Very easy process to get from Victoria to Vancouver. We had Bob the driver, who was friendly, knowledgeable, and prioritized safety. He had some fun facts, but we had lots of quiet time to sleep or read. Seats are kinda small and not much leg room - my 6'1" husband was squashed. Otherwise, easy process with great views on ferry. You get off bus on ferry and can get a snack or just relax. Bus is the first off the ferry in Vancouver. Bus left at 9:45, on ferry about 10:30, and arrived at Pacific Central Bus at 1:30pm. We took a taxi from bus depot to the waterfront for less than $20.
Great transfer 09.30 13Mar from Vancouver to Victoria - driver made clear key announcements without use of PA - Excellent experience, kept us well informed. However return journey 09.45 19Mar with driver Bob was the opposite. The somewhat unnecessary weighing of checked luggage kerbside (all undersized suitcases & obviously well under any 20kg weight limit) was simply a Bob power trip - as well as directing us to line up single file several times while he jostled for the perfect spot to execute this task. Furthermore, while negotiating the peak hour traffic of downtown Victoria, Bob gave us a long winded 15 minute plus waffling lecture on how the street names were related to founding fathers while holding on to the microphone with his left hand and driving with only his right hand on the wheel. His commentary was at best boring, overly padded with cheesy 'dad jokes', bad one-liners, and reminiscent of an early 70s morning B-grade radio host. This behaviour continued throughout the entire journey at every opportunity to grab the mic that Bob had. Bob even made comment about bad drivers in YVR again while driving one-handed through heavy traffic and mounting the kerb when stopping to set down passengers. Perhaps management should point out to Bob that driving with one hand while giving long self-promoting speeches is imparting his concentration & is very unsafe & unprofessional. His priority is to drive us safely to our destination, not to be a microphone trivia celebrity - and continually trying to glean response & appreciation from his passengers Perhaps he should be directed back to being a long haul trucker again !! Very Disappointing !!
James is an awesome driver: his pre-ferry-boarding talk is the best thing ever! Just a great journey from start to finish. Wi-fi and USB charging sockets would be really good though.
I was genuinely surprised that when I arrived at the bus terminal there was no record of my reservation or payment, which was made weeks in advance and paid for two days earlier. When I found out that you were a third party to the transaction I was equally surprised. If you (La Vacanza Travel) spend the energy being top of list on an internet search, please follow through with digital transfer of information to the bus service for everyone’s logistical relief. We almost missed the ferry!
The experience was excellent both the coach part and the ferry. On time and excellent service. Highly recommend it as a travel mode between Vancouver and Victoria