July 13, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Sidney, Cruises & Boat Tours
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While most tourist who board BC Ferries for the first time find their voyage busy with exploring the ship and gawking at the passing scenery, BCers who regularly travels on BC ferries finds they develop a system for their own journey. Here's a few tips, starting with the food options. On the bigger boats, the cafeteria is a popular place to head. In fact, most people head straight for the food lineup upon boarding. I usually wait a while, 'cause I really hate lineups, and wait for the crowds to pass by about 1/2 way through the journey. Two reliable staples from the cafeteria are the fries, and the self-serve soft-serve ice cream. The fries are pretty standard, but happily so: crispy outside, soft inside. As for the ice cream, my husband and brother-in-law can't get enough: they tend to test the boundaries of gravity with the height of ice-cream spirals. Now, my personal favourite food option is being prepared in advance. Last weekend we cruised from Vancouver over to the Gulf Islands on one of the smallest ferries, the
Bowen Queen, who's cafeteria is only stocked with the basics (ie hot dogs; a classic, appropriate in the right context, works in a pinch). But we had other plans: we brought along a picnic backpack filled with cheese, pate, crackers and fresh blueberries. We set up camp on the top, outside deck (north side to take advantage of the setting sun's rays) and had one of the best, most scenic meals I've had in some time. Here's some of my other ferry tips... although keep in mind things can change from ship to ship, and route to route: *If you have kids, head for the mid-section of the boat, there's usually a play area for the kids. If you have no kids, stay away from the mid-section of the boat, it can be filled with noisy kids. Head instead upstairs towards the stern / back of the boat, there's usually a relatively quiet lounge somwhere around here. If you're feeling flush, there's a new 'first class' lounge on some of the Tsawwassen-