Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
At our final port of call, we did not visit the port town of Nanaimo (nuh-NYE-mo) where the ship was docked. Instead we took the Hullo Ferry across the Strait of Georgia to have lunch with a friend who lives just south of Vancouver and drove up to meet us.
When Holland America docks a ship at Nanaimo, that blocks the usual port for the Hullo Ferry. So locals can still park in the usual lot but they (and we) then take a shuttle bus to the temporary port. The shuttle runs a half-dozen times per day but due to the hours we were in port, there was really only one time over and one time on the return that would work for us.
Hullo Ferry at the temporary terminal
Reaching the temporary port
When we disembarked the Noordam and went through the building, we could see the Hullo sign out front and followed the walk to the parking lot where there was a small tent with a single bench for waiting and quite a lot of people standing around, many with luggage. When the bus arrived the folks who had arrived first also boarded first, fair enough. My friend and I crept a bit closer and then they announced there was standing room. Since we had no luggage we hurried to the front and grabbed two of the remaining 5 or so spots on the shuttle.
The Hullo Ferry Nanaimo Terminal (photo: hullo.com)
The temporary port
When the bus let us out, we still had a bit of a walk around a high-rise apartment (or condo) complex. From there we encountered the end of the boarding line. Since we didn’t yet have tickets we walked up to the small tent where they were being sold. When we explained what we needed we learned how fortunate we’d been as we were told we got the last two available seats (though a nearby worker said she could open up a few more seats if needed). We could have purchased our tickets online but had been unsure of the port logistics and had not wanted to shell out that much money without being sure we could find the place. But I must admit I was surprised that the boat was sold out so we felt very fortunate indeed.
The round-trip tickets cost us each $101.49 CAD ($73.67 USD) but at least we had also locked in a seat for the return trip. I was a bit surprised at the price as I’d seen that fares start at $19.99 CAD one-way but later learned that for that fare you must take the first or last ferry of the day and the price is only available online. I also believe there was a slight premium as a walk-up fare as I don’t see that as a round-trip price on the Hullo Ferry website.
One of Hullo’s new fast-ferries, Sthuqi’ (photo: CNW Group/Vancouver Island Ferry)
I’m not sure about the facilities at the regular Nanaimo port but at the temporary port there is no shade or cover of any kind so on hot days you’ll want a hat and sunglasses at the very least and on inclement weather days you’ll need an umbrella or some other kind of rain gear. However, in the “yard” around the apartment building there were quite a few wild rabbits out! They didn’t seem bothered by humans and happily went about their business.
Bunnies!
On board
Our seats were on the main deck and were laid out in four sections: along the windows, there were three seats together while the two center sections had four seats each. The seats in the middle had alternating rows facing each other, with a slim table in between. Wi-fi was complimentary and while I didn’t test the speed, it was just fine for social media, texts, and emails. There were shared outlets for USB-A and AC charging on the main deck.
Lower Deck Seating (photo: dailyhive.com)
Upstairs, in the premium seats, not only do the seats recline, but each seat has AC, USB-A, and USB-C charging ports. Passengers were generally courteous and there were no issues with people playing music or videos too loudly. Food and beverages are available via machines and, I believe, at counters inside. Alcohol is not served on board.
Business Class Seating (photo: hullo.com)
Though I didn’t test them out, there are six single-person bathrooms available including one that’s wheelchair-accessible and has a changing table.
The ferry takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes each way with the schedules overlapping such that ferries going in opposite directions will pass each other at some point.
Arrival at the Vancouver Terminal
When the ferry arrives, the folks upstairs – who paid more for their seats – are allowed to disembark first, with the lower aisles being roped off until all is clear. Even then, the rope barriers are only removed one aisle at a time (one to allow bow passengers to disembark and one for stern passengers) so that it’s not a madhouse trying to leave the boat.
At the Vancouver terminal, there’s a fairly long concrete dock that leads to the main building. But at that point you either have to wait for the single elevator or take the stairs up a couple of flights. My advice: if you can possibly take the stairs without holding up the line, take that option.
After climbing the stairs and crossing the final bridge to shore we saw our friend waiting for us. We had lunch right on site at the Cactus Club Cafe. Their prices look expensive in CAD but it was only about $20 USD including tip for a very nice meal there.
Return trip
Travelers are advised to be at the terminal at least 15 minutes before boarding so after our meal we headed back down the stairs to stand in the long line for general boarding. Fortunately we were in the shade of the terminal building so it wasn’t too hot! Though we didn’t check it out, there’s a lounge in the Vancouver Convention Center, which is at the ferry’s dock. It’s at Mahony’s Tavern and is open from noon-6 PM, and there’s an exclusive menu available for Hullo Ferry guests. We didn’t check it out, so I can’t comment on it.
I don’t think seaplanes will ever not be fascinating to me as it’s just not something we have in my part of the world. So it was cool to see them all lined up in Vancouver.
The embarkation process worked quite well for our return trip and we found our assigned seats with no issues, and had a very pleasant trip back across the strait.
When we reached the temporary port, as you might expect, the line for the bus was quite long so we decided to walk back to our ship. It’s an easy enough walk and there’s a sidewalk all the way. The annoying part is that there could be several shortcuts through parking lots, but the lots are all surrounded by fences, making that impossible. Still, we reached the cruise ship terminal well before our All Aboard time.
In the end
While not as cheap as we’d hoped, the Hullo Ferry is very efficient and is a much faster option than the 2 hour, 20 minute journey on the Trans-Canada Highway Ferry. We enjoyed meeting up with our friend, who we hadn’t seen in over 15 years, and had a great meal.
And that’s a wrap on this year’s big adventure! Thanks for reading and feel free to submit any questions or comments.
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