If you are looking for an efficient and affordable way to travel between Vancouver and Nanaimo,…read moreHullo is an excellent choice. The Vancouver terminal is easy to find right behind Canada Place, just past The Drop the large blue art sculpture. ​The onboard experience is incredibly comfortable, which makes the roughly one-hour sailing fly by. The ride itself is fast but smooth, though it is worth noting that sitting backwards against the direction of travel might make you feel a little queasy, even if it is tolerable. For convenience, there are luggage racks located right by the entrance doors. The seating layout features a table for every four seats, making it easy to share space, and there are handy charging ports located at the side of each table. The vessel is also equipped with washrooms and a cafe bar for coffee and light snacks, and safety is well-covered with life vests stored right under every seat. ​Once you arrive, the trip stays seamless thanks to a free shuttle service that picks you up at the Nanaimo terminal and takes you straight into Downtown Nanaimo. It is a fantastic, hassle-free crossing that I highly recommend.

Parking before boarding the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria…read more.. This - unfortunately - was not the correct place to board the ferry. I just trusted my GPS to find a ferry, but didn't check to make sure that it went to Victoria. Shucks! It happened to be a terminal for cruise ships only. No cars allowed on the ships either! Uhg! Passengers only! (We're thought that we could Uber around Victoria without the car since could not take the car with us.) I paid by credit card in advance and will have to contact to Parking Company later to get a refund. Lesson learned.

So, Tod. M. really did a great job describing the train and the service. We had the Concierge at…read moreour hotel make the arrangements and we took the 'coach' car up to Whistler and the 'first class' car back. To start out on our adventure, a nice new bus took us from a local hotel to the train station and back again. For a one day adventure, I am not sure I would recommend this due to the price, but again, it was quite the adventure. When we arrived at the train station, we promptly boarded our "coach car" and were treated to coffee, tea and juice. Once the train pulled away from the station we were given a boxed breakfast that had a sandwich (fresh made on a croissant) and cut up fruit. I did not eat the sandwich as it was my very worst nightmare of all things I don't eat (mayo, ham and hard boiled eggs), but the husband enjoyed his. The service on our train was stellar and the views were spectacular. There is an open car where you can take pictures and really get a sense of what being off the highway has to offer. Once we arrived in Whistler (it was about 3 hours later) we had a 2.5 hour long time in Whistler Village (enough time to have lunch and walk around). The bus that took us from the train to the village was too crowded and seemed less organized than the bus trip from the hotel to the station. Whistler was a total waste of time for us other than the fact that my in-laws (brother/sister/nephew) drove up from Bellingham just to have lunch with us here. It was a total tourist trap without enough signage as to how to get around the small village and an incredibly mediocre amount of bathrooms. We were happy to get back onto the bus to take us back to the train station and have our first class experience. This car was bigger, the seats a little more plush and there was high tea and booze served all with real glass, silverware and cloth napkins. The service again was stellar, the tea itself tasty and it was a lot of fun. The train trip itself was one of the highlights of our vacation (cost and all) and to be honest, there was no need to "upgrade" as the coach car (sans the nasty sandwich) was perfect in and of itself.

