russp3762

As part of a 9 day trip to Seattle/Vancouver area, I am going to be travelling from Port Angeles to Whistler, and wanted some advice on the Ferry options. The day of travel will be on a Thursday (july 29) if that makes a difference. Travelling with my wife and two teens. I believe I am committed to mostly travelling by Ferry that day, going from PA to Victoria, and then crossing over to either Horshoe Bay or Vancouver. I have already reserved a spot on the 8:20 am ferry from PA to Victoria, and will arrive Victoria approx. 9:50 am. My question is, is it better to take the ferry from Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to Horshoe Bay, or to just take the ferry from Swarz Bay in Victoria to Tsawwassen? I would like to spend some time in Victoria, but it looks like if I took the ferry from Nanaimo, that would be about a 2 hour drive past Victoria. If I were to try and catch a 3 pm ferry, I would probaby have to leave Victoria by around noon. Otherwise, I could stay and catch a 2 or 3 pm ferry out of Swartz Bay, and have around 4 - 5 hours to site see in Victoria. Is the experience of having to drive through/past Vancouver to get to Whistler that painful to warrant the added drive up to Nanaimo?

christy1

Since you want to spend that time in Victoria, I'd just take the Tsawwassen ferry. While it can be time consuming to get through downtown Vancouver up to Hwy 1, I doubt it will take you 2 hours, which is what you'd lose going up to Nanaimo. You also don't have to go right through downtown Vancouver as you head up to Whistler--I come up from Seattle and always go around to the east of the city, then hook up with Hwy 1, to avoid traffic. You might ask again on the BC board about the best way to drive. Or, you can just realize that it might be slow going through the city, and decide in advance that you won't worry about the wasted time.

russp3762

Thanks Christy - that's kind of what I was thinking. If I were to take the 2 pm ferry to Tsawwassen, that would put me there around 3:30 (hopefully before any rush hour traffic), and then take an outer loop around the city - woud still think I could make Whistler by before 7. This would give me about 4 hours to spend in Victoria.

Gardyloo

Coming off the Tsawwassen boat, there isn't an especially easy way to avoid BC 99 (the freeway continuation of US I-5) as you approach Vancouver. If it's a weekday rush hour (which it sounds like) then BC 99 will be a horror, as the reversible lanes in the Massey Tunnel under the Fraser River will be carrying southbound commuter traffic. I've been in backups at that time that literally took an hour from Tsawwassen to where the traffic loosened up near the airport.

Then it's deja vu all over again as you try to leave Vancouver to the north via the Lion's Gate Bridge. You could try cutting east at some point to take the TC 1 freeway, but you'd be doing so in the middle of the urban area in the middle of rush hour there, too, so no real escape.

The benefit of driving north on the island instead of driving north on the mainland is that you bypass both traffic jams - the Tsawwassen > Vancouver one, and the Vancouver > West Van one, as well as traffic in the city itself. It's also worth noting that traffic between central Victoria and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal is nothing to sneeze at either.

If you want more time in Victoria, I'd just suck it up and plan on a later boat from Nanaimo. In late July you won't have any daylight issues once you get to the mainland, if that's a concern. However, if you're arriving in Victoria at 10 AM on a Thursday, I'd think you could make the 4:40 boat from Nanaimo fairly easily, without short-changing your time in Victoria itself.

christy1

Oooh, you're landing during rush hour. I missed that. Then I think Gardyloo gives good advice--a later ferry, if not from Nanaimo, then from Tsawwassen. He makes a good case for Nanaimo.

russp3762

Thanks Christy and Gardyloo - I again appreciate your guidance! The 4:40 ferry out of Nainamo was full so I booked the 5:20 pm ferry, getting me to Horseshoe Bay at 7 pm. It's approximately a 2 hour drive from Horshoe Bay to Whistler - is that correct?

This will give me plenty of time to visit Buschert Gardens, walk around Victoria, and have a leisurely lunch/early dinner before driving to Nainamo to catch the ferry.

Just curious though - what is the peak rush hour time frames for Vancouver? I was considering as a back up also booking a reservation to Tsawwassen to arrive between 530 - 7 pm - seems like the total driving time would be less going that route (of course if I'm just sitting in traffic, that is far more stressful then driving a litte further!).

Thanks again for your help!

christy1

I don't think it'll take you more than an hour and a half from Horseshoe Bay--it only takes us a bit more than that from North Vancouver.

Gardyloo

I just can't imagine a scenario where it's faster to use the Tsawwassen boat than the Nanaimo boat when going from Victoria to Whistler. Either you make a really long loop around Vancouver to use the freeway, or you go through city traffic on surface streets all the way from the south boundary of Vancouver to the north boundary, traversing the downtown area in the process. Whereas, staying on the island you're on a major highway with only light to moderate traffic all the way to Nanaimo, then the crossing is shorter (albeit less scenic) to Horseshoe Bay, then you rocket off to Whistler up the Sea to Sky, badda bing.

russp3762

Gardyloo - I guess I was just estimating that it was a 2 hour drive up to Nanaimo, and then another 1.5 - 2 hours from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler; whereas, just in looking at distance, i would have estimated the drive from Tsawwassen to Whistler to be about 2.5 hours - I've never been to Vancouver before, so that's where your insights are greatly appreciated!

Does sound as if the Nanaimo route will be the least stressful! Thanks again