BC Ferries
BC Ferries
4
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
BC Ferries provides passenger and vehicle ferry services to 45 ports of call across coastal BC, with sailings to and from Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Gulf Islands, and Northern BC. BC Ferries Vacations also offers over 100 travel packages, including return ferry and accommodation. When on board BC Ferries, there are plenty of options for food and shopping, along with great wildlife and sightseeing opportunities.
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- SonnyFamily123Kent, United Kingdom524 contributionsGreat Sailing!!!Clean and safe with multiple sailings throughout the day. We used BC Ferries to crossover to Vancouver Island from Horseshoe Bay. The ferry left on time and arrived on time which helped. Theres food on board and lots of seating. Would highly recommend booking passage beforehand as it does get busy..Hello, Thank you for taking the time to write your review! We are so happy to hear that you have had such a wonderful experience with us. Our team on board works hard to maintain a clean and safe environment for those travelling. We look forward to having you sail with us again soon! Kind regards, Caleb – Customer Care BC FerriesWritten July 2, 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten June 30, 2024
- Steven SArgyle, Texas40 contributionsBC ferry from Vancouver to VictoriaThe ferry was much larger than expected and holds many vehicles. Food on board was fast food style and the lines moved fairly fast. Very comfortable and accommodating. Windy in top deck but less wind on the stern. ( I think that is the back of the boat). A fun experience. If you are with young children you can use Google maps to trace your ferry ride through the islands and watch how the captain navigates international border lines, staying within Canadian waters. Very efficient loading and unloading.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten July 3, 2024
- Passport137852824591 contributionCaring for their guests is a BC Ferries' staff priority!Excellent service by Dave at the Swartz Bay (Victoria) Ferry Terminal check-in. We had an erroneous reservation and in no time, he checked us in to the right sailing, made sure we'd have a safe spot to park onboard where we could unload my husband's mobility scooter and how to request a refund for the erroneous rez. Many thanks to Dave and to BC Ferries for a 5-star experience!Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten August 5, 2024
- Allen F1 contributionKeith - a breath of fresh air!Keith - a breath of fresh air! Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen - Aug 25 After 6 hours of delays me and my girlfriend were exhausted but Keith in the cafeteria was the most amazing host and brought a very special energy to the BC Ferries experience! If it wasn’t for Keith I would give this experience a 1 star review because of the delays and terrible communication issues with the actual ferries.Visited August 2024Travelled with friendsWritten August 25, 2024
- Anna-Marie G7 contributionsDon't Speak!!!!!!!Having been told by my coach driver that the SeaWest lounge was a more relaxing environment I decided to try it out on my return trip from Vancouver Island . On paying my fee, the steward told me where the tea and coffee could be found after which I wandered off to the front of the lounge where I discovered two fellow travellers from our coach party. We struck up a conversation and were debating the relative merits of Vancouver versus Toronto when an American woman appeared out of nowhere and told us to shut up or take our conversation outside. Apparently 'quiet' means 'silent' in Canadian so, not wanting to cause a diplomatic incident, we zipped it. We then spent the rest of the journey watching our fellow passengers contort themselves as they tried to impart information to each other without speaking. Some of the mimes were fantastic and we felt we were in the audience of an episode of give us a clue. Frankly it was more entertaining than our conversation would have been. I did feel sorry for the one woman who was trying to ask her friend if she'd like a coffee. I would have helped out but you know....... Perhaps, in addition to free coffee, they could provide notepads & pens.Visited August 2024Travelled soloWritten September 14, 2024
- jsd26Cardiff, United Kingdom170 contributionsComfortable way to crossWell organised and efficient operation to get the ferry loaded and off-loaded. On the ship there was plenty of seating, a large restaurant, two cafes, children’s play areas, a premium lounge (extra cost) and a sun deck. Our trip was in the rain but it was comfortable and a pleasant way to travel.Visited September 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 9, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
4,514 reviews
Excellent
2,180
Very good
1,440
Average
491
Poor
168
Terrible
235
Sherpa228013
1 contribution
Mar 2020
I recently booked a third long weekend trip to Victoria through BC Ferries Vacations. After hearing from friends and family about their excellent experiences using this service the past few years I finally gave it a shot for the Thanksgiving Weekend in 2019. I was amazed how easy and affordable it was to stay for 3 nights plus staying in a great hotel to boot. The BC Ferries Vacations agent was able to fulfill my requirements for accommodations plus help to make reservations for the ferries all over the phone is less than 10 minutes. Since then I have used BC Ferries Vacations to book a holiday this past Christmas as well as another 3 night stay this month (March 2020) and will continue to do so well into the future.
