Victoria, B.C. - Butchart Gardens & Late Excursions

In May 2009 my husband and I will be going to Alaska via Princess Cruises, and Victoria, B.C. is our final port. We've never been to Canada, and have read that the Butchart Gardens is a must see.

But the light show display isn't on at Butchart Gardens until June, and our cruiseship doesn't dock until 5PM to midnight. Do you still think we should consider this excursion, or will it be too dark out or cancelled?

Just wondering what we should do in Victoria so late.

Thanks!

Go to the gardens, it will be light enough for you to see them.

I would be inclined to wait until into Feb or Mar and then call the gardens on their 1800 number; I think that you will find that they are open until 9:00 pm on evenings that cruise ships are in town, at least they were this year. Yes, they are world class gardens and very much worth seeing. Here is a link for your convenience:

www.butchartgardens.com/

Depending on what date in May you will be in Victoria, the gardens may not be open in

the evening. Later in the month, they have extended hours for those days when cruise

ships are in port. Check here -

http://www.butchartgardens.com/planning-your-visit/admission-hours-and-rates/hours-of-operation.html

It is usually light fairly late at night in May.

I should add that if you choose not to visit the gardens then you may care to condsider a horse drawn carriage excursion and again here are a few links for your convenience:

www.victoriacarriage.com/

www.tallyhotours.com/

Thanks so much for the info.!

C-to-Sea your right, they close at 6pm when we'll be there. We'll be traveling May 10th thru the 17th, extended hours don't start until June.

So we may have to opt to exploring Victoria on our own. Any late night recommendations? Again, our cruiseship is there after 5pm until midnight.

Well, I checked out the world-famous Royal BC Museum for you, but it looks like they close at 5 pm. Sorry, it would have been well worth your time.

You could certainly walk into town (or take a cab or shuttle - I don't know what your ship has planned for you) and take a stroll through the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Government Street has shopping, probably 'til late starting in May, but I don't know. If Sam's Deli on Government Street is open, they have the best roast beef sandwich in the world. Mile-high apple pie too!

Something I wouldn't do (sorry Putterdude!) is take the horse carriage ride - I checked out the prices and they are exhorbitant, to say the least. I lived in Victoria for 38 years and the horse drawn carriages were the absolute bane of our existence, especially for drivers. Sorry, nothing good to say about them. :p To each his own.

IMO, you could take some time and peruse the threads in this Canada forum; I know there are dozens, maybe hundreds about Victoria.

Have fun. :)

Just because their website says they are closed at 6:00 in May, if a cruise ship is in town they will be open late, besides the cruise line wouldn't offer the tour if the Gardens were closed. Go to the gardens.

^ I didn't get the impression that it was a ship's excursion; I assumed they wanted to go on their own. Of course, if the ship offers a tour (excursion), the Gardens will be open for them.

OP, come back and let us know what you meant. :) Are the excursions for May 2009 listed already?

Something I wouldn't do (sorry Putterdude!) is take the horse carriage ride - I checked out the prices and they are exhorbitant, to say the least. I lived in Victoria for 38 years and the horse drawn carriages were the absolute bane of our existence, especially for drivers. Sorry, nothing good to say about them. :p To each his own.

I agree the horse/carriage excursions are expensive and I can understand that you may not like them if as a former resident you didn't care to get behind one in your car but I hardly think those are reasons to pan them. If they were a bad or poor excursion they wouldn't be in business, the Tally Ho company has been in business since the 1940's and Victoria Carriage tours since 1978. I would but these excursions in the same context as High Tea at the Empress and Butrchart Gardens, expensive, yes, but part of the charm and character of Victoria and why tourists flock to the city. :)

Having lived in Victoria for nearly 30 years, and the last few right on the TallyHo route, understand it caters 100% to tourists. The small carriages are VERY expensive ($90/hour), but the horse drawn wagon really isn't bad @ $15/ea.

That said, you're better off heading out to Butchart Gardens. If there's a cruise ship in town, the gardens should be open, but it never hurts to call them +1 866-652-4422 to double check.

