The easiest, most comfortable & scenic way to travel from Seattle to Victoria. It takes 2.5-3 hours. We sat in an area with 6 seats (2 rows of 3 seats) with a table in between. The Clipper wasn't full so there was an empty seat between us & another pair. We could easily put our backpacks either on the empty seat or under the seat. It was nice to be able to nap, eat, walk around & take pics outside during the journey. Plus not deal with TSA hassle. We checked our carry-on bags at the curbside. It was convenient although it means you disembark after those who didn't check bags. TIP 1: check online for fare specials. TIP 2: the overnight packages with hotel may be a good deal TIP 3: plan ahead & bring your own food & drinks TIP 4: they have luggage storage in Seattle if you need it for the afternoon. read more

Easy, convenient way to get from Seattle to Victoria. Food on board, cocktails, beer, comfortable chairs. Outdoor deck on the second floor is open for those who want to check out the sights and the outside weather. 2:45 hours trip....easy. read more

READ THE FINE PRINT! We took the Seattle whale watching day trip and were beyond disappointed. The ship did not go out North where any of the Orcas are. It went down to Tacoma Bay and we SAT THERE FOR 3 HOURS! We saw one tiny baby humpback and sat in the same spot watching the SAME whale for 3 hours. The ship has prepackaged nasty food and the seats are not comfortable. The boat even went back to port an HOUR early. Make sure you really know what you are booking. read more

Took the Clipper to Victoria for an overnight adventure, and it was wonderful We had a great trip up on the clipper and really enjoyed our selves. When you visit Seattle Take The Clipper its work it. read more

I've taken the Clipper once. That one time we ended up stranded at a dock with a broken motor for HOURS causing many passengers to get sick and begin throwing up all over the boat since they wouldn't let us off. In an attempt to right the wrong, I decided to give them a try again, and having gotten round trip tickets for a wedding gift in December 2012 that expired December 2013, it was time. The tickets stated they were good for stand by travel. Fine by me. We planned the weekend, woke up super early, and called just to ensure our trip downtown wouldn't be for nothing. We were informed the Saturday 8am boat was full but that they had added another at 8:30. Perfect, works for us. But no, the lady informed me that all seats coming home Saturday evening were full. Okay...we didn't plan to spend the night but it's not the end of the world. Oh...and while currently there are 30 seats coming home Sunday night she can't guarantee them to us. Um...excuse me?! Apparently when you're given round trip tickets you have stand by travel BOTH ways. Now who in their right mind would go to a foreign country with no clue when they would be able to return home? Especially when there are things like kids, jobs and general responsibilities to worry about?! No thank you clipper. I will use these passes as fire starters as it appears we are not going to Victoria this winter. read more

Meh. The boat was very clean and it's the best way Seattle-Victoria. That said, it's not interesting or relaxing like BC Ferry or SS Badger. You can't really walk around anywhere (ordered to stay seated, in fact, in rough sea). The Seattle terminal isn't bad but the Victoria terminal is like a prison cafeteria sans-tables. When they describe this luxurious 3-hour ferry ride on the website, they neglect to mention the 1.5 hour Shawshank Redemption experience beforehand. The gift shop had the same tourist garbage and low end duty free booze. In conclusion, if you have to get there, go this way. Just don't expect a shipboard experience, plan on commuter train for the sea. read more

I was almost deterred by negative reviews about this company, the boat, and the poor customer service. Luckily, we didn't really experience any of these things and had a nice time. We were looking to find a whale watching trip to the San Juan islands from Seattle. A guide on the Locks tour told us to try this company. We walked down to the pier, and the guy inside the kiosk was more than helpful and friendly. We were able to book a trip a day earlier than we planned for less than quoted online! It was an amazing deal. The ship wasn't the cleanliest, but it wasn't horrible either. I got a little seasick at the beginning of our voyage, but I got over it in less than an hour. And we saw whales!!! The only downside is that we had to leave the whales to take everyone to Friday Harbor. Then, when we caught up to them again, there were so many boats jockeying for a position that it was difficult to see. We wanted to follow the whales some more, but we had to head back into harbor for lunch. As we ended up having a horrid lunch on shore, we would much rather have stayed on the boat to watch whales. Boooo. Still, it was a great trip at a great price. read more

