…my nose in a bookFood, research, yoga and music. . . is there anything else?

It is the Thanksgiving (Canadian) long weekend, and one of the busiest traveling weekends of the year. Many people travel from Vancouver to Vancouver Island (Victoria) quite frequently, and even more so on this long weekend to visit family and friends. Yesterday the Spirit of Vancouver Ferry (the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay Ferry) had a standby generator set on fire, which of course has completely setback the ferry schedule for the weekend. (There were no available reservations for the ferry routes either)

If you were to arrive at the BC Ferries terminal in Tsawwassen (Vancouver) this Saturday morning, you would be in for a big surprise. Not only was the Highway leading to the ferry terminal backed up, but there was a 3.5 to 4 sailing wait looming over every vehicle waiting in the long line ups to even reach the toll booth to pay. While there was a ferry almost every hour, if you were trying to catch the 11am ferry, I hate to say, you likely were going to be arriving in Victoria (Swartz Bay) by 4:35pm at the earliest. (Not exactly the most enjoyable way to spend a Thanksgiving Saturday).

I have run into numerous problems like this over the years, going back and forth between Vancouver and Victoria, where there are 5+ hour sailing waits for a 1hr 35 minute ferry ride. Not my cup of tea.

So today I wanted to go and surprise my grandparents and have some dinner with them, just pop over on the 11am ferry and go home on the 7pm ferry. Between the outrageous price of vehicle fares and the long line ups and waits, I couldn’t justify spending over $150 on a day of travel. But wait!

Ahh the zen of motorcycle riding (so peaceful and relaxing), a little hint. . . You don’t have to wait in the line ups at the ferry, and you get a half price vehicle fare on BC Ferries. So @nachoman and I rode off this morning over to the island, to go visit in Victoria. Not only did we show up at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal at 5 minutes to 11am, we were able to hand the cashier our money and drive past all the lanes of waiting traffic and hop onto the 11am ferry.

Deanna Gets on the Ferry without having to make a Reservation or Wait in Line

We were able to arrive in Victoria shortly after 12:30pm, visit with my grandparents, have some dinner and then hop back on the Highway to get on the 7pm evening ferry (Which I must say is quite the nice ferry, it is one of the new Coastal Celebration Ferries;  cushy seats, ample legroom and a wonderful German sounding female elevator).  You really must try it out sometime, the regular seating is so comfortable that you don’t even feel the need to go to the Seawest Lounge upstairs.

All in all, by taking motorbikes to get to and from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, you save money, save a ton of time, and you also are helping help the environment by using a vehicle that has a lower environmental impact.  Best of all, it is a fun way of getting around.  Yes it is cold out, but with a heated jacket and layers of leather and Lululemon apparel, I am never cold (while on the bike).

So next time you are stuck in the long ferry line ups, wishing you had an easy way to get on the ferry sooner, take a peek at the front of the line up (usually in lane 1), where you will find some happy riders about to get on the ferry without waiting.

Cheers everyone, I’m going to relax with a cup of hot chocolate after a long day of travel and visiting.

~Deanna

Ahh. . . The 5 minute wait to get onto the ferry. How can you go wrong?

The best coffee I’ve ever had at Floyd’s Diner in Victoria BC, on Yates and Quadra. Really awesome food, eclectic staff, and one of my all time favorite breakfast places.