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Post by Dane on Sept 6, 2017 15:55:30 GMT -8
Well some good news. Unlike other failed PAX only ferries in our West Coast history there is some bona-fide progress here; the V2V Empress is at Point Hope shipyard and giant cuts have been made on both sides to transplant engines. Fixing that decal up will probably quite the job, too!
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Post by Dane on Sept 15, 2017 12:48:48 GMT -8
Service restart is looking to be end-October.
Sailing schedule will be one round trip four days a week, Friday - Monday.
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Post by mybidness459 on Sept 21, 2017 12:01:35 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 6, 2017 20:26:02 GMT -8
V2V is now out until near end of December 2017 News story HERE |
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Post by Dane on Nov 2, 2017 11:15:46 GMT -8
New engines shipped today. New schedule and fares teased too. Looks like $50 and two round trips per day during peak periods.
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Post by whalebreath on Nov 24, 2017 15:54:33 GMT -8
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Neil
Voyager 
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Nov 24, 2017 22:38:21 GMT -8
I continue to be very skeptical that there is a market for the sort of service this company is offering, but give them full credit for investing the funds to find out. No one has demonstrated this level of commitment in the past. |
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Post by dofd on Nov 25, 2017 1:33:31 GMT -8
I continue to be very skeptical that there is a market for the sort of service this company is offering, but give them full credit for investing the funds to find out. No one has demonstrated this level of commitment in the past. Neil, I hear that, but what about the German entry into the ring?
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Post by dofd on Nov 25, 2017 1:38:45 GMT -8
Well my post above did not seem to take.
Maybe there is a market. We now have the Aussies and Germans going for a market that has failed. But if they or one of them make it a go, Nanaimo has a good chance (to be serviced by the Aussies or BMWMercedesAudi) if this thing works.
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Post by Dane on Dec 12, 2017 18:01:57 GMT -8
Back in service December 27.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Dec 12, 2017 21:30:36 GMT -8
Back in service December 27. I imagine they were buoyed recently by Clipper's decision to abandon its Vancouver plans, and put its new vessel on the existing Victoria route. Two operators on the very much niche market of Vancouver to Victoria fast ferry service would have been insane. Still, I'm impressed. They're going back into operation in the deadest time of the year, after four months or so out of commission. They've sprung for new engines for a vessel that had apparently made little impact in its first few months. This shows that the company has deeper pockets than any of its predecessors, and that they recognize this is a long haul proposal. |
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Post by Dane on Jan 14, 2018 23:52:29 GMT -8
After three more delays since my last post here the V2V came back on Friday, January 12. Oddly their website won’t accept booking at the time of my posting, and they direct everyone on social media to book via phone. Quite bizarre. Wonder if their web team disappeared during their service shut down? Hopefully it’s fixed soon, because that’s not a particularly conducive way to have people book trips in 2018.
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Post by darrylwilsonjr on Mar 5, 2018 20:11:28 GMT -8
I travelled recently on the V2V Empress. I took advantage of their introductory fare of $50 for all classes. It was an amazing experience. The lowest regular fare is $70 for a seat on the main deck in the middle section for the three hour crossing. I equate the experience with flying direct as opposed to having to change planes or make connections. The price is not that far fetched. If you take the BC Ferries Connector service to Canada Place from downtown Victoria, the cost is $55 plus the $17.20 ferry fare. $70 is a pretty good deal for a seamless point to point experience. You don't have to stay confined to your seat. You are able to move about the cabin. They have a hospitality bar that you can walk up to. From there, you can purchase alcoholic beverages or snacks. The food is reasonably priced and you get more bang for your buck with them than BC Ferries and much better quality of food with locally sourced ingredients such as Salt Spring Island cheese. Passengers also have the opportunity to walk to the outside decks at any point during the journey. I made a video and blog post of my experience. Check it out here.... Video: Blog: www.jetbc.com/2018/03/v2v-vacations-review-vancouver-to-victoria.html |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 5, 2018 21:10:24 GMT -8
I travelled recently on the V2V Empress. I took advantage of their introductory fare of $50 for all classes. It was an amazing experience. The lowest regular fare is $70 for a seat on the main deck in the middle section for the three hour crossing. I equate the experience with flying direct as opposed to having to change planes or make connections. Big thanks for sharing your experience, and the links to the blog and video. Much appreciated. |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 5, 2018 21:26:21 GMT -8
I travelled recently on the V2V Empress. Darryl: Was there a dramatic "Throttle Up" moment as the vessel left Vancouver? I'm assuming that it was somewhere after rounding Point Grey at UBC, or earlier? |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Mar 6, 2018 0:00:21 GMT -8