Unfortunately wasn't able to ride the ferry, customer service was not helping and rude. This was going to be our first time to Victoria but we accidentally book tickets leaving from the wrong port. We realized the error when arrived to downtown Seattle the night before. I called asked if there was any room on the ferry that left in the morning I was told 300 plus seats available then I ask to buy 4 tickets for my family but the rate was higher then listed. I asked if he could match that online rate posted he said no because it was short notice I told him my scenario and he didn't care. They told me drive to the other port which was almost 3 hour away. I had no car and no car seats for the little ones. Ask to speak to the manager he told me that she would tell me the same thing. What's the point of having a manager if they can't help resolve customer concerns. I was just asking to match the online posted price because of our human error. I spoke to her and was not helpful actually rude about my situation. She told me it's was the same thing as buying last minute airline tickets?? That is not the same thing but anyways, well I guess they'll go with 300 empty seats. Happy holidays! read more

It was a rough and angry sea, and if not for the courage of the fearless crew, The Clipper would be lost, The Clipper would be lost.............. Used these guys for a day trip up to Victoria. They announced that the Pacific was very rough that day and we would take a more inland route, which added over an hour commute time each way, in order to avoid the turbulence. They did offer us half price drinks on board (soda, beer, booze) to ease the pain. Woo Hoo !!! And they did give us a 50% coupon off our next trip with them upon our return to the United States. Good for one year. Woo Hoo !!!! Too bad I live in NYC and probably won't be back again in time to use it. Boo hoo..... And p.s. Don't forget to bring your passport, as you are travelling to a foreign land...... read more

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We travelled to Victoria on the Clipper V and it was a great experience. The crew and amenities are both terrific. We had seats on Vista deck and found we had a great view and nice table top for reading and cards. The embarkation and disembarkation were smooth. I strongly suggest using the ArriveCAN mobile app to exp site passage. If you're traveling to Seattle and looking for an overnight or same day excursion, FRS Clipper is your best bet. read more

I've lived in Seattle for 23 years but have never tried the clipper. We were looking for a quick getaway for our anniversary weekend and decided to give the clipper a try. Pros: - Convenient if you live in the city. A quick lyft ride to Pier69 and you are good to go. 3 hours later, you are in canada! - You arrive at 10:30 am and depart at 5pm so for one night, you get a solid 2 days in Victoria, which was perfect! - Smooth sailing-- I'm prone to seasickness but was fine both directions. - Decent selection of food for purchase on board. Ellenos yogurt. Good snack packs. Good drink selection. But , you can also bring your own. Cons: -My number 1 complaint is that boarding & disembarkation is a complete cluster. It took over 1 hour upon arrival in Canada, and we were not at the back of the line. I am global entry & have nexus pass-- neither of which sped up the process here. Very frustrating. On the way into the US you stand in line (in the rain in our case) in Victoria until they let you inside for the customs check. You go through customs and then when you arrive in Seattle your passport gets checked by boarder agents AGAIN. What is the point of doing this twice? Again-- also no fast pass option for global entry or nexxus. -It's spendy. $300 rt for 2 people in the off season. It was a wash to do this or drive our car on at anacortes or vancouver and then stay two nights & park our car at the hotel. - Aside from the border annoyance above-- the boarding process is just long& annoying. I've ridden a lot of walk on ferries and everyone just lines up & boards the boat. Easy peasy. I think their boarding group thing just adds to the lengthy & awful boarding process. Bottom line: while on board, the experience is good overall and the views are nice. I would probably try the anacotes drive-on ferry option to see what the border crossing was like next time or drive to Vancouver and go across from horseshoe bay (I've done this before). I would be more likely to try the clipper again in the future if they improve their border process &/or allow a special global entry/nexxus lane. read more

My husband and I went for a day trip to visit some friends in Victoria. We booked 7HRS prior to departure and was still able to get advance price tickets at $85 each round trip. We took the 730am departure. The food is horrible. We had the yogurt basket that had a bagel, yogurt, apple sauce, and a breakfast bar. suggest packing your own food. But for an extra 4 bucks you can get champagne with your breakfast. I had a few momosas on the way over. The ride was fairly smooth. It does get choppy on some parts, but they do offer dramamine before departure. For the size of boat it is the one of the smoothest sailing you'll get. The clipper is a catamaran. and its pretty amazing sight to see the back of the boat's wake and the power of engines. After a day of pub crawling with friends I wasn't prepared to go home. My tickets were at the 700pm sail. and they let me change it for the next day for just $10. It was pretty easy to get to victoria. I'm already planning future trips. I also suggest that if possible don't bring any luggage. Watching the other travels with them seemed like a pain in the butt. and they were asked to leave the boat last. read more

FRS Clipper - wake - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This last weekend was our 3rd time on the Clipper. Celebrated my Birthday weekend, saw the lights at the Butchart Gardens and the service at the @CoastVictoria Hotel was excellent! Would have been the perfect trip BUT..... The check-in staff at the Clipper terminal in Victoria was just PAINFUL!The staff (lady w/ salt/pepper gray hair) met us at the door and Immediately says our bags NEED to be checked in! She states they won't fit in "sizing box" so we have no option! WHAT? These are the same carry-ons we've used each time and a few days before from Seattle! I said I could remove the detachable section but she then says I already have a camera bag so it's not an option! Paid my $30 only to see NO ONE else with Bigger bags was prompted to do the same! Even saw a lady w/ 5 bags including 2 garbage bags filled with stuff! The boat was 1/5th full and the luggage racks are open! Unlike airplanes where they need to fit! Only reason we could muster is my wife and I are the only non-white passengers and she singled us out! So awful that one person can ruin a vacation and damage my wife and I! I've recommended this service before to many friends and co-workers but will definitely think twice and find another way to travel. read more

I have booked with the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria on Memorial Weekend. It was roughly 2.5 hours ride each way, and it's the most convenient and quickest way to get over to Victoria Island from down town SeattIe. I did my research on pricing, and found out it's a much better deal booking with the Clipper on the hotel & transportation package. We've paid $284 including round trip tickets for 2 and a night at the Oswego Hotel(junior suite room). We arrived for check-in an hour prior to our departure, I had to check in a small luggage since they were fully booked on both trips. The clipper holds about 300 passengers, and we were all waiting in this tiny waiting room for boarding, they board by group numbers, so be sure you check-in early from your departing location to ensure best desired seatings. They offer prepackaged snack baskets on board, $1 refillable coffee(really good coffee too), tour packages, souvenirs and dramamine for $0.25 each. It was a smooth ride to Victoria, but on the way back to Seattle, the waves were choppy for the first hour. So, I would suggest taking dramamines prior to departure for anyone who's easily prompt to motion sickness. Over all we had a pleasant experience with the Clipper, just wished the waiting room can be renovated to accommodate all guests, and the speed for boarding and embarking the vessel can be more efficient. read more

FRS Clipper - Victoria Clipper Menu - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I have just read some of the reviews. Some of the them score this adventure low because of the "weather??"..OMG. Welcome you folks from Nebraska or Kansas to the Pacific Northwest and all the grandeur it dishes up. This experience is a MUST DO if you are traveling to Seattle: 1) you get to experience a high speed boat ride on the pristine Puget Sound..Orcas, Islands, sun and sea. 2) the scenic experience alone is worth the fare..it is beautiful. 3) I can attest to the ships..they are safe and sturdy 4) you get to visit a foreign country..Victoria IS a different and wonderful walking city with plenty to see, do, eat, drink, party. 5) their overnight packages are awesome and inexpensive 6) the staff is friendly, courteous, an helpful..always. We do this overnighter about 1x every other year and plan on doing it yearly as soon as I retire. ........re-post...even worse...I am appalled by the comments about rough seas, getting wet and discomfort during a high-sea trip...these comments were from folks around the Puget Sound..they should have known that to expect. read more

Amazing service. Excellent trip and the best scenic views you could ask for. Take the free medicine for sea sickness as it gets a little choppy as you go on. read more

FRS Clipper - Second floor. Best for the views. - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's disappointing that I had to turn to a public post on Yelp to get customer service. In response to the efforts made by the company, the situation that played out in real life was not quite as they would have described. 1. The issue and cause for cancellation was only discovered two hours before the sailing - This is may be true but this was two hours that could have saved everyone a huge amount of hassle. By Scott M's admission they knew for two hours that the ferry was non-functional, but yet not a single email went out to make anyone aware that the ferry was canceled. Additionally, I and many other dozens of people stood in line for a couple of hours with precisely zero information being actively shared by staff at the ferry terminal. There was no one communicating with the crowd. Not a single person. Zero. Everything was trickling word of mouth from passenger to passenger so no one knew what was going on. The only way to get any details was to wait your turn to get to the front of the line. By the time I made it to the customer service desk, they let me know the situation and informed me that there was no assistance they could provide. 2. ...we found and secured alternative modes of transportation back to Seattle via another ferry option and charter bus. - This is not accurate at all. By word of mouth from passenger to passenger, we found out that MAYBE we could jump on a ferry going to Port Angeles which is 3 hours away from Seattle. We were also told MAYBE there would be buses to take us the 3 hours to Seattle. Again, zero communication from the staff going out to the many dozens of passengers gathered at the terminal. No one was clearly informed that anything was happening. By the time I made it to the front of the line, someone working the desk finally announced to us in the terminal that there was NO buses available and that there was no assistance to get from Port Angeles to Seattle. By this time the other ferry had already left. 3. Guests who needed or wanted to stay an extra night were offered accommodations at the Hotel Grand Pacific across from our terminal - This also didn't happen as stated. If it did, it was provided to a small handful of passengers that waited in line prior to me with zero communication shared to the rest of the passengers gathered in the terminal. We heard only via word of mouth from passenger to passenger that the ferry company MIGHT have had a few rooms they could book for us, but those vanished long before anyone in the terminal actually heard about it. We were told by other passengers that you had to wait in line to get to the front of the line to talk to a rep about a room. Again, zero announcement out to the wider group that rooms were available. I, like the many dozens of others, were stuck scrambling looking at any hotel available because almost every room in the city was sold out due to a convention. 4. On top of this public review, I STILL haven't gotten a direct email or return call from the 2+ dozen calls and 3+ emails I placed to the admin office. read more

If you want to overpay and wakeup super early and not be allowed to nap during the 3.5 hour trip to Victoria, then take the Clipper ferry, otherwise, find better transportation. Every 20 minutes, they make sales pitches and other announcements over the obnoxiously loud speakers keeping everyone onboard up. Nobody can sleep the entire voyage! read more

I booked a roundtrip with them and based all my other travel and lodging around my flight and ferry. A couple weeks later, they cancelled my departure without good reason or anything in return. Because of this, I had to book a ferry over 2 hours away and lost over $100 in lodging fees. They didn't care at all and didn't offer me anything in return besides apologizing once and ignoring me shortly after. They also charge $20 for bags, which wasn't obvious and it takes a long time to disembark if you check bags. WA State ferries are much much much better, cheaper and easier. Wouldn't FRS Clipper at all read more

