CVS Butchart Garden question

We will be in Victoria from 8-5p on September 30, 2015 and I am trying to decide if my family and I should take the NCL excursion ($$$$), public bus, or CVS to Butchart Garden.

For some reason the public bus scares me to death, I guess I am afraid that I will get lost. Is it really easy to find from the bus stop? And how often do the buses run on a Wednesday?

I was really considering CVS tours, but then I did some research online and I am not crazy about some of the reviews I have seen. My question is, if you used CVS to Butchart Gardens, do you make a reservation and leave at a certain time, or do you have to wait for a bus with available seats? If you had to wait, how long?

Thank you for your help.

I recommend the tour bus.... the local bus makes several stops along the way there.... the tour bus would take 30 minutes..... the local bus can take 90 minutes.... ONE WAY! I rather spend that extra 2 hours doing other things, like enjoying the gardens.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Ogden+Point+Sundial,+Dallas+Road,+Victoria,+BC/The+Butchart+Gardens,+Benvenuto+Avenue,+Brentwood+Bay,+BC/@48.5042406,-123.4913518,12z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m18!4m17!1m5!1m1!1s0x548f74e9f83adc85:0x755e0c4ab76e9bf8!2m2!1d-123.3841097!2d48.415168!1m5!1m1!1s0x548f6c19f8ae33bf:0x6f99f7862811ac04!2m2!1d-123.4706261!2d48.5635765!2m3!6e0!7e2!8j1438592400!3e3

CVS has a great reputation, I have never seen a negative review nor heard of long waits to catch return bus to downtown.

Not having used CVS myself (every time we've visited Butchart we've been on the island in our own car) I can't comment directly on their quality, but I'm aware of their general operations.

If you don't book in advance, obviously you will have to wait for the next scheduled bus, but if you do book you book for a specific outward journey. You can return on any bus; they should know how many people get on those, and they don't sell one-ways, so I would hope that barring some human error in counting by the drivers that the final bus of the night from Butchart will have enough seats for all who have not already returned (e.g. on Firework nights, EVERYONE will want the last bus otherwise no fireworks for you!) Their online rep would be quickly destroyed if they left people behind on any even vaguely regular basis...

Not having used CVS myself (every time we've visited Butchart we've been on the island in our own car) I can't comment directly on their quality, but I'm aware of their general operations.

 

If you don't book in advance, obviously you will have to wait for the next scheduled bus, but if you do book you book for a specific outward journey. You can return on any bus; they should know how many people get on those, and they don't sell one-ways, so I would hope that barring some human error in counting by the drivers that the final bus of the night from Butchart will have enough seats for all who have not already returned (e.g. on Firework nights, EVERYONE will want the last bus otherwise no fireworks for you!) Their online rep would be quickly destroyed if they left people behind on any even vaguely regular basis...

Thank you all, one of the negative reviews I saw said that they had booked a reservation and that one bus came and it was full so they had to wait for another bus. When the next bus came it only had room for 10 people and that other people were still waiting for another bus and that was just to get to the gardens. I guess I can call and make sure that if I book, that I am guaranteed a certain departure time. I just don't want to wait an hour and a half just to get to the gardens.

I live in Victoria, and work in an industry closely tied to the cruise ship operations, and I have never heard anything but positive comments about the operations of CVS. Very importantly, they have never left anyone behind nor got passengers back to the cruise ships late. On the other hand, there are on occasions problems with transit operations and using them has a degree of risk and a waste of valuable time, as the service is geared to the needs of locals, not visitors.

I am thinking about taking a cab to the Butchart Gardens when we arrive at 6 PM on August 27 on the Westerdam. There are 4 of us and I think it would be more convenient than a bus. Does anyone know if the cost is prohibitive??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cab would run you into the $60-$70 Canadian range; which if split four ways not too bad. However, cabs don't just sit out at the Gardens waiting for a return fare, you will have to either call one and wait; or pre-arrange a pick up time when you want to leave.

Cab would run you into the $60-$70 Canadian range; which if split four ways not too bad. However, cabs don't just sit out at the Gardens waiting for a return fare, you will have to either call one and wait; or pre-arrange a pick up time when you want to leave.

Is that one way or return? I imagine the cabbies know when cruise ships are due and are waiting at the pier for business?

Cathy

Is that one way or return? I imagine the cabbies know when cruise ships are due and are waiting at the pier for business?

Cathy

That would be one way. Yes there will be cabs waiting at the pier when the ship docks.

Thank you so much for the cost estimate. I will be sure to either call a cab at the Gardens or request a pick up from the cab that takes us from the ship.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk