posted 07-29-2004 22:02               

#1- Please suggest a few neat activities for Friday night and Saturday mainly with our 11 year old daughter in mind....
#2- (A) Please suggest a relatively inexpensive car rental. Do you suggest a full-size car since we are planning to travel to Mt. Washington to snow ski. (B)Will snow skiing be good during that time of year?
#3-Since we're staying 2 nights at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, where should we plan to get on the ferry with our rental car going to Vancouver Island?
#4-Our flight returning home is scheduled to leave Vancouver International Airport at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, 03/27/05. Will we have enough time on Sunday morning to leave Pacific Shores Resort, take the ferry to Vancouver, drop off the rental car, and then get to the airport in time enough to depart? Or, would you recommend that we spend Saturday night near the airport? If so, which hotel near the airport would you recommend?

thanks alot fellow tuggers and God Bless, Jack, Pam and Kaitlyn Smith, Springfield, Missouri

posted 08-05-2004 11:00               

Snow skiing is always a crap shoot in the Northwest. By March if the season has been warm, the skiing could be over or pretty bad, but it could also be great if the season is cold. Without a crystal ball it is hard to tell, but I would not be planning on a ski vacation after March 15. You will get a better idea prior to your trip.

The ferry you use depends on where you want to go - straight to the resort, or a visit to Victoria first. The Tsawassen (Ta-wa-sen) ferry is nice and you have a choice of desinations (Victoria or Nanimo). Horseshoe Bay is easy since you are already in Vancover. http://www.bcferries.com/

Ferries are not dependable. Just because you show up in time for the ferry does not mean you won't sit through 3 sailings because many others are in line ahead of you. Unless you have a reservation, you are not guaranteed a spot on the boat. I can't tell you how frustrated I have been watching the third boat leave while I was the next car in line and have to wait for the fourth sailing. Sometimes boats need repairs and are suddenly taken out of service - sending the schedule totally out of whack as there are not other boats to fill in.

Tsawwasen is the closest ferry to the airport and the crossing time from Duke Point/Nanimo is 2 hours - plus load and unload time. You have to be at the ferry at least 30 minutes prior and then you have Vancouver traffic to the airport. There is no highway system in Vancouver. There is a highway to the east and north, but none that go where you want to go. So you will be dealing with city traffic during rush hour as you will need to be at the airport around 9 am for an 11 am flight. You would have to have a reservation on the 5:15am ferry. If you want to get up that early and risk the ferry it is doable. But you will have to drive from the resort to the ferry and be there at least by 4:45 am. The Fairmont Hotel at the airport is on the airport grounds - just take an elevator to the terminal.

Bring warm clothes, umbrellas and rain gear to enjoy your time here. It will be beautiful, but the trip across the water is cold even in the summer. The ferry ride is one of the most beautiful trips I have ever taken. Not to be missed by sitting in the car.

Have fun!

posted 08-29-2004 05:34               

The other thing I would recommend, since you have a car, is taking an early ferry to Victoria and then driving up to Pacific Shores, spending the day in Victoria and seeing sights along the way. We loved Victoria (spent one night there before going to PS). Spend a few hours at the Royal BC Museum, walk around the harbor. Then head up to Buchart Gardens (lovely!), and while you're there do high tea (not to be missed). Between Victoria and Buchart Gardens there is the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, which you can see from the road. We spotted it and just drove up on a lark, and discovered they were doing a tour. They have a 1.8 meter telescope, and the images they get are unbelievably cool. Even if they're not doing a tour they have some interesting exhibits on the lower level.

It's a lot to do in one day, but I think you'd be missing out if you didn't see some of these sights while on Vancouver Island. Pacific Shores used to do a day trip by bus to Victoria and Buchart Gardens, but it's much more fun and flexible to do it on your own that first day, plus you won't have the hassle of the round trip drive.

Have a great time!

-Corinne

posted 11-01-2004 22:06               

While the road to Mt. Washington is paved and well maintained by the government, chains may be required to be carried, or put on - this mountain can get huge dumps of snow. They can be rented at the base, shortly after leaving Highway 19. Most locals make sure they have some coveralls, or old warm clothes so they don't get their ski clothes filthy taking them off. You can take a ski bus from Parksville to the mountain if this sounds like too much hassle!

Most Vancouver Islanders hate the Tswassen ferry for the reasons above. Plus, there is nothing at either terminal, whereas in Horeshoe Bay, there is a village and marina to enjoy while waiting.

Sunday mornings leaving either side are rarely overbooked - the peak times are Friday night and Sunday night. We wouldn't make a reservation for Sunday morning - but we don't like arriving 30 minutes early either, as required to use a reservation. As for leaving from Tswassesn on Sunday morning, the early run is so little used that it is occasionally cancelled for training - so check ahead.