The holiday season is one of the busiest travel times of the year for B.C. Ferries, which is adding 171 extra sailings and some Christmas trimmings.
Beginning today, the Pacific Buffet on the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the Spirit of British Columbia and Coastal Celebration will serve carved-turkey suppers, with cranberry sauce, stuffing and vegetables.
Tessa Humphries, spokeswoman for B.C. Ferries, said some ferry workers have also been making extra efforts to gussy things up for the holidays.
“It is a very popular travel time for us, and with many of our terminals and vessels, our people have gone above and beyond to give them a nice festive feel,” said Humphries.
Graeme Johnston, president of the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union, asked passengers to treat ferry personnel with kindness at what is a busy — and often stressful — time of year.
“Our members are very professional and very good at handling people and their stresses,” said Johnston. “But our members don’t set the rates or the schedules or make the weather.”
Johnston noted, however, that stress levels seem to drop on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. “People tend to be very happy,” he said. “On Christmas Day, you tend to get very happy travellers.”
Between Dec. 19 and Jan. 1, B.C. Ferries plans to add 128-sailings to the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, 37 sailings to the Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay route and six to the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route.
With the 90-vessel Skeena Queen set to undergo a mid-life refit, the 60-vehicle Bowen Queen is scheduled to take over the Swartz Bay-Salt Spring Island route from Dec. 20 to Jan. 1. Bowen Queen will do two extra round-trip sailings each day to accommodate more travellers.
But B.C. Ferries cautions that due to the vessel’s lower capacity, vehicle passengers could experience lineups, particularly at Fulford Harbour. Those connecting with buses could also see longer waits.
To reduce holiday-travel stress, B.C. Ferries advises making a reservation early to secure passage and arriving early for the sailing — walk-on passengers and those with reservations should arrive 45 minutes before their scheduled departure time.
