Butchart Garden and Victoria tour

[traveller 100]

Has anyone done this tour from Vancouver? Princess only lists the price with no description of the tour. How long is it and where do you go?

[bonvoyagie]

From Vancouver BC you would have to rent a car, take a Ferry boat to Vancouver Island and then drive to the Gardens and then around Victoria.

 

There are two Vancouvers in BC - the town on the mainland and the island about 90 min away (not to mention the Vancouver in SW WA state :D)

 

The Butchart Gardens and Victoria tour is usually offered to the RT Seattle routes as Victoria is considered a foreign port for these cruises.

 

Any more questions??

[mapleleaves]

It would be a long day, 12-14 hrs, but quite lovely. Pacific Coach has this tour but their summer schedule isn't up yet ... that would have provided you with the specifics. So hold onto the link and watch for the schedule.

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

 

Basically it's about 3 hrs travel time each way.

From Vancouver you drive about 1/2 hr to the ferry terminal, then you're on a ferry to Vancouver Island for about 1 1/2 hrs. It's a nice ferry ride especially as you wind thru the Gulf Islands. When you reach the Sidney ferry terminal it's about another 1/2 hr drive to Victoria.

 

You need at least 2 hrs at Butchart Gardens. Hope this helps.

[Budget Queen]

I never do this myself as a day tour, always multiple days on Vancouver Island, it is a very long day otherwise. An alternative would be to fly over, floatplanes leave from near Canada Place.

 

I like having a car, but you can also get to Butchart via city bus- if you have the time. :)

 

Otherwise, there are some very nice gardens to visit in Vancouver, with Stanley Park a top highlight. :)

[Putterdude]

It represents a full day to traveling and touring but part of the excursion, if you will, is the ferry ride to Victoria which passes through the very picturesque Gulf Islands. Here are a couple of independent tour operators that I can recommend:

 

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

http://www.vancouvertours.com/

[agabbymama]

I think the OP was specifically asking about a Princess tour, not asking for other suggestions.

 

OP, are you sure the tour you are looking at is from Vancouver? Not Victoria?

 

I didn't see anything on Pricess for this tour from Vancouver at all.

 

Hopefully someone will come along that has done the tour. You might try calling Princess Excursion Desk.

 

Good Luck!

[mapleleaves]

I think the OP was specifically asking about a Princess tour, not asking for other suggestions. quote]

 

 

I think the point of providing another vendor was for the OP to see a similar itinerary for such a trip.

[Putterdude]

I think the OP was specifically asking about a Princess tour, not asking for other suggestions.

 

OP, are you sure the tour you are looking at is from Vancouver? Not Victoria?

 

I didn't see anything on Pricess for this tour from Vancouver at all.

 

Hopefully someone will come along that has done the tour. You might try calling Princess Excursion Desk.

 

Good Luck!

 

You raise an interesting point and I confess that I was a bit surprised to see Princess offering a Butchart Gardens tour from Vancouver as well. However, the OP seemed to be pretty specific about it being from Vancouver so they may well offer such a post cruise tour.

Then again, even with a Victoria stop there a number of more economical ways to visit the gardens then by using a ships tour....the caveat being that your stop must be long enough to take advantage of these tours.

[bonvoyagie]

I took a look at the Princess site - they do not list any vancouver island locations in their tours - only sights around Vancouver (the town). The Butchart Gardens tour is offered only from Victoria.

 

Here is a link to a company that does offer tours from Vancouver BC http://www.vancouvertours.net/?event=offer.detail&offerId=11501

 

and another http://www.vancouversightseeing.com/victoria-the-butchart-gardens/

 

Note these take 12-13 hrs and do have a whale watching option.

[Putterdude]

I took a look at the Princess site - they do not list any vancouver island locations in their tours - only sights around Vancouver (the town). The Butchart Gardens tour is offered only from Victoria.

 

 

Ordinarily I would agree with you, however if booked on a cruise sometimes Princess does offer some post cruise tours that are not necessarily listed on their website.

[traveller 100]

The tour is an add on to the post cruise hotel package in Vancouver. I called Princess and they only could give me the times and the cost. I read about similar tours in Vancouver, but wanted to know more about this Princess sponsered tour.How much time do we get in the Garden. Are any meals included etc.

[Budget Queen]

The tour is an add on to the post cruise hotel package in Vancouver. I called Princess and they only could give me the times and the cost. I read about similar tours in Vancouver, but wanted to know more about this Princess sponsered tour.How much time do we get in the Garden. Are any meals included etc.

 

Princess probably is not running this "tour" and it will be a contracted bus, just like you would get with Pacific Coach lines. any meal inclusion would be specified, so, if none mentioned, none included. Being that there are Vancouver tours listed, is this possible, Princess is just a booking agent for you. Are you talking to Princess directly- ask them who the contractor is, what is included etc. IF they can't give you answers, then just book direct.

 

If all it is is a garden tour- do they mention any downtown drop offs, this would be the place for a meal stop, you would have several hours at Butchart.

 

Usually Princess tour descriptions are more detailed?

[Putterdude]

I am not sure that Princess will disclose who their vendor is but it won't hurt to ask, that aside I would suggest that you can get the same tour much more reasonably by booking the tour on your own.....you can even do it via public transit but that involves transfers, walking on and off the ferry and is not a tour. Many people have their meals on the ferry with the two large "Spirit Class" ferries even having a buffet on them.

 

http://www.westcoastferries.ca/ferries/bcferries/spiritofbritishcolumbia.html