post-cruise Vancouver to Victoria overnight--feasible?

[MizHaley]

We are coming into Vancouver from our cruise on the Sapphire Princess around 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 -- and flying out of Vancouver early Monday morning. Haven't made Vancouver hotel reservations for Sat & Sunday nights -- but friends are telling us we should go directly by a fast hovercraft (can't find anything about this!) from Vancouver to Victoria to spend Saturday night, and experience Butchart Gardens at twilight, when the lights come on. We would have to return to Vancouver Sunday, for our early morning flight home. Yikes -- logistically, is this advisable or even possible? Would we do better just to base ourselves two nights in Vancouver, but devote a whole day (Sunday) to a long day trip via commercial tour company to Victoria/Butchart Gardens? Or forget the Victoria/Butchart excursion, and just explore Vancouver for two days? This is our first Alaska/Canada sojourn, and only our second cruise, so we newbies would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

[thinfool]

There are several choices to do what you want. We took the regular ferry to Vancouver Island, rented a car, stayed overnight in Victoria. Next morning we "opened" Butchart Gardens about 8:45 am, before the hordes of tour buses arrived. We had 3-4 hours of the wonderful sights and smells of that beautiful place. Done by 1pm, we returned the car and had them drop us at the ferry terminal for our ride back to the mainland. We used the city bus to get to downtown Vancouver from the ferry terminal, but I am sure that there are taxis and/or shuttles, too.

 

Last...do not miss Butchart Gardens!! It is worth the effort.

[cruiseryyc]

You can't find any information on a "hovercraft" from Vancouver to Vancouver Island because there isn't one. If it's only Butchart's you want to see, I suggest you rent a car in Vancouver, take the ferry over and find a nice motel in Sydney (which is very close to the ferry and the Gardens). Spend the afternoon and evening seeing the Gardens, overnight and then take a ferry back to Vancouver on Sunday. You can make reservations on the ferry but you have to know exactly which ferry you are going to be on. Alternatively you could stay in Vancouver and take a tour bus over on the Sunday.

[LeftcoastBC]

yes the hover craft is gone.....

 

There are several other ways of getting over there though some include tours and small boats. ferries & some buses. and of cousre a car rental.

A really early start is required to make the Island/Victoria trip and gardens doable in one day with a return to Vancouver. Last ferry returns (leaves) around 9 PM or so. So that would eliminate doing it on the day you disembark.

So that would mean Sunday.

 

YOur early flt Monday means sleeping in Richmond (Vancouver side) on Sunday night.

 

The Island and Garden along with Victoria is well worth the trip BUT..there's lots to do in Vancouver and area also..... and There are some great gardens there also.

[Sally Forth]

If you really really want to go to Victoria, consider a seaplane. I've only done the ones to the Gulf Islands, and it docks at the South Terminal of YVR.

 

Viv

[scottbee]

We are coming into Vancouver from our cruise on the Sapphire Princess around 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 -- and flying out of Vancouver early Monday morning. Haven't made Vancouver hotel reservations ...

 

OK, let's hit it one by one

 

for Sat & Sunday nights -- but friends are telling us we should go directly by a fast hovercraft (can't find anything about this!) from Vancouver to Victoria to spend Saturday night, and experience Butchart Gardens at twilight, when the lights come on.

 

There is no hovercraft (and I don't ever remember a Hovercraft. Fast cat, YEP, even a hydrofoil, but never a hovercraft). From Vancouver downtown to Victoria (downtown), you have a couple of options.

 

1) The PCL bus/BC Ferry http://pacificcoach.com/ Buses leave from Vancouver Pacific Station every hour, and the trip takes a little over 4 hours. Bus station is a $10-15 cab ride from the cruise terminal, or an easy 2.50/ea skytrain (subway ride). Cost is $40/ea

 

2) Float plane. Float planes leave from next to the cruise terminal (on the west side), again approx hourly. There are luggage restrictions, and the cost is around $125/ea

 

We would have to return to Vancouver Sunday, for our early morning flight home. Yikes -- logistically, is this advisable or even possible?

