3426 replies to this topic

[jonny]

So who paid for Nanaimo's terminal? What about Campbell River's? Visitors spend all of 15 minutes on the terminal grounds. They are here to go whale watching, go to Butcharts, head downtown, etc.

[aastra]

Dude:

 

 

Completed in 2011, the facility cost $25 million and included $8.5 million from a federal infrastructure fund and $5 million from the province...

 

I get your point but here's how I'm looking at it: Ogden Point is Victoria. When they step off the ship they're in James Bay already. They aren't way out at the airport or Swartz Bay. So at that very moment you should already be making a good impression on them. You should already be immersing them in Victoria. This is a special stop. This is a unique place. You're going to want to come back here. Just look at this atmosphere and these happy locals enjoying themselves.

 

Heck, I'd even say the ongoing design of the cityscape should take first impressions from cruise ships into account at least to some degree (federal lands and other properties on the Esquimalt side, I'm looking at you).

[aastra]

And no, I don't mean more lawns.

[VicHockeyFan]

So who paid for Nanaimo's terminal? What about Campbell River's? Visitors spend all of 15 minutes on the terminal grounds. They are here to go whale watching, go to Butcharts, head downtown, etc.

All the people that work at those places pay tax to build the terminal.

[LJ]

If you have been to Los Angeles or Rome cruise ship ports you would find Ogden point pretty good. In a 20 minute walk you can be right downtown.

[aastra]

Yeah, but you know what I mean, right? These ships actually are docking in the city, in a central neighbourhood on the edge of downtown. But the vibe is that they're docking in a remote port area away from it all. In many cities that actually is the case, but in Victoria it really isn't. Not quite as central as Vancouver's terminal, but pretty damn central all the same. So why not walk the walk and talk the talk? You're here. Welcome to Victoria.

[lanforod]

I could see some resistance from downtown businesses to improving Ogden point. Their argument being they want the visitors to come downtown, not stay at Ogden point, which could be more likely if there was a nice park, terminal, pub etc there.

[Bingo]

I could see some resistance from downtown businesses to improving Ogden point.

Their argument being they want the visitors to come downtown, not stay at Ogden point, which could be more likely if there was a nice park, terminal, pub etc there.

 

Improving Ogden Point wouldn't make a difference as the terminal is mentioned along with the breakwater, and it is that beautiful walk to the breakwater lighthouse that the visitors are raving about.

I can understand that because when the locals go to that area they don't go to the terminal, they go to the lighthouse, even though the door is always locked.

Trip Advisor  https://www.tripadvi...trict_Vanc.html

[aastra]

So do we think it might ever be viable to have Greek-island style cruises in the Salish Sea area specifically? Smaller ships that do shorter cruises from one port to another?

 

 

[Matt R.]

We booked this puppy for a staff party last September, cruised over to Galiano for dinner at pilgrimme.

They offer dinner cruises and booze cruises too, fully equipped and will take you to any port you might want. Or were you thinking of something else?

http://www.saltspringtours.com

Matt.

[SimonH]

So do we think it might ever be viable to have Greek-island style cruises in the Salish Sea area specifically? Smaller ships that do shorter cruises from one port to another?

 

 

How small is small. The bottom ship appears to be Sea Dream 10000gwt 96 passengers.  

[jonny]

Dude:


I get your point but here's how I'm looking at it: Ogden Point is Victoria. When they step off the ship they're in James Bay already. They aren't way out at the airport or Swartz Bay. So at that very moment you should already be making a good impression on them. You should already be immersing them in Victoria. This is a special stop. This is a unique place. You're going to want to come back here. Just look at this atmosphere and these happy locals enjoying themselves.

Heck, I'd even say the ongoing design of the cityscape should take first impressions from cruise ships into account at least to some degree (federal lands and other properties on the Esquimalt side, I'm looking at you).

The question is: How does investing $50m or whatever the figure is translate into more money? How does the investment pay for itself? Providing a nice first impression of Victoria is great and all, but the name of the game is money.

I don't think fancy terminals drive additional excursions, which is where the big spending is. You need to sell an awful lot of t shirts to pay off the kind of new buildings that are envisaged.

[VicHockeyFan]

Find a way to divide off the parking lot.   Ya, I get it, you need space.  But half the space can be behind a great big buffer of trees.  Maybe some cool artwork that are like huge billboards in front of those trees.

 

 

 

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 05 August 2017 - 05:11 PM.

[jonny]

My guess is fancy improvements happen if we become a home port. That's where the big money is.

[VicHockeyFan]

As discussed, we will be the home port to an awful small ship if we ever become one. We do not have the airline capacity to bring in/out big numbers from all over North America.

[jonny]

Well 15-20 years down the line, who knows. Airports expand.

[VicHockeyFan]

Oh in 20 years, for sure. We will have self-flying drone/pods by then. Basically individual helicopters from YVR to Ogden Point.

Hey, in all seriousness, we do have the heliport there. How many large helicopters do we need to bring 2,000 passengers over and back? 100 round trips of a 20 passenger craft every weekend. Or a few less 30 pax ones.  JBNEA will love that.

 

 

Here's how it works...

 

The ship arrives here at 7am on Saturday morning after the week tour to Alaska.  Passengers unload.  They have already booked their helicopter flight, for that day, or the following day, Sunday (in this option they get a local hotel for Saturday night), back to YVR. 

 

So basically new incoming cruise passengers take any arrival into Vancouver they want on Saturdays.  Grab the helicopter to Ogden Point, as long as they are there for the 7pm cruise departure.

 

Helicopter schedule:

 

Leaving Ogden:

 

trip # - Time - day - aircraft #

 

1Y. 7:15am Sa #1 first Victoria departure of the day with end-of-trip passengers

2Y. 7:25am Sa #2

3Y. 7:35am Sa #3

4Y. 7:45am Sa #4

5Y. 7:55am Sa #5

6Y. 8:05am Sa #6

7Y. 8:15am Sa #7

8Y. 8:25am Sa #1

... and so on.

 

Leaving YVR:

 

trip # - Time - day - aircraft #

 

1V. 7:55am Sa #1 first Vancouver departure bringing fresh passengers over

2V. 8:05am Sa #2

3V. 8:15am Sa #3

4V. 8:25am Sa #4

5V. 8:35am Sa #5

6V. 8:45am Sa #6

7V. 8:55am Sa #7

8V. 9:05am Sa #1

... and so on.

 

 

 

I think we can get it all done with 7 helicopters flying all day Saturday, and a few times Sunday.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 05 August 2017 - 07:00 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

Every 5 minutes, all day long a helicopter either takes off or lands at Ogden.  Just one long din really.

 

One Long Din would be a cool name for a band.  It could play for the passengers as they arrive.  Then for the 7 minutes of silence James Bay gets every hour (helicopter re-fuelling), it'll be treated to this band.  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJFvtvTGEk

 

^  This would be cool song for them to play.

 

Or this one:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntPHFVWDIqM

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 05 August 2017 - 07:20 PM.

[Mattjvd]

^^ Chinooks aren't cheap. The entire RCAF only has 8 of them.

[aastra]

 

They offer dinner cruises and booze cruises too, fully equipped and will take you to any port you might want. Or were you thinking of something else?

 

I'm thinking of vessels larger than that (maybe 100 passengers) doing local cruises that last maybe two or three days. A little bit of everything: drinking and eating, visiting the various ports that need the business as per the articles, whale watching, a kayaking excursion here, a fishing excursion there, maybe even a swimming excursion in some suitable spot.