Victoria Post Cruise--Help!

We are trying to arrange a few days in Victoria after our morning disembarkation in Vancouver--and would love advice about how to set it up. We think we will probably be able to get off the ship around 8AM on a Saturday--and will leave for home Monday AM.

We are directionally challenged, and our first preference is to go with a tour company. So, we looked at a few of the all day tours leaving from Vancouver--but they seem to only spend 90 minutes in Butchart Gardens. Also, it seems whenever we have done these types of tours, they always waste a lot of time at silly gift shops that have paid off the tour company.

So, we are thinking of touring on our own on Saturday and Sunday---but are utterly clueless about how to plan the time--everything from getting from the cruise terminal to Victoria, and planning our time in Victoria. Any advice, or referrals to websites that have itineraries would be much appreciated.

Check out the Victoria Clipper

Pacific Coach Lines offers a pick up at Canada Place daily at 11:00 which is very popular with cruisers from Vancouver Island.

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

Once in Victoria there are many tours, you may care to rent a car as Victoria has only a population of about 350,000 and is pretty easy to get around in. Failing that CVS Cruise Victoria offers a number of excursions including one to the Gardens.

http://www.cvscruisevictoria.com/

We are trying to arrange a few days in Victoria after our morning disembarkation in Vancouver--and would love advice about how to set it up. We think we will probably be able to get off the ship around 8AM on a Saturday--and will leave for home Monday AM.

 

We are directionally challenged, and our first preference is to go with a tour company. So, we looked at a few of the all day tours leaving from Vancouver--but they seem to only spend 90 minutes in Butchart Gardens. Also, it seems whenever we have done these types of tours, they always waste a lot of time at silly gift shops that have paid off the tour company.

 

So, we are thinking of touring on our own on Saturday and Sunday---but are utterly clueless about how to plan the time--everything from getting from the cruise terminal to Victoria, and planning our time in Victoria. Any advice, or referrals to websites that have itineraries would be much appreciated.

The previous posters of the Victoria Clipper is not particularly relevant, as the clipper runs from SEATTLE to Victoria, not from Vancouver.

Right off the bat, I would suggest that if you haven't booked your return airfare, that you do so out of YYJ/Victoria instead of YVR/Vancouver; this will definitely cut down on travel.

From downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria you have a number of options.

• Pacific Coach Lines. run alternate hour service from the Vancouver bus/train station to downtown Victoria. Once trip per day also has service from Canada Place, leaving at 11am, and getting into downtown Victoria at 3:20pm. Downsides, all the other trips require getting to Pacific Station, an approx $10-12 taxi ride from Canada Place, and service is only on every other ferry (every 2 hours). Cost is $60 + ferry fare (approx $15) per person.
  
• Local Transit. Take the Canada Line Skytrain out of downtown (3 blocks from the cruise terminal), and then connect onto a #620 Tsawwassen Ferry Bus. On the Victoria side, catch the #70 into downtown, or the #80 or the free shuttle to Butchart Gardens. Upsides are no need to get to Pacific Station, plus you can connect onto the hourly ferries, opposed to pacific coach which only meets every other ferry. Downside, you need to drag your own luggage (you don't have to take it on the ferry, there's a bag drop/pickup system). Cost is $5.50 + $2.50 + ferry fare per person, total travel time is the same as the coach, as it's the same boat you catch.
  
• Rent a car. You can drive to Tsawwassen from downtown, and then board the ferry. Cost is $50+ for the car, plus your passenger fee, plus your car rental. Downsides are the cost for taking the car on the ferry, and the chance that the ship is full, and you'll have to wait for another one.
  
• You can fly, with Harbour Air offering downtown-downtown float plane service, and Helijet offering downtown-downtown helicopter service. Price starts around $130/ea and goes up, depending on when you book.
  

Check out the Victoria Clipper

From Seattle maybe, but not from Vancouver :)

Putterdude has some great suggestions. You also may want to try BC Ferries Vacations http://www.bcferriesvacations.com. They will supply you with a package that includes ferry plus hotel plus some other kind of attraction like whale watching. I believe you'd have to rent a car though.

Since I live in Victoria, I've used Pacific Coach Lines several times to get to/from Canada Place. The bus leaves from right where you disembark the ship, the only drawback is it doesn't leave until 11 a.m., so once you're off the ship, you have to wait around for the bus. You'll be in a separate area with other PCL passengers, so you won't miss the bus, it just means waiting for the bus to arrive.

Once on the bus, it does go to Pacific Station and may pick up other passengers (non-cruise people going to Victoria). Stop usually isn't very long as the bus has reservations for the 1 p.m. ferry sailing.

If you want to use the PCL option from Canada Place, you need to contact them and reserve a seat on the bus. If you go on your own to Pacific Station to get the bus, you do not need to make a reservation for the bus.

...or just stay in Vancouver and see the sights here. :)

Since I live in Victoria, I've used Pacific Coach Lines several times to get to/from Canada Place. The bus leaves from right where you disembark the ship, the only drawback is it doesn't leave until 11 a.m., so once you're off the ship, you have to wait around for the bus. You'll be in a separate area with other PCL passengers, so you won't miss the bus, it just means waiting for the bus to arrive.

The other option (if you're off the ship earlier), is simply to walk to Waterfront Station, grab the Canada Line to Bridgeport and connect to the #620 Tsawwassen Bus. It's just as fast, but has the advantage that you could probably catch a much earlier ferry for Victoria. On the Victoria side catch the #70 into town, or the free Saanich Peninsula Tourist bus to Butchart Gardens. You'll save about $30/head by doing it this way; it's not any slower; and allows you to catch much earlier ferries.

The other option (if you're off the ship earlier), is simply to walk to Waterfront Station, grab the Canada Line to Bridgeport and connect to the #620 Tsawwassen Bus. It's just as fast, but has the advantage that you could probably catch a much earlier ferry for Victoria. On the Victoria side catch the #70 into town, or the free Saanich Peninsula Tourist bus to Butchart Gardens. You'll save about $30/head by doing it this way; it's not any slower; and allows you to catch much earlier ferries.

This is a good suggestion for others, but I'm at the age where that's too much thinking/planning for me.....I'll just sit and wait for the bus. :D:D