Victoria Clipper

POOR PLANING! First trip out 8:00 am from Seattle, by the time the food staff got to our seat and I tried to order oatmeal, told it’s «all gone.» REALLY? Got there an hour early and guess we should have sat in a different place on the boat… think we were the last place the staff got to. You can’t anticipate how many breakfast requests you might get? Should have got food at Starbucks before we left like my daughter did, wanted to patronize VC but won’t make that mistake again. Other than that, trip seems okay.

The reply the company sent was a lie. There was no letter offering 50% off a future travel. I reiterate my 1 star review as I hate liars.

This is for the Leavenworth trip.
Hello,
On Saturday December 12^th my husband and I boarded the Bus 658 at Mount Lake Terrace High School headed to Leavenworth. Our trip was one of the most disappointing and exhausting situations and has lead me to reach out because of it. We broke down on the way to Leavenworth, we were told we would arrive before noon and we didn’t arrive until 2PM. Leaving at 5:30 means our time was extremely cut short and ruined the experience I wanted for us. On the way back we broke down more than once, everyone in our bus was upset and we were all questioning if the bus was safe. I believed beyond a doubt this was a safe choice before, now I feel it was beyond unreasonable to have us on a bus that was not running properly. On the way home it lost power more than once. I am going to send this and hope for a response with a refund.
UPDATE: After calling and being told they are looking into it, I was told to «Wait it out and they will respond if there’s anything they can offer me eventually». Unacceptable. I’ll be contacting Kiro about the safety situation on the buses and the BBB about the dodgy tactics.

This review is for the Leavenworth Lighting Festival. Overall, we had an amazing time, thanks to Sean (guide) and Juan (driver)! Sean was very engaging. Loved his enthusiasm, jokes and stories. We also had a good balance of downtime to ourselves to enjoy the peace and quiet, and the scenery. We left at 9am, got there around noon and have a good 5 ½ hours to explore. On the way back, we encountered some issue with the snow tires which delayed the return trip by 2 hours. Certainly glad that the tour companies have each other’s back where the buses were following one another so the teams & mechanic can help each other out. And it’s nice to be able to relax and not to worry about and deal with problems like these ourselves. Will certainly book another tour with Victoria again.

We took bus #658 from Mountlake terrace HS to Leavenworth yesterday. Awful, awful experience! Very unsafe situation. It was downright scary!!! Bus had multiple issues, broke down on the pass and continued to have issues requiring us to stop on the pass numerous times to and from. We would completely lose power and sit on the pass in the dark with no explanation!
Due to these issues we spent 10 hours on a bus and only got 3 hours in Leavenworth. Just enough time to wait for a table, eat and get back on bus… Which continued to have issues chaining and maintaining power all the way home. A very long 5 hour ride home!
So…we missed the tree lighting completely because of all this. Our poor kid missed all the fun we promised and we were all just tired, hungry and stressed out! At the end they actually had the nerve to solicit tips from the passengers too!!! I think the company should offer refunds to all of us on this bus! If you book a trip with this company, beware!

We took a side trip to Victoria, BC via the clipper. Booked the round trip, afternoon tea at the Empress and hotel from clipper vacation. The ferry ride was about 2 hrs and 45 min. from Seattle’s pier 69 to Victoria, BC. On the return trip there was a travel advisory… I think a wind storm. They e-​mailed & called us, also our hotel lobby posted the advisory. We were rebooked on the COHO ferry which is larger than the clipper. Instead of going to Seattle the COHO took us to Port Angeles where we were bused to the Bainbridge Island ferry. Arrived back in Seattle around 9pm instead of 7:45. Overall a great experience on the clipper and amazing time in Victoria.

What you can expect from a boat ride: comfortable, easy and got us there quickly. This is a relaxing option from driving or flying to Victoria and is fairly inexpensive.
We enjoyed the boat ride both there and back and everyone on board was friendly. They offer motion sickness pills for 25 cents which you can easily take if you are prone to motion sickness.
They only take credit card for food or drinks, so no cash needed. Everything about this was easy and there was no confusion or hassle during the trip.

