HB-DB Schedule

[Balfour]

Has anyone ever been going on the Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay route and has been stuck in traffic lined up on the Highway or has just missed a 12:30 sailing from either end and had to wait 2 1/2 hrs?

This kind of thing annoys me because this route is almost used as much as the TSW-SB route, and should be running every hour, on the Hour.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Koastal Karl]

Well right now route 1 is every two hours except for Friday and Sunday's. I dont know why they dont have sailings on the hour though from Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay instead of going from like 12:30 to the next sailing at 3pm. But someone mentioned before it was so if the ferries were late in the morning the hour layover would be so they could get caught up. But they dont need that with route 1 so why doses Horseshoe Bay ferries have it? But I have seen Horseshoe Bay backed up along the highway as we came down from Squamish one day during the summer and were going to catch the Nanaimo ferry and we were backed up to basically that bridge. We almost went to Tsawwassen but I think we did get on the 12:30sailing. I dont know how come it was backed up cause I think we made it on.

[Ferryman]

Hmm I havn't missed two sailings before but I have missed one there. It was the 10:30, and we even got there before 10, and the 12:30 was almost already half full. So we got on that one, but of course still just as busy by 12:30, I hate trying to travel during the summer months with all of the busy traffic, and you basically don't have a chance of getting a seat on those days

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah, it can be a pain travelling on busy summer days. I remember last summer we missed 3 sailings at Tsawwassen on a Friday afternoon coming back from the interior. Got there for the 5pm around 4:30 and dident get on till the 8pm which left at 8:30. Sitting there in the heat. Not that fun. Havent really missed anything out of Horseshoe Bay, we dont go that route that much unless we are up in the Whister area. I dont even bother with finding seats. Summer is too nice to sit inside, especially nice clear summer days, although I do end up walking around inside a bit and roam the outer decks.

[Balfour]

I remember once coming back to Vancouver, missing the 12:30, going for lunch at a nearby Earls Restaurant, and returning to Dep Bay. We got there an hour before departure and almost didn't get on to the Next one at 3:00. I remember my step dad (who looks a lot like Gordon Campbell) almost lost his temper. We did get on to a very crowded Coq (pre refit). but we were at the very back of the ship. This just one of many times I've waited for 2 1/2 hours at Dep Bay.

[kylefossett]

2.5 hour wait or $15-$17.50 extra for a reservation and a small wait. i think i will pay the extra and not have to wait.

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah well that one time we tried calling the reservation line as we were driving through Chilliwack but couldent get through so we just had to bite the bullet on that one and be prepared to wait as we heard on the radio about the waits. And also the hold ups that day coming down from Kelowna dident help with contruction on highway 97 between Kelowna and Penticton then the highway 3 contruction sitting there for half an hour. It was crazy that day. But it's kind of hard to reserve if you dont know what time or which sailing you will make it in time for. But yeah it is a good idea to reserve and we would usually reserve if we had to be somewhere at a certain time. But that same trip when we left on a Friday morning on the 11am we reserved and we dident even need it as we would of got on anways. We always seem to reserve when we dont need to but when we should of reserved we never did.

[Balfour]

My family only ever reserves for sailings that absolutely must get on, otherwise it doesn't matter, but it's not fun sitting at a terminal, unless its Tsawwassen.

[Doug]

You don't like sitting at Tsawwassen??? I love sitting there. We sat there for six hours last summer when the New West broke down, and I wasn't bored in the end at all. ;D

[Balfour]

I meant, I don't like sitting at terminals UNLESS it's Tsawwassen. If I'm at TSW, I just watch ferries go in and out. I don't mind HSB either, I can just make a quick trip over to Troll's

[Koastal Karl]

no way! I wouldent wait 6 hours to go to Duke Point. If I could I would go to Swartz Bay then drive up, but I would never actually do that as I am from Victoria but we have done vise versa gone to Duke Point and driven down. Horseshoe Bay wouldent be so bad as you can walk into the village. Tsawwassen would be ok during the summer when all the markets are there and when this new thing is built.

[Koastal Karl]

Actually Duke Point would suck waiting there for 6 hours. Nothing to do there, Swartz Bay would be alright, still a bit boring probably and Departure Bay.

[kylefossett]

swartz bay would be great for a 6 hour wait. the stonehouse is an eight minute walk, 5 if thirsty.

[Ferryman]

Departure Bay, Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen, and Horseshoe Bay would be alright to wait for 6 hours. Depends where you are in the long lineup in the Horseshoe Bay lineup whether you're stuck in the terminal, or way up the upper levels highway somewhere waiting to get through the ticket booth. Duke Point is only good for the physically fit to be stuck at because there is a trail that goes through a bit of a forest that goes from Duke Point to Jack Point, walked a bit of it myself and it was alright. But the only thing they got going as far as food is the vending machines

[Dane]

Tsawwassen is more interesting fpr ferrys, HSB has far superior food (I too am a Trolls fan, I got gift certificates at Christmas ). Tsawwassen ferries turn and such, plus there is in the summer 7-8 boats working. HSB at most is 5.