I travelled recently on the V2V Empress. I took advantage of their introductory fare of $50 for all classes. It was an amazing experience. The lowest regular fare is $70 for a seat on the main deck in the middle section for the three hour crossing. I equate the experience with flying direct as opposed to having to change planes or make connections. Big thanks for sharing your experience, and the links to the blog and video. Much appreciated. There doesn't appear to have been any passengers on board for this trip, so I'm curious as to whether this was a promotional venture for V2V? |
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Post by darrylwilsonjr on Mar 7, 2018 0:01:28 GMT -8
I travelled recently on the V2V Empress. Darryl: Was there a dramatic "Throttle Up" moment as the vessel left Vancouver? I'm assuming that it was somewhere after rounding Point Grey at UBC, or earlier? It was not as dramatic as one would expect. Perhaps I was already overwhelmed by the wind even at a lower speed. Indeed, it did throttle up around Point Grey shortly after we exited under the Lions Gate Bridge. |
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Post by darrylwilsonjr on Mar 7, 2018 0:06:55 GMT -8
Big thanks for sharing your experience, and the links to the blog and video. Much appreciated. There doesn't appear to have been any passengers on board for this trip, so I'm curious as to whether this was a promotional venture for V2V? Neil, although the video does come across as promotional and even somewhat professional to my own surprise (this was my first time doing it and I am an amateur), this was not a promotional venture for V2V in any way. I booked and paid for my trip last December when they offered a special promotional rate of $50 for all classes. This was just before they planned to restore service after their long absence since the summer. I had actually reserved my original trip for December 31 from Victoria to Vancouver, but they postponed their launch of service so I was unable to travel. I eventually rescheduled for late February and to my surprise, when we boarded the boat, it was only my partner and I, along with one other passenger. There were more crew than passengers. $50 was a fantastic deal for a private charter  I spoke with one of the staff on board and they told me that they are not aggressively marketing at the moment as they want to perfect their model prior to the summer and ensure everything is running smoothly so most of these off season runs are intended as trials. In addition, they indicated to me that this venture is very much a family legacy and they don't forecast to turn a profit until year five. Deep pockets indeed....the owner's nephew, who happens to be the GM, was also on the boat during my voyage. |
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Post by WettCoast on Mar 15, 2018 20:47:16 GMT -8
I am currently in Victoria staying at my Mom's place getting it ready for sale. While out for a walk this afternoon I caught the V2V Empress speeding by the anchored containership Cosco Prince Rupert in Juan de Fuca Strait. It looks like there is outdoor seating on the top deck? Maybe a little bit breezy? 15 March 2018  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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Post by dofd on Mar 19, 2018 23:08:40 GMT -8
Hope they do well, but an uphill battle. Just flew to Victoria one way at 149.00 and got there in 30mins with checkin. Thinking Helijet home but crazy pricing going on. (Springbreak), well will leave on the BC Ferry in a few days.
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Post by trainguru on Mar 24, 2018 3:06:43 GMT -8
Did anybody go to her Victoria Open House, on Saturday, the 17th? If not, I can provide photos from the interior (including the Pilot House and Helm!).
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Post by Starsteward on Mar 24, 2018 4:16:06 GMT -8
Did anybody go to her Victoria Open House, on Saturday, the 17th? If not, I can provide photos from the interior (including the Pilot House and Helm!). Would appreciate having a look at her interior if you could post those photos. |
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Post by WettCoast on Mar 24, 2018 20:07:42 GMT -8
V2V Empress speeds through Juan de Fuca Strait toward the end of its run in Victoria - 15 March 2018  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on FlickrAt present passenger loads are very light as can be seen in this enlargement from the above photo. Hopefully tourist loads in the coming months will fill the boat and the operator will make some money.
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Post by trainguru on Mar 24, 2018 23:42:45 GMT -8
Did anybody go to her Victoria Open House, on Saturday, the 17th? If not, I can provide photos from the interior (including the Pilot House and Helm!). Would appreciate having a look at her interior if you could post those photos. I'll try and create a blog post, as I don't use 3rd Party Photo Hosting, and I really want to write about my experience anyway. |
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Post by Dane on Mar 30, 2018 17:38:43 GMT -8
I just left an exceptionally professional and well-attended V2V open house at the Victoria Harbour dock. Lots of friendly staff, great snacks and bookings being done at 50% off. Created a really good image of the company. Of course with that said, the fare is simply still to high. And I get that costs for them must be astronomical, however, I cannot help but wonder if they're on the wrong side of the high fare vs high volume equation. I'm living in Vancouver for the next month and commuting back to Victoria on the weekends but even with my employer paying for my car to go back and forth on BC Ferries and 50% off V2V the finances to convenience decision point still leaves me with BC Ferries.
I hope they do well and cash in substantially with the tourist market because I don't think the locals will come.
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