 

Probably not, first coach leaves Victoria @ 6am for the 7am ferry, and would get you to YVR around 10ish. Again, check Pacific Coach's website. However you could fly YYJ/Victoria to YVR/Vancouver and then connect at YVR. Air Canada Jazz have something silly like 16 flights/day, and Pacific Coastal airlines have at least a few. (Pasco will be cheaper, but fly into Vancouver south terminal, and you need a shuttle bus to the main terminal). Not sure what airline you're on, but Horizon Air (Alaska Air) have flights from YYJ to SEA/Seattle as well.

 

Would we do better just to base ourselves two nights in Vancouver, but devote a whole day (Sunday) to a long day trip via commercial tour company to Victoria/Butchart Gardens? Or forget the Victoria/Butchart excursion, and just explore Vancouver for two days? This is our first Alaska/Canada sojourn, and only our second cruise, so we newbies would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

 

There are a lot of nice gardens in Vancouver as well, Van Dusen http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/website/ and Queen Elizabeth Park are very very nice.

 

Given your fairly tight time schedule, you're looking at a lot of traveling for one or one and half days in Victoria.

[TCF]

There is absolutely no doubt that the Butchart Gardens is a wonderful experience...the BUT is that you are going to do a lot of travelling to see 3-4 hours of gardens!

Vancouver has a number of very beautiful gardens including Dr. Sun Yet Sen Garden right in downtown Vancouver (in China Town); the Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC, (considered to be one of the best Japanese Tea Gardens outside of Japan.); Van Dusen Botanical Garden; Queen Elizabeth Garden, (a garden built in the remains of an old stone quarry in central Vancouver); The Bloedel Conservatory, (across the parking lot from the Queen Elizabeth Garden); then of course there is the biggest "natural" garden in the country, Stanley Park!

You could easily see all of these gardens in the two days you will be in Vancouver...which in my opinion might be a better use of your time than one trip to the Butchart Gardens.

No matter what you decide to do....you'll have a wonderful stay in Vancouver!

[scottbee]

There is absolutely no doubt that the Butchart Gardens is a wonderful experience...the BUT is that you are going to do a lot of travelling to see 3-4 hours of gardens!

 

Vancouver has a number of very beautiful gardens including Dr. Sun Yet Sen Garden right in downtown Vancouver (in China Town); the Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC, (considered to be one of the best Japanese Tea Gardens outside of Japan.); Van Dusen Botanical Garden; Queen Elizabeth Garden, (a garden built in the remains of an old stone quarry in central Vancouver); The Bloedel Conservatory, (across the parking lot from the Queen Elizabeth Garden); then of course there is the biggest "natural" garden in the country, Stanley Park!

 

Actually, Stanley Park is not the largest urban park in the country (Saskatoon I believe has that honour), it's not even the largest in Metro Vancouver, Pacific Spirit Park (UBC) is nearly twice the size. But yes, there's a lot to see in Vancouver

[bktx1]

Vancouver is my favorite city in the whole world, so I am biased, but there is so much to see there! Others have mentioned Stanley Park, Sun Yat-sen gardens, and other places. If this is your first visit, I think your time would be better invested staying in the Vancouver area. Butchart Gardens are nice, but it will take a lot of time waiting in line for the ferry, and then repeating next day on a weekend. I think you would have a better, less stressful experience by taking in Vancouver and saving Victoria for your next visit.

[diceboy]

I think you would have a better, less stressful experience by taking in Vancouver and saving Victoria for your next visit.

 

I agree, I love Victoria, but feel that Vancouver has much more to offer. I would nix the trip to Vic and stay in Vancouver.

 

Either way, enjoy your visit.

 

:)

[MizHaley]

Many thanks for all the information and suggestions -- although the websites for various places are wonderful, it's hard to figure out the timing and logistics when one lives several thousand miles away. Our friends who suggested the non-existent "hovercraft" -- probably a hydrofoil -- visited over a decade ago. Your real-life, real-time information is invaluable. You all are so incredibly generous with your time and help -- again, thanks!

