Victoria Evening Port Call Question

[msmoger]

I have a question concerning what typically happens when an Alaska itinerary includes a Victoria port call from 7:00 PM to Midnight.

 

Do most passengers eat dinner on the ship and then get off the ship for a few hours or is the dining room relatively empty (at least from 7:00 on) because many passengers eat in Victoria?

 

Thanks,

[Colo Cruiser]

I have a question concerning what typically happens when an Alaska itinerary includes a Victoria port call from 7:00 PM to Midnight.

 

Do most passengers eat dinner on the ship and then get off the ship for a few hours or is the dining room relatively empty (at least from 7:00 on) because many passengers eat in Victoria?

 

Thanks,

 

We ate dinner then walked downtown for a couple of hours then walked back.

The DR was packed because of the arrival time.

Get there early.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[msmoger]

We ate dinner then walked downtown for a couple of hours then walked back.

The DR was packed because of the arrival time.

Get there early.

 

Thanks, might be a good night to eat in the buffet.

[Shippy]

We like to walk into town because the neighborhoods are so cute...a good 20 minute walk. The little tour bus we usually take around town would stop at 7:30 so you can see the problem. AND it depends how fast customs is to see if you can really get off the ship on time.

We live in California so usually cruise Alaska every year because it is convinient.

We, along with many others did not even get off the ship. That is usually the 'packing' night. OK for us because we have been there many times but will never book that type of cruise again.....We did it last year because it was cheaper...now obvious to us why...it also did Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay.....it was to frozen for us to enter !

[msmoger]

We like to walk into town because the neighborhoods are so cute...a good 20 minute walk. The little tour bus we usually take around town would stop at 7:30 so you can see the problem. AND it depends how fast customs is to see if you can really get off the ship on time.

We live in California so usually cruise Alaska every year because it is convinient.

We, along with many others did not even get off the ship. That is usually the 'packing' night. OK for us because we have been there many times but will never book that type of cruise again.....We did it last year because it was cheaper...now obvious to us why...it also did Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay.....it was to frozen for us to enter !

 

We've also been to Victoria before. We were there on a land trip a few years back and spent a few days there including Butchart Gardens. I think all we would do is walk around. How far does the ship dock from the main downtown area (i.e. Fairmont Empress Hotel, Parliament, etc.). I remember really enjoying the area at night. Is there a shuttle or is it walkable?

 

BTW, the itinerary we're considering goes to Glacier Bay.

[vantec]

One time in Victoria we walked to Beacon Hill Park, a great suggestion from someone else on Cruise Critic, we had such a good time and the park was free. Here are the directions they provided: “when disembarking, walk out through the lot and turn to your right and follow the path alongside the oceanfront. When you see the sign for Mile 0 (the beginning of the Pan American Highway), turn to your left and walk up the street where you will pass the most famous little ice cream shop in all of Victoria on your left. Continue on a block or two more and you will see one of the entrances to Beacon Hill Park on your right. In addition, when leaving the park, you can continue along Douglas Blvd and make your way past the Museum of Natural History (Totems outside to recognize it), which is just behind the government buildings and then onto the Empress Hotel. All in all, if you do this loop, it is probably a solid hour of walking. I would slightly disagree about the walking time it took, but we did spend a lot of time in the park taking pictures.

[sherryf]

I have a question concerning what typically happens when an Alaska itinerary includes a Victoria port call from 7:00 PM to Midnight.

 

Do most passengers eat dinner on the ship and then get off the ship for a few hours or is the dining room relatively empty (at least from 7:00 on) because many passengers eat in Victoria?

 

Thanks,

 

The MDR is usually very crowded when it first opens, and then empties out around 7. We have always stayed on board in Victoria (BTDT) and enjoy a very quiet later dinner and hot tubs all to ourselves.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

A few years back we did this itinerary on the Sapphire. Being from Seattle we had all been to Victoria many times before and we chose to eat in the Crown Grill (it might have been Sterling Steakhouse, I can't remember on this particular ship). We were almost the only people in the dining room. We had one of our best meals ever from both a food standpoint and a service standpoint, on a cruise. It's a wonderful family memory. That being said, I love Victoria and if you havn't been then by all means go. It's a charming city.

[Stevesan]

Lucky you having an evening stop at Victoria. :)

 

Your ship will offer a tour of Butchart Gardens. Butchart Gardens is magnificent, especially at night when it's lit up.

 

 

http://www.hellobc.com/activitylisting/4543363/butchart-gardens.aspx

[Colo Cruiser]

We really enjoyed the night tour of Butchart.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[Skai]

The walk from the ship to downtown may be pleasant for some, however right outside of the port gate there is also a public bus (that will accept USD) that goes downtown with a stop next to the Empress Hotel.

 

The (lit up at night) Parliament building is right across the street, and one can then walk up Government St. past plenty of shops and pubs towards where Victoria's China Town district is.

 

It's easy to also catch the same bus (#30 or #31 IIRC) when it's time to head back to the ship.

[Putterdude]

As a native British Columbian and a frequent visitor to Victoria I wholeheartedly recommend getting off the ship even if it's only to walk into town. During the summer months there is wonderful show put on by buskers on the causeway of the Inner Harbour across the street from the Empress Hotel, a person can have a terrific walk on Government St. visiting all the unique shops.....or a romantic horse drawn carriage ride

[AE_Collector]

Or Fort Street (also right downtown) if you are into Antiques!

 

Terry

Edited March 20, 2014 by AE_Collector

[Mingus]

There is a nice, paved walkway on top of the breakwater, next to where the ships are docked.

It provides for a short, pleasant stroll after dinner and a water-side view of the ships.

[Tapi]

We LOVED Victoria! Yes, the stop was short, arriving at 6:00pm and departing at midnight, but because sunset wasn't until after 10:00pm, we had several hours of sunlight.

 

We skipped dinner on the ship that night and took a cab downtown as soon as the ship arrived. We were dropped off next to the Parliament, walked to the Fairmont and then had dinner at Nautical Nellie's. It was nice to break the routine and eat somewhere besides the ship, even if it cost us extra. We then took a cab back to the ship around 11:00pm (we had to be back onboard at 11:30pm).

 

Yes, it's the last day of the cruise, but we'd spent the entire day at sea, so we left all of our bags packed and ready to go before arriving in Victoria.

 

Wonderful destination! What we thought would be just a technical stop to fulfill maritime requirements turned out to be one of our favorite stops! :)

 

 

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Edited March 22, 2014 by Tapi