High-Speed Passenger Ferry Between Seattle, WA & Victoria, BC: ONE-WAY

Posted By : AMIN_L
Very well planned after the first boo boo of the ferry getting cancelled one day before .Not informed well.
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Posted On : 2024-05-15

Posted By : AMIN_L
Our ferry got cancelled yesterday and we were constantly getting reminder to go to the ferry station ( though it was cancelled). We were not sure what to believe. We had to overstay one day in Seattle and now we will have one less day in Victoria.
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Posted On : 2024-05-14

Posted By : richardford2017
With a title like that where do I start. Well normally the crossing departs Seattle at 8.00am, on our crossing it left at 7.00am, no one told us and we were lucky to get on board as we arrived, as stated 1.5 hours before the scheduled departure and we were downgraded from the top deck premium class to Economy Panorama. Now this review could go one of 2 ways: Thankfully the crew on board had seen this was not our error and totally looked after us. They could not have done more and we appreciated how embarrassing this looked on them. They gave us a complementary voucher to spend on food and drink, gave us a free glass of sparkling wine and fruit juice. When something does go wrong, it’s how it is handled and this crew were 100%, we could not fault them. The crossing (2.5 hours) was smooth and enjoyable. FRS Clipper 5 took all our details and passed them to their office. When we returned to the United Kingdom we found that they had totally refunded our cost of the 2 tickets and even given us money back on the luggage we had to pay for in this class (it was free in the upper deck class). Totally professional outfit and we didn’t expect that level of compensation, but we appreciated it. Thank You FRS you are a top notch company and it would be a pleasure to travel with you again.
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Posted On : 2024-05-06

Posted By : sarahaN1983FV
I'm disabled & have a child who is as well. We needed to visit family & had to take the ferry to Victoria from Seattle one way. We were flying from Minnesota & it was a long trip just to get to Seattle. I called to book the ferry a week in advance & try to find hotel options as well. At first the representative on the phone seemed helpful. But she insisted only one hotel was available for an overnight over $300. I told her I would call back. An hour later called back & different representative said there were several hotel options from $200+ per night, I decided just the one way ferry tickets & bought them. 4 hours later- 8pm my time- the first representative called back very angry & demanded my credit card # because I hadn't paid in full. I explained that I had, she insisted I had not & had used a discount that wasn't real. I told her I had no idea what she was talking about. She said for the seats I got I must pay an additional $65 & so I went to the FRS Clipper website to see if she was right. She was not. I asked her why their website said the seats were now suddenly more expensive & she said she thought maybe taxes & fees. I told her that none of this made sense & it had the feeling of being scammed. I asked why the other representative sold me the tickets at price I paid & gave me a confirmation number already. She got very upset & told me she was cancelling my tickets unless I gave her my credit card #. I finally did, but then wrote the company a complaint letter. They responded quickly & explained about some miscommunications on their end. They refunded my tickets & gave us free ferry seats w/ upgrade to comfort class & offered a hotel for $174 instead that I bought. I was pleased. THEN I WASN'T. Hotel was great, Ferry boarding was easy, staff very friendly while onboard. Seating chart on website is different than actual boat seating- so beware. Luckily there were open seats so we could move to the ones we thought we were getting. Being disabled I am always cautious about new travel experiences but it was a good ride to Victoria. Customs was quick. A pleasant experience, that became a NIGHTMARE I checked our luggage @ the Victoria FRS Clipper station to hold for the day before our family could pick us up later that afternoon. This service was offered for a fee by the FRS Clipper, & I was relieved. My son & I were given luggage receipts & told be back by the 5pm closing time. Unfortunately my family was only able to pick us up in Victoria at 4:58 & I missed 2 calls from the luggage station clerk so I was not able to say I would be 2 minutes late. I called them back as we drove to the station & left a message saying we were one block away. We parked in front at 5:05 & the door was open with various employees putting on coats & purses to leave. My able-bodied sister ran inside to get the big luggage pieces while I walked in behind her. As I mentioned before- I am disabled & I walk with a pronounced limp. As I walked in I apologized profusely for being 5 min late, an employee at the door said no problem at all & I was relieved. I started to walk to my get my sons smaller bag & looked at all the employees & apologized & then the clerk who had told me to be there by 5pm walked up to me & got down in my face as I bent down to the backpack & said very loudly while all the other employees looked at me, "Are you drunk! Why are you walking like that!?" I was so shocked that I was speechless at first, I heard someone laugh & I said nervously, "No I'm disabled my disease made my knee go out & my broken foot never healed correctly." My sister had already taken the other bags but looked back when she heard what the lady said to me. We were both shocked at her bullying me- it is not something I expected from an adult. It took me all day today to realize I should have asked for her name & made a complaint against her at that very moment. She was an older lady, grey long-ish hair, & an accent that seemed almost Scandinavian. And completely, inappropriately, RUDE, unprofessional and purposely hurtful. I know how I walk is not graceful. She saw me walking around earlier in the day while dropping off luggage with her. She saw me & my son (we share the same genetic connective tissue disorder) struggling to ambulate with the bags. For her to humiliate me in front of her fellow employees & chastise me for being 5 min late in that manner was the final straw. I gave FRS Clipper a second chance. I won't be giving them a 3rd. And I'm telling every single person I know to NEVER use their services. When I left their office & struggled yet again with my kiddos bag down the steps to my sister's car I apologized once again to the man at the door, I was now tearing up, trying not to cry & totally embarrassed about my walk. He said to absolutely not worry about it, he made me feel a little better. But I cried later anyways. My disease is crippling- getting worse- and there is no cure. This vacation was meant to lift my spirits & my sons before our surgeries this summer at the Mayo. FRS Clipper should be ashamed to hire such intentionally cruel people.
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Posted On : 2024-05-05