Since we are older folks, not in the greatest shape -- and our final flight back home to Georgia is apt to be long and stressful (if we even make it in one day -- who knows, with U.S. airlines these days!) -- just visiting Vancouver, sans Victoria/Butchart Gardens -- may be the more pleasurable, relaxing thing to do, given our short timeframe there.

Just one more question, since it was suggested that since we have an early morning (7:45 a.m.) flight out of Vancouver on Monday, it would be advisable to stay somewhere other than downtown. This advice really caught our attention -- thanks for the heads-up!

Although it would mean changing hotels -- not our favorite thing to do, if the goal is relaxing -- would it be advisable to spend Saturday night at a downtown hotel convenient for sightseeing, catching the trolley, etc. -- but then move Sunday night out to an airport hotel? Would this make sense?

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[diceboy]

Just one more question, since it was suggested that since we have an early morning (7:45 a.m.) flight out of Vancouver on Monday, it would be advisable to stay somewhere other than downtown. This advice really caught our attention -- thanks for the heads-up!

Although it would mean changing hotels -- not our favorite thing to do, if the goal is relaxing -- would it be advisable to spend Saturday night at a downtown hotel convenient for sightseeing, catching the trolley, etc. -- but then move Sunday night out to an airport hotel? Would this make sense?

Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

I wouldn't worry about the trip from downtown to the airport on a monday morning. If you fly at 7:45 you should be there no later than two hours before. Traffic at that time on a Monday morning during summertime should be next to nothing. The bulk of the traffic will be heading into town. Have you choosen a hotel yet?

[Sally Forth]

This is definitely a personal preference, but if you weigh the trouble of moving hotels versus saving a few minutes, for me, I'd stay at a downtown hotel until Monday morning.

 

Here's my logic... if your flight leaves at 7:45 for the US, you'll need to be at the airport extra early and there won't be any traffic to get out there. It's an easy trip to the airport when there isn't traffic. You'd only be saving 15 minutes in the morning over an airport hotel, unless you were staying in the one right at the airport.

 

Viv

[MizHaley]

Glad to hear that at that hour of early morning, being closer to the airport wouldn't make all that much difference. Two nights in one spot sounds much, much better to us, whew.

Now, to find a downtown hotel . . . with a good location with ready access to restaurants, the trolley, etc. -- and also where we can call a cab to fetch us eeeaaaarly Monday morning.

Thanks once more for your kind advice and information. It certainly helps to take away a lot of the stress out of trip planning.

[MizHaley]

Well, this may not be the proper thread to pose this question, but I'll give it a try, anyway. Vancouver it is, for our two days. Would the Blue Horizon hotel (or something nearby?) give us a location that would be central for sightseeing (proximity to the hop-on trolley, etc.) and restaurants? I can walk, but do have some mobility issues, so would like to get a convenient location, since we won't have a car or be up for any long treks. If anybody reads this -- and has a suggestion -- I would be most appreciative. Thanks!

[LeftcoastBC]

Blue Horizon is on Robson not far off the "Middle" so to speak.

[orchid72]

Well, this may not be the proper thread to pose this question, but I'll give it a try, anyway. Vancouver it is, for our two days. Would the Blue Horizon hotel (or something nearby?) give us a location that would be central for sightseeing (proximity to the hop-on trolley, etc.) and restaurants? I can walk, but do have some mobility issues, so would like to get a convenient location, since we won't have a car or be up for any long treks. If anybody reads this -- and has a suggestion -- I would be most appreciative. Thanks!

 

The Vancouver Trolley Company has a stop right at the Blue Horizon. The Blue Horizon, IMHO, is good value for money considering it is in a pretty central location close to shopping, restaurants, and transit. Go for it!

 

P.S. The Big Bus HOHO does not have a stop at Blue Horizon.

[Putterdude]

I agree with the OP you probably can't do better than the Blue Horizon for its location and ease of access to the trolley tour, restaurants and shops. DW has MS so I understand mobility issues and the BH is likely where we would stay if we were visitors and wanted something central.

[MizHaley]

Thanks so much for the info -- indeed, this sounds like the hotel for us -- and I appreciated the link to the trolley, too -- that's great!