Written March 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Sherpa228013,
Thank you for your review of your most recent BC Ferries Vacations. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your getaway to Victoria and were able to take advantage of our amazing promotions. We are excited to help you with your future travels.
Sincerely,
Rozhin
Written April 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michelle C
North Vancouver, Canada36 contributions
Feb 2020
We booked one of the BC Ferries promotional offers for Ucluelet and couldn't be more happy with the value and experience we received. The promotion gave us our 3rd night free at any of the participating hotels and included the cost of a return ferry - we chose to spend our weekend at the Black Rock Resort and loved it!
We added a reservation to our booking to make the ferry process a lot easier and only had to pay the additional booking fees (do this more than 7 days in advance to get a reduced booking rate). We travelled on the Queen of Cowichan and enjoyed our quick 40-minute journey to Nanaimo. Staff were friendly, helpful, and impressive at getting everyone on board for on-time departures both to and from the Island.
I would definitely recommend the promotion with BC Ferries as you get such amazing value for money and we had the chance to explore a part of Vancouver Island that we've never seen before. Happy travels!
We added a reservation to our booking to make the ferry process a lot easier and only had to pay the additional booking fees (do this more than 7 days in advance to get a reduced booking rate). We travelled on the Queen of Cowichan and enjoyed our quick 40-minute journey to Nanaimo. Staff were friendly, helpful, and impressive at getting everyone on board for on-time departures both to and from the Island.
I would definitely recommend the promotion with BC Ferries as you get such amazing value for money and we had the chance to explore a part of Vancouver Island that we've never seen before. Happy travels!
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi susanlH3593GR,
Thank you for your 5-star review!
I'm so pleased to hear you were able to take advantage of one of our BC Ferries Vacations packages. Ucluelet is an amazing destination, even if it's just for a couple nights. I am so pleased to hear you booked one of our 3rd Night Free packages, it is quite the promotion!
Our Vacations packages are a great way to see some beautiful destinations in British Columbia with the ease of booking everything at once!
We look forward to welcoming you on board again in the near future.
Kind regards,
Meghan – Customer Care BC Ferries
Written March 25, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nicki B
Delta, Canada37 contributions
Jul 2020
This review is for our 8 night BC Ferries Vacations road trip which had us drive to Prince Rupert and ferry back to Port Hardy. The package included all hotels and 2 ferries. We booked a cabin on the ferry which cost extra. We were quite pleased with all the accommodations (there were 7 different ones). The 18hr sailing on the well equipped Northern Expedition (see pic) ferry through the Inside Passage was great partly because of the scenery and partly because we had a cabin to sleep in.
We saw lots of neat wildlife including Big Horn Sheep, deer, bears, lots of neat birds, whales, sea life and more.
The BC Visitor Centres had great brochures from Super Natural British Colombia for many places we travelled to.
We highly recommend this trip for anyone wanting to explore more remote areas of the province.
We saw lots of neat wildlife including Big Horn Sheep, deer, bears, lots of neat birds, whales, sea life and more.
The BC Visitor Centres had great brochures from Super Natural British Colombia for many places we travelled to.
We highly recommend this trip for anyone wanting to explore more remote areas of the province.
Written July 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello nbrocka,
Thank you for the five-star review!
I am so pleased to hear you enjoyed your BC Ferries Vacation package for your travel between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy. Our Vacations packages are a great way to see the wondrous beauty of British Columbia with the ease of booking your travel and accommodation at the same time.
We look forward to welcoming you on board again in the future.
Kind regards,
Meghan - Customer Care
BC Ferries
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Odyssey05989156577
2 contributions
Jun 2024 • Business
The absolute worse customer service in the country, let alone BC. After cancelling ferries, we are all kept outside the toll booth for over an hour with no word as to why. It's past time of my reservation but nothing. My partner looked into ti and told me they decided to let those on the cancelled ferry take this one, and we who made a reservation at 10:45 at night would have to wait until midnight for a ferry that would get us in at 2 In the morning. With our saying a WORD to any of us.
Written June 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karly G
1 contribution
Sept 2024 • Family
BC Ferries is a joke. On multiple occasions where I have specifically booked a reservation I have been endlessly screwed over. When we moved from Vancouver to Victoria we made a reservation well in advance and when we arrived early we were told we would no longer be able to have our reso as we booked an oversized vehicle not a commercial vehicle. This was one of the most incredibly stressful and upsetting situations I have had to go through. No where on the site did it warn you or give you information on this. Another situation occurred where we were heading to a wedding and we just minutes past the reservation time because we were held back by work. We arrived and we were told that our reso once again couldn’t be honoured because we were just minutes late. We explained our situation and even tried to call ahead to explain to have some compassion shown. And nothing. BC ferries has no compassion for society and I have no respect left for the corporation. They have done nothing but cause my life stress and endless amount of extra expenses. I hope that one day this greedy corporation learns to respect and show compassion towards its customers. I would never in my life recommend me BC ferries to anyone.