Our experience and the overall process went very smoothly for our trip from Seattle to Victoria, and everyone was wonderful EXCEPT for the experience we had with the guy in charge of the vessel on our return trip to Seattle. For whatever reason, when they offload baggage and your PET (an animal that has been sitting in kennel for hours that is likely scared and has to go to the bathroom), there is no process to let the owners off first to claim their pet and let them out to go to the bathroom. All of the passengers got off the boat at the exact same time, and our dog sat in the kennel starring at 30 mins of folks until it was our turn to go through customs to claim her. The manager was a jerk about the whole thing when we asked if we can take her out of the kennel. He said no, so we stared at her in the cage from the line. Needless to say, I won't be riding the Clipper again. For those of you that do check a pet- DO NOT UPGRADE to sit on the top deck like we did. This will guarantee you will get off the vessel last and your pet will sit in the cage in a crowded customs line looking for you for about 30 mins. I also recommend if you DO upgrade and sit up top, as you get closer to the city, take the initiative to collect your things and make your way next to the door so you get off first so you can claim your pet. For those of you with kids, you should voice your complaints as well. I couldn't believe the amount of parents having to hold all their belongings and kids in that long line until they retrieved their strollers at the end of the customs line, that too, were offloaded next to our dog. read more

In average, we had good time. Everything was organized well, no issues. However, we were quite disappointing with the ferry itself. We were hoping to have fun while traveling to Victoria BC. Unlike a comfortable ferries we have used to take all the time in WA, where you can walk, go to food court on board/walk outside, etc, this ferry like an airplane. Similar seats, no place to seat comfortably (at least in main cabin), not much pleasure to start "cruise". This is not "cruise" level. Not at all. Another big concern is time for Butchart gardens. We took a bus directly from Clipper terminal, and were given only 2 hours in the garden. It is NOT enough if you really want pleasant stay there, have some lunch, and shop. It is enough to SEE garden, doing it fast enough. But if you are old, want to sit and relax to enjoy some view, or maybe have fun at Carousel - not enough. I was not able to because of time limit, but wanted to do it! I was in a hurry to shop, and was not able to have some fun eating there. I drunk my tea in a bus on my way back, otherwise bus would gone without me. For this money Clipper charged, I don't want to feel as running horse. 3 hours a must for FULL enjoyment, relax, eating and shopping. This is absolutely fantastic place and I would strongly suggest to Clipper vacation team to consider changing for 3 hour stay there, not two. Sorry, after doing my homework, I no longer will pay for this garden service from Clipper. There are other ways to go there and not be in such hurry. read more

Comfortable and fast but it is spendy. Staff onboard is great. No wifi which really bummed me out. I wanted to work for part of trip but could not. Boarding process not best. Pile you into rooms like cattle and herd you in based on when you bought ticket, not by what time you get to boat. Both my rides were not too crowded, but it was midweek in the winter. A crowded ferry or choppy water would make for a long ride. Also, smokers on only deck is stupid. I took it round trip on a sunny chilly day. Rain would have made trip not as nice. Toooooo many announcements and too much pushy selling their tour stuff... Great pick up and drop off location and $10 day parking is not bad. read more

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Comfortable and spacious San Juan Clipper for whale watching and was only about 20% full. Beautiful scenery and relaxing 4 hr boat ride. We hoped to go North and have many opportunities to see wildlife. Instead we went South of Tacoma, under the narrows bridge and only saw two transient orcas from a distance near Fox Island. Only other wildlife we saw was seagulls and the naturalist's voice was very annoying. Next time we're driving north to pick up a boat for whale watching. read more

What a disaster. Please do not book with this charter. They cancelled the trip, didn't notify passengers, had very few agents available to help, no supervisors to speak with passengers and no way to refund your money until some future date. The staff were rude and completely unprofessional. When I asked what happened I was told that they couldn't get gas in the boat. Seriously!! If you are going to lie then please think of something believable. They also told me that they were the only company that charters out of Seattle. Come to find out later that there are several other charters that leave form Seattle. This is a shady company with no regards to their customers. It took 3 weeks for our refund to be processed. Do not book with this company. They are many options in Seattle so find a different way. Ruined our vacation. If I could post negative stars I would. read more

