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Victoria, Canada - Shore excursions vs independent exploring vs local tour


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I will be going on an Alaska/Canada cruise in August on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas and we have about 7-8 hours in port. ONe of the reasons we chose this itinerary is because some of my family members traveling with me really want to see Victoria and this gives us more time in port (while a Norwegian cruise we looked into only docked from 6 PM to 11 PM).

 

RC is charging $150 a person for a 4-hour shore excursion that includes the Butchart Gardens (something my mom REALLY wants to see) and Tea at the Empress Hotel plus a city tour. I wonder if 4 hours is enough to do all this an not be rushed especially as I hear the gardens are quite extensive and tea time should be relaxing and unrushed and we still want to see the other attractions like the BC Parliament buildings and the Victoria historic district.

 

Would it be a better idea to just explore independently and take a taxi to the gardens and pay the admissions fee ourselves? What about doing the tea time ourselves too? Is Tea at the Empress truly a great experience or is it overrated?

 

We're also considering booking a tour on the spot with a company like Hop On Hop Off or Gray Line which we've had good experiences with in other cities like Savannah, Charleston, Key West and New Orleans. Anyone have any experience with these tours and if they feel rushed?

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For years my DW had wanted to do tea at the Empress so we booked it on our own with our last Alaska cruise from Seattle. Was an evening event as this was a short stop. We were both underwhelmed and she does tea as an event with friends on a regular basis. I would certainly recommend you do Butchart Gardens, we have been 3 times in different seasons, but would not push the tea at the Empress.

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There is tea at the Butchart Gardens. Perhaps check that out and then you wouldn't be in a rush to do tea at the Empress (which I feel is extremely overpriced, oh my goodness!).

 

You could rent a car and drive out there yourselves and it would cost less than ONE of your RC excursion tickets. :)

 

https://www.butchartgardens.com/

.

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I would do the taxi to the Gardens. Perhaps tea at the gardens. Once your done the gardens if you still have time, take the taxi to downtown and then walk back to the ship.

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As others have recommended, skip the over-hyped Empress tea and have it at the Gardens. Cheaper and in a much prettier setting, but you do need a reservation. A taxi will cost about $60 both ways or you could take a CVS Tour bus out and back.

 

 

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Thanks for all the replies so far! I looked more carefully at the excursion info and the excursion's tea is at the gardens, not the Empress.

 

If we don't do the tea at the Empress, are we still allowed to go into the building and see the lobby/architecture? Also how long should we plan to be at the gardens to see it in detail, and how much time should we budget for seeing downtown Victoria?

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Yes, you can walk into the Empress and look around a bit; 10 minutes is overkill unless you are particularly fascinated by hotel architecture, or have an obsession with CP rail hotels or some other niche hobby that the Empress would fit into.

 

Gardens - personally I'd recommend taking your time to absorb the different areas. 3 hours of leisurely wandering will be enough - if you're not a keen garden person, 2 hours is enough to walk around, but it sounds like your Mom will want to really see it properly. Add another 45mins for tea - and personally I could not agree more that tea at the Empress is just outrageously overpriced... the exact same teas and similar quality/size of snacks (the menu does differ a little) in other hotels of the same chain is significantly cheaper...

 

The menu at Butchart's tearoom is actually better IMO, despite being half the price, with a few savoury items with at least some protein and not just a sea of empty carbs (although it's still not a proper meal, it will tide you over until a late dinner onboard - exactly what Afternoon Tea is supposed to do!)

 

NB: you should still do it independently, not with the cruiseline, even if it now seems you get longer at the gardens what with having tea there.

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We're leaning toward independent sightseeing then with the gardens but is there a particularly good hop on hop off kind of tour that takes you from downtown to the gardens where we can spend as much time as we want to in each stop? Also how much time should we plan for the BC Parliament buildings. I do happen to be a fan of grand classical architecture and do want to see the inside of the Empress too. Would love to compare it to other classical old hotels like the Plaza in NYC and the Monteleone in New Orleans.

 

Lastly if we want to get food in Victoria besides tea, I know this sounds dumb but what are some classic Canadian dishes to try? Wikipedia's article on Canadian cuisine and Google haven't been too helpful besides mentioning poutine which is specifically Quebec. Are there any unique regional foods that British Columbia is famous for or typical Canadian dishes that differ significantly from American food?

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Not a HOHO - but CVS run shuttle buses to the gardens several times each day (exact sched is seasonal). These days I think they all include the Butterfly Gardens entry fee too, which if you don't want to see is padding the price so another Pro in the 'rent a car' column...

 

CP Rail hotels have a distinctive style - these days they are Fairmonts, and while some new ones try to capture the style (tall, stone, sharply-angled copper roof, kind of 'Disney Castle' vibe) some are also totally different - but the Empress is very much in the classic mould. Recent renos have fixed up some tired decor, but I believe the bones have been left alone. She's a very grand old building.

 

Parliament - if your port time allows a visit - needs at least an hour (IIRC the tour itself is 45mins, but there's usually a bit of waiting to start and if Q&A gets interesting they can run long).

 

Truly Canadian dishes are pretty rare, even more so in BC (we share virtually all our produce, whether plants or animals or sea beasties) with WA, OR, AK, CA to varying degrees. Poutine is the 'go to' definitively-Canadian and easily found dish - and Victoria actually has one very good Quebec style traditional one, that imports their cheese curds (La Belle Patate).

 

Fish & Chips is obviously a British thing, but in BC Halibut is a common fish used for it which makes things a bit different - try Red Fish Blue Fish down at the Inner Harbour (it's in a shipping container) for various quite odern interpretations of this and similar snacky fish dishes, or Barbs in their new floating resto at Fishermans Wharf for more old-school.