Written September 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nico C
2 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
I have been catching BC ferry’s since basically birth. However this was my second time of memory catching the Victoria BC ferry’s to Vancouver. I found these workers very unfriendly. I have worked on BC ferries smaller boats before and before have much knowledge how to treat our guests. I found them ABSOLUTELY outrageously unfriendly when I asked a ferry worker a question while on bored as I have not been on this specific ferry many times. I asked another employee for directions on the boat and he was VERY unfriendly. Get a grip BC ferries you are responsible for making people travelling fun and enjoyable don’t give me attitude when I ask for directions or a simple question.
I will not be taking this specific ferry ever again.
I will not be taking this specific ferry ever again.
Written July 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roh
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
My three friends and I were travelling from Swartz Bay to Tswassen at (supposed to be) 6pm on August 23rd. We arrived at 5:15pm and got out tickets and found out the ferry was delayed 27 minutes, we sat until 6 and three of us decided to go for a walk to stretch our legs before the ferry. We were outside 3 minutes before our friend called to say they had started boarding. We attempted to re-enter to board and were met with an extremely angry and rude woman (short grey hair, didn’t catch her name amidst all her shouting) who would not explain anything more than ‘get out I have locked the door’ while holding the door open. We were obviously confused as we are tourists and not used to the ferry’s. she offered no explanation just continued to berate us in front of the other passengers. We had left bags downstairs she told us we could not get back. Our friend called again to say they was still passengers waiting to board. Thankfully the other customer service worker was a lovely woman who was able to calmly explain the situation and offered to rectify it for us. The first woman went outside to other passengers and continued shouting and barking orders, causing quite a few to talk about her extremely rude behaviour. She spoke to us as if we were below her and we can safely say thanks to her we will be taking our custom elsewhere next time we travel
Written August 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
katie H
Edmonton, Canada84 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
On the way to Tsawwassen we missed our ferry due to being stuck behind an accident in Delta. We had over an hour and half of time between us and our 3PM sailing but ended up getting there 15 minutes before departure so we weren't allowed to board. Fine, not our fault but it happens. We then had to wait for the 6PM sailing in blazing hot 32c heat, with our AC just decided to kick the bucket on this trip. At 6 months pregnant this was so uncomfortable, and it's really not possible to go into the store area because it was swarming with people - not sure how it's covid appropriate and again being pregnant I don't want to take that risk.
The sailing cost us $450 for both routes which made my eyes water!
All of the staff look like they hate their jobs and will avoid eye contact with you at all costs.
On the way back from Swartz bay we made a reservation for 11AM but got there just before 9AM because we did not want to run the risk of missing our ferry again - when we got to the front we were told we had forefeited our reservation because we arrived too early!! I was gobsmacked, damned if you do and damned if you don't! How can you forefeit your reservation by getting there too early?!
On the reservation system it showed all sailings as full until 11AM so that's the one we booked, but then they ended up loading us onto the 9AM anyway! Does it show as full online to scare people into making a reservation just in case, so they can get extra money out of you?
It feels like you can't win with BC ferries.
I'll never come back to island as long as BC ferries operates the way it does, the whole system is frustrating, extortionate and disorganized. No wonder people complain about it so much.
The sailing cost us $450 for both routes which made my eyes water!
All of the staff look like they hate their jobs and will avoid eye contact with you at all costs.
On the way back from Swartz bay we made a reservation for 11AM but got there just before 9AM because we did not want to run the risk of missing our ferry again - when we got to the front we were told we had forefeited our reservation because we arrived too early!! I was gobsmacked, damned if you do and damned if you don't! How can you forefeit your reservation by getting there too early?!
On the reservation system it showed all sailings as full until 11AM so that's the one we booked, but then they ended up loading us onto the 9AM anyway! Does it show as full online to scare people into making a reservation just in case, so they can get extra money out of you?
It feels like you can't win with BC ferries.
I'll never come back to island as long as BC ferries operates the way it does, the whole system is frustrating, extortionate and disorganized. No wonder people complain about it so much.
Written August 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello katieT896,
I am sorry to hear your recent travels have left you with a bad impression.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where there are sailing waits & the weather is uncomfortable please do not hesitate to reach out to a terminal attendant for assistance. We would be happy to help you find a quiet location to sit and rest while you wait for your sailing.
