Seattle Travel Forum

What is the best bet for taking a ferry to Victoria from Seattle. We won't have a car, but will have some luggage with us.

Hey there! To tell you the truth i haven't actually taken that ferry from Seattle to Victoria. I have lived in Victoria for the past 12 years though! The Clipper drops you off right downtown Victoria. Not sure where you are staying, but depening on how much luggage you will have, you can easily walk to the majority of Hotels, hostels etc. And there are always alot of taxis there waiting.
Hope this helps!!
Any questions just ask!!!

Kylie

I second the Victoria Clipper between Seattle and Victoria. I wouldn't bother with the ferries.

www.clippervacations.com

We have taken the ferry and the clipper to Victoria on two different trips. The first trip was during the 80's. We remember it as a very pleasant
September trip. The second trip on the clipper was in February. It was faster, but there was no place to be outside except the rear deck which smelled of exhaust. We much prefer the ferry if the weather is good.

We did not have a car on one of the trips and enjoyed walking around in Victoria. There is excellent bus service so we were able to go to some of the places that were too far to walk.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the replies! It looks like the Clipper is the fastest, but I am curious about the ferry. It would be nice to get outside and walk around a bit. The clipper is a bit pricy, is the ferry less expensive (and how much slower)? Do you catch it near the clipper? Would having luggage be a problem on either of these?

If you won't have a car, you don't really have many other options except for the Clipper.

To confirm, there is no car ferry to Victoria from Seattle. You'd have to drive an hour north to the town of Anacortes and take the Washington state ferry across to Sidney on Vancouver Island. Sidney is a town a half hour drive north of Victoria.

There's also the Coho ferry which connects Port Angeles with downtown Victoria, but Port Angeles is several hours west of Seattle, and I think there's only one sailing per day to Victoria.

Finally, there's the BC Ferries which connects Tsawwassen (a 20 minute drive north of the USA-Canada border) with Swartz Bay (a 35 minute drive north of Victoria). Those ferries leave every 1-2 hours from early morning until about 9 or 10pm. However, if you're based in Seattle without a car, there's really no point opting for the BC Ferries.

Thanks for your help everyone. The Clipper looks like the best bet.

Definitely take the Victoria Clipper. You can catch it right on the waterfront in Seattle.

Check out the website. http://www.clippervacations.com/

You will see that you can get packages for round-trip ferry and hotel for just a little over $100.

Would having to deal with luggage on the Clipper be an issue?

No.

According to the website,

"When you arrive at Pier 69, just follow the signs to our customer counter to check-in. On the way, you'll have an opportunity to check your luggage so you won't have to carry it aboard the ship. Our agents will get your boarding pass, answer your questions and send you on your way to the departure lounge. Boarding in Seattle is done by group and your group number will be listed on your boarding pass. When your group is called, you'll walk out to the dock and board the Victoria Clipper. Seating is not assigned, so you'll be free to choose a seat on either the upper or lower deck, a seat at the window or one in the aisle, and a seat with a table or one without."

http://www.clippervacations.com/ferry/ (under the link "ID Requirements and Travel Info"

Thanks for the info Carmanah. It look's like we can just check stuff in.