I struggled with the idea of leaving this review because I felt like I may have fell between the cracks based on the other great reviews for them.. We booked our whole vacation with them and our hotel in Friday Harbor. We where flying up from Southern California to see orcas we where told they see them on 99.9 percent of all trips.. great ! Away we got ! Their parking lots it a bit far from the dock and was a challenge to get all our stuff and a toddler to the boat but once there they checked all our bags great ! We start boarding the boat about 30 mins before departure just to see that the only seats left where on the exposed open deck roof ... ok now I was nervous we had our layers on but it was cold and rain was in the forecast but other 2 levels where PACK! We made it about 20 mins on the roof before having a very cold kid and had to get inside We had a crew member find us 1 seat and my husband and I took turns holding our kid while the other one was standing it SUCKED and what made it worst was we didn't see any wildlife ! So I feel a bit ripped off on that it shouldn't of been over booked to only allow outside sitting with the weather forecast.... finally got to San Juan islands thank goodness ! Next day we had set up another trip with whale watching ... got to the boat and we where not on the list ... the supervisor say " well you can come with us but we aren't going to see anything " humm not sure if it's pregnancy hormones but it came off as if he was doing me a favor... hello i paid for this I am not just jumping on from the dock ...so we board and go out spending the whole trip didn't see any whales just some birds.. get back to the harbor where pretty much every other boat had just returned and had seen the orcas my bad luck I guess ... next day we catch our boat back to Seattle .. we show up 2 hours early to the dock to MAKE sure we get a inside seat .... we are the first people there ... they end up changing the loading dock and we have to walk across the harbor while folks are running as if it's Black Friday ... with all our stuff again and a tired kid just to end up with no seats sitting near each other again ... at this point I couldn't wait for this part of our trip to be over ! We do plan to go back to San Juan next year but clipper will not be involved! This family friendly baby moon we where raking ended up being a nightmare in the aspects that clipper was involved in :( read more

Decided to take a ferry ride to Victoria with my son. I purchased tickets online via Viatar for Monday. My son woke up in the middle of the night with food poison! The ticket and the site indicated that ALL sales are FINAL. I was stressing because we paid close to $400 for both tickets and that was going to be a hard pill to swallow if we couldn't change the date. Fortunately, I got Viatar on the line and the lady was trying very hard to help me change the date to the next day. Unfortunately, she had to contact Clipper, but they were experiencing a high call volume and I waited on the phone with her for 45 minutes. I decided to ask to speak to a supervisor. I explained my situation to him..I only wanted to change the date not cancel for a refund. He was very understanding and within 10 minutes, Lorenzo helped me complete the transaction. We went today and the ferry ride was relaxing AND we didn't get sea sick. The staff and captain were great and ushered the visitors in and out in an organized and quick way. Will definitely use them again in the future. read more

FRS Clipper - Ferry - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The first taking the clipper from Seattle to Victoria this weekend. The process seems to be disorganized and very slow to get on and off the ferry. Be prepared to wait outside for up to 45 minutes as they check you in. Wear warm clothing. Other than that the service was great. Highly recommend they figure out a better process in the future. read more

Avoid this company for whale watching. One of these boats was recently observed passing through a pod of Orcas as it traveled through their habitat. They have frequently been seen displaying concerning operations when whales are present. read more

Boarding process was a mess. Was treated extremely rudely by a staff member who told me my whale watching tour was canceled for the day because of weather and that I need to leave and call them to get a refund. I complained to another agent who was confused and said the whale watching was not canceled and still on schedule. They cut short our whale watching experience by 30 minutes and cut short our time in Friday Harbor by an hour. The two things I was looking forward to and paid for!!!! So pretty much the majority of the 12 hour trip was just going up and down the same path we came from. We didn't really see any wildlife, the boat ran out of food and by the end I just wanted to get off so I would not be held hostage by this company any longer. Even the whale watching experience was not great. Everyone on the boat runs to the top outdoor deck to look and people start shoving and pushing each other to try and take pictures. At one point I felt I was in danger of being pushed off the ledge. Frightening! I was only in Seattle on vacation for a couple of days and this was supposed to be the highlight of our trip. Ended up being a terrible experience. I would not recommend this. read more

