We are travelling from Vancouver to Victoria on the 1st of September and returning on either the 3rd or 4th (I can't remember and I haven't got my travel plans with me).

By reading the postings I've noticed that the ferry can get busy. How far in advance would I need to book to ensure that I get the times I need?

If you know that there are specific times that you need, why not book it now? The cost per car is $15 for the reservation; the actual travel cost, of course, is in addition to that. You need to be there a half hour ahead of the sailing time.

Ditto to everything Meesthare says. If you already know your dates and times, you can go ahead and book.

The fare for the car and two adults is about $56, in addition to the $15 reservation fee. You pay the $15 when you make the reservation and the $56 when you arrive at the terminal.

Here's the link to the BC Ferries site.

http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/

We took the ferry from Vancouver over to the Island last week-end. Fortunatley we had made reservations. About 50 vehicles were left standing on the dock and they had to wait for the next sailing.

I just came back from Victoria. We drove to the ferry dock and right onto the ferry. It was about noon when we got there. No reservation.

Quite right, Bob, that can happen. We had a reservation for the last sailing out of Vancouver on a Thursday evening; I had a plane to catch on Friday morning so we didn't want to take any chances. As it turned out we could have easily got on the boat without the reservation. But it's unpredictable and you never know how things will be when you get there. If the poster knows that there are specific sailings she needs to be on, she's probably well-advised to reserve in advance.