To get a vehicle onto Vancouver Island you have to catch one of the BC ferries www.bcferries.com/. I found it odd that the city of Vancouver is not actually on Vancouver Island although the capital of British Columbia (Victoria) is. The trip takes around 90 minutes.
The Tsawwassen Ferry terminal is about 45 minutes drive north of Vancouver. We caught the ferry from there to Swartz Bay which about 45 minutes drive south of Victoria. On our return trip we drove about 2 hours south of Victoria to the Nanaimo ferry terminal and travelled to Horseshoe Bay which is about 45 minutes south of Vancouver.
When you arrive at the ferry terminal in your car you are placed in a numbered row of vehicles. They place trucks, buses and heavy vehicles in the outside rows with smaller vehicles in inner rows. Depending on how early you are you then lock up your vehicle and go into the terminal where there are shops, washrooms etc. One of the terminals we were in was almost like a mini-mall with all sorts of tourist shops Of course the kids always want to spend money and are disappointed when we don't let them!
Eventually you get a call over the PA system to return to your vehicles. It only takes them about 15 minutes to get all the vehicles onto the ferry which is a pretty good effort considering that hundreds that are lined up (including trucks and buses). They carefully allow certain rows to enter first in order to ensure the weight in the ferry is balanced. You drive on and are shown where to stop so that they can squeeze as many vehicles on as possible without much space between the front and back of each.
Once out of you car you walk to the passenger decks remembering to take a note of where your car is parked. I think they would not look too kindly on someone losing their vehicle at the end of the trip and holding everyone else up.
The passenger decks are wonderful. There are hundreds of different areas to sit. There are a number of cafeterias (managed by a franchise called White Spot) with a central eating area. There are areas with desks and chairs for businessmen or students who want to work. There are loads of powerpoints for people to charge their electronic devices (very important for iPad lovers). The ferry provides a free wireless network which is okay but not fast. There are various vending machines including one that dispenses electronic equipment including phones, iPods and iPads. Surprisingly, the prices were not bad although I didn't buy anything (I wanted to though!!). There was a small arcade which cost a tooney (two dollars) or loonie (one dollar) per game. There was also a very small area for young children to play which had some things for them to play with.
On at least one of the outside decks you can walk a complete circuit. While I was busy surfing the web on my iPad which was plugged into a convenient wall socket I saw one lady doing laps. It seemed to take her about 2 - 3 minutes to complete a lap. I thought about doing the same but it was cold outside and nice and warm with my iPad!
About 15 minutes before we arrived a message was sent over the PA to return to the car. There are numerous messages posted around not to turn your car on until just before you drive out so as to reduce the amount of vapours that build up in the vehicle decks. Eventually the front of the ferry is lowered and vehicles begin to drive off.
I loved the ferry rides. They gave us a perfect opportunity to sit and relax for a while. The kids stayed entertained although they constantly asked for money to buy things. They enjoyed being able to use their electronic devices and walking around the outside decks. We met an Australian family on the return trip from Victoria to Vancouver which was also nice. The view out the windows is always interesting, especially when you pass close by some of the smaller islands on the route. The captain puts messages over the PA when interesting things come into view e.g. whales etc. We passed close by one of Canada's submarines which looked as threatening as one of our Australian ones (nothing compared to the big American nuclear subs).
Even a ferry ride becomes a time to remember!
When you arrive at the ferry terminal in your car you are placed in a numbered row of vehicles. They place trucks, buses and heavy vehicles in the outside rows with smaller vehicles in inner rows. Depending on how early you are you then lock up your vehicle and go into the terminal where there are shops, washrooms etc. One of the terminals we were in was almost like a mini-mall with all sorts of tourist shops Of course the kids always want to spend money and are disappointed when we don't let them!
Once out of you car you walk to the passenger decks remembering to take a note of where your car is parked. I think they would not look too kindly on someone losing their vehicle at the end of the trip and holding everyone else up.
The passenger decks are wonderful. There are hundreds of different areas to sit. There are a number of cafeterias (managed by a franchise called White Spot) with a central eating area. There are areas with desks and chairs for businessmen or students who want to work. There are loads of powerpoints for people to charge their electronic devices (very important for iPad lovers). The ferry provides a free wireless network which is okay but not fast. There are various vending machines including one that dispenses electronic equipment including phones, iPods and iPads. Surprisingly, the prices were not bad although I didn't buy anything (I wanted to though!!). There was a small arcade which cost a tooney (two dollars) or loonie (one dollar) per game. There was also a very small area for young children to play which had some things for them to play with.
About 15 minutes before we arrived a message was sent over the PA to return to the car. There are numerous messages posted around not to turn your car on until just before you drive out so as to reduce the amount of vapours that build up in the vehicle decks. Eventually the front of the ferry is lowered and vehicles begin to drive off.
Even a ferry ride becomes a time to remember!
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