Are you going on a Pacific Northwest cruise?

[Nanaimo Tour Guide]

Sailfish,

 

You can take a shuttle bus PCL (~$20) or taxi (about $30-$40) from downtown Vancouver to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta. Avoid taking the regional transit as it takes a lot time and transfers to get there. Once on the ferry ($10), you get on a PCL bus for the 95 min ferry ride plus 25 min (~ $7 Cdn) to downtown Victoria for your tourist activities to your hearts content.

 

An alternative is to step on the Harbour Lynx passenger ferry www.harbourlynx.com from Canada Place to Nanaimo ($25 Cdn), walk straight into downtown and spend the day exploring, then take the Greyhound bus www.greyhound.ca ($37) through the Malahat mountain pass to see the water where you will be travelling later from above. Drops you off downtown Victoria on Douglas St.

 

Another alternative from Nanaimo is to take the Tofino Bus www.tofinobus.com to Victoria (about 2.5 hours incl. stops) From their web-site it is not clear if they will pick up passengers from Nanaimo to go to Victoria or not and how much it will cost. Might be worth a look into it though as this is fast, quality transportation.

Have fun!

Nanaimo Tour Guide

[Bramcruiser]

Is it possible to take a ferry to Victoria from the cruise port in Vancouver? I will be in Vancouver for the day - I believe we dock in Canada Place. If the answer is yes, how much is it and would it be possible to walk around and see the sites while in Victoria or would we have to take a cab? Any input is much appreciated.

 

You'll have to take a bus from the Central Pacific train station just east of downtown Vancouver that goes south to Tsawassen (near the US border), boards the ferry and crosses over the strait, gets off the ferry on Vancouver Island and then travels for about a half hour until you get into downtown Victoria's bus terminal - which just happens to be right next door to the Empress Hotel. Its a regularly scheduled bus service that operates between the two cities. The ferry terminals are way out on both sides so a car or public transportation is about your only alternatives.

 

I would say travel time in each direction is about three hours so.................make sure you have plenty of time. A lot of people do it and I have done it before but a day trip is something you plan for leaving first thing in the morning and then returning in the evening if you want to get a decent day in Victoria.

 

I was lucky enough for the first time to take a Pacific Northwest cruise that included a stop in Victoria. Leaving from Vancouver we literally went downtown to downtown as both cities' cruise ship terminals are central. Why the ferries are out in the boondocks is beyond me but this is how the locals travel.

[captainron]

Hi Sailfish,

You really shouldn't try a day trip to Victoria in a day, you'd be pushing your luck if you had deadlines.

I admit that taking the bus from Central Sattion is one of the better ways to go, as they are guaranteed first on/first off.

In Victoria, you'd need a car if you were going to Butchart Gardens. It's a good walk up to Beacon Hill Park and a long drive to yhe Sooke potholes.. Nanaimo is 1 hour away up the Malahat Drive.

I would suggest that you save Victoria for when you have more time to appreciate the joy and diversity of the BC capital.

Bramfish,

FYI, locals don't use the damn ferries...it's mostly tourists like yourself. That's why we can never get on without reservations in the summer. As to the location of the terminals, land is cheaper...easier to expand and allows traffic to back up down the highway instead of congesting the downtown core like in many other major North American cities. Considering BC Ferries is the largest ferry fleet in North America, the service is reasonable and serves British Columbians well from south of the 49th parallel to the Alaska border.

 

If you're still strong on it, the first ferry usually sails at 7am and the last one returns at 11pm. Driving a car without reservations...you're taking chances if you're on a sched in the summer.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Celebrity is now one of my favorite cruise lines. Although it can be very sedate with no "screaming" into your cabin about what's going on every minute of the day and you don't see many young couples or small children around (what a shame!) You can get very used to the pleasure of true leisure without the insanity! The food, entertainment and service is equal to the 6 star ships. Remember, a cruise is what YOU make it. There's dancing, fine dining or unbelievable buffets (day and night), drinking, swimming, the spa, gambling, people watching, movies in the cinema or in your room, room service for breakfast is my favorite and on and on. Enjoy, find your smile, relax and don't worry about anything! We're doing Mercury in September of 2006. I'm counting the days! :p

See you on deck!