This is a daily-run train that goes from North Vancouver (with pickup at downtown hotels) to…read moreWhistler on a very scenic route. There are two service levels -- $109 (special) for coach and $250 for "dome car" service. First, the service is very good. Organized pickups and luggage handling, friendly staff on board, interesting tour-guide material without it being too in-your-face. The real star here, though, isn't the train but the spectacular views along the way. But their marketing materials is a little bit more, er, enthusiastic than reality. For one thing, the "Glacier Dome Car" sounds great but, in fact, is not in a dome car at all. To be accurate, it should be called a "Glacier Tall Windows Car." And while you do get fed hot food in the Dome Car (as opposed to cold food), there's really not that much difference between it and the regular coach class. Same sized seating and legroom from what I could tell, access to the same heritage car, reclining seats, assigned seating, and so on. Save the $250; go with the cheaper $109 "Classic Coach" version instead. The train company promised "fully reclining seats" on the Dome car and, as I knew I would need to rest, this is partially why I opted to go with the train rather than the bus. In fact, the seats do NOT fully recline. While they recline more than coach seats in an airplane, if you're expecting to be able to lie down (that *is* what fully reclining means), you'll be disappointed. Ticketing went well. Through a snafu, they had my directions reversed but it was taken care of quickly. The tickets are not refundable in any way, though you can move unused tickets to a later date in the year. For a change fee, natch. And finally, the train arrived 30 minutes later than scheduled which seemed to be the norm. There didn't seem to be any unusual delays -- after all, there aren't traffic jams on the rail tracks -- just seemed to be a bit of lasse faire. Didn't affect me, but might be a concern for people with a tight air connection who expect to arrive when scheduled. Overall, despite feeling a bit misled by some of the promises (dome car, a big differences by paying more than double, and "fully" reclining seats), the trip was smooth and enjoyable. Bring your camera!!

Same as always !…read more They really could add a washroom or two. Otherwise on a sunny day it's beautiful. Good location. Staff is friendly. Self serve kiosk is fast. I'll be back.

Go to BCFerries.com to book sailings and find out all you need to know about your destination…read more Here are some tips about foods and driving to the terminal. Tip 1: There are only vending machines for snacks and drinks - don't expect gift shops or cafes inside this terminal. If time permits, one can park the car in the ferry lineup and walk over to the horseshoe bay village for takeout foods. As walk on ferry passengers, it's easy to look for food options at the village across from the ferry terminal. Tip 2: Do make sure you have a pre-paid vehicle booking for all sailings departing here, except for vehicles heading to Bowen Island. Drive on the right-most lane if you are heading to Bowen and purchase a ticket at the end of the lane. Tip 3: Highway driving - pay attention to switch to the right lane before exit 3; it's simply a nuisance if you miss turning off on exit 3 when rushing for a ferry sailing. Tip 4: Transit via bus 257 is convenient from downtown Vancouver or Park Royal - good transit option for getting to this terminal. Tip 5: Delays "sometime" occur with ferry sailings so please brace yourself, plan accordingly, perhaps take some photos and soak up the view. Bon Voyage!

Harbour Air Customer Service needs review. I booked a trip four months ago to Salt Spring Island…read moreand back to Richmond in March and April. Each flight under a Light Fare status. All this time later, I unfortunately cannot complete this flight and asked if I could get a refund. The answer was no, the policy is that these flights are non-refundable. No exceptions. I asked if they can be transferred to someone else. Answer? No, they can't. I will have to forfeit my payment in full. So if I don't actually go into the system to cancel, then Harbour Air cannot sell those seats to anyone else either unless it is very last minute when I don't show up. How does this make sense to their business model? (I could easily make changes to the hotel I booked on Salt Spring Island, and they were very willing to help me.) The competition is right next door with Seair Seaplanes.

