Plans for Victoria - Is this even possible?

[greatestvalue]

There are 8 of us going on the Ruby May 5, landing in Victoria on May 9. 

 

We get in on the cruise ship May 9, 2019 to Victoria at 10 am and leave at midnight. 

 

I am trying to plan for the 8 of us to see 

 

Butterfly Garden (closes at 3 pm) 

Butchart Garden 

Craigdarroch Castle (closes at 4:30) 

 

We dont need to take the bus tour however probably the best way to know what we are looking at with the commentary? 

 

AND SEE....

 

Hop on hop off City Sights stops ( last stop at start of route is 5:30 pm or so).

• World-famous Fairmont Empress Hotel
• Craigdarroch Castle 
• Chinatown and Old Town
• Fisherman’s Wharf (10% off with valid Gray Line ticket stub)
• Panoramic Inner Harbour
• Parliament Buildings
• Christ Church Cathedral
• Oak Bay Village and Marina
• Cook Street Village

 

AND SEE...

 

Squares & Alleys: 

BASTION SQUARE

CENTENNIAL SQUARE

MARKET SQUARE

PIONEER SQUARE

FAN TAN ALLEY

DRAGON ALLEY

TROUNCE ALLEY

WADDINGTON ALLEY

 

There are 8 of us, so if we need to rent a car to get to the gardens, we need 2 cars, which is not an issue. 

 

Im just struggling to figure out 1) Can we do all of this 2) Should we do all of this 3) How to time it so we get to the places that have deadlines regarding closing times, and have enough time to see the Butchart Gardens

 

Can it all be done!!

 

Thank you for any suggestions or thoughts...

 

 

 

 

[Aesop081]

Yes, it's possible, wouldn't be enjoyable though. You will need a GPS to do all this. Oh, and I'm on the same trip as you so if you want we can talk on the boat.  First...Butchart and Butterfly Gardens are within a couple of kilometres from each other.  I would suggest if you're going to rent cars that you head to Butchart first.  Once off the boat and into a car you're looking at a 30-40 minute drive to the Gardens.  They really are the must see of the area.  If the weather looks like it might be damp they do have complimentary umbrella's at the garden so don't let that stop you.  You're going to want to do that in the A.M because A - the gardens get really busy by lunchtime (I used to work there) B- Rush hour starts early on Fridays and getting out of town after 1 ish is a pain, super annoying by 3.  The gardens costs about 33 CA for entry per person, includes parking.  Relax and enjoy your time there, visitors average about 2 to 2.5 hours seeing the place. There's 55 acres of gardens so that takes time.  It's bulb season and it is AMAZING.  They plant over 330 000 bulbs each year.  With your ticket from Butchart you will get a discount getting into Butterfly gardens.  Butterfly gardens will only take about 30 min to see unless you want to sit down and watch them.

May I suggest, while you're in the area, visiting a few of the wineries around Butterfly Garden, there are even a couple of distilleries (craft sized) within a kilometre or two. 

 

By now it's about 1330 or 1400 ish.  Head into town to Craigdarroch Castle.    An interesting piece of architecture, but more of a mansion than Castle.  From there I would suggest skipping Oak Bay and Marina, in the interests of time by time you get from Butterfly Gardens to Craigdarroch another  30 minutes have elapsed and touring the castle takes another 30.  All of the rest of your desired locations are all centered in the downtown core except Cook street village.  Therefore you could park the car or turn it in and walk around the rest of Victoria.  By the way, except for the night clubs and pubs, they pretty much roll up the sidewalks by 9 PM (at which time it will be mostly dark by then) so I would expect you'd want to be back on board by then.  Unless it's a gorgeous sunny day then the Inner harbour at night is brilliant to look at.

 

Again, I am on that trip, I am from Victoria, and I am proud of my little city.  I'll spend as much time as you want telling you about Victoria on the ship

[greatestvalue]

Aesop081

 

Thank you so much for your help. 

 

Your offer to share all about Victoira, is gracious.  

 

Please let me know where and when we should meet on the ship and we will be there.  The whole tribe of 8....LOL 

 

Take care & talk soon,

Roberta 

 

 

[martincath]

I think Aesop is very much steering you in the right direction, and you can't do much better than a live chat onboard to fill in any other blanks! The one suggestion I'll make is to ask Aesop specifically about Hatley Castle (possibly instead of Craigdarroch, possibly as well as, depending on what kind of stuff entices your group) because with a car it's easily visited and is a lovely building with possibly the second-best set of gardens in the region after Butchart. It's also dirt cheap at just $5 for entry unless you are lucky enough to have Guided Tours available on your day in port...

[Aesop081]

15 hours ago, greatestvalue said:

Aesop081

 

Thank you so much for your help. 

 

Your offer to share all about Victoira, is gracious.  

 

Please let me know where and when we should meet on the ship and we will be there.  The whole tribe of 8....LOL 

 

Take care & talk soon,

Roberta 

 

 

Not a problem at all.  As for getting together, it's a big ship.  I'm usually up early...ish on vacations but I don't move that fast. To much programming from the work a day life to sleep much in the A.M.  So if that works for you sometime before lunch but after 1st breakfast on the first sea day after San Diego around 10 plus or minus.  Ship schedules can be rather busy and that's fine, I'd hate to take someone away from an event.  But if the time works then we just need a place.  Not all that familiar with the Ruby so if you have a favourite spot just let me know.

