Victoria BC

[oldplayer532]

Our ship is there from 6pm-10pm. Any suggestions without renting a car? whats in the walking distance from the dock? whats not to miss? I know,too many questions :), but its a first Alaskan cruise for floridians. Got really spoiled living 20 min from Fort Lauderdale and spending an arm and a leg for X Solstice +flight +hotel (not counting excursions) is totally new "cooling off" one of a life time experience. But if I sell some of my flip flops...:cool:

[RockFamily]

I've lived in Victoria all my life. 4 hours in the evening is a very short visit but you can walk to the inner harbour within 10 minutes or take a 2 to 3 minute cab ride to the inner harbour then wander through the Empress Hotel and up Government street to see the lovely historic architecture and tourist shops. In that short of time, I don't think you'd be able to get too far from town but there are some very nice pubs if that is of interest to you. What is the date of your stop in Victoria?

[Budget Queen]

I would say to allow 20 minutes for the walk to Inner Harbor, near the Empress. Easy to walk straight down St Lawrence, or the scenic coastal walk is longer.

 

Once at the Inner Harbor, you could get a nice meal in Chinatown, or just take a walk to see it- using up time. :)

[Giantfan13]

Gosh, 4 hours in a port, why is the ship even bothering to stop there? It's even less than that when you consider you need to be back at the ship 1/2 hour before sailing.

 

We were there from 6PM till 12AM, only a couple of hours more, but it made a big difference in some of the things you can and can't do.

 

You can always try one of the horse and carriage rides, expensive but very nice, or just watch the sunset from the inner harbor and wander about some of the many shops.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[1025cruise]

If its a round trip from Seattle, they must stop in Canada to satisfy the PVSA.

 

I agree, for most purposes, is a waste.

[mapleleaves]

The ships itinerary says 6pm- midnight.

Butchart Gardens is do-able if of interest to you. Due to the short time frame I'd suggest going there via the ships excursion.

[Keith1010]

You really have almost no time there.

 

Just visit the local area.

 

Keith

[Northern Aurora]

If you are interested in a pub, we've had several nice meals at the Bard and the Banker downtown.

[oldplayer532]

thank you for your replies, and the ship is there on Thursday till midnight.

Will try to book a Butchart excursion on board if its available or take a taxi there. Inner Harbor is a plan B.

[oldplayer532]

If you are interested in a pub, we've had several nice meals at the Bard and the Banker downtown.

Thank you for you suggestion.

[RockFamily]

Just a heads up, Butchart Gardens is beautiful, particularly at night when it's all lit up but it is at least a 35 minute drive from the port so taxi fare would be extremely high, better to book a bus tour if it's available. It's open til 10:00 pm until the end of August. Good luck!

[oldplayer532]

I've lived in Victoria all my life. 4 hours in the evening is a very short visit but you can walk to the inner harbour within 10 minutes or take a 2 to 3 minute cab ride to the inner harbour then wander through the Empress Hotel and up Government street to see the lovely historic architecture and tourist shops. In that short of time, I don't think you'd be able to get too far from town but there are some very nice pubs if that is of interest to you. What is the date of your stop in Victoria?

we are there on Thursday 6pm-12, and CVS offers evening tour to Butchart from 7:30pm til 11pm. Doable? What if some traffic?

Edited June 29, 2014 by oldplayer532

[donswife]

we are there on Thursday 6pm-12, and CVS offers evening tour to Butchart from 7:30pm til 11pm. Doable? What if some traffic?

 

I would be reluctant to spend the money for Buchart (something like $89 pp for ship tour) because the ships sometimes arrive late and it is a long drive, so you would not have a lot of time at the garden. We were there this week, and walked 1/2 mile from the dock to Fisherman's wharf to look at the floating houses. Then we took the water taxi for $5 pp to the inner harbour. We walked around the beautiful gardens at the Empress for free, then strolled Government street until we were tired and took a cab back to the ship for $10 (there were 4 of us). You could also walk into Beacon Hill park, which is close to the dock, which also has lovely gardens and landscaping.

[RockFamily]

7:30 to 11:00 would work, there won't be any issue with traffic that late on a Thursday night. Enjoy, we have a beautiful city here.

[sherryf]

we are there on Thursday 6pm-12, and CVS offers evening tour to Butchart from 7:30pm til 11pm. Doable? What if some traffic?

 

Is this one of the tours that departs from and returns to the Empress? If you return to the Empress at 11 PM and need to be back on your ship by 11:30 for a 12:00 departure, you are cutting it way too close. If this is a tour that gets you back to your ship at 11, then it's probably okay.

[abcmom123]

Had a similar time in port a few years back. Did the ship excursion to Butchart Gardens due to time constraint. Went alone as hubby was ill. IMHO the gardens were lovely and while it was nice to see them by daylight as well as lit up for nighttime I felt very rushed. It is a large area and lots to see in the little time. If I had been with others, or had mobility issues, I might not have got to everything I wanted to see. I would also recommend checking the time of sunset for your specific day and include that in your decision making process. There was a period of time that it was starting to get dark, but not so dark that the lights helped you to see things (especially details or large vistas). Hard to describe the light quality at that time, but felt that "twilight" wasn't the optimal viewing. It was lovely once dark and am glad I did it, but wouldn't repeat.

[Trend]

Just left there two days ago and they are lovely but if weather is rainy and you are rushed in an evening it is not worth the high cost. Do a walk about see the Empress hotel maybe even have evening tea. Fish and chip truck called red fish is past the seaplane dock and is excellent.

[RBKL]

We did a Whale Watching trip through the Solstice last year and likely will do it again.

 

They take you out to see Orca's (yes I realize they are really in the dolphin family).

 

It was a nice trip and still left enough time if you wanted to go downtown.

[oldplayer532]

Just left there two days ago and they are lovely but if weather is rainy and you are rushed in an evening it is not worth the high cost. Do a walk about see the Empress hotel maybe even have evening tea. Fish and chip truck called red fish is past the seaplane dock and is excellent.

Thank you for a great idea!