Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal

Hey Village of Horseshoe Bay… I might visit more often before getting on the ferry to Langdale … if I didn’t have to drive all the waaaaay back to Caulfield just to get in line.

I like the vibe of the downtown area, lot’s of fish and chips restaurants. Gives me the fisherman’s village feel to the place. I like being down by the water, the waterfront in Horseshoe bay is a decent place to hang out for the day. I spent 3 hours down there hanging out in the different shops on an overcast day, and I would definetly like to go back there in the summer when its nice and warm.

I have never been on a ferry before, so this was quite the experience.
Husband and I parked our vehicle, and just went as a walk on. We had transportation waiting for us on the island.
We rode one of the newest boats, the Coastal Renaissance and it was pretty incredible. Huge! Huuuuuuuuge. Facilities, washrooms, seating, all new.
We boarded, and went straight to the sun deck. I guess a little warning would have been nice when the sounded the air horn before we departed. A little startled, but still excited.
The ocean was nice and calm but it was bit windy and rainy. I took a few pictures and just absorbed the experience.
We went down to some other decks to go exploring. We were starving so we had breakfast. I had sausage, eggs, hashbrowns and toast, and the husband had eggs benny. For White Spot food on a floating bus, it was actually really good! It was a great experience and I would do it again!

Love the extra sailing at Xmas. Got on right away no waits. Quiet on here today, nice day for sailing. Too bad they didn’t change up the food here. Could do with some nice hearty soups.

ok, washrooms need to be renovated especially in the smaller waiting room they’re just so old and dirty looking. Twice now I’ve noticed that toilet paper has run out and no one has bothered to replenish.
The overall organization here is not bad, waits are usually bearable but i guess that’s also because I’m so used to being delayed now that every delay seems to be the norm.
There are quite a few vending machines in the small waiting room so if you’re craving an unhealthy snack you’ve got lots of options

My first time taking the ferry, and it wasn’t too bad. We did not make reservations — got in line around an hour before departure, and had plenty of time to make it. Tickets to Langdale are round trip, and coming back was super easy too. Plenty of room on the passenger decks to walk around and find seats, and lots of food options on board too.

I wish the ferries were for travel and not this «tourist» attraction horse crap were being forced fed. But then again, it’s owned by the government so of course it makes no sense.

I can appreciate this terminal as there are some cute surrounding shops, however, my god is it a stretch of a walk from the ticket booth, waiting room and then onto the ferry. If you’re carrying heavy baggages it’s like the baggage Olympics to fight the crowd. The entire look of the station is extremely sterile. Easy to get to by Transit from Downtown Vancouver.

Probably the least fun of the two terminals that work to get passengers from Victoria to Whistler and back. Of course, this is the review of probably one of the biggest «first world problems» I can list but given that there are choices …

Efficient and clean. Mostly on time.

Unlike the other 3 terminals between Nanaimo and Vancouver, this one has no play center or food/​drink services. If you have a long enough wait you can go into town, but it’s a good walk to get anywhere good.
I much prefer Horseshoe Bay/​Departure Bay to the Tsawwassen/​Duke Point ferry, which is a longer trip and seems to be staffed by those with customer service skills akin to an airport security agent.

What do you do at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal? Drive out to Horseshoe Bay, pay and park your car, buy a ticket at the ferry terminal, take the ferry.
Although, I do have to say there really isn’t anything to do while you’re waiting unless you walk around the little town. The ferry terminal is pretty boring with seats and 2 vending machines. Bring a magazine or chat with your friends/​family to kill some time before you get on the ferry.
Other than that, it’s pretty easy to to plan a day trip out to Bowen Island. Go out and enjoy yourself.

Ferry always leaves on time and the staff is great! You only have to get there 5 min before the boarding time to make the ferry!