BC Ferries

The food at the Land’s End café will leave you dreaming of gourmet restaurants such as 7 – 11 and that truck stop you saw crossing north Alberta that one winter. WiFi isn’t fast enough for most video, so if you miss your ferry you’ll spend the next hour or two wondering if Victoria really was worth the trip. There’s also nothing around for about 5 km so you’re pretty much stuck there. The homeless and drug problem is on the rise in Victoria anyway so next time I’ll just stay on the mainland.

The White Spot restaurant on board was horrible. The salmon burger was drenched in sauce on the inside and out. Worst burger in years. Staff obviously don’t care.

Relaxed ferry terminal here. There is a small cafeteria to browse for onboarding vechical passengers which is nice. The views here are the best part imo.

The food was fine. It was overpriced but when you’re stuck on a ferry, they can charge you whatever they want. It’s not like you have options unless you packed your own food.
Some complaints though:
1. Why is the smoking section right by the kids’ indoor play area? Are you guilting smokers into quitting? Or are you trying to let kids see that? Perhaps they should rethink that!
2. This totally pissed me off. So we booked round trip ferries. We booked a 6pm Friday and what we thought was a 7pm Sunday. Turns out we were tired when we booked it so we actually booked the return for 7pm Friday. I know that that the booking system isn’t that intuitive but if you logistically think about it, how the f*ck would that be possible? The ferry wouldn’t even arrive in Victoria until 7:30pm so how the hell would I get on the 7pm ferry back to Vancouver???
3. I know everyone has complained about this before but I’ll add my 2 cents. I understand they charge the $ 18 reservation fee which is fine. I would think that the $ 18 would go towards the total bill and not be $ 18 ON TOP of the bill, so that was irritating. Also, if they’re going to argue that it’s a deterrent for no-​shows, then charge the no shows $ 18 and then credit the $ 18 for people who show up and charge it towards the remaining balance. Win win… but of course they won’t because it’s a money grab!!!

For a work trip I had to go to both Vancouver and Victoria in the course of a week. In order to get there in an affordable way, I opted for the ferry. WOW am I glad I did!
I expected basically a flat barge with a bunch of cars. This is like a mini cruise ship! Numerous floors, each with different shops and cafes. Really surprised me and very enjoyable.
Downside: the wifi they provide is pretty crummy. It’s only an hour and a half ride though so just suck it up and enjoy the amazing ride. The beautiful views the entire way are just breathtaking.

As a tourist, I appreciated the convenience of crossing on the BC Ferries. The price for cars, however, is ridiculous! I did not know there were other options, and next time I am in the area will certainly check those out. Our boats were on time the two times we used them. There is plenty of seating, and ample deck space if you prefer to be outside. Even when sold out, the boat did not feel crowded at all. If you prefer not to buy their overpriced food, or wait on line for it, why not bring something to eat along?

Read realistic review.
Very bad experience with BCFerries.
If you planing to go to any Island with the BC Ferries don’t do any reservation on their website! Just go there without reservation, They have hidden reservation fee cost you extra $ 44 for a round trip.
Surprise 1!!!
This morning we decided to go Victoria Island and I visited their webpage when I waked up @8am. On their reservation page they’re showing all Ferries full until 1pm. Anyway I got little confuse than I reserved to 1pm than they charged me $ 44 for round trip. I was thinking they just gonna keep this money’s for reservations but when I got an email about my reservation I saw that money was gone!
Surprise 2!!!
We went Tsawwassen Ferries places before 12pm and then their officer ask us“Would you like to go @12pm? because there is a lot of space in the Ferries” What!!! We are shocked because we were not expecting they have lot of space on the Ferries. This is kind of «despoliation». On their webpage they shows no space before 1pm and they pussing you to ”do reservation and pay more money” They are very good smile and f. ck people very easy. Very disappointed.
Suprise 3!!!
If you’re going there with your visitors or your family (3 – 4 people) it’s gonna cost you almost $ 300. That is like air plane tickets for couple km. I ever never seen like that cost on the Ferries. Very expensive for regular family.
Also why they provide wireless Internet that’s not working very well.
Victoria was amazing not BCFerries.

Very good ferry, but beware the little shops before you board. The apple cider was terrible, and the almond brittle is the worst candy ever. At least they were expensive! … And we had to use US funds because they didn’t take plastic. Pathetic

Drove on from Sidney to take ferry to Vancouver. Made reservation for the Monday morning rush, but it wasn’t actually needed. Great rest stop across from car line up, so convenient to pick up coffee while waiting to board. Boarding and exiting process smooth. Ride was smooth. Got food from the cafeteria and shopped in their stores. Picked up some fun things.