*COMFORT CLASS WARNING* those who pay the up charge to sit in the "comfort class" portion of the boat. Take note! You will be the dead last people off the boat. That means you will have to stand at the very back of each customs check point (going and coming back). This was awful as we ended up spending over an hour total in customs lines! What a waste of day! I wish I had known this prior to booking. I would of saved the extra couple hundred for our party and been off the ship first! You've been warned! EDIT: To David! Great! An easy solution would be to mention this on your website. Instead of 'highlighting' that you will get priority boarding you should also mention customers in comfort class will be the very last folks to walk off the ship! Just my advice! But happy to warn future customers here! read more

Cattle Call: it is such a drag to get on to the boat. First you line up in the outside hall. when the door open you are herded into an inside hall, then you are pushed into a small dirty waiting room with not enough seats. People that don't have seats in the waiting area, push to the front of the line blocking the door to the boat. There is no need for this. Have the boat ready the day prior and let people get on as they arrive... so simple. The food is overpriced and marginal at best. I wish they stopped and picked up in Everett, they go right by the port and have the ability but don't. It would eliminate the entire Seattle, Parking, Hiking portion of this hell trip. The whole thing is a drag. It is just icky. read more

I would highly recommend booking through FRS Clipper! We spoke with the customer service staff members several times and each representative we spoke with was OUTSTANDING. A little heads up that you could be hold for some time...and no worries they will pick up. It is an indication of the excellent customer service and you will get the same 5 star treatment. I would like to also note they did an amazing job accommodating a family member who had extra needs with wheelchair and oxygen. They even took into consideration the best over night place for us considering, my family members needs. If you are looking for an excellent overnight experience, I would highly recommend booking with FRS clipper. read more

The half-day whale watching tour that leaves from downtown Seattle should NOT be advertised as a whale-watching tour. It's misleading and deceiving advertising. The trip was more like a boat ride that included sighting a very small amount of sea life from very far distances. The tour advertised that we'd see many orcas, humpbacks, sea lions etc. We only saw one humpback whale from a very far distance (it looked like a tiny speck) and a few porpoises (again, from very far distances). It seemed the only strategy the tour company had for spotting whales was to wait until another boat company phoned them telling them they'd seen a whale somewhere. So that's exactly what we did. We stalked one humpback whale for 2.5 hours and saw it puff air once every 5 minutes for 3 hours. Again, from a very far distance. When asked if we'd venture further north to other areas to search for more whales, they said they only go where other boats had reported seeing whales that day. In other words, the tour company seemed very lackadaisical in their pursuit of spotting whales and unknowledgeable about how to do so. Furthermore, the tour company advertised that the tour would last 4-6 hours. We barely made it to 4 hours. Not sure why we didn't take advantage of the other 2 hours we paid for, given that the first 4 hours were so meager with wildlife sightings. In all honesty, it seemed like this tour was not organized by sea-life naturalists but by a boat company hoping to rack up tour prices by slapping the label of "whale-tour" onto their services. Very underwhelming and ridiculously over-priced for the experience we were given. read more

I am not impressed. I don't know if there's a better way to travel to Victoria but I will be trying a different way next time. Both terminals for departure and arrival are outdated, and badly in need of a more room to accommodate the amount of passengers using it. One of the sinks was leaking water, and they told me that that it's been like that for a long time. I was sad they knew there was a problem that was wasting water and yet were not able to fix it. They pack the ferry with so many people, that sadly I saw a couple that couldn't sit together because they were the last ones on. The seats are packed in tight, and if you happen to have a kid or large person moving about a lot, you felt every movement on your side of the chair. I did like how they provided motion sickness meds. They let you buy drinks at the bar, or a waitress comes around to serve you. But on the way back, the people in the middle aisle were forgotten about and they never came by to take our order. Going through customs is painful. On the way there they check you once. But on the way home there's two! Once before leaving the dock and then again when you arrive. Does the US customs really believe you did something between the time you left one dock to another??? Idk, but it was pretty ridiculous. These people provide a service, but it felt like taking the bus. Crowded, not modernized to accommodate the new amount of people, and a sluggish process going through the getting on board process. Overall impression was there must be some better way. read more