Quick, easy and conveniently located at pier 69 near Pike’s Place Market.
I’ve used the Clipper frequently over the years since my aunt and uncle live in Victoria, British Columbia. When in Vancouver, it’s easy to take the public ferry to the island. However when I fly to Seattle first, the Clipper is the quickest option to Vancouver Island.
My advice when you take the Clipper: check in beforehand so you can board quickly. Try your best to carry on your luggage. Just trust me. If you don’t do this you will have to wait forever to retrieve your bags (I stuff my suitcase in nooks on the boat).
I just arrived 30 min before my trip and it was a quick and easy boarding. Just be sure to check the off season schedule as the trips are sparse.

For $ 177, you get a round trip ticket from Seattle’s Pier 69 to Victoria, British Columbia on a 2 hour & 45 minute ferry ride. The Clipper isn’t fancy by any means but it is an adequate, clean boat that gets the job done. The boat has a menu to order drinks & light food as well as a duty-​free selection of perfumes, liquor & merchandise. One bonus was the electrical outlets, found on every other row, that come in handy when needing to charge cell phones. Going through customs wasn’t an issue & moved along fairly quickly on my trip. We ended up having about 6 hours to explore Victoria, which was more time than I expected so this was a pleasant surprise.
*Tip: I suggest turning your cell phone data off about 30 minutes before arrival into Canada to avoid a ridiculous cell phone bill.

As far as we could tell, the Victoria Clipper was the only way to go whale watching directly from downtown Seattle. So we knew when we bought the tickets that we would have a long boat ride to Friday Harbor before going on the whale watching portion of the trip. And we knew that the boat is larger than the ordinary whale watching boat. So really, this is not a complaint; the Clipper and crew delivered exactly what was advertised.
That being said, if I had it to do over again, I would have driven to Anacortes, taken the ferry over to San Juan, and gone with one of the whale watching tours from Friday Harbor. The reason is that on the Victoria Clipper, when we did see a lone humpback whale, the captain pointed the boat directly at the whale and forty or more people rushed to the front for a view. Unfortunately, I was raised with these stupid manners that prevent me from rudely pushing in front of others. But if you want to see a whale from the Victoria Clipper, that is pretty much what you are going to have to do. I tried to take a few pictures but most of my shots have someone’s head or camera halfway in front of my lens. By the end of the day, I was grouchy. And if you want a decent seat, be sure and get there early. Also, the time you get on Friday Harbor is just enough to either eat at a restaurant or go hit up some of the shops (which aren’t very good). We opted to eat on the boat in order to have time in Friday Harbor. Either way, there just isn’t enough time to actually do anything in Friday Harbor. And again, you need to get in line to get back on the boat at least a half hour early if you want a window seat because you lose whatever seat you had from the trip out. So everybody hurries to board the ship and stake out their spot, some even pushing into the line. Really, the problem with the Victoria Clipper is all the other rude passengers, not the boat or the crew. It is really a boat designed to transport people to San Juan and back. But they saw the opportunity to make some extra money by selling whale watching tours, rather than just stay docked there. I wouldn’t recommend the trip for whale watching, but it would be fine if you are staying in San Juan.

Fantastic, relaxing way to get from Seattle to Victoria and back! The tickets aren’t cheap, but the boat is comfortable, the staff is friendly and the food is reasonably priced. Both of our boats left on time and arrived a little bit late, but no big deal!

Took a nice cozy roundtrip to Victoria and back over the weekend. The Clipper has a lot of great things going for it if you need to go somewhere on its route. Very comfy seats, nice wide windows that afford you great views of the cities, the islands and peninsulas, and any wildlife that might be in the area – harbor porpoises were the main thing we saw, and they’re pretty adorable even if all you ever see is that little BLOOP of their dorsal fin peeking out of the water.
Food and beverages were fine. One should know going in that nothing is complimentary and that the service will only come through once, but you can go track more down if you need something else. Also they have the duty free thing, but frankly these days a tax break is not enough to make me want to buy a gallon jug of booze, and I would simply never buy a bunch of stanky cologne. But to each their own.
Check-​in on the Seattle side was a bit clunky. The representative at the initial check-​in counter either was very tired or very hungover, and seemed to have an accent too, and we barely understood a word that she said, but we figured we’d make sense of it when we went down to the waiting area. Once we were in there, one woman shouted instructions over and over (because several different boats were departing within a short time of each other) but then we could almost barely hear our boarding announcements over the PA system. So, they could shore that up.
Customs was a breeze on both sides. I love the seemingly random questions that you get mixed in with the standard ones… Did you visit anyone? Did you buy any rare wood? Did you see a UFO? What’s your brother’s best friend’s worst enemy’s middle name? What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever seen? What’s the opposite of bok choy?
I’m not sure how the order of boarding passes is determined – by the date you buy your tickets, the time at which you check in, or what – but it definitely behooves you to be in numbers 1 – 50, which board before the masses. Seats are not reserved so the choice seats get taken and big parties were having trouble getting to sit together.
All in all a lovely trip.