A monopoly… enough said

As someone who has motion sickness, the ride was pretty smooth. Pulling out/​stopping is a bit crunchy, but nothing that would make me toss my cookies!
(I did take a Gravol, but honestly think I would’ve been alright without it!)
And despite the vessel being all indoors, I found the temperature varied quite a bit. Certain areas were warmer than others. Pretty empty for a mid-​afternoon on Friday.
GOOD:
+ free wifi on boat! Kudos to the genius who came up with that idea
+ plenty of seats available
+ some work stations available if you want to sit at a cubicle to read or do some work on your laptop
+ there was also a tv that was playing the Masters, but I’m not interested in golf
+ there are vending machines and apparently some kinda restaurant/​Café, so if you’re in a bind, you won’t starve (I’m sure food isn’t cheap though)
+ lotsa washrooms on-​board
+ smooth ride
+ on-​schedule
+ at $ 16 for an adult, I found the price alright — I mean how much do 1.5hr boat rides cost?
N.I.
— apparently their renos are recent, but the seats weren’t comfortable, were vinyl, and I kept sliding down on them
— I don’t think you can lift the arm rest up, to lie down, but I’ll be sure to check on the way back
— temperature inside cabin varies depending on where you’re sitting. I found closest cabin to boarding at Tsawassen was warmest
I found directions on TransitLink website as to how to get to Tsawassen sounded much more difficult than they actually were when all you needed to do was take the Skytrain towards Richmond, then transfer onto bus. Trip took a loong time tho, so be prepared!

I grew up on the island, meaning I’ve been on BC Ferries countless times. It’s a given everything on the ferry is expensive and not worth the buy, the WIFI is terrible, and the lack of power outlets outside of the office work area is nonexistent. However, last weekend I was driving on, and because I was hungry and it was my only option decided to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. The cafeteria mainly offers White Spot food, specifically burgers however they do have other options. The food is a washed down, «fast food» style of White Spot and costs roughly the same. I got out of the car and immediately went to the cafeteria to get in line, as it’s usually a 10 – 15 minute wait at the start of the sailing. To keep things short; I waited in line for 65 minutes, almost the entire ferry ride before I had my food in my hands and was ready to eat. There were lots of people behind me that would have ended up waiting even longer. I’m in shock that it took that long to spend $ 35 on two meals of subpar food. You might think 65 minutes is an exaggerated number, even for BC Ferries, but it’s not.

They get 2 stars because ultimately they get me where I am going.
They charge too much, The food is not very good and the «kids area» is a joke but I arrive.
If there was another choice I would likely go with them but there isn’t.

bad wifi, bathrooms aren’t very clean. I do like perusing the little shops. This last experience will definitely reinforce, it is worth the crazy inflated price of the buffet! It’s usually quiet in there, with a small bathroom just for that section, easy access to outlets and a spot to sit the entire ferry ride with out having to move or have people glare at your bag on a chair.

BC Ferries took us from Vancouver to Victoria. The dock is a relatively short drive from the city. We were one of those people who made a reservation. It is not cheap to take your car on the ferry. You can make a reservation for a specific time, which is the most expensive option. You can also just drive to the ferry station, wait in line and hope that you will get on a ferry at a time that is suitable to your need, which is a less expensive option. You can also take a bus to the ferry (or get dropped off or park your car) and walk right on to the ferry (least expensive option).
I had not taken the ferry to Victoria since I was maybe 12 years old, so I was really excited for the experience. We were the first car on the ferry, so I was able to watch all the crew prepare the ferry and then load the cars. It was fun driving onto the ferry and watching it depart from the dock. There are endless places to hang out on the ferry. You can leisurely sit inside and watch TV or enjoy the free wifi. There are some stores and food stores to peruse as well. You can also go outside and enjoy the fresh air. There are ample spaces on the all sides of the ferry in addition to going up to the top. It can get a bit chilly and windy outside, but it’s a great view. I enjoyed both the ride to Victoria and the ferry back to Vancouver.

Kinda pricey, but definitely more luxe than the MV Coho that goes from Port Angeles to Victoria. We took BC Ferries from Victoria to Vancouver and had an uneventful trip. That’s what you want, right? No one fell overboard and it didn’t sink.
You can remain in your vehicle on this boat, or you can go upstairs and relax in a comfy seat. I didn’t check the whole ship out, but there’s an arcade, gift shop, café, restrooms, and free wifi. They got the cars on and off the boat incredibly fast, and the boat left right on time. Just the high cost kept me from giving these guys 5 stars.