Great trip from Seattle to Victoria and back. A few tips... book early and you will get better prices. Plus, you are allowed to board earlier. Early boarding means getting the seat that you want. All seats that have a forward view are on the lower deck. The only outside viewing is "aft" outside, in the back of the boat. Victorian Clipper staff and crew members were very helpful, and friendly. If you want drinks or food onboard, be sure to have a credit card. Cash is not accepted. Neither are good looks or singing. Weather was decent for our trip, with a slight amount of choppy seas, but I didn't witness any of the passengers having to contend with sea sickness. The catamaran hull (bottom of the boat) allows the boat to slip through the water quickly, and with fewer bumps and rolls. If you are hyper-sensitive to air or sea sickness, you probably don't have to worry about it, especially if you sit on the lower deck, and near the center of the vessel. Didn't use the "Duty Free" shop for smokes or booze, but I understand that they had great deals. We purchased a tour of Victoria and the Butchart Gardens via Clipper Vacations, and received a nice discount. Should have used them for our hotel purchase as well. Check with them for other travel/hotel deals. read more

Every employee was super nice, I didn't understand ArriveCAN that was required before departure & Seattle employee walked me through it, I wish I had his name, wonderful person. Then onboard everyone was great, highly recommend read more

Recently purchased a travel package from Seattle to Victoria. Made and paid for the reservation almost one month out. The travel package included two round trip clipper tickets for panoramic vista seating (upper deck) and hotel room with a harbor view for two nights. First, our reservation was changed and we were put in economy class on the main deck. There wasn't any documentation as to why or who. We got our original seats and two meal vouchers. The trip to Victoria was good. The hotel room didn't offer a harbor view. We had a great time in Victoria. Fast forward to the return. We were seated on the main deck economy tickets and given two meal vouchers. Unfortunately, we had no seats and as I already stated we paid for Vista seating (upstairs). The meal vouchers didn't work because they didn't stock the galley and all the food was gone or not brought on board. Someone else was given our seats! When our children were young we travelled via Clipper regularly and never had problems. We were excited to be traveling to Victoria again via the Clipper... the trip was a letdown. Thanks for the meal vouchers, but they didn't make up for the lack of customer care by your employees and company representatives. read more

This trip was the biggest disappointments out of any adventure I have ever planed! Despite my efforts to obtain as much information as possible; the people who answer the phones probably haven't been on the boats!!!!!!! In fact I don't think that they even know what the rules, accommodations, expectations or overall experience of the boats amenities! The really annoying announcements over the loudspeaker about the rules of the boat are more like orders from a drill Sargent! In no way do they make you feel welcome or happy that you decided to travel with them. The communication between the passenger's and the crew wasn't clear either. Rather than being useful I found them to be very rude and annoying. closing the concessions down while in line! DONT GO!!! Take alt routes. Driving up I-5 in jam packed traffic would have been more pleasurable!!!! read more

Horrible! Do not add whale watching with your package. 6 hours on a boat was too long. I will not be doing this again. Next time, I plan to explore San Juan Island with a moped. Much funner! If you have not experience whale watching in Southern California, you may wanna do so. With the endangered species acts in place, the boat is mandated to stay 200 feet away from the whales. Anyhow, I would only take the Victoria Clipper for transportation, nothing else. read more

If you are able to drive your car up to Anacortes, I would recommend you to take Washington State Ferry. Here are the reasons: 1) You will have your car to drive around when you arrive Victoria BC 2) Washington State Ferry is so much bigger than Victoria Clipper. 3) Victoria Clipper is so crowded 4) Even though the Clipper may run faster, the seats are uncomfortable 5) since it's in a smaller space, kids running around and crying would become more annoying However, you will be able to book other activities through Victoria Clipper more easily than just exploring by yourself. They offer some attractions, like Butchard Garden, Fairmount Teatime, etc. from the local destination. For people who has money and can't really get around would be a good approach. For me, I'd rather have my car with me. I can fit my bike and my dogs in my car and visit the island. I have more freedom this way. read more