The idea of a staycation isn’t so bad when you live in a place like Vancouver. While I’m guilty of not appreciating my own backyard nearly as much as I should, I never tire of taking a ride on our local ferry system from Vancouver to Victoria.
The British Columbia Ferry Service [www.bcferries.com]around Vancouver is controversial because they market themselves as a high quality service. The cost to go from Vancouver to Victoria for a family of 4 with a car is over $100. The general feeling is that the ferries are over priced, and they are when you compare them to a similar system in neighboring Washington State; however, for what we pay we get to ride on nearly brand new ships with multiple food options, arcades, gift shops, and on-deck educational programs delivered by naturalists [www.bcferries.com].
Every time that the cost of the ferries or the pay of the ferry executives comes up you hear nothing but bad things about the ships, the schedule, and especially the food. This is how I know that I lived in a very privileged part of the world. I often wonder if any of these people have ever been on ferries in other places before. While the food isn’t quite gourmet, it’s better than you would find in almost every cafeteria on land.
This is not to say that I don’t think it would be better if we had a lower cost option to get to Victoria. There are times when I have wanted to visit Victoria but have decided that the ferry fares are too high and instead just drove to Seattle for a weekend getaway. All I’m saying is that for the money we spend, we get to ride on nice ships with good amenities, and pretty decent service. Just look at these views!
This post was submitted to Travel Photo Thursday, a weekly submission of travel photos. Be sure to check it out at Budget Traveler’s Sandbox [budgettravelerssandbox.com]!
Beautiful photos (^_^)
I’ve taken ferries in Canada before, but on the East coast. They were quite nice, at least. Vancouver Island looks very pretty.
I really want to go back to Vancouver just for this trip to Victoria! would love to go camping on the island.
I find traveling with BC Ferries is very comfortable, but I do agree that the cost is high, especially if you are making frequent trips.
I really liked these pictures. They made me want to fly to BC today! A very beautiful area.
Cool shots!
Wonderful shots. I did this trip a couple of years ago and loved it.
What a lovely view!
Your ferry looks brand new compared to some here in the NYC area. Nice color too.
I never get sick of a trip on the BC ferries – in all types of weather. I also like the fact I haveth better part of 90 minutes to sit & relax – a real treat in this day & age.
Nice series of photos from this ferry trip that I went on just a month ago during my first visit to beautiful Canada.
Riding the ferries back and forth to the island is definitely one of my favorite things to do. At least on those occasions when they remember to stop for the dock at the other end. Those trips aren’t quite as much fun.
Man, your ferries look like a cruise ship!
Thanks for linking up with us today!
~Becca