Sidney to Swartz Bay travel time

[flyzapper]

Hi Everyone, 

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Vancouver, and I decided to make the trip more scenic and take ferries instead of driving the whole way.  I will take the Anacortes-Sidney ferry, then drive from Sidney to Swartz Bay, and take the ferry to Tsawwassen and continue to Vancouver.  My question is about the time it will take to get through immigration at Sidney and drive to the Swartz Bay terminal.  The Washington State Ferry is scheduled to arrive at Sidney at 11:10 am. Will I have enough time to pass through immigration and drive to Swartz Bay for the 1:00 pm sailing?  

Thanks for your advice!

[Low Light Mike]

Dec 2, 2013 17:59:40 GMT -8 flyzapper said:

Hi Everyone, 

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Vancouver, and I decided to make the trip more scenic and take ferries instead of driving the whole way.  I will take the Anacortes-Sidney ferry, then drive from Sidney to Swartz Bay, and take the ferry to Tsawwassen and continue to Vancouver.  My question is about the time it will take to get through immigration at Sidney and drive to the Swartz Bay terminal.  The Washington State Ferry is scheduled to arrive at Sidney at 11:10 am. Will I have enough time to pass through immigration and drive to Swartz Bay for the 1:00 pm sailing?  

Thanks for your advice!

You should be out of the lot at Sidney (ie. passed through customs) by 11:40 at the latest, likely earlier than that. The processing is pretty efficient.

Then it's only a 10-minute drive to Swartz Bay.
- So I think the 1:00pm sailing from Swartz Bay is doable; assuming that there's room for you on that sailing.

[WettCoast]

Dec 2, 2013 18:10:00 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Dec 2, 2013 17:59:40 GMT -8 flyzapper said:

Hi Everyone, 

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Vancouver, and I decided to make the trip more scenic and take ferries instead of driving the whole way.  I will take the Anacortes-Sidney ferry, then drive from Sidney to Swartz Bay, and take the ferry to Tsawwassen and continue to Vancouver.  My question is about the time it will take to get through immigration at Sidney and drive to the Swartz Bay terminal.  The Washington State Ferry is scheduled to arrive at Sidney at 11:10 am. Will I have enough time to pass through immigration and drive to Swartz Bay for the 1:00 pm sailing?  

Thanks for your advice!

You should be out of the lot at Sidney (ie. passed through customs) by 11:40 at the latest, likely earlier than that. The processing is pretty efficient.

Then it's only a 10-minute drive to Swartz Bay.
- So I think the 1:00pm sailing from Swartz Bay is doable; assuming that there's room for you on that sailing.

You might even find yourself making a ferry leaving Swartz Bay at 12 noon, assuming there is one.  At this time of year a sailing at noon from Swartz Bay operates only on Fridays & Sundays.  

[flyzapper]

Dec 2, 2013 18:18:55 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

Dec 2, 2013 18:10:00 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

You should be out of the lot at Sidney (ie. passed through customs) by 11:40 at the latest, likely earlier than that. The processing is pretty efficient.

Then it's only a 10-minute drive to Swartz Bay.
- So I think the 1:00pm sailing from Swartz Bay is doable; assuming that there's room for you on that sailing.

You might even find yourself making a ferry leaving Swartz Bay at 12 noon, assuming there is one.  At this time of year a sailing at noon from Swartz Bay operates only on Fridays & Sundays.  

Thanks for the replies.  For the day I'm interested in, there is no 12:00 pm sailing, so I might reserve a spot on the 1:00 pm sailing to be sure I get can get to Vancouver on schedule.

[WettCoast]

Dec 3, 2013 12:58:55 GMT -8 flyzapper said:

Dec 2, 2013 18:18:55 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

You might even find yourself making a ferry leaving Swartz Bay at 12 noon, assuming there is one.  At this time of year a sailing at noon from Swartz Bay operates only on Fridays & Sundays.  

Thanks for the replies.  For the day I'm interested in, there is no 12:00 pm sailing, so I might reserve a spot on the 1:00 pm sailing to be sure I get can get to Vancouver on schedule.

You have lots of time to make the 1 PM sailing.  A reservation costs extra and probably isn't necessary unless you are travelling on a day that might be expected to be busy.  If you tell us what date/day of week you are travelling we could advise you on whether a reservation would be warranted.

[Mike C]

Dec 3, 2013 21:08:50 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

Dec 3, 2013 12:58:55 GMT -8 flyzapper said:

Thanks for the replies.  For the day I'm interested in, there is no 12:00 pm sailing, so I might reserve a spot on the 1:00 pm sailing to be sure I get can get to Vancouver on schedule.

You have lots of time to make the 1 PM sailing.  A reservation costs extra and probably isn't necessary unless you are travelling on a day that might be expected to be busy.  If you tell us what date/day of week you are travelling we could advise you on whether a reservation would be warranted.

I would tend to agree with WCK on this one - if it's outside the holidays and not on a Friday or Sunday, a reservation is 17.50 you can probably avoid spending. Save it for the buffet.

[flyzapper]

I'm traveling on Christmas Day, so I think a reservation is a good idea, especially since I have to be in Vancouver at a reasonable time that afternoon/evening.

[Nick]

Dec 4, 2013 9:33:21 GMT -8 flyzapper said:

I'm traveling on Christmas Day, so I think a reservation is a good idea, especially since I have to be in Vancouver at a reasonable time that afternoon/evening.

The 1300 sailing on Christmas Day will be deader than a turkey on thanksgiving. Save your money.

[Koastal Karl]

I don't know about that! I have seen Christmas Day before has been busy! So who knows!