I have taken this ferry both ways as I was fortunate to have lived on the island for a few years. The ferries are great, with efficiency service and excellent food. The views of the islands, sea life etc makes the crossing relaxing and fun.
I retired from the BC Ferries just one year before this video .. I had an office on both sides ... one in Vancouver and one in Victoria. The greatest job in the world.
I recently went there fornthe first time in my life fornthe nights. Lo ed it so much I had to spend a week. The first time I step foot off the bus from Sydney, I instantly felt at home. That place exudes class unlike the shitstain that is Vancouver. I promised myself I will make that city my new home eventually. Even if I have to do it living in a vehicle.
It is worth noting that it is not usual for ferries to pass so close to another ferry enroute and so close to the shore where you can see some lovely island properties and parks. It is a real spectacle, and you can enjoy it while having breakfast in the dining room. The ferry goes through 'Active Pass' which is a narrow twisting passage between the the intercoastal islands which have their own ferry service. Your expectations are over the top if you think Orcas are so abundant that they will display themselves along the 'highway' (ferry route). Of course Orcas have their preferred places to hang out. Nice shot of the ferry going in the opposite direction. You need a wind shield on your mic.
The trip is wonderful. The island is beautiful. The bays ,places like Sidney and seal Bay.Out of this world scenery. I found the island by chance. If you are looking for a safe relaxing friendly scenic holiday this is the place for you
I loved the Ferry when I was heading to Victoria last year. The ocean is nice, you see so much, it's calming and peaceful. British Columbia is my Favorite province in Canada.
Thanks Tom. Enjoyed your commentary and video of the trip. My son and I are visiting Vancouver later this month and this was a great introduction to our upcoming trip to Victoria by BC ferry.
Tom Really enjoy your videos with commentary ! Hard to hear at times , Due to WIND BLOWING noice ! Outfit your camera microphone with muffler & position microphone accordingly away from wind noice ! Best regards & t Thanks for Sharing your great travel logs !
Nice video Tom! You said you wanted to see some Orcas or seals just as you were entering Active Pass. After you passed the other ferry though, which normally marks the half way point of the trip, it looked as though you went back inside for a coffee! At the end of the pass, as the ferry takes a left to exit the pass, there is a small island with a light on it, off to the right, which at low tide, is full of seals basking in the Sun. In addition, between here and the next light on your left, for a mile or so, is what I have found, to be the best area to see Orcas! We were on the ferry at the end of July this year and from about half way between Swartz Bay and the pass, we must have seen about 30 orcas! It was fantastic! They even put on a show for the other ferry as it passed by the seal island, by breaching and generally flopping around! Next time Tom! Robert, IIRC it's about $80 for a car and two passengers. (EW)
Next time you're on the Ferry, ask for the Pacific Buffet which is a very nice Dining Room on the top floor at the stern, with a wonderful view! The small cafeteria you went to is just one of the many places you can go.
My first time on those ferries was about 20 years ago as a child. My first and only time since. And i Actually saw a few Orca's at the Docks there. funny thing was, my dad had a game for me and my brother where we would get money if we could spot an animal and he saw it. Each animal had a different price. Like Deer and coyotes were 25c and wolves were 1$ and a blue whale was 100$ 😂😂 the Orca was about 10/20 yeah he was bummed he had to pay us!
This makes my heart so sad..I miss B.C so much and someone could correct me if i'm wrong but my granny used to tell me back in the 1960's they actually had trains on the Ferry to Vic and she was so scared that it would sink because of the weight when she rode them..its been years since i was on The Ferry to my former home in Vic,thanks for posting
That would make perfect sense then because my grand father worked for CP and was given 2 or 3 passes to ride trains on vacation as part of being employed by CP..thanks for the info..Ferry's leaving downtown Vancouver *wow* i can actually imagine them down town waiting for them
It is a breathing view. it would be such a nice trip to travel from the Puget Sound on a ferry to see something other than so much concrete and crowded streets filled with vehicles!!! Is a passport required? I'd have to renew mine if this is so...
