Thank you for this information. It is exactly what I needed - not what I wanted - but what I needed! With just reading descriptions of cities and places to see and transportation options, I have a hard time putting it into a realistic perspective. I really do appreciate you sharing your first-hand knowledge. It looks like I can spread out my Vancouver options over two days (pre- and post-cruise) instead of just the pre-cruise day. Thank you again and have a great day!!

 

Vancouver to Victoria is much like taking a day trip to England from France; located on an island 20ish miles offshore.

 

In terms of the size of Vancouver Island (on which Victoria is located), it's little larger than the state of Vermont.

 

However, if you're looking for gardens, there are a few good ones in Vancouver too. Van Dusen jumps to mind