Leaving Seattle, the boat was about 30 minutes late. I ended up getting pretty nauseous and the trip wasn’t much fun for that reason. Also, the sun was beating in the window and the seats were so close to each other with airline style legroom which I think contributed to my nausea. I did hear the announcement at the beginning saying to take motion sickness medicine NOW but missed the part where they said they sell it on board. I wouldn’t have bought it anyway because I didn’t expect to get sick. They offered a discount on well drinks since the boat was late, but I don’t drink alcohol so I didn’t get any advantage from the late boat discount.
I tried to find dramamine or something similar in Victoria for the ride home but I didn’t find anything. I was really not looking forward to 2.75 hours of nausea again so I bought the medicine sold on board and had a much more pleasant return voyage. I also chose a seat in the back w/​a table where I could lay my head down as needed and that helped a lot as well.
I didn’t buy any lunch items but did get a cookie on the way over and it was a prepackaged Cougar Mountain cookie and ok. The way back I got a soda which turned out to be a fountain soda on ice which was nice. I expected them to toss a can or bottle at me. I love fountain sodas on ice.
The employees were all very nice and very friendly. The boat was only about ½ full in both directions which was also nice. I think a full boat would be a very miserable sailing giving the uncomfortable seats that are crammed in close to each other. Some of them even recline so if you have a jerk sitting in front of you you couldn’t end up losing what precious little leg room you have. (I’m 5’6″ with short legs so the fact I’m moaning about leg room is telling.)
I also bought a ticket to Butchart Gardens from the Clipper folks. It was a pleasant, punctual and safe trip. I liked that they provided the transportation and a little tour of Victoria on the way. Our driver was funny and knowledgeable. I wish they allowed for 3 hrs instead of 2 though. Two hours at the garden isn’t enough if you’d also like to have afternoon tea or take one of the boat tours at the garden.
All in all, it was a good experience and perfect if you don’t have a car or don’t want to drive to Vancouver or Port Townsend to catch a car ferry. One thing that seemed odd to me is we had to go through customs in Victoria where we showed a passport, declared items etc and then had to do it AGAIN in Seattle. What’s up with that?
My advice to the Clipper people is to make the seats more comfortable, no reclining or more leg room.

Easy convenient way to get to Victoria. Ship was clean and the chairs were comfy. Decent selection of snacks and beverages.

Parking: park in Bell Street Pier Garage. The sign says $ 21/​night but you will only pay $ 10/​night with your clipper voucher.
On the boat: sit on the left of the boat for a better view, but really it’s all open water, so it doesn’t really make a difference which side you sit on.
Come an hr early to check in. They board by your boarding number so you won’t lose your place in line. However, they will board in groups of 50 so it would be nice to be the first in line in that group of 50 so you can find better seats once on board. I think all the seats are good so really no need to fight for good seats.
Pack snacks, sandwiches, drinks, etc as the food on the boat isn’t that great. We packed sandwiches and snacks and it made it a pleasant experience.
Once in Victoria, the crew were helpful. There was a lady standing right in front right as you get off the clipper to help with questions and call your hotel (to get shuttle bus) for you.
If you have a garden tour then the bus is right there for you to hop on. If you want to go to your hotel then the lady will call a shuttle bus from the hotel for you. It’s really easy.
We arrived at 6 pm ish so we just took the shuttle to our hotel.
We stayed at Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe hotel. So nice. The hotel shuttle drove us to any place within the downtown area so no need for a car.
I don’t think a car is needed as your hotel shuttle will drive you to wherever you want within the downtown area (and from hotel to clipper parking lot). We arrived 6 pm ish Sat and departed Sun at 6 pm ish, we did not get a car but got around ok, walking wasn’t bad. If my parents who are in their 60’s can walk with a backpack of stuffs without complaints then you can do it too.
Overall, great experience. I would recommend this once for those who have never experienced Victoria.
Would I do it again? Hmm… maybe in a couple years but not anytime within this year.

