Victoria

[Randyxl]

One of our stops while on the Princess Sapphire in August will be stopping in Victoria for an evening. Has anyone done the Enchanting Butchart Gardens tour? Supposedly the gardens light up at dusk. Is this an excursion you would recommend or would you suggest something else or even do this on our own? Would we be able to stay for the firework show if we did this tour, since we will be there on a Saturday night?

 

Randy:p

[cruiseryyc]

Yes this tour would be well worth it. The Gardens are spectacular - even at night. As long as you are on the ship's tour you will be there for the fireworks and back to the ship on time. I wouldn't risk going out there on your own as you might not make it back to the ship in time.

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

I'm on the 8/8 Sapphire and I was trying to figure this out as well.

 

We dock at 5 and are supposed to be back on the ship by 11:30 for a midnight sail-out.

 

The fireworks, the week I'll be there, take place at 9:15.

 

The Butchart Gardens excursion goes from 5:30 to 9 which means no fireworks.

 

I looked at doing it myself and decided that the timing was too tight because the Gardens' website warns about all the extra traffic they have on Saturday nights due to the fireworks. The fireworks would probably end close to 10 and then it would be nailbiting time taking a cab or bus back, I figured. It's mathematically possible to see downtown, then find transport out to the gardens around 7something and make it back but it seems like it would all be mighty rushed and take the fun out of it.

 

Forgetting about the fireworks, if you do the excursion (getting back @9), is there still time to see the Inner Harbour area? I'm still trying to wrap my head around whether there is a way to do both.

 

The 5-12 time slot seems to be about as much time as any ship gets in Victoria, however. Is there anyone out there who has managed to do it all on their own?

 

TJ

[Aggie95]

The gardens are definitley a must-see in Victoria! They don't do the fireworks in June, which is when we were there, so that was not an issue for us. But the gardens themselves are amazing. I would be cautious about trying to do them on my own and get back to the ship on time, as they are located quite a ways away from where the ships dock. We combined the gardens with a wine and chocolate tasting at a winery, which was a lot of fun, too.

[travelling fools]

THe inner harbour is 10-15 walk from the ship.If you do not want to walk there are taxis,pedicabs and shuttles that wil take you to the inner harbour.Inner harbour is our downtown waterfront area with entertainmeant,the Empress Hotel,museums and shopping area.The stores stay open late for the cruiseships.

The Butchart Gardens is about 45 min-hour out of town but I would recommend the tour with the ship as they will wait if the tour is late.Our bus service is not the best out there[1 a hour].You can get a doubledeck tour bus from Empress but I would still recommend the ship's tour as your time is limited here.

Hope you have a wonderful time visiting our city.

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Thanks for in the info Traveling Fools!

 

My main concern was that I would like to see the town itself - walk around the Inner Harbour, see the Empress etc - and I'm wondering if there is any time to do that if I'm on a 5-9:30 excursion to the gardens. Particularly with the boat docking at Ogden Point I feel like it's unlikely I'll get to see Victoria at all. It looks like it's either the gardens or the Inner Harbour but very difficult to do both...

 

I definitely wouldn't go to the gardens without the ship's tour at this point.

 

Oh - and is the walk from the dock to the town 'scenic' at all or is it basically just an industrial area.

 

TJ

[travelling fools]

It is a residential area.As you get off the ship the greeters will give you a free map with everything on it in the downtown/inner harbour area.If you do not sail until midnight [11:30 back on ship]you will still have time to visit inner harbour.Maybe you can ask the tour bus driver to drop you off on the way back to ship and then you only have to walk or grab a cab/shuttle back to ship.There are also many pedicabs around the inner harbour.

[travelling fools]

I forgot to say it is very safe walking around.

[Blamar]

Victoria is a pretty cool spot for the summer. I would recommend the gardens but suggest you do it with the ships tour since it would guarantee you to get back on the boat in time. On the other hand, here are some cool things to do just in town,

 

There is a world class Egyption exhibit going on right now at the Royal Provincial Museum.

The Museum is also very worth while to visit on its own.

Go into the Empress hotel, not for tea, but to check out the insides. It is quite pretty.

Walk along the Harbour downtown, especially in the early evening. There are lots of street entertainers and the views are awesome.

That wonderful time just as it is starting to get dark is when they turn on the lights on the Provincial Parliament Buildings. It is our version of Disneyland.

Listen for the Bagpiper and bells down at the corner of the museum and the empress.

Did you know there are more restaurants per capita in Victoria then anywhere else in Canada. Some of the best are Pagliacci's, Garlic Rose, and just about any of the ones off Government street.

Walk to Chinatown, its at the end of Government street so you might want to take a pedicab or a bus, but once your there it is a great space to amble. Also there are many good Restaurants there, Foo Hong's is good for Food but has no atmospher, Don Mee's is good for food and great for atmosphere but more expensive, Quan Valdez is great for Coffee and Deserts.

Visit Roger's Chocolates on Government Street, even if just to smell.

Here is a cool suggestion - At the inner harbour, you can catch a little ferry to the Point Ellice Tea House, for under $20 you can have a great little trip up the Gorge waterway, Traditional English Tea in a Victorian house (it is even a little bit haunted) and be back down to the inner harbour in time for some evening entertainment.

Just some suggestions,

Have a wonderful time.

B

[alonzo14]

blamar: What are pedicabs compared to regular cabs? What do they look like? Can you catch one near the ship? Do they run from downtown to the ship?

[Blamar]

Hi:

A Pedicab is a cab powered by a bicycle rider. Imagine a rickshaw with a bike rider on the front. The ride between the ship and downtown is rather flat and filled with wonderful views of quaint James Bay. Check the price with the drivers before you come on since they have a direct price and a "tour of James Bay" price. I forget how much it is.

