Victoria

[transactionchick]

Hello all and I want to say how much I appreciate learning from everyone on this board and looking forward to our first Celebrity Cruise.

We are on the 5/29 sailing of Mercury and have been to all of the ports on this itinerary EXCEPT Victoria.

Is there anything to see within walking distance if we elect to skip an organized excursion? If not, what would be your recommendation from Celebrity's list?

We have done numerous whale watching excursions in other ports so would lean more towards seeing something in the city itself.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Transaction Chick
Cyndi Wagner

5/98 - Carnival Celebration (Western Caribbean)
5/00 - RCL Rhapsody of the Seas (Alaska)
10/01 - Carnival Spirit (Eastern Caribbean)

Parley-vous Francais? Si vous pouvez, email moi en Francais!

[MSBYRDY]

I don't know if it's on Celebrity's list or not, but you just have to see Buchart Gardens (sp?) This is no small garden setting, it's awesome.
Marilyn

[SB_Travlr]

Here's another vote for Butchart Gardens. We were not cruising at the time, just took the high-speed ferry from Seattle to Victoria and winged it.

There is a double-decker London-type bus that takes visitors to Butchart, and I think we picked the bus up right near the ferry landing and the Empress Hotel. You can wander the beautiful gardens (should be lovely in May) and also eat quite well at the little cafeteria -- nice desserts and cream teas, as I recall.

Victoria is an interesting place to just wander around, too.

[luv1another4ever]

Hey Cyndi,

We are on the same sailing! I have been doing some checking on what is going on the day we are in Victoria and let me just say there is a lot!

I called the visitors center and the dock is about a 15-20 min walk to town. There will be taxis there and also a city bus.

There is a sailboat race the day we are there, with about 200 boats. Also a pro bike race in down town.

The last time we were in Victoria we stayed at the Empress, High Tea there is legendary. We left our car parked and walked all over town. There are a couple of museums to see. The quaint shops and pubs are one of the reasons that we are not doing any excursions.

Hope that helps a little. I can't wait until we are cruising!

Shelly

[2dogcarol]

The cruise dock is a short, enjoyable walk into town. There are tour buses right in front of the Empress hotel that will take you to Buchardt Gardens or on a city tour. Very reasonably priced.

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

Up the street from The Empress on the left hand side is a little pastry shop/store called Murchies. They have a great selection of teas and pastries and is a fun little place to stop, have some goodies and people watch. The park downtown is also a beautiful place to visit and walk around. If you get a chance to see Butchart Gardens at night, the fireworks show is spectacular, but very crowded. There is so much to see in Victoria..I spent a week there...one of my favorite places to visit. If you like museums, there are some big ones. If you have kids, there is a cute butterfly museum as well. Plenty of shops, Chinatown, and the coast is beautiful!

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[Guest]

I also echo the sentiments that Buchardt Gardens is a must see. I've been there twice and don't think I'd ever go to Victoria without going there. The last time we were in Victoria we also did a horse and buggy ride and loved that. We had an interesting driver and she told us lots of fascinating tidbits and we saw things we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

If you go to the Gardens there is a lovely restaurant there if you have time for lunch. Good food and a beautiful setting, especially if you're in a room that looks out into the gardens.

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[transactionchick]

Thanks all!

The idea of walking into town and taking a tour is most agreeable.

2dogcarol, do you happen to know if you need a reservation for the tour buses in front of the Empress? Or is there a place to buy tickets on a walk up basis?

Shelly, glad to meet you. We are SOOOO excited about this cruise. Unfortunately as it is only six nights we cannot do a Celebrity Connections party [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img] Maybe some of us can plan to get together one night for drinks. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] My email is [email]cwagner@jetpay.com[/email] if you would like to correspond.

Happy Sailing everyone!

Cyndi Wagner

Parlez-vous Francais? Si vous pouvez, email moi en Francais!

[high seas gal]

Cyndi,
On the way to Buchart Gardens (yes, a must see), is a place called Butterfly World. They had the most incredible butterflys which were everywhere and landed on you. They ranged from average in size to HUGE! (7 or 8 inches across). Our ship's excursion to Buchard Gardens included a stop here. Well worth the cost. And depending on where your ship docks, it could be a fair walk into Victoria. Enjoy your cruise, Victoria is beautiful! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

High Seas Gal
Northern California

NCL Sky Jun. 2000 (ALASKA)
NCL Sky Aug. 2001 (ALASKA)
Princess Regal Princess Jul. 2002 (ALASKA)
NCL Sun Sep. 2003 (ALASKA)
Celebrity Mercury Oct. 2004 (Mexico)

[Quendryth]

We agree with the other posters. Do not miss The Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It is amazing! Also, the people in Victoria are very friendly and you will enjoy every moment.

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Happy Cruising!
Q

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[luv1another4ever]

Hey Cyndi,

Check your email!

Shelly

[Chick's pal]

From one "chick" to another "chick" :

I cannot recommend Butchart Gardens strongly enough. Once you are there, you will realize what heaven must really be like. And you don't have to be a gardener to appreciate it.

And in May, the gardens will be INCREDIBLE. Don't miss it!

[JennyT]

Another vote for Butchart Gardens here. Also, Craigdarroch Castle is a fun place to go. It's a beautiful historic Victorian-era mansion, built in the 1890s. Another fun place to go is Anne Hathaway's Cottage. It's a full-size replica of Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage,filled with 16th century antiques and an interesting tour. Have a wonderful time, what ever you end up doing!

Jenny [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

I visited the castle, and although it is nice, I wouldn't waste the short time you are there on this. Perhaps if you spent a week in Victoria...

Celebrity Century 5/8/04 -Western Caribbean
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Tahitian Princess 2/03- French Polynesia
Sea Princess 7/02 - Alaska
Carnival Ecstasy 5/02 - Baja
Royal Caribbean Monarch 10/00 - Southern Caribbean
Carnival Elation 10/99 - Mexican Riviera
Royal Caribbean Monarch 1/97 - Southern Caribbean

[2dogcarol]

Cyndi,

No, you don't need reservations for the tour buses. I believe they are called Greyline. You just buy your tickets from an agent on the sidewalk and a bus leaves about every half hour. The walk into town is 15-20 minutes but it's on nice sidewalks. You'd probably wait that long anyway to get on a bus into town. Have a great time. Victoria is a beautiful city.

Carol

[BCHappyGal]

Celebrity has a tour that includes Tea at the Empress and a visit to Craigdarroch Castle. Those are 2 of my favorite things to do when I visit Victoria.

You will not need a reservation for a bus tour in Victoria but if you want to have Tea at the Empress a reservation is a must. Make it about a month ahead. The hotel is called the Fairmont Empress Hotel