Reservations needed for BC ferries between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay?
 

We're planning to take a ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on the afternoon of Friday 31 May, returning late afternoon on Sunday 2 June. BC Ferries charges a hefty CAN$15 reservation fee each way, which I'd rather avoid unless necessary. Does anyone familiar with these routes know how busy it will typically be on these weekend sailings?

Weekends are usualy busy, however this route has more sailings than the Nanaimo one. It depends on how precious your time is. If you have to wait for a sailing, an hour extra in the line up, will that impact you greatly? Sometimes we make reservations just for peace of mind. Get to the terminal early, say at 1215 for a 1PM sailing and you have a better chance.

You can also go on line a couple of nights and the night before or even that morning and see how much the boat is already booked. If it looks like they already have 1/2 full of reservations, then make a booking.

Thanks. I chickened out and made the booking. We will not have that much time on our hands so I guess the peace of mind is worth the extra cost.

We always make reservations if we are travelling on a weekend

Since when is $15 <i>'hefty'</i>? :-?

I consider 15$ hefty, but I pay it as I feel my time is more valuable.

When it adds up to over $100 one way, the extra $15 IS hefty in my opinion too.

As mentioned before I have in the end paid the reservation fees each way. Particularly with the lousy GBP/CAN exchange rate right now, we are suffering a bit from sticker shock in booking this trip (don't even get me started on the cost of hotel rooms in downtown Vancouver these days)!

It's also a bit hard to grasp the concept that being organised and planning ahead (which gives BC Ferries solid advanced information on the demand for its sailings) ends up being significantly more expensive than just turning up on the day. On other ferry systems I know, it's vastly cheaper to book ahead.

Oh the price we have to pay for peace of mind.. come on Gordon_R relax the idea of sticker shock or it will spoil your visit to this beautiful area..If anyone was going from Canada to GB the shocK of London Hotel prices would be astounding!! Been there and experienced that!!

Keep in mind even with a reservation you must be there 30 minutes in advance or you lose your spot . Getting reservations is a good idea for weekend travel in season, we normally don't if time is not a huge deal, but we have on occasion( I live on island so have taken hundreds of journeys )

Sometimes we have paid the advance reservation fee and sometimes we haven't, on our trips to the area. And occasionally we have had to wait for the next ferry - even arriving more than 30 minutes in advance (w/o reservation).

As to giving BC Ferries solid advanced information on the demand for its sailings, it really doesn't matter - they really cannot just throw an extra ferry or two onto the route ad hoc. They DO have some increased sailings during the peak demand summer months, and your timeframe likely falls in there.

Enjoy the ride, it is really pretty. If you can get to Tsawwassen and get your car into place early enough, you can walk over to the Tsawwassen Quay Market right there - food and shopping. It's a decent way to pass an hour. http://www.tsawwassenquay.com/

If we want to make sure we get on the ferry without a reservation we always try to arrive an hour ahead at least,, and yes, even then during peak times you might end up waiting for next ferry.

The ride on Tsawwassen Ferry is so beautiful so relax and enjoy. I hope it will be a sunny day.

The first thing I do is buy a cup of coffee and a Nanaimo Bar- a fabulous Canadian confection- make sure you try one- then I find a nice area outside to sit and enjoy the scenery and my Nanaimo Bar. Yum.

If you think the hotel rates in Vancouver are too high, try calling Vancouver Tourism- they have a central reservation number to call and they are helpful in finding a hotel that meets your needs.

I recently stayed at the Rosedale on Robson which was a great location - it was a suite and had a full kitchen. Also had a restaurant . However, that was off season so assume rates will be higher for summer.

Enjoy!

<i>If anyone was going from Canada to GB the shocK of London Hotel prices would be astounding!! Been there and experienced that!!</i>

I can't disagree with that - but recognise London is not typical at all of the rest of the UK (including where I live).

<i>The ride on Tsawwassen Ferry is so beautiful so relax and enjoy. I hope it will be a sunny day.</i>

It certainly is - we've done this route once beforeand have been trying to think of a good excuse to go back :) I especially liked the narrow channel the huge ferry has to navigate thru as it waves through the islands en route.