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Victoria Stop on Alaska Cruise

aca911

By aca911,
in Alaska

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aca911

aca911

Posted
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We are booked for Alaska round trip from Seattle this September. I am a bit confused about the Victoria port stop. It is for only 5 hrs (7pm-Midnight).

 

Anyone have experience with this? I assume that they only port there because the have to? Is it normally dark in Victoria starting around 7pm? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around sight seeing in the dark.:confused:

 

Thanks in Advance!

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

Posted
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We are booked for Alaska round trip from Seattle this September. I am a bit confused about the Victoria port stop. It is for only 5 hrs (7pm-Midnight).

 

Anyone have experience with this? I assume that they only port there because the have to? Is it normally dark in Victoria starting around 7pm? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around sight seeing in the dark.:confused:

 

Thanks in Advance!

 

 

When we arrived at 7:00 it was still light. We walked downtown (20 minutes) and when we returned it was dark. It was a nice night, we went to a couple of pubs, drank and had dinner. ;)

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cruisetek

cruisetek

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Victoria in September will be quite light until close to 9PM; once it gets darker the lights will be on all around the Inner Harbor and it's really quite pretty. There will still be lots to see and do, and the horse-drawn carriage rides are lovely in the evening.

 

September has been a really warm month the last couple of years, which makes for a very pleasant evening visit.

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BigGuy25

BigGuy25

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Stay on the ship you will have a much better time than 4 hours in the evening in Victoria.

I don't agree with this at all. Even if all you do is stroll in the harbor area, it's a delightful way to spend an evening. Some folks love to stay onboard ... and that's fine if that's what they want. But, in general, cruises give us the opportunity to experience lots of different places, people, cultures and environments. We should take advantage of that. And, many think that strolling in Victoria is as close as you'll come to an evening in London without traveling to Great Britain.

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mapleleaves

mapleleaves

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Victoria is lovely ... you can spend a few hours enjoying the Inner Harbor area, the Empress Hotel, Parliament Bldgs, totems, gardens, lots of boat traffic and scheduled float planes. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from Ogden Point to the harbor. If you have good weather, I'd suggest walking to Fishermans Wharf which is about halfway to the harbor ... wander around the Wharf then take the putt-putt ferry to the Harbor.

If you enjoy beer there are some great bars a few blocks off the main drag.

http://fishermanswharfvictoria.com/page/index

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sherryf

sherryf

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I don't agree with this at all. Even if all you do is stroll in the harbor area, it's a delightful way to spend an evening. Some folks love to stay onboard ... and that's fine if that's what they want. But, in general, cruises give us the opportunity to experience lots of different places, people, cultures and environments. We should take advantage of that. And, many think that strolling in Victoria is as close as you'll come to an evening in London without traveling to Great Britain.

 

Out of 6 Victoria stops, I've gotten off the ship once, and then only because the kids wanted to go into town. BUT, I live in the Seattle area and have been to Victoria before. If I want to see Victoria, a short stop isn't worth it. I'd rather take the Clipper up for a weekend. I spend the last night of my cruises packing, enjoying a leisurely dinner after most people have left the ship, sometimes go sit in a hot tub and watch the people coming and going. It can be quite relaxing.

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LuvtheBeach10

LuvtheBeach10

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My favorite tour is sunset whale watching. Orcas and a beautiful sunset can't be beat!

 

This is the one we are thinking about doing in July. I was nervous because no one ever talks about whale watching in BC. Any other details about this tour? Was there very many people when you went?

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Budget Queen

Budget Queen

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This is the one we are thinking about doing in July. I was nervous because no one ever talks about whale watching in BC. Any other details about this tour? Was there very many people when you went?

 

The cruise contracted boats are full and this tour usually sells out. When I do whale watching, here, I'm parked there for multiple days, as I want to hedge my bets with sightings. :) One time, I sat for 4 days with the whales out of range. (I am fortunate to have a vendor who lets me know, if in range). there is a whole network of reports tracking the 3 southern orca pods updated all day long. Whale watches go out as scheduled- knowing no whales will be seen. I've been preferring the Northern 3 pods for my orca tours, which I add at least 4 extra days in Port Hardy.

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LuvtheBeach10

LuvtheBeach10

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The cruise contracted boats are full and this tour usually sells out. When I do whale watching, here, I'm parked there for multiple days, as I want to hedge my bets with sightings. :) One time, I sat for 4 days with the whales out of range. (I am fortunate to have a vendor who lets me know, if in range). there is a whole network of reports tracking the 3 southern orca pods updated all day long. Whale watches go out as scheduled- knowing no whales will be seen. I've been preferring the Northern 3 pods for my orca tours, which I add at least 4 extra days in Port Hardy.

 

Ok, I think we will try it out! It will be our last night on the cruise, if nothing else it sounds relaxing before we hit the hectic airport the next day. Thank you again for the information!

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threetowner14

threetowner14

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When we stopped in Victoria stayed on board had a leisurely dinner on board, the watched Les Miserables on the big screen in the theatre total audience about 20.What I did notice was a couple of hundred people disembarked the cruise,and this appears to be normal practice for canadians

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mapleleaves

mapleleaves

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What I did notice was a couple of hundred people disembarked the cruise,and this appears to be normal practice for canadians

 

this is a great point to bring up! and it's not just Canadians that disembark. A lot of US passengers want more than 4-5 hours in Victoria so they disembark and overnight locally. The next day they can spend time at Butchart, the museums, and wander around the harbor before catching the Clipper to Seattle, or, catch the bus to Vancouver.

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meh56

meh56

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We cruised Alaska last Aug and stopped in Victoria...It was suppose to be something like 7p - 12a but the ship was late docking due to fog...We had booked the horse and carriage ride...We told Princess we wanted to cancel due to the late arrival and they said to bad you will loose your money...There was a huge line of people trying to exit the ship...The Carriage was close by so we hopped on...never again...the information stated there were blankets available, yes, one per row...it was pitch dark and the carriage running lights were not working...they took us through a completely dark park...it was freezing and very dangerous as cars could not see us...I would not recommend doing it at night, it was very cold and very slow...we could have walked faster...maybe during the day but not at night.

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lax19

lax19

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We were on the NCL Jewel last year and arrived in Victoria about 1:00 PM. Took a walk up to Craigdarroch Castle (mansion). Then as evening was setting in, we walked around the harbor and back to the ship.

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mek

mek

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Posted (edited)
I had some friends that absolutely LOVED the Gardens! I think the lantern tour sounds fantastic! :D

 

We did the garden tour last year and loved it - we took the Princess tour that also stopped at the butterfly garden and enjoyed that as well. Agree, the lantern tour sounds like fun. Victoria is beautiful - don't stay on the ship.

Edited by mek
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