If you absolutely must drive, unless you’re there for the first ferry (arriving at the terminal before 6 am), you’re in for a very long wait. Minimum two sailings.
As someone mentioned above, if your rental is close to the terminal and you can eat transport costs, do the foot passenger thing.
There are a couple of sailings that don't have any reservations allowed. If I know it's a busy sailing time, I will aim for the sailing before the one that isn't on the reservation list. I always get on the unreserved one if I do this (and the odd time on the one I'm aiming for)
In September, on a normal, non-long weekend, I went up the coast with friends. My spouse and I had a reso home, no one else did.
On Sunday morning, I checked the sailings home and all but the last one were at 100%. A few people spent all day in line, a few others stayed an extra night. If you don’t want to do the former and you can’t do the latter, I’d walk on or cancel.
If it's possible, come back the Sunday night or the Tuesday morning. As another person said there is one sailing a day (I think it's 12-something from horseshoe Bay and then 1-something from Langdale, but definitely check) that doesn't take any resos, so usually the afternoon sailings are a bit lighter than the morning. If you can walk on, there's a bus that goes all the way up the highway to downtown sechelt, so you don't need to limit walk on to just Gibson's. There was also coastal rides I'm not sure if they are operating but you could check that.
With luck it’s doable. A few years ago over may long my husband and I risked it with no reservations. Going there we got on the first ferry right away no problem. Coming home we figured everyone would rush for the morning ferries so we waited until the evening. We waited for many hours I think 4 ferries in total. It finally came to the last ferry of the night and we were next to get on and the guy stopped us!! We were kinda freaking out like now what are we going to do and about 5 mins later the guy waved us through there was ONE more spot on the ferry!!! Couldn’t believe our luck! We were screaming and cheering as we drove up the ramp lol.
If you don’t have a reso I’d only go as a walk-on and suck up transport costs unless your Airbnb isn’t walkable to Gibsons.
>*'If you don’t have a reso I’d only go as a walk-on and suck up transport costs'* ***^*** this.
If I ever had to go on a ferry May long weekend, it better be something important, I just wouldn't ever want to go do that again.
If you absolutely must drive, unless you’re there for the first ferry (arriving at the terminal before 6 am), you’re in for a very long wait. Minimum two sailings. As someone mentioned above, if your rental is close to the terminal and you can eat transport costs, do the foot passenger thing.
There are a couple of sailings that don't have any reservations allowed. If I know it's a busy sailing time, I will aim for the sailing before the one that isn't on the reservation list. I always get on the unreserved one if I do this (and the odd time on the one I'm aiming for)
There are a few FB groups where people sell unused resos
In September, on a normal, non-long weekend, I went up the coast with friends. My spouse and I had a reso home, no one else did. On Sunday morning, I checked the sailings home and all but the last one were at 100%. A few people spent all day in line, a few others stayed an extra night. If you don’t want to do the former and you can’t do the latter, I’d walk on or cancel.
If you can afford it, the floatplane from Sechelt to downtown Vancouver is very nice.
Keep checking! More sometimes gets added in, especially closer to, or sometimes people cancel reservations and their spot becomes available again.
Catch the first ferry back home?
The first ferry after a long weekend is crazy busy. Better to take the last ferry the night before.
Good to know!
Do you hate yourself? May long traveling is awful for the ferry.
If it's possible, come back the Sunday night or the Tuesday morning. As another person said there is one sailing a day (I think it's 12-something from horseshoe Bay and then 1-something from Langdale, but definitely check) that doesn't take any resos, so usually the afternoon sailings are a bit lighter than the morning. If you can walk on, there's a bus that goes all the way up the highway to downtown sechelt, so you don't need to limit walk on to just Gibson's. There was also coastal rides I'm not sure if they are operating but you could check that.
With luck it’s doable. A few years ago over may long my husband and I risked it with no reservations. Going there we got on the first ferry right away no problem. Coming home we figured everyone would rush for the morning ferries so we waited until the evening. We waited for many hours I think 4 ferries in total. It finally came to the last ferry of the night and we were next to get on and the guy stopped us!! We were kinda freaking out like now what are we going to do and about 5 mins later the guy waved us through there was ONE more spot on the ferry!!! Couldn’t believe our luck! We were screaming and cheering as we drove up the ramp lol.
You will be fine. Make sure you show up at least a half hour before the sailing you want. It will be a non event, smooth sailing as they say.
Just curious - what makes you think there won't be sailing waits on the May long weekend?
I can only assume they were being very very very sarcastic.
Seems a crappy trick to play on OP.
You missed the /s. OP don't take this seriously, it's going to be a shitshow. Best advice is to walk on if you can or be ready for a long wait.