Where they pass the other ferry is in a body of water called Active Pass, between Galiano and Mayne Island. Its the half way point of the trip. Google it.
Theres a good chance u will see orcas in the waters that u will be traveling to Vancouver island because ive taken the BC ferries many times before bcs i live on the island and ive seen whales almost everytime i go on there but it also depends on the time of year u travel
Ferry is enjoyable if you catch it without a ton of people onboard. Lots of stuff to do inside. The view is still beautiful no matter how many times you see it. Orcas are a rare occasion but can be seen lots if your lucky.
martin theiss yes there are lifeboats. They have complete safety equipment for all passengers. All the crew are trained for emergencies. The Queen of the North was a preventable tragedy caused by more than one crewmember who did not do their job. They became complacent and distracted. One member was found guilty of criminal negligence and imprisoned as he should be. BC Ferries is highly professional state of the art transportation system. This should never have happened.
John, I am not a BC Ferries passenger but I highly expect anything in BC to be thorough in their attention to public safety and quality service. I know that some people would like to be at their destination by the expected time however I am sure there are situations where BC Ferries are late.
wenliu99 it depends which day of the week and what time, but I really think you should make the reservations, especially if it's on a weekend or in summer. Last time I went (a couple of days back), some people ended up waiting until the morning to get on the ferry (there were still 3 ferries that day). I would highly recommend reservation.
Is this the Ferry I would need to get from Vancouver to Vancouver Island?? My friend lives in Squirrel Cove, it's near Campbell River. I guess if I go to see her I would fly from London to Vancouver.
As a resident of Campbell River, I can tell you this: To go from Vancouver to where your friend lives, you’ll have to depart from Horseshoe Bay on a ferry bound for Nanaimo like the Coastal Renaissance. Learned from experience!
Hello :) I'm going to Victoria next month :D I have many questions :o? 1) If someone is going to leave at the ferry, but I just going alone how much is going to cost the ticket? 2) Where can I buy the ticket? 3) I'm will be carrying my luggage in the ferry, and I don't to be carrying around. Is there a safety place where I can leave my luggage? 4) The food is not include in the ferry ticket?
BC Ferries has a 1800 number (223-3779) that would be more than happy to reserve your walk in reservation for you. You need to call customer affairs (800-223-3779) to buy tickets for walk ins. You need to ask customer care for luggage information, and I do not recommend that. And onboard (and Vancouver dock) food is not included in BC Ferries quotation. 5) Those going to Victoria need to be advised BC Ferries says its a 32 KM drive from their Victoria coded station to downtown Victoria. I do not know if BC Transit has a bus line covering that route but it wont hurt to ask before you reserve your boat. I hope it helps you Monica.
Your question is a year old, but I'll reply if others are curious, too. 1) that is called "walk-on passenger" - when you are not taking a car. A walk-on age 12 or older is $17.20CAD (Canadian dollars) as of May 2018. Kids 5-11 are half price, under 5 years are free with an adult. Foot Passengers can buy tickets up until 10 minutes before the sailing (when the boat leaves). 2) For foot passengers or "walk-on" you enter a terminal building where you purchase your ticket, and wait to board your ferry when it is ready. There are signs pointing where Foot Passengers go, and there is a parking area if you have someone giving you a ride in their car. 3) For luggage, there is a bag checking service. I believe it is $2 per bag, and each bag must weigh less than 50 pounds/23kg. You would ask for this and pay with your ticket. 4) Your ticket only includes your passage across the strait. There are a few places to get food on these ferries, and vending machines for small snacks and drinks, too. There are also places to eat while waiting for your ferry if you will have a long wait. I hope you were able to find your way easily, and enjoyed your visit to Victoria, Monica! :)
Lisa Moon Hi Lisa, your posting is helpful but I wanna pass on that the luggage service is free but you are correct on the 50 lb per. There are a couple buses from the ferry terminal to Victoria $2.
