BC Ferries Preparing For Busy Thanksgiving Weekend

BC Ferries is preparing for a busy Thanksgiving weekend - and is encouraging potential passengers to book their spot in line ahead of time.

BC Ferries is set to shuttle about 380,000 passengers and 175,000 vehicles over the Thanksgiving long weekend , providing over 3,000 sailings between October 5 and October 10.

Foot passenger traffic is anticipated to be especially high due to post-secondary students travelling home for the holiday weekend.

Customers travelling without a confirmed booking are strongly encouraged to be dropped off at the terminal and travel as foot passengers as standby vehicle spaces are extremely limited.

It comes with the Coastal Renaissance, a Super C Class ferry capable of transporting 1,604 passengers and crew, still laid up with engine trouble.

“The Coastal Renaissance’s engine was removed on Sept. 15 and has been shipped to a contractor in Indiana for repairs.”, said Stephen Jones, executive director of engineering for BC Ferries.

“We don’t anticipate this repair will impact any further service after the end of its refit period,” he said.

That vessel has been out of service since Aug. 17 due to a drive motor failure.

Customers travelling the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay, Horseshoe Bay-Langdale and the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay routes are reminded no additional holiday weekend sailings will be added to the schedule as a result.

Following the busy Thanksgiving long weekend, the Spirit of Vancouver Island will be temporarily removed from service from the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route.

The vessel will be drydocked from October 10 - 18 for ballast tank repairs.

Customers are encouraged to check for available deck space and travel updates on current conditions prior to heading out.

For scheduling, reservations and more information, visit BC Ferries.