Posted By : ilokcin
BE AWARE! Warning. FRS Clipper will cancel sailings without advance notice and will leave you stranded! Went get on scheduled sailing from Seattle to Victoria and was told "sailing was cancelled". Options were to reschedule for the next day or accept a refund. Had to spend an extra night in Seattle at our own expense because FRS Clipper does not look after its guests. We will never travel with FRS Clipper again. All the extra hotel, food and transportation costs were "on us" since FRS Clipper will not help their guests even when they cancel sailings and leave you stranded. You have been warned!
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Posted On : 2023-11-30

Posted By : Robyn_A
Punctual and professional transfer. Viator information indicated one large suitcase allowed but failed to note weight limit of 50 lbs.
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Posted On : 2023-09-30

Posted By : SuZane_R
This was my first time on a ferry like this. It was much different than I thought - in a good way. It was interesting to learn about the different types of seating. I didn’t have a good picture in my head of what I was purchasing, but now after experiencing the trip, I know what I would like to purchase the next time. The seating and bathroom were clean. Service was excellent and respectful.
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Posted On : 2023-08-16

Posted By : Policy53
Helpful staff. Proper cafeteria and bar on board. Good seats. Great option if you want to spend a few days on either or day trip. Captain shares fun interesting info on the surroundings.
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Posted On : 2023-01-24

Posted By : Semisonic010
So disorganized. We arrived an hour before our departure, just to see a huge line of people of standing in cold and rain. We paid extra for Vista Panorama class, but as soon as boarding finished, people from all over just moved to those seats. Upon arrival, we had to wait another 45 minutes in the cold to clear customs. On the way back, we were told a line of taxis would be waiting. There was only one taxi, and it refused to take us because we weren’t going to the airport.
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Posted On : 2022-12-29

Posted By : 2traveles
Not impressed. This was our first time. The customer service is non-existent. We took this to get away from the TSA cumbersome service, and are glad we did. But once we got on, there was NO service at all. The “kids” who worked there, and I use the term loosely, just congregated and visited. The food offerings consisted of very expensive, pre-packaged pasteries, and coffee and I think OJ. Cheap cheap everything except the price. We had to pick wrappers, etc. cups and dispose. They were just standing there doing nothing. No gift shop like on the wonderful BC ferries, not remotely in the ballpark. Lots of work to do here. We were hoping for a bit better seat we already purchased upstairs, the whole thing was empty and they still charged us $30. We saw others moved all over where they wanted, without asking or paying. Think next time we’ll deal with TSA and take the wonderful BC ferry with great food gift shop and amenities. These people have a lot of work to do to make this more luxurious. They got the price figured out alright, but nothing else. Departure and arrival location were very good.
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Posted On : 2022-12-26