My experience with BC Ferries during a holiday weekend was good. We traveled the popular Tsawwassen-​to-​Swartz Bay ferry to get from Vancouver to Victoria.
I took two stars off because it is expensive if you bring a car onboard – some $ 50 each way if I recall. Other than that, adults were $ 15.50 per ride. Longterm and day parking prices at Tsawwassen were fair and there was no shortage of parking spaces. (I ended up leaving my rental car in longterm parking for $ 16 for 15 hours and just took public transportation in Victoria. Note: Victoria deserves at least an overnight stay.)
Their ferries had lots of seats and BC Ferries often tweets the occupancy of various boats. The ticket-​buying kiosks were easy and fast to use. The boarding process was really smooth.
The boat, the Spirit of British Columbia, was also a comfortable ride. Movies, free Wifi, computer workstations, a café, and a gift shop are some of the terrific amenities onboard.

The Day Of The Teenager Shaped Demon Creatures.
Swartz Bay to Vancouver — 11am sailing — Spirit of Vancouver Island
A long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I was a boarding school brat.
And for two years, every second weekend I would board the ferry from Swartz Bay to Vancouver with 60 – 100 of my fellow schoolmates. Without adult supervision, we would dutifully use the hour and a half to drink mickies of bad vodka snuck in under our jackets, smoke cigarettes, barrel through the hallways with loud chatter, skip into the food line up in groups of ten at a time, throw fries at each other in the dining area and general cause a complete and total ruckus for the one hour and forty five minutes of freedom we had between school and our parents waiting on the other side.
I would like to take this moment to publicly apologize, on behalf of my entire teenage entourage, to ALL adults that travelled with us on those hormones fueled sailings.
For keeping you from your much needed coffee while we held up the line. For our incessant and unnecessarily loud chit chat… everywhere… simply everywhere on the ferry. The inescapable chit chat.
For bumping and shuffling into you on stairs, in the gift shop and in the walk ways. For chasing each other outside and screaming while doing so, or climbing over the chairs in the lounges. For playing that new song by the Gangnam Style guy exceptionally loud… over and over and over. (Ok. We didn’t do that. Obviously the music was much better in my decade of teenagedom, but i’m sure we blasted something.) And for generally created an atmosphere of constant noise and chaos.
Because today… I lived your pain first hand.
And I am sorry. SO sorry.
Dear BC Ferries — you should designate a specific area of the ship for this bi-​weekly influx of obnoxious. It’s been over a decade since I roamed the hall as one of the perpetrators and it looks as though, 12 years later, nothing has changed. Sane adults, with ear plugs and raised eyebrows over novels and laptops, quietly seek relief.
I deem this a one-​star not because the influx of obnoxious hormones was your fault but because absolutely every employee seemed to turn a blind eye. While kids were running up and down the OUTSIDE raised life jackets compartments — you emptied the ashtrays and carried on. No matter how annoying, you should always attempt to keep someone from putting themselves in a life threatening situation. While they climbed over chairs — you walked on. When they took over the elevator while parents waited with strollers — not a word. Even a service announcement would have given this a bump. But nope. You let chaos reign. And that is why I bring the one star into this equation.
Also because your wifi sucks.
Sincerely,
The woman in the lounge that imagined a dragon swooping in to cart off the two screechy girls in the next row who continued to yell «touch yourself» for no apparent reason.

Quick efficient process. You pay more by booking in advance. It’s $ 50 for a car + $ 15 per person. Book in advance and tack on another $ 11 – 18! Nice way to do the boat ride while getting the travel in too! In the fall dress warm so you can see the views from the deck!
VEry nice boats! Good food options too — over priced but expected for convenience!

Compared to the BC Ferries terminal at Tsawwassen, the terminal at Swartz Bay is a bit lackluster. They do have free wifi, which is a huge plus, but there’s only one restaurant to get food at if you want to eat before the ferry ride. This is disappointing, because food on the ferry is quite expensive ($ 23 for two meals).
As for the line for the ferry, we arrived at 11am (just missed the 11am sailing), but the 12pm sailing on Sunday was really quiet (maybe ¹⁄₃ full of cars). For two people in a car, a one-​way sailing to Tsawwassen costs $ 77.80 without any promotions or previous reservation.
Loading and unloading is very organized at this ferry terminal, but I would highly recommend eating before you arrive.