BC Ferries is warning people ahead of a 'busy weekend' with 'high traffic' on this route
If you plan to sail on BC Ferries this weekend, check your route because one popular terminal is expected to have high traffic that may throw a wrench in your plans.
BC Ferries issued a travel advisory for this weekend, from May 2 to May 5, and gave some advice for passengers on how to make the busy days smoother.
The travel advisory is for the Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver) to Departure Bay (Nanaimo) route, and the busiest times are set to be on Friday and Sunday.
Usually there would be extra sailings added to meet a demand like this, but BC Ferries says it's "limited this weekend on the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route due to the Queen of Surrey being out of service." This means that there will be no extra service during these peak travel times to help the expected traffic.
BC Ferries advised anyone travelling to book in advance and arrive 45 to 60 minutes before the departure time. Walk-on passengers are encouraged to arrive at least 45 minutes before the departure.
If you want to try and avoid peak times, try to go for early morning or late evening departures this weekend. BC Ferries said that the "midday and afternoon sailings are expected to be busiest."
You may even want to check out alternate routes to Vancouver Island, like the Tsawwassen to Duke Point or the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ones.
