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The CPR Steamship Terminal on Belleville Street


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#101 Mike K.

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 07:48 AM

This will likely be a service marketed to visitors of Vancouver. Many tour agencies will include it as part of a west coast experience, or whatever. The odd Victorian that might use it for anything other than leisure travel will not be their bread and butter.

And who knows, maybe they have a plan to compete with the Clipper, too. Their boats are getting quite old their terminal facilities stink on both sides, and it's proven to be a viable year round service.

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#102 gumgum

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:00 AM

It has no intention of competing with BCF. It's a different experience. Every day hundreds of people in Vancouver and Victoria take boat trips that cost over $100.

A return trip for a family of 4 would cost $682 including GST. No average family will touch this.



#103 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:03 AM

Take a look at whale watching boats. There are no families in them. This will be the same.
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#104 29er Radio

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:07 AM

alot of "victorians" view the amenities provided at our doorstep like victorians, when alot of these amenities can be enjoyed by people from all over the world. Why dont the tourists take a bc transit bus from downtown to oak bay. its faster and cheaper. Riding the bc ferry last Saturday morn, the boat was full and the locals treated it like a necessary evil to get from here to there and the tourists saw it as an amazing cruise through some of the most beautiful land/seascapes in the world.


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#105 gumgum

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:08 AM

^^Except there aren't much cheaper options for whale watching versus ferry travel.


Edited by gumgum, 19 September 2015 - 08:08 AM.


#106 Bingo

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:35 AM

It has no intention of competing with BCF. It's a different experience. Every day hundreds of people in Vancouver and Victoria take boat trips that cost over $100.

If they are not competing with BC Ferries why go from Victoria to Vancouver when you can go whale watching 30 minutes out of the harbour and be back for lunch. This service will be unreliable during the storm season that often delays BC Ferry sailings. Yes the experience might be different, but like the failed BC Experience here in Victoria there is certainly money to loose on this venture.



#107 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 08:49 AM

Nobody says it's running 365.
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#108 Greg

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 09:14 AM

FWIW, we will choose this over the BCF trip to Vancouver every single time. Downtown to downtown, passive travel > driving, loading and disembarking ferry, and cheaper than float planes (and presumably without the baggage weight restrictions). 



#109 dasmo

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 09:24 AM

Yep I'm a customer. I don't like the 40 minute drive, the 40 minute wait (you gotta be there a half hour before) the stress you might not make it, and the 40 minute drive to Van...

If it's $80 and I can go to a show and return that night I would be super happy. I know it won't be that though. It will be more geared for Van to Vic no doubt....

People don't account for the actual vehicle cost either....

It will kill the PCL route at $62 for the loser cruiser... And that thing is full!

Edited by dasmo, 19 September 2015 - 09:27 AM.


#110 gumgum

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 10:01 AM

FWIW, we will choose this over the BCF trip to Vancouver every single time. Downtown to downtown, passive travel > driving, loading and disembarking ferry, and cheaper than float planes (and presumably without the baggage weight restrictions).

how many typically in your party?

#111 dasmo

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 10:18 AM

It's certainly not for families of four! Odds are they will want to travel by car...



#112 dasmo

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 10:30 AM

A return trip for a family of 4 would cost $682 including GST. No average family will touch this.

I thought someone said kids were free?

 

A PCL round trip for two adults and two kids is $372.12. And it takes forever and is relatively unpleasant.

If kids are free it will only be $320 for a round trip. 



#113 todd

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 12:51 PM

If they serve booze it may give them a bit of an edge.
 
Maybe throw the dice on some gambling facilities.


#114 Greg

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Posted 19 September 2015 - 02:25 PM

how many typically in your party?

Just the two of us. Definitely the math is different for a family than it is for a child-free and car-free couple living in the downtown core. 



#115 Mike K.

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 07:23 AM

Yeah, I'm in. It'll be something different and fun, and I'm sure they'll offer deals or discounts every once in a while.

Harbour Air is still the absolute best form of travel without a vehicle, but it's more expensive and has limited hours in the fall and winter months and fog delays are regular occurrences this time of year.

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#116 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 07:35 AM

 

If they serve booze it may give them a bit of an edge.
 
Maybe throw the dice on some gambling facilities.

 

 

Of course they will serve booze.  Gambling is a non-starter, it's not legal on ships, BCF found that out and dropped the idea.


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#117 tedward

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 07:50 AM

It will kill the PCL route

 

I think the PCL route is already dying thanks to the easy and cheap city bus - Canada line connection. I used that going to and from the Whitecaps game @ BC Place this weekend (no comments about the horrible game please. ;)  ) and it was $2.75 each way thanks to off-peak fares. The bus was a little crowded and they could run a little more frequently on Sunday but otherwise the service was great.

I fail to see how those on a budget would prefer $80 each way for a little more comfort. This service will be competing with float planes and existing whale-watching tours IMO.


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#118 Nparker

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 08:33 AM

I think the PCL route is already dying thanks to the easy and cheap city bus - Canada line connection....

Last weekend I used the BC Transit-Translink (via the Canada Line) system to get to downtown Vancouver. Mid-day Friday the the bus at this end wasn't overly full, but man-oh-man 65 minutes from the Hudson to Swartz Bay (I was on the #72) - that's endurance. I realize the #70 makes fewer stops but I had plenty of time so I opted for the less crowded bus. Traffic and construction delays on the Tsawassen side meant it took an hour to get to the Bridgeport train station. Normally it's about 30 minutes. I reached Georgia @ Granville just after 4:30. In total, it took just over 5.5 hours from leaving home to reach my destination. I was only carrying one smallish backpack so I didn't really mind.

 

Today I am again travelling to Vancouver, but since I am embarking on a cruise tomorrow, I have 2 suitcases in tow (hey, it's not easy to pack light for 11 days on a floating resort), so my travel companion and I have opted for the PCL mostly due to the luggage handling situation. We are scheduled to be dropped off within 2 blocks of our hotel in downtown Vancouver around 3:45 this afternoon. With the BC Ferry discount our one-way fare is $41 each. Not bad for letting someone else mostly deal with the luggage and a comfortable ride from portal to portal.

 

In short, for me the choice of transportation from Victoria to Vancouver has as much to with comfort & convenience as it does with price. I suspect I am not alone in this matter, especially with an older demographic in the CRD.


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#119 Hotel Mike

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 09:12 AM

I really don't think this plan will ever make it. Perhaps the Australian gentleman is trying to figure out how to break into Victoria's booming tourist industry. If he already runs a successful marine enterprise down under, surely he can add up that the passenger service won't be making money. The seas can be rough here(there was a lot of seasickness on the previous service). And there is much competition as pointed out in this discussion.

 

 

 

Harbour Air is still the absolute best form of travel without a vehicle

 

Mike, you must not have tried Helijet, which beats Harbour Air hands down. It's quieter, smoother, funkier, and doesn't have that stink of the fuel the float planes use.

 

And Nparker, have a great cruise!


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#120 Nparker

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 09:16 AM

..And Nparker, have a great cruise!

Thanks HM!  :thumbsup:



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