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE This review is for the Richmond…read morelocation and flight departing from there (it appears some other Yelpers may have posted their downtown Vancouver location reviews here). 4.5 stars: it's pricey but the service is fast and great - huge time-saver over other travel options (e.g. ferry or non-seaplane flights out of YVR). Helijet is nice and fast too, but you get bigger windows to observe Beautiful British Columbia from the sky on Harbour Air! === 2. SERVICE I purchased a goGOLD return ticket between Richmond and Victoria and the process was easy online. This being my first flight with Harbour Air, I was unsure how to select seats but an e-mail to the company was quickly and professionally replied to and within 30 mins, I had my desired seat. When struggling to get to the terminal 30 mins before my flight, a call to customer service yielded another courteous and professional response and fears allayed. Check-in was also professional and before you know it, it was time to boarded, aided by yet two more professional young folks. === 3. FLIGHT Mick was the pilot on this flight - always good to have an Aussie with a relaxed attitude fly your plane. It's clearly an older aircraft but it's clean and if you're not too large (a larger fellow well over 6', 250lbs had some challenges fitting in the middle) the available legroom should be able to accommodate you. It seats about 11 passengers and your carry-ons are placed in the back by the pilot upon boarding. Tip 1: you can sit in the co-pilot's seat on the single-engine aircraft - just ask nicely and depending on the pilot, they may let you! Tip 2: if you book a goGOLD ticket, you can get advance seat selection. The left side of the aircraft has single seats while the right side as two seats (side-by-side) - it's more comfortable seated on the left side naturally. You watch a two-minute safety video via iPad placed at the front and then you're on your way! The flight is 30 minutes or less between Vancouver and Victoria and it features great views from below 5,000ft for the entire journey. Earplugs are available for those sensitive to louder noises (like the main propeller). === 4. TERMINAL It's an older building and it's adjacent to The Flying Beaver pub/restaurant (in fact the restrooms, should you need them, are in the restaurant). There are three or four check-in counter spots, plenty of gifts and company-branded merchandise on display. However there is a leather bench and some leather chairs close to the entrance, alongside the complimentary coffee, tea, water, fruit, earplugs, and in this location: pastries! (Not all locations have pastries available.)

We can't recommend Sewell's Marina enough. They really took care of us on a highly packed traffic…read moreday in Vancouver. We were scheduled for a shuttle pick up from our hotel at 12:30 pm, but due to a marathon most streets in Vancouver were blocked to traffic. We were stuck on Granville Island and had no way to get back to our hotel in time. A call to Sewell's, and they sent a cab to pick us up at their expense and got us to our boat tour on time! The Sea Safari tour was outstanding. We got outfitted in our survival suits and they also provided gloves, hats, and eye protection if you need them. All you need to bring is your camera and you sit back and enjoy a two hour high speed boat tour of Howe Sound. We saw seals, sea lions, multiple bald eagles and a large variety of other birds. The guides are knowledgeable and really made sure we were comfortable and had a good time. This was our last activity on our vacation and it was an excellent way to round out our trip.

Okay, I'm not a tour kind of guy, and usually I avoid any organized behavior on a holiday. However,…read morethe British Columbia coast is simply magnificent, and how bad can two hours on a boat be on a gorgeous day in July? Well, Sewell's "Sea Safari" surpassed any of my pre conceptions, and I had a simply fantastic experience. The loquacious Bruce picked us up at our hotel, and we were entertained on our 25 minute ride from downtown to Horseshoe Bay. After donning the ridiculous looking survival suits and laughing at ourselves, we hopped on to the inflatable zodiac for our journey into Howe Sound. The two hours flew by as we marveled at the incredible scenery. The Vancouver area has been truly blessed. At times our guide and captain did doughnuts with the zodiac, and we all screamed with delight. Nature lovers will enjoy seeing rare birds and seals along the way. I'm not much of a nature boy, but the soaring mountains, coves and cliffs, were astonishing to view from the water. The people on our boat were worldly and fun to be with, helping to make the experience comforting. We had a great time, and I recommend this tour wholeheartedly.

BC Ferries provides essential passenger and vehicle ferry service across coastal British Columbia,…read moreand overall, it's a reliable way to travel. We bought our tickets at the Capital City Station on Douglas Street in Victoria, and Sandy was absolutely wonderful, friendly, helpful, and patient. She even got us seats for October 13, 2025, which was Thanksgiving. Every company needs a Sandy, she deserves 5 stars for her service. Once we boarded the bus, things went downhill. Our driver, James wasn't very approachable. His responses were short, and he came across as a bit grouchy. It was a holiday, so we understand, but as first-time passengers, we found his instructions unclear and he seems to not welcome questions. When the ferry docked at Tsawwassen, we didn't hear it was time to reboard the bus to continue to downtown Vancouver. We missed the announcement and ended up being left behind, but our checked bags and personal items were still in the bus to Vancouver. Thankfully, the staff at Tsawwassen terminal were great. They guided us, called ahead to Pacific Station BC Ferries, and made sure we could retrieve our bags. When we finally reunited with the bus, James didn't seem particularly concerned or empathetic, which made an already stressful situation feel worse. We blame ourselves for missing the bus. But for future improvements, clearer announcements and louder overhead speakers would help first-time travelers. Even a quick name call for missing passengers would go a long way.

