Queen of New Westminister

[Ian]

You do not hear a lot about the new west she is a troubled ship, a v-class but at the same time not a v-class. What does her future have in store.

[Low Light Mike]

I wonder if ships suffer from identity-crisis? Yeah, she is a bit unique. I mainly remember her as the ship that pulled away from the dock early, in 1992. Her and the Q-Victoria may be the only ships to have fatalities associated with it (other than the suicide jumpers, and likely some natural-causes incidents).

I was surprised to see how narrow her vehicle-lanes are on the upper car deck: I was in an SUV and our side-mirrors got clipped 3 times which the lane beside us was unloading (for the record: not my SUV, I hate those monsters!).

As a mid-islander close to Dep.Bay routes, the new-west is my main option to ride on a lifted V-class. I live in the land of the C-Class, so a ship like the NewWest is a nostalgia treat for me (minus the old BC Ferries ashtrays, and the old dining rooms that served the toasted cheese sandwiches).

[NMcKay]

OMG OMG OMG. Old BCF Moment in my mind. the old BCF Kids packs with the Cardboard C-Class

[Low Light Mike]

If you saved an old kids-meal package, you might have a collector's item on your hands. You'd have to get the ketchup stain out of the inside of that C-Class, though.

[Balfour]

I remember buying those cardboard ferries so many times. I remember they were single enders not double enders.

[Ferryman]

I'm pretty sure I have one of those laying around somewhere..I have to go and see, I even remember when I was younger I would always play with my little cars on it and ferry them around on my bedroom floor...oh the memories

[Ian]

I remember those very well they were the spirit class ships, i played with the bc ferr and the white spot pirate ship when i was little.

[NMcKay]

yeah i loved those things. man i wish i hadn;t thrown them away. they were so much fun. i got like 5 at one time, and i had a little mini BC ferries fleet

[Curtis]

So how many years does this go back?

[Koastal Karl]

I read something in the local newspaper in the opinions section this guy wrote in about the ferries. He thought instead of this new stuff they are doing they should go back to old style, with the old ships, that are paid for, is what he said, and offer a reduced fare for it. I dont remember the whole thing but I think it was to do with new ferries or something and having all these amenities and so on.

I do remember those kids packs, I may have even got one my self at one point. I dont remember what class of ferry it was though.

[Low Light Mike]

RE the Kids-Packs that BCF has had in it's dining rooms & cafeterias:

- most likely, there have been cardboard kids-packs done in the shape of a V-Class, a C-Class, and now an S-Class.....at different times over the last 30 years. It all depends on your age & generation as to what you remember.

If I remember my childhood, It's V-Class, and the occasional "Princess of Vancouver" dining experience. The younger folks will remember C-Class from their childhood.

Hey, my father in-law remembered "BC Steamships" from his childhood....

[Balfour]

I remember it was a V class Replica, in the mid-90s. I remember building a ferry terminal out of lego for my little hot wheels when I was like 6 or 7 years old.

[Balfour]

I don't think I've ever been on the New West, but I never have travelled out of Duke point due to the fact that I live on the North Shore and only a 20 minute drive from HB, although I think the New West has replaced a C class on the HB DB run a few times. I 've been on a V class once going out of Horesehoe Bay, The Esquimalt. Going on the New West would be a huge treat for me.

Another thing I noticed about the New West is that it still has the old solariums on the Sun Deck They obviously were'nt closed in during her conversion in 1991.

[Ferryman]

She's not really any different from the other V-Class regarding the interior, but I'm not as big of a fan of New west than C-Class. Ugh the one thing I hate about any V-Class is theres like barely any windows on the car deck, theres a few on the upper deck but none on the bottom car deck, unless you're on Vancouver, because I think she has a couple of portholes along the ceiling of the bottom car deck..can't really remember.

[Balfour]

Windows on the Car don't really matter to me because I usually hang out on the Passenger deck, usually outside to enjoy the scenery, and not on the Car Deck. I'd rather hear the chug of a V class funnel, than the engine noise of the Lower car deck, although I would hang out on the Upper Car deck.

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah the only v class ships with the port holes on the lower car deck is the Queen of Vancouver and the Queen of Victoria had them too. Does anyone know why the Saanich and Esquimalt dont have them as they were built after the Van and Vic??? I have only been on the New West once. I would like to go on her again one day. One other thing I notice with the Burnaby class is the snack bar is right across from the Cafeteria on the Nanny and the New West. I have never seen them open though.

[Balfour]

I've seen the snack bar open on the Nanny. It was on her 12:15 sailing to Long Harbour, during the summer