BC Ferries is preparing for another busy weekend with a larger ship out of service.
Coastal Inspiration has been undergoing repairs and was scheduled to return to service June 30. BC Ferries is now estimating the ship will now be returned to service on July 2.
This will result in the Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay route being busier - and BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said passengers will need to plan extra travel time, especially if travelling with a vehicle, and without a reservation.
“Definitely show up at the terminals early. The typical traffic patterns for a long weekend would be traffic leaving Metro Vancouver today, as well as Friday and Saturday morning,” Marshall said. “Generally Sunday will be the quietest day of the long weekend and then we do expect those volumes to pick up at the Vancouver Island terminals probably around 11 a.m. on the holiday Monday.”
To accommodate extra passengers, 12:30 a.m. sailings have been added leaving from Horseshoe Bay on June 28 and 29.
Other options BC Ferries recommends are to travel as a foot passenger, take public transit to and from the ferry terminals or have a friend or family member drop you off because the terminal parking lots will fill up early in the weekend, travel on days other than June 28 and 29, and travel early in the day because sailings prior to 9 a.m. are less busy.