... the same context as High Tea at the Empress... :)

Ahhh... don't even get me started on tea at the Empress... ;););)

I was simply stating my opinion, as you do and as everyone here does. As a former resident, I believe I do have a vested interest in what goes on in the city; if I feel an excursion or activity is not worthwhile, then I will say so. The carriages are over-priced, just as tea at the Empress is. Note I did not pan the Butchart Gardens - they are fabulous and they are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. :)

Last year we used the TallyHo Tours. We booked two carriages. For 1-1/2 hours it was $50 per person, they picked us up at the pier and gave us the tour. Of course it was touristy! That was the whole point of doing it. A lot of us grew up in BC, been to Victoria bunches of times but it was new to some in our group and it was a "horse" for the little one. There are many tours to take in most ports for $50 pp or more that last about the same time so I don't get your reasoning that its so over priced. Any tourist thing is over priced. Its a unique way to get into the city center, which was the point for us. Seriously $90 for 4 people is only $25 an hour. I just don't think that is all that unreasonable. Its transportation and sightseeing in one. If you went out and did the whale watching excursion it is much higher per person but its the same idea. The water is the "road" and the whales are the sights. I guess it all comes down to perspective. If you want to see a different part of Victoria, then its worth it.

Ahhh... don't even get me started on tea at the Empress... ;););)

 

I was simply stating my opinion, as you do and as everyone here does. As a former resident, I believe I do have a vested interest in what goes on in the city; if I feel an excursion or activity is not worthwhile, then I will say so. The carriages are over-priced, just as tea at the Empress is. Note I did not pan the Butchart Gardens - they are fabulous and they are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. :)

First of all if you have left Victoria you no longer have a "vested" interest. The reason you were paning the horse drawn carriages is because the are expensive and "they were the absolute bane of our existance, especially for drivers. Sorry nothing good to say about them:p". Most things touristy are expensive and secondly I would suggest your remark in bold is not a review, it is a personal vendetta. As I said, if these were poor tours or rip-offs they would not have been in business as long as they have. They are part of the fabric of Victoria, a great attraction and many thousands of tourists enjoy them each year.

Are the Langley cruisers from Langley BC or Vancouver?

Cheers

Dennis

First of all if you have left Victoria you no longer have a "vested" interest.

much like snowbirds that leave BC for Arizona or other warmer climates have no vested interest in BC?

:)

Nm.

much like snowbirds that leave BC for Arizona or other warmer climates have no vested interest in BC?

 

:)

With that I think I will just let the readers of this thread decide the validity of the posts that have been made. :)

Pd - are you golfing today or watching the triple header NFL action and is the DW cooking up a turkey.

It's currently cloudy with a red morning eastern sky so that means it will likely be raining later today.

Cheers

Dennis

I didn't play golf but one of our guests went our and hit a few balls, then we put up some Christmas lights. Later we spun a small turkey on the barbe (for American turkey day), spilled a little wine, went for a walk and now are about to sit down for dessert and watch the 'nucks and the Flames on the sat-dish. Weather - we also have had two days of cloud and rain....I would guess that we have had about a 1/2" of rain which is a ton for an area that gets about 2.5" a year on avg. Yes we did watch some of the NFL games...but not very exciting stuff.

I'm researching what to do in Victoria on our cruise stop end of May and I'm from NY and I must say I have NO interest in the gardens but will look into a carriage ride. Sounds like something different and fun to do.

If you saw the prices of the carriage rides in NYC,I actually thought they were fairly cheap for a whole carriage that holds 6. We are 2 couples and the price is good when we break it down per person.

Looking forward to a carrige ride and NOT looking at flowers :)

I actually asked a question on the Alaska board "What to do it Victoria of you do NOT want to go to the gardens and I got some links to threads about this.

So thanks to all those that post info.

Every person is different and we all like different things.

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what a taxi would cost from the cruise ship pier to the gardens?

Thank you

Taxi from the dock to Butchart Gardens would be around $45 each way.

Taxi from the dock to Butchart Gardens would be around $45 each way.

The Princess tour to Butchart Gardens is $69/pp. $90 for taxi and $56 for 2 admissions to the gardens = $146 CAD - just a bit less than the cost of doing it through the ship for 2 people. However, since most people on the ship won't have Canadian currency, they'll pay in US dollars - so no savings there. Paying by credit card will probably be a wash after the foreign currency conversion fees are added.

Has anyone had experience with the evening whale watch excursion in Victoria (HAL)? We will be in Victoria on May 29th. Is there enough light to see orcas in the late evening?

It is a 3 1/2 hour excusion by high speed catamaran, but we don't even dock until 6:00 PM.

Thanks.