It was funny when you said "The First stop is going to be the Biew Thart Gardens". It's Butchart Gardens! Like how you pronounce a Butcher! So Butch+Art = Butchart.
when you people in this comment section say that the price he payed was unreasonable think again because he lives in Canada where the money is different -no hate-
That seating area @4:10 is a total waste of space. The company should utilize it by building more bars, restaurants, night clubs, casinos, taxfree shop, kiddie playground etc. That is how they milk more money from passengers in cruiseferries.
If ferry companies dont even try to aim for something like this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WB_0xprSsVM.html then they should be forced out of business.
boring, all the waiting, I mean I don't think I've ever spent so much time waiting, there's nothing I hate more than...waiting , if I have to wait another second I'll go mad...wait...just a minute...ahhhhh...wait...wait...and wait some more, ahhhhh!!! Wait!!!!!
It's not cheap but considerably less for a car and driver than a comparable ferry going between Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's about the same distance. $80 for car, driver and one passenger -- one way -- is about right from Tsawwassen Terminal (south of Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (not far from Victoria).
R. Crompton hey guys are there any doubts now the government center would remain in Victoria since it has become so expensive to travel there? Any direct Air Canada routes there to the local island airport?
@@denelson83 European ferries will give you sticker shock then. I've taken a few different ferry lines in the world and find BC's ferry system to be cheaper and better than most. As much as I would like it, $30 for a car and driver seems too low to even begin to recover their costs.
I'm so sorry for Canada. Most things about a good Canada are not true, Including clean cities - beaches, and forests. It's a big lie. The first time I arrived in Vancouver in 2018, I was shocked. As soon as I left the airport door, I saw tissue, disposable glasses, and other garbage left in the city. The further I went, the more I saw them. Before I moved to Canada, I lived in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, The United States, and for a short time in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, Germany, and England, but I have never seen the amount of garbage that people leave in different Canadian cities. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec are no less than Vancouver. Canadian and Canada Governments don't care about this tragedy. I think everything that says about Canada as a clean and powerful culture is not true. You don't need to travel to Canada to see this. Just watch some videos about walking in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec. You will find the truth. Impossible for you to walk in a Canadian city and you don't see the dark side of that. Everywhere you will see garbage. You will never see this in Europe, Australia, the United States, Japan, and Korea. This amount of waste is not even seen in Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thailand cities. It is impossible for you to use public transport and not see a lot of garbage at stations or on the route. You will be surprised to find a lot of garbage even in the woods - by the rivers and on the beaches in Canada. I wish the Canadians woke up and had no enmity with their country. To be fair, I randomly looked at videos from downtown Manchester and Concord in New Hampshire - Philadelphia - Detroit - Chicago - New York - Baltimore - Denver - Nashville, and Knoxville in the United States, and Toronto - Quebec - Montreal - Winnipeg - Calgary - Vancouver - Victoria - Ottawa and Thunder Bay in Canada. we should be fair. The bitter truth must be accepted. Without any exaggeration. Completely impartial. I have to say that I didn't see a single piece of garbage in any of the US videos to convince myself. Without exaggeration, in all Canadian cities, there must have been a piece of garbage on the ground less than every hundred meters. It must have an important reason. I do not know. But this is a bitter truth. You can try. This country should be brought closer to its exaggerated claim. the truth is bitter. Certainly, some Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even Malaysia are much cleaner compared to Canada. Of course, we should not forget that Canada claims to be one of the 10 cleanest countries in the world. And Vancouver claims to be one of the 5 cleanest cities in the world. Please go to East Hastings or Victoria Drive or Commercial Drive or West Georgia or Broadway or Main Street and judge for yourself. I am 50 years old and have traveled to 26 countries. Canada is far from its claims. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022, I decided to move to the east because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception This country is disappointing. Please, Please, Please, don't immigrate to Canada you would regret it absolutely. this is not a developed country, Canada is a developing country with huge serious problems.
it just would be nice if fare were just a bit lower, i know operating costs and everything its just 71$ for me and my car to get to the mainland one way is steep
We all want cheap fares, but large ferry fleets cost a lot to operate. A private operator would likely have even higher fares, as it wouldn't have the provincial ferry subsidy.
