wrote:
On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:39:09 -0800, "Marcia R."
wrote:

D Ball wrote:
If we decide to just take the shuttle from the ship into town, is there
anything to do there besides have dinner? We want to get off the ship,
but since we're not there very long I'm kind of stumped. I've been
reading reviews of the gardens...pro and con...and it is kind of
expensive. I'd only feel comfortable going that far in the time we have
with a shore excursion booked through the ship. This will be on a
Saturday night.

Thanks,
Marcia
Hi, Marcia, haven't we visited about Butchart Gardens in the past? I
can't recall if it was you, but I know I was gushing to someone in the
past few months.

Anyway, I am not a "gotta see the gardens" person when we travel--my
husband is the one who adores gardens, so my appreciation of them has
been acquired over many years of garden visits! (And I do have
whatever is the opposite of a green thumb--no plants in our home.
Pitiful.) Nonetheless, I thought Butchart was amazing--well worth the
money. Like anything, YMMV...I simply have a hard time understanding
how there could be "con" opinions, and I'm a person who could easily
relate to a "con" garden opinion!

On Sat. nights in July/Aug (roughly), there are fireworks at the
gardens...spectacular ones (very different, old-fashioned). Don't know
if that coincides with your trip.

But...if you skipped the gardens, would you suffer and beat yourself
up over missing that "must see?!" Not at all. In fact, for a first
visit, spending all of your port time wandering the town is a
perfectly wonderful plan. "Charming" is probably the adjective you've
read ad nauseum, but it fits. Victoria is quaint, has lots of
character, is situated in an incredibly scenic setting--all in all, a
totally delightful place. What will you do? Stroll, window shop, shop,
eat, stroll some more, sit and look out over the harbour, etc. If you
arrive in time to space it out, you could take tea at The Empress and
then have a late dinner. Fabulous bookstore, Munro's, if you like that
sort of thing. No doubt there'll be live music in a variety of venues
on a Sat. night. Could rent bikes and see a little more. (We did that
once...or was it mopeds? I can't recall, but easy and fun.)

Good luck making your decision! You can't go wrong either way.

Diana Ball
Austin, TX
I don't think it was me, because up until a few days ago I didn't know
that excursion was even an option. I saw the EPCOT version of Butchart
Gardens years ago and had it in my mind to go there. I'm not usually a
garden person. We will be in Victoria the night of June 12 from around
7 until midnight, which is probably too early in the season for the
fireworks and music. One of the cons I read was that it can be really
crowded in the garden, which makes it had to see stuff or get around. I
live in Las Vegas, and I know how it feels to be in the Bellagio
conservatory and not be able to take pics because there are people
everywhere.

I'd be really happy having stores to look in (we'd love to find some
Olympic pins) and seeing the harbor would be nice. I guess it's the
government buildings that I see pics off lit up at night that look so
great. We just want to see a little of Victoria in not a lot of time.

Back in May of 1994 I was in Seattle for training for work. I did a
day trip to Canada from Seattle. We left from Seattle on a bus on a
Saturday about 4:30 am., drove north and the bus and all of us got on
a ferry at Anacortes and went to Friday Island and then on to BC. We
got to Butchart Gardens about 10 or 11. They are big enough that they
can absorb a large amount of people. I never saw any of my fellow bus
travelers while I was there. I ate lunch in the cafe there. Then we
got back on the bus and did a mini tour through Victoria and they let
us off by the harbor. That was the end of the tour. It was Victoria
Day, so the harbor was full of boats all decorated, and there were
pedicabs that I could have taken. I went to the Empress hotel for
tea, and also walked over to the Natural History Museum and bought an
anniversary present for my husband (it was our Jade anniversary). Then
I got a high speed ferry back to Seattle arriving there about 10:30.
It was a long day but very fulfilling.

That sounds so nice. I've wanted to see that area for so long, it's
frustrating to be there for such a short time.

Thanks,
Marcia