My review is for the Leavenworth Excursion (aka the Snow Bus). I have no experience with the actual clipper/​ferry/​BC part, so you can ignore me if that’s what you’re looking for.
We paid $ 75 per adult (7 days in advance, it’s a little more if you wait until the last second) to basically ride a «deluxe motor coach» from a Park and Ride near our house to Leavenworth. Our tour guide was pleasant and kept the bus entertained with stories and trivia, and the driver was professional and courteous. If you’ve ever taken a trip in high school for band you’ll know exactly what to expect. For everyone else, this is basically a carpeted bus minus the urine smell, though (in perhaps an ironic twist,) this bus actually has a bathroom.
The «breakfast basket» we received was a cousin of the continental breakfast at a hotel — it consisted of a muffin, a yogurt, and some fruit in a cup. Assuming you aren’t a bird, I’d recommend eating before boarding the bus. This last winter was pretty dry and absolutely free of snow, so our trip didn’t take very long — just a little over 2 hours.
Once you get to Leavenworth they basically let you loose on the town with a reminder to be back at the bus by 5pm or they’ll leave you behind forever! (Okay I added that last part, but seriously. Be back on the bus, people!) This time is nice because it allows you to experience the town lighting but doesn’t put you out so late you’re worried the bus driver will fall asleep behind the wheel on the way home.
Mostly what you’re paying for is peace of mind that you won’t drive yourself and your family over the edge of the mountain in the pass. For my husband and me, it was worth it to not have to drive 2 hours one way (sidebar: if there’s anyone under the age of 16 reading this I have one piece of advice for you: ENJOY THE BUS WHILE YOU CAN. Driving is fun for like the first 30 minutes and then it’s awful and you will spend the next 50 years wishing you could go back to the days of being ferried around for free).

Easy, convenient way to get from Seattle to Victoria. Food on board, cocktails, beer, comfortable chairs. Outdoor deck on the second floor is open for those who want to check out the sights and the outside weather.
2:45 hours trip… easy.

Boat is hot. The check in process is confused. The arrival process takes forever. You clear immigration in Victoria but then still have to wait to clear your luggage in Seattle. Maybe this isn’t the issue of clipper navigation, but the process itself is inconvenient.

The easiest, most comfortable & scenic way to travel from Seattle to Victoria. It takes 2.5−3 hours. We sat in an area with 6 seats (2 rows of 3 seats) with a table in between. The Clipper wasn’t full so there was an empty seat between us & another pair. We could easily put our backpacks either on the empty seat or under the seat. It was nice to be able to nap, eat, walk around & take pics outside during the journey. Plus not deal with TSA hassle.
We checked our carry-​on bags at the curbside. It was convenient although it means you disembark after those who didn’t check bags.
TIP 1: check online for fare specials.
TIP 2: the overnight packages with hotel may be a good deal
TIP 3: plan ahead & bring your own food & drinks
TIP 4: they have luggage storage in Seattle if you need it for the afternoon.

~AOK Travel
Travelling between countries can be frustrating and time consuming. This ferry alleviates a lot of that with travel between Canada and the United States. It will still take time and patience.
~Comfort
The Ferry is actually quite comfortable. You have about twice the space as you would have on an airline even if the ferry is full. My ride was booked solid each way.
~Duration
The ride takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes each way. They have food for purchase. They also have at least 5 restrooms.
~Travel Tips!
Bring your own food and snacks as well as a game, book or something to pass time. It is nice to nap also. Do not bring in check in luggage if you can avoid it. It takes longer to disembark. Try to arrive an hour early for best seating and try and grab a window seat. Bring your patience. It’s never a breeze to travel with a hundred people and pass through governmental authorities. Bring your good attitude and you will have a pleasant ride.
AOK in my book!