Such a cool experience. This was my first time on a car ferry and we had a great experience. We…read morebooked our tickets online in advance (cheaper). When you arrive the check in process is smooth- you pull through a kiosk then wait in line in your car to board the boat. Once on the boat you can hang out in your car, sit inside by a window, visit one of their many dining options or my personal favorite hang out on the upper deck. We booked morning options so it was fun to watch the sun rise (with a coffee from the dining area). We also saw a few whales in the distance. Definitely recommend taking the ferry to visit Vancouver Island if you're visiting the area

A really nice way to get across false creek from one side to the other. The tickets are pretty…read morecheap at a few dollars each depending on where you're going - even if you don't have a particular destination, it's fun to just ride along. It's pretty hard to tell which direction the ferry is going next though unless you're very familiar with the routes, so make sure you ask the driver just in case. I find that the ones I've interacted with all ask you where you're going before letting you on, so at least I haven't taken the wrong boat yet. They have a zone system for ticketing and at first it was a bit confusing for which zone ticket was needed to go where. But they have nice maps at each stop so it wasn't too hard to decipher after awhile. The boat drivers were also pretty nice and were happy to answer questions about tickets. I took the boats during the Big Picnic event at David Lam park. There were other people on the boat but it was not crowded at all. Boats also came all the time and so we didn't have to wait much before ours came. The boat doors were left open when I rode the boats and so it was really nice to be able to take pictures and videos without obstruction from the windows or clear screens. The creek is relatively calm most of the time and the rides are short, so most people probably won't get sea sick.

A fabulous way to get to Granville Island from Vancouver's West End…read more We walked down Thurlow to the corner of Beach and found the False Creek Ferry docked near the aquatic center. They leave every 5 minutes. For a modest sum we ferried across to Granville Island. What a pleasant experience and easy way to go to Granville Island!

"That's an invitation To make a reservation…read moreThe Magical Mystery Tour Is waiting to take you away" (The Beatles) We had a one day layover in Vancouver before we caught our cruise ship to Alaska, so we booked a 5 and a half hour Grey Line City Tour to get a feel for this gorgeous city. We booked on-line and chose pick up and drop off at our hotel. Our pick up by a "runner" was flawless and he fought through ridiculous Friday traffic that was even worse because there were three cruise ships with thousands of passengers milling around downtown. The runner dropped us off so we could board the tour bus, and met our driver Charlie and our tour guide Derek. The bus was very comfortable. Derek was a wealth of knowledge and gave us a history of Vancouver and it's early peoples. We saw an old office building downtown that was used as the Daily Planet building in Smallville! Turns out there is a lot of TV and movie production in Vancouver. The same office building was used in Deadpool Two. Our stops included Totem Pole State Park, the Capillano Park and Suspension Bridge, and the huge Granville Island Shopping District. The only disappointment we had was the unavailability of another "runner" to bring us back to the hotel. We had to take a cab, and are seeking a credit from Gray Line.

My firm hired them to drive us to the Vancouver Aquarium from our office…read more The services that they offer includes: pick up / drop offs/ sightseeing tours and more. Their buses are very clean and comfortable. The chairs are definitely on the nicer end. Their charter buses offer fan/air circulation and charging ports. Nice.... If you are looking to hire a charter bus to drive your guests around town. I suggest using them.