Horse Drawn Carriages in Victoria

I'm traveling with my husband and 1 year old and think it might be fun to take our daughter on a horse drawn carriage ride. There are a few companies available in Victoria I can book online -- but my real question is -- should I do that early or just wait and do it the day of? Weather could of course be a factor, but I also don't want them to be sold out.

Thanks for your opinions/advice!

You often see the carriages sitting by the side of street empty but when there are cruise ships in town that changes. So if you really want to do the excursion then I would be inclined to book in advance. It does rain in Victoria so the carriages to have covers and they will provide a blanket if it is a cool evening.

Awesome -- that was exactly the advice I needed. Thanks so much!

Just one thing to watch out for - there are both 'regular' carriages, the kind most people think of when someone says 'horse and carriage' (2 or 4 large spoked wheels, a driver and 2-6 passengers) as well as ridiculously huge 'trailers' with car wheels and several rows of bench seats for 4-6 people across.

Make sure you know which you are getting - the latter sometimes seem to be called trolleys, a more accurate description IMO, but not always. If you just want to get hauled behind a horse, the large trolleys are much cheaper per person - but if you want a traditional experience, book direct with the provider to ensure you know exactly what you're getting rather than a vaguely-worded cruise line excursion that does not specify the size of the conveyance.

As I recall, Tally Ho tours use only the more personalized sized carriage that will hold up to 6 people. Victoria Carriage tours has both the personalized sized carriage and the large multi-person trolley. Reference to the following links will give you the tours and pricing of same. A few years ago I contacted Tally Ho and asked if Tally Ho would pick up at the Qgden Point cruise terminal and they said they did but there was an additional charge for doing so...for the live of me I can't remember what the extra cost was.

http://www.tallyhotours.com/

http://www.victoriacarriage.com/

I know this is sort of an old thread but I just wanted to say I just loved the hour tour we booked on TallyHo.

Victoria is such a pretty town and we had such a nice ride and saw quite a bit of the "touristy" spots. And I loved every minute! :D

Back in 2009 we used Tally Ho so my information might be wrong for now. I booked it in advance and made special arrangements to pick us up at the cruise port. I was told, at the time, that yes they could pick us up at the port but we would be charted an additional $30 because of their time being us. Normally you would get the tour downtown Victoria.

She said - their carriages have a burgundy interior and that a umbrella stroller would fit as long as it could be folded down. They would drop off you at the downtown location.

I've been to Victoria tons of time and thought it was a nice tour.