 

Have a delightful day,

 

B

[travelling fools]

Pedicabs are everywhere!When you disembark and all through the inner harbour area.There are also bus shuttles from ship to inner harbour/downtowm for a fee.I think it is $2.50 cdn each way or $5 for all day.

Ask the greeters as you get off the ship as they have free maps and info.You can't miss them as they are dressed in Victorian costumes and at the bottom of gangway.All maps and info are free.If you collect pins ask them if they have any Victoria pins.They are free also and a nice momento of Victoria.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

Butchart Gardens are a must see.

We loved walking around and seeing the Empress Hotel - tea there is not worth the price.

:)

[mpw2002]

For a different perspective, try the little harbour ferries. A great way to see the Victoria area.

 

http://www.harbourferry.com/

 

There are also some great brew pubs in Victoria. Spinnakers' is very good or Swan's.

[alonzo14]

Thank you all so much for the information. One other question; are the museums open when you get there?

[mpw2002]

The Royal BC Museum is open till 630 every day. You could easily spend a whole day there.

 

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/index_vi.html#hours

[AGonzalez]

We were in Victoria in June (before the fireworks). I bought my entrance ticket to Butchart Gardens online (adults: $21.00 Canada/ which is about $14.00 US), and they were mailed to my home. I arranged transportation with Wilson Transportation. They met us at the port, and I had a set time for them to pick us up at the gardens, and they were there exactly on time. We were back to the port with plenty of time.

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Has anyone actually taken the ship tour to Butchart Gardens and then been let off (as suggested above) in town? It certainly seems like it would be a logical option to let people off there.

 

I'm really leaning towards taking the tour but I'm still hoping I can have a bit of time in the Inner Harbour area and it would be a waste to go back to the boat and then still have to grab transporation into town...

 

TJ

[Arkie mawmaw]

:( My husband and I just returned after touring the gardens on Saturday, 7/17. Oh how I hate to be negative, but it was an absolute nightmare. Our tour did not leave the dock until 7 p. m., and, there was a tremendous back up of traffic getting into and out of the gardens. Once in, there were SO MANY people touring the gardens that you could hardly move around. I don't know if this was a particularly advertised Saturday night, but it seemed that everyone in all of Eastern Canada and everyone from every cruise ship was there. The fireworks were to go off about 10 p. m., and about 8:45, we decided we needed to get to the viewing area to get a seat. Long before 9:30, people were still thronging in, and the space we were sitting in was limited to the area that would hold our "behinds" (We are both considered thin people) and legs bent at the knee. The area - I am bad at judging space - but at least an area the size of a baseball field was virtually filled.:( With people still thronging in (I am not exaggerating) at 9:50, we decided to leave the area because of concern regarding what a mess it was going to be as the gigantic crowd all headed for the front gates at once.

 

On a positive note - the gardens are absolutely beyond belief and one man on our bus said the fireworks display was the best he had ever seen. My goal for viewing the gardens would be a leisurely stroll stopping to view the various flowers and views, and I hope some day to return to see it, but I would not do it as part of an excursion again.

[cruiseryyc]

Dear Arkie Mawmaw, unfortunately that's the problem with going on a Saturday night during the summer. The fireworks are a big draw with both the locals and tourists and with a cruise ship in, it makes it even more crowded. Hopefully you can travel back there again someday to have your leisurely stroll through the Gardens. FYI - their Christmas light display is also a sight to be seen.

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Arkie mawmaw,

 

What boat were you on?

 

Did you know your excursion was going to be staying for the fireworks?

 

On Sapphire Princess the excursion say it's 5:30 to 9:30 so I presume they take us out before the fireworks....

 

TJ

[Arkie mawmaw]

We were on the Amsterdam. We were told there were fireworks, but it wasn't totally clear that we would stay until 10:30 (the conclusion of the FW). In fact our bus driver thought we would be leaving at 9:30, but when several of the people on the bus said the cruise director had said they would be staying for the fireworks, the bus driver agreed to do so, but encouraged us to get back to the bus as soon as the fw were over. We got back to the ship about 11:30.

 

While we were waiting for the rest of the tour members, we noticed a bus that we were told was public transportation and would have taken us back to town. Had we known that was available, we would have probably taken the bus back after some time in the gardens. However, if I had known how crowded it would be, I would have chosen to skip this excursion. Another couple in our group did the horsedrawn city tour of Victoria, and said it was very nice.

 

I totally agree that the gardens - both during the day and at night - are a must see - probably, just not on Saturday night.

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Definitely sounds like it could go either way.

It's beautiful but will be busy.

You'll either leave early and not get to see the fireworks or stay and rush right back to the boat without getting to see the town.

 

I'd really like to see the gardens but given the cost and that I'd also like to see the town itself, it seems like a tough call.

 

The one good thing is that Sapphire gets in pretty early, at 5.

 

Should I be okay if I don't book the excursion until I'm on the boat and get a feel for things? And if I book now and cancel later is there a charge or any other penalty?

 

I'm not always so indecisive,

TJ

[srphnx]

We missed it on the infamous Diamond but hope to find better luck on Sapphire in Sept. We are planning on the town tour rather than the gardens.

[TXMary]

If I had to chose between Butchart Gardens and the Inner Harbour area, IH would win hands down. BG are beautiful beyond belief, but there is so much to do in the IH area. I have been to Victoria three times and stayed several days each visit, so I'm just another tourist. None of the trips were cruises. I have been to BG twice. We are going back in 31 days (:) ) and will have to settle for a quick day trip to Victoria. We are doing the gardens but only because one of our traveling companions has never seen them. We will also be doing a quick visit to the IH area. Wish we had more than a day! Whatever you decide, you are going to love Victoria!