With respect to reservations, as per the Terms and Conditions, we ask that booking holders check in 30-60 minutes ahead of their sailing time. reservations redeemed outside of this 30 minute window will not be honoured and you would be placed in stand by traffic. This is due to high volumes of traffic which flow through our terminals on a regular basis - we simply cannot allocate lane space in advance to sailings several hours away. As we do not fully reserve space on sailings between Vancouver & Vancouver Island, there would still be stand by space available on each sailing throughout the day, which is what you were able to access on your 9:00 am departure.
I appreciate you taking the time to write us a review and allowing me the opportunity to respond.
Kind regards,
Miranda - Customer Care
Written September 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
lar289
Victoria, Canada173 contributions
Feb 2022
I take the ferry from mainland to Vancouver Island several times a year, so not weekly, let alone daily, and usually by car, so most times I can just relax in my car for the duration. But as a recent foot passenger I was stunned that there was absolutely no attempt to encourage distancing - it was like cattle boarding and de-boarding. They made absolutely no attempt to encourage passengers to distance, or mask (yes, that includes over your nose). This may change soon, but in the meantime BCFerries apparently can’t or won’t make the effort.
Written February 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
168 Paradise
Vancouver, Canada5 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
If you have a “pop-up” idea to have a Nanaimo trip without the reservation for BC ferries, I advise you “DON’T GO”! We have a horrible experience to wait for almost 6 hours at Horseshoe Bay for boarding to Nanaimo. They only have two and half hour apart for each single schedule . We arrived there at 10am and waited there till 4:30pm for boarding. We spent the whole day just for waiting for boarding, unbelievable and unacceptable, but it is real the schedule now running in the BC ferries nowadays in this modern city. Nanaimo is the second largest port in Vancouver Island , the first port is Victoria, they have schedule going to Victoria for each single hour, but Nanaimo is 2.5 hours apart for each schedule . Even we come back from Nanaimo, the situation is the same, long waiting and also need to spend more than 6 hrs for boarding . We have no alternative to drive two hours from Nanaimo to Swart Bay to catch ferries back to Vancouver, there has more frequent schedule and we just wait one hour for boarding there. So two hours driving time is worth, we spent 4 hours to back to Vancouver is better than we spent more than 6 hours waiting at the Nanaimo ferry terminal . Unbelievable there is still so poor and outdated schedule to travel between Vancouver and Nanaimo, and why BC ferries management has never looked into this matter and make any improvements on its schedule. Just let both the visitors and island residents to suffer a lot on their so poor schedule management.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello 168paradise,
I'm sorry to hear that your recent travels have left you with a negative impression.
For future trips to Nanaimo, please know that there is an alternative route between Duke Point & Tsawwassen which you would be able to use in the event that traveling between Horseshoe Bay & Departure Bay is not a viable option.
While reservations are not mandatory, they are recommended, as sailing waits are a definitely possibility, especially in the Summer months. We also recommend traveling at 'off-peak' times if you do not have a reservation pre-booked so as to avoid lengthy waits at the terminal.
I appreciate you taking the time to write us a review.
Kind regards,
Miranda - Customer Care
BC Ferries
Written August 16, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GoPlaces10194639591
Victoria, Canada
how much for the ferry from victoria to vancouver
Written December 3, 2024
Are there available spaces for vehicles without reservations or are all spaces sold on a reservation basis?
Written June 29, 2023
Hi there, depending on which route you are travelling on, there will be "standby" or first-come, first-serve space available for those travelling without a reservation.
You can find a list of our fully reservable routes, as well as what average percent of deck space is allocated for standby travel by selecting "Book sailings" and then "Bookable deck space" on our website. ^vl
Written July 12, 2023
I make reservations for my and other families, both the booking holder form are under my name. Is it possible that another can use for departure?
Written March 15, 2023
Hi there, as we don't check ID (with an exception of our Northern routes) as long as those travelling have the Booking Reference Number for the sailing, there will be no issues redeeming the reservation. ^vl
Written July 12, 2023
is Horseshoe Bay to Nainamo more scenic than Tsawassenn to Swartz Bay or vice versa?
Written January 10, 2023
Anybody know 100% how long you can book a ferry in advance? There isn't a FAQ anywhere on this?
Written October 6, 2022
I was on a tour so the tickets were provided. However, it appeared that people just walked up to the ticket agent at the ferry to buy a ticket. It is a very large ferry and I do not think they turn away many people. If you are in Vancouver, it was about 45 minute to hour ride to the ferry hub
Written October 7, 2022
Is the ferry from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii only available with a reservation?
Written August 25, 2022
Can I book now for one way from horseshoe Bay to departure Bay for August 11 2022
Written July 31, 2022
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