 

Ordinarily I'd put links to all the above, but am on vaycay with small screen that makes it a real hassle - just googling 'Victoria + names given above' should find them in short order!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Two years ago in Victoria we did this: Caught a taxi at the pier and went straight to the gardens. We had reservations for the tea there and it was WONDERFUL! We will definitely do that again when we have the chance. Then, we were able to explore the gardens at our leisure. We then took a taxi back to the Inner Harbour where we did a little shopping and sightseeing. The Parliament Building tour is great, very interesting. Keep in mind that it closes quite early in the day. We didn't do that this trip. Then a quick taxi ride back to the ship's pier with plenty of time to spare. As I remember, the cost for taxis was very reasonable. We have been to Victoria a number of times and I must say, this was one of the most pleasant times spent there.

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So a taxi is $60 one way to the gardens, is that for 4 passengers??? is it USD??

I would do the taxi to the Gardens. Perhaps tea at the gardens. Once your done the gardens if you still have time, take the taxi to downtown and then walk back to the ship.
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So a taxi is $60 one way to the gardens, is that for 4 passengers??? is it USD??

Taxi prices are all per vehicle - as many folks as legally fit inside (i.e. have seatbelts or a wheelchair restraint system) cost the same amount.

 

Pricing of the cabs is definitely in Canadian, obviously, and the amount you're quoting certainly sounds like it should be the CAD estimate (could be as little as $50 without traffic, but $60 is a reasonable assumption especially if it's right back to the ship rather than somewhere else downtown that's closer to Butchart) rather than in USD.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We spent a few days in Victoria and explored on our own. We took the public bus to the gardens. They drop and pick you up right at the entrance. It was probably 45 minute bus ride.

 

I agree that Empress tea is very overpriced. I think it was over $50 per person and nothing special. I saw the pricing for tea at the gardens and wished we had gone there instead.

 

 

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We're leaning toward independent sightseeing then with the gardens but is there a particularly good hop on hop off kind of tour that takes you from downtown to the gardens where we can spend as much time as we want to in each stop? Also how much time should we plan for the BC Parliament buildings. I do happen to be a fan of grand classical architecture and do want to see the inside of the Empress too. Would love to compare it to other classical old hotels like the Plaza in NYC and the Monteleone in New Orleans.

 

Lastly if we want to get food in Victoria besides tea, I know this sounds dumb but what are some classic Canadian dishes to try? Wikipedia's article on Canadian cuisine and Google haven't been too helpful besides mentioning poutine which is specifically Quebec. Are there any unique regional foods that British Columbia is famous for or typical Canadian dishes that differ significantly from American food?

 

There are 4 of us, so we are going to rent a car [pickup downtown behind the empress hotel;$40], drive to Butchart Gardens, then drive to White Heather for tea at 3pm; It is 1/2 the price of the empress and just as good; Plan for 2 hrs for tea ; return car, walk back to ship

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We spent a few days in Victoria and explored on our own. We took the public bus to the gardens. They drop and pick you up right at the entrance. It was probably 45 minute bus ride.

 

I agree that Empress tea is very overpriced. I think it was over $50 per person and nothing special. I saw the pricing for tea at the gardens and wished we had gone there instead.

 

 

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Can you explain how far the public bus is from the cruise pier and any other details we need to know if we use this type of transportation to the gardens. We would like to schedule our own time at the gardens with the tea included.

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Can you explain how far the public bus is from the cruise pier and any other details we need to know if we use this type of transportation to the gardens. We would like to schedule our own time at the gardens with the tea included.

 

 

Here is the link to the bus schedule (#75) and there is a map. I believe I bought a bus pass in advance but I can’t recall where I bought it. I think there is a tourism booth near the empress hotel where you can ask where you can buy a daily bus pass. The bus route goes right by the empress hotel. You can walk from the cruise pier to the empress hotel in about 10-15 minutes. There is also a water taxi that you can pick up at the fisherman’s wharf that will take you to the empress hotel area.

 

https://bctransit.com/victoria/schedules-and-maps/route-overview?route=75

 

 

 

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Can you explain how far the public bus is from the cruise pier and any other details we need to know if we use this type of transportation to the gardens. We would like to schedule our own time at the gardens with the tea included.

Good research by Koali above - but you can actually cut back on the walking even further by transferring between buses. Since two single bus tickets costs exactly the same as a Day Pass, you can buy both onboard the bus, but you get unlimited transfers with the latter, it's the only rational choice for a return trip. NB: Canadian funds only, and no change given - but even if you find a Canadian onboard and ask them to do a straight swap USD to CAD for the $5pp you need, it's a dirt-cheap way to get out to Butchart.

 

With a day pass you can board a 31/33 inbound at the stop just across the road from Ogden Point pier, which takes you downtown to where you can transfer to the 75. Coming back it's even easier - the 75 pauses and changes service number - you don't have to get off or transfer, just stay on the bus and it will bring you back to the pier!

 

The Trip-planner on this page covers possible transfers on your date of visit, and Google Maps actually has transit routes built-in too. NB: travel time though - realistically you need at least an hour to an hour fifteen, each way from pier to gardens and back so unless your ship is on one of the rare daytime visits of at least 6 hours duration it may not be feasible to take transit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
There are 4 of us, so we are going to rent a car [pickup downtown behind the empress hotel;$40], drive to Butchart Gardens, then drive to White Heather for tea at 3pm; It is 1/2 the price of the empress and just as good; Plan for 2 hrs for tea ; return car, walk back to ship

 

redwings1958: What car rental company are you using?

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