[Aesop081]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

I think Aesop is very much steering you in the right direction, and you can't do much better than a live chat onboard to fill in any other blanks! The one suggestion I'll make is to ask Aesop specifically about Hatley Castle (possibly instead of Craigdarroch, possibly as well as, depending on what kind of stuff entices your group) because with a car it's easily visited and is a lovely building with possibly the second-best set of gardens in the region after Butchart. It's also dirt cheap at just $5 for entry unless you are lucky enough to have Guided Tours available on your day in port...

I was going to suggest Hatley Castle as an option since the Japanese gardens can be exquisite if weather has been good. But there were a couple of reasons I didn't mention it.  Firstly, Hatley Castle is part of Royal Roads University (alma mater) and may not be open to tours at the time you show up (although the gardens are, and the grounds are lovely) or quite a possibility of filming going on there at this time of year. It is used in lots of movies.  Secondly, the trip back from Brentwood (Butchart/Buttefly) will require you to head back into town and then out to the area called the Westshore, specifically Colwood.  The McKenzie interchange has been under construction for 18 months and is already a year behind schedule, traffic can be an iron clad #(*^%! at that time of day  I would hate for you to waste so much time on a limited schedule just to get out to the area.

 

@Martincath

I was one of those students on SS Uganda in '78  Did the churches of the Mediterranean trip.  Wonderful.

[martincath]

7 minutes ago, Aesop081 said:

... The McKenzie interchange has been under construction for 18 months and is already a year behind schedule, traffic can be an iron clad #(*^%! at that time of day  I would hate for you to waste so much time on a limited schedule just to get out to the area.

 

@Martincath

I was one of those students on SS Uganda in '78  Did the churches of the Mediterranean trip.  Wonderful.

Now that's the sort of detail a Victoria local can be very helpful with!  Yeah, outside summer the interior of Hatley can be inaccessible, but the gardens are pretty much open daily. But if they're coming in from Butchart, doubling-down on a second Japanese garden would not be worth sitting in traffic a long time...

 

We share the same opinion of Craigdarroch by the sounds of things - nice house, but a castle it ain't so rather cheekily-named. If OP's into stained glass and period furnishings though, it definitely hits the mark.

 

Yup, Uganda was a very formative travel experience for me - first trip without the family, first outside the UK, and I doubt I'd have traveled anywhere near as much and certainly unlikely to have emigrated if I hadn't been bitten by the bug as a youngster! Plus, even the crappiest cruise buffet looks pretty damn good compared to Uganda student food - except maybe Princess oatmeal after they ditched the steelcut oats for wallpaper paste😉

[greatestvalue]

@Aesop081 - the time you mentioned is the meet and mingle for the cruise.  Its on May 7 @ 10:00 am in the Adagio Bar. 

Do you want to meet there, spend some time meeting others then take it offline to enjoy lunch or coffee where it would be quiter?

 

Im interested in learning, what are you going to do in your city pf Victoria when we port?  I think its fun your coming down to LA to get on a ship, to take you back home. 

 

@martincath - thank you also for your input. There is nothing like the gift of invitation to spend time/reading/learning from those who live where you are visiting.  I am so appreciative. 

 

I just looked online at Hatley Castle, that is a beautiful real castle looking building.  Altho Ive never seen a real, real castle.  Not yet anyway.  I will someday when I visit Scotland. 

 

The Craigdarroch is more for the rest of the group.  One of our participants, in the group of 8, is a senior and in no way going to be able to make the stairs at Craigdarroch.  I will stay with her on ground floor & visit the gift shop while the others do the self guided tour. 

 

Any other suggestions on what we should take off our long list above or add to in place of, I am all ears!  

 

Thank you 

[Aesop081]

1 hour ago, greatestvalue said:

@Aesop081 - the time you mentioned is the meet and mingle for the cruise.  Its on May 7 @ 10:00 am in the Adagio Bar. 

Do you want to meet there, spend some time meeting others then take it offline to enjoy lunch or coffee where it would be quiter?

 

Im interested in learning, what are you going to do in your city pf Victoria when we port?  I think its fun your coming down to LA to get on a ship, to take you back home. 

 

@martincath - thank you also for your input. There is nothing like the gift of invitation to spend time/reading/learning from those who live where you are visiting.  I am so appreciative. 

 

I just looked online at Hatley Castle, that is a beautiful real castle looking building.  Altho Ive never seen a real, real castle.  Not yet anyway.  I will someday when I visit Scotland. 

 

The Craigdarroch is more for the rest of the group.  One of our participants, in the group of 8, is a senior and in no way going to be able to make the stairs at Craigdarroch.  I will stay with her on ground floor & visit the gift shop while the others do the self guided tour. 

 

Any other suggestions on what we should take off our long list above or add to in place of, I am all ears!  

 

Thank you 

Sure the meet and mingle at Adagio and then a place to sit and chat.  Look forward to it.  Have entered it into the phone.  I always need reminding.  Great memory, just short.

[Aesop081]

2 hours ago, greatestvalue said:

 

 

Im interested in learning, what are you going to do in your city pf Victoria when we port?  I think its fun your coming down to LA to get on a ship, to take you back home. 

 

As to what I'm going to do...lol.  I thought of going to work for the day and saving a vacation day.  It's only a 20 minute walk from the ship...but no.  Son and I will probably go into town to a pub for lunch and a few beers.  We're both into photography, well he is more video since he's taking Motion Picture Arts in University, but we will have our cameras out and try to be a tourist in the downtown area.  Maybe mix it up with Wife and daughter for supper.  We'll still travel with the ship to Vancouver as that's where he resides.  That way I get one more buffet lunch on the ferry coming back to the island on Friday.

 

And it's so much cheaper a trip when you only have to buy airfare one way.  

Edited April 16, 2019 by Aesop081