The Wizard

A few years ago, Royal Caribbean did some 3&4 day cruises from Seattle in May and Oct. We did a couple and really had a good time. I wish we could book Celebrity for this Oct, but it just won't fit our plans. HOWEVER-I see they have some 3&4 day cruises already scheduled for Oct 2006 (no 5 night cruises darn it) so I'll be watching for your review of the Mercury for a shorter cruise. We've never cruised Celebrity (only Royal Carib, NCL and Carnival). We've enjoyed them all and hope Celebrity is also a good fit for us. It sure is nice not having to take a plane to catch a ship.

 

Hope you all have a great time.

 

-Monte - Over in Ellensburg

[Lois R]

Hi, I just booked Mercury from Seattle to Ensenada:) Oct 13-20, 2006.

It will be my 8th cruise on Celebrity and I am really looking

forward to seeing the places on this Itinerary!

Seattle....Victoria, Vancouver, Astoria, San Francisco ending

in Ensenada.

The only place I have been to previously is SF and I LOVE IT THERE:D.

 

Any recommendations for tours? Hotels In Seattle? I am planning

on arriving a couple of days early and I know I want to see Pike's

Market!

[calikak]

Lois, for sight-seeing I always recommend the Seattle Underground Tour. The guides are professional comics and you get a great history of the city. The tour takes you through the abandoned bits of the underground so it's smelly and sometimes you see rats--I know it sounds awful but it's actually really fun. It's in the Pioneer Square area.

 

Oh, and I put some hotel tips on that other thread. :)

[Lois R]

Hi Beth:) thanks for all the information.

Rats huh?......not my idea of a tour but I will take your word

it is good;) I will look it up on the web. I am sure it is listed

somewhere. (Not the rats but the tour LOL).

 

Oh, I read the other thread too and want to thank you for

all the help!

[calikak]

I think the website for the underground tour is just http://www.undergroundtour.com or something like that.

 

Since you're going on an Alaska cruise, I'd also recommend a visit to the Gold Rush museum, which is on...is it Occidental? It's a couple of blocks south on 1st Avenue from the underground tour's office. It's run by the National Park Service and it's related to the NPS's museum in Skagway. It's a very small museum and only takes like a half-hour to see. There's a little movie and some exhibits on all the gear the miners had to take with them and they let kids pan for gold there. And it's free, so if you find it boring, you at least haven't wasted any money on it! :)

[Lois R]

Hi Beth:)

 

This is not an Alaskan Cruise. The Itinerary on Celebrity's

website calls it "Pacific Northwest".

Seattle south to Victoria, Vancouver, Astoria (Oregon), San

Francisco and ends in Ensenada.

Hopefully I will do an Alaskan cruise the summer of 2007

(Maybe;) ).

But thanks again for the tip!

[calikak]

Oh, that's right Lois, I forgot! That sounds like a really fun itinerary--I love Victoria, that's one of my favorite places to visit! And Vancouver is nice too, lots to see and do there.

[rubbadubba]

Phamer55,

 

We are on the same repositioning cruise in May and are definitely looking forward to our fourth wonderful experience on Royal Caribbean.

 

Any ideas regarding what one does in Astoria or Nanaimo? We have been to and love the other ports, but would welcome recommendations on these two.

 

Thanks.

 

RubbaDubba

[mctrekkie]

DH and I are on Mercury Sep 24, too...are we thinking about all trying to meet at some point?

[Nilla]

I am looking at doing a 3 day PNS Cruise on the Mercury leaving on October 6, 2006. I have done 7 cruises never cruised with Celebrity! I live in Victoria so it is not for the ports, just a get away for the Long weekend, and my Birthday! We did one of these a few years ago with RCCL! We are lookign at taking a group of friends who have never cruised before. What I am wondering is how are there inside cabins on this ship? Any help woudl be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[mctrekkie]

Mercury has inside cabins. Enjoy!

[Tracyr]

I am with a group of 24 going on this cruise. It is our annual Girl Cruise. We have both inside and ocean view cabins. I have had and inside on the Infinity and it was just fine, plenty of room. Looking forward to a fun weekend.

[libramitch]

Started a thread for the 10/9 Mercury cruise. Glad to see someone else posting that will be on the trip. Hope to see you post on the thread soon!

[atlmichelle]

This seems like an appropriate thread to do a little cyber happy dance, :D having just booked our cruise! I found a super deal on NCL Sun repo, Sept 24-28, Vancouver to LA for $549 TOTAL! (2 ppl, "superior" inside cabin, including taxes fees, etc.)

 

Hubby is looking forward to the trip, but probably not eager to hear me go on about it for the next 6 months. So you guys get to fill that role!

 

Anyway, we will fly from Atlanta to Seattle (courtesy of a bjillion Wendy's cups and Airtran) one day early for a quick, touristy visit. Then we'll rent a car and drive up to Vancouver (about 3 hours, right?)

 

In Astoria, I'm thinking I have heard of a place not so far away that you can drive to for just a VIEW of Mt. St. Helens. Anyone familiar with the area know of such a spot?

 

Also, the one bummer about this mini-cruise is that we will only be in San Francisco from 7:00am until NOON on a Wednesday. Looks like we dock at Pier 27, which is actually (and illogically) 4 piers southeast of Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf attractions. We're hoping to deboard with our running shoes on after an early breakfast, and at least go have a look at the crazy sea lions before heading back to the ship for some amazing photos as we sail under the GG Bridge!

 

Then we end up in LA on Thursday morning, rent a car and spend the day checking out HollyWeird Then it'll be time to take the Wendy's/Airtran redye back home, and sleep all day Friday before re-entering our land-locked lives just south of Atlanta. :(

 

Thanks for listening!

[calikak]

michelle, it's about a 2.5-hour drive to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which is where the main visitor's center is for Mt. St. Helens, but you can probably see the mountain in the distance without driving that far. I'm not very familiar with Astoria, so I can't really help you with a viewpoint, but I'd just ask a local. They'll know good viewing spots, especially with all the interesting-but-not-very-dangerous volcanic activity that's been going on. :) It sounds like a really fun cruise, I'm sure you'll have a great time! FYI, there's a street car that runs along the waterfront in San Francisco, maybe you can take that and save yourselves the run? Too bad you're not docking at the main cruise terminal, that's very handy for going to Fisherman's Wharf. We did a coastal out of there last May and had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf before boarding, it was very convenient.

[newbiefromvancouver]

Anyway, we will fly from Atlanta to Seattle (courtesy of a bjillion Wendy's cups and Airtran) one day early for a quick, touristy visit. Then we'll rent a car and drive up to Vancouver (about 3 hours, right?)

 

One-way rentals from the US to Canada can be pricey.:( ($125+ per day)

[atlmichelle]

Thanks for the Mount St. Helens info, calikak.

 

And you are SOOO right about the US/Canada car rental, newbie! It was going to be $299 for 27 hours!! So we decided to take Amtrak instead, and now hubby and I are really excited about the train! Way cheaper ($65 each for business class) and way more scenic, relaxing, etc, from what I have read here on the boards.

[linnealee]

What is the cheapest &/or non-hassle way of getting from Vancouver to Seattle? We still haven't figures it out yet.

[atlmichelle]

....and now hubby and I are really excited about the train! Way cheaper ($65 each for business class) ....

Oops! That should be $43 each for business class....even better!!

[mctrekkie]

LOVE the idea of a girl cruise! Another board I post on, cruise line forums dot com, has an active group of gals who ditch DH/DD/DS's and take a quick cruise every year. They're doing East Coast this year, but I think we should do a West Coast thing for the rest of us, and a 3-4 day PNW would be ideal!

[SeaTeacher]

What is the cheapest &/or non-hassle way of getting from Vancouver to Seattle? We still haven't figures it out yet.

 

The cheapest and hassel free way is probably the Amtrak Cascades line. However, since it departs Vancouver only once a day - that might not be convenient. It leaves late in the day and arrives back in Seattle at about 10pm I think. Amtrak also has bus service, which departs with more regularity

 

The train is very comfortable and the scenery is beautiful. During the summer, it's light almost the entire trip since the sun doesn't set until 9 or 9:30pm.

 

Fares run 25 - 35 per person. Cheaper for the bus, and more expensive for the train.

[Tracyr]

If you have a couple of girlfriends and you would like to join our group feel free to email me. We have a group so the rate is pretty good the more we add the better. We have 25 at this point. tracycruises@hotmail.com