To Get Away, Victoria Clipper
WSDOT spaces out their ferry reservations over a couple of weeks to give everyone an opportunity to reserve a spot however I wasn’t one of them. Instead of taking the ferry from Anacortes, I used the opportunity to take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle. We bought our tickets online two days before we needed to leave but you can buy tickets at the ferry terminal the day of departure.
Victoria Clipper offers daily trips to Friday Harbor during the summer season – typically ferry service starts on the last weekend in April to mid October. Prices vary depending on which day and month you travel on but in general it costs an adult $100 roundtrip. For Mr. Mustang and I, we only paid for one-way tickets that cost $55/person and at the time, added a whale watching tour on top of the standard fare. You can check in online 24 hours before your departure time and print out your ticket/have it sent to your mobile phone or check in at the ferry terminal in person.
We parked at the Bell Street Pier Garage that cost $10 a day and it was a quick 5 minute walk to the clipper terminal. If you are confused on where to go, simply follow the herd of people also leaving the garage and heading towards the terminal. If you checked in online, skip the line and continue down the hallway that looks like it belongs in a government building until you meet with a ticket agent. There they will scan your print out ticket and give you a parking validation coupon for the Bell Street Garage.
It’s first come first serve seating so getting there early makes a world of difference. Mr. Mustang and I arrived 15 minutes before departure and we breezed through the terminal. Since we got there that late, the only seats available were in the middle of the boat and the chairs were as comfortable as an economy seat on a budget airline. We eventually switched seats by moving upstairs where there was less people and the air was fresher. There is a third level but it’s an open air deck with cold metal bleacher chairs so only go up there if it’s sunny and warm. Since there is no assigned seating, you are more than free to walk around the boat during the voyage but if you happen to snag a window table - stay there. Window tables are the best seats you can get and will significantly improve your experience on the boat guaranteed. There is a shop onboard that serves snacks, drinks, souvenirs and sometimes hot meals but don’t expect a wide a selection.
The northbound route takes about 3 ½ hours and goes the long way by making a right turn at Whidbey Island and cutting through Deception Pass. The southbound route is significantly shorter with a total travel time of 2 ½ hours and goes through the Strait of Juan de Fuca instead of Skagit bay. To keep passengers engaged, the staff would often point out any notable landmarks or wildlife over a microphone that the ship was passing by but with low visibility at the time, we hardly saw anything worth noting.
TIP: If you are taking the clipper, prepare as though you are going on a 2-3 hour plane ride and bring anything to keep you occupied. Mr. Mustang and I felt extremely unprepared during the trip since we both forgot to bring anything to keep us busy – half the time I spent trying to fall asleep but couldn’t get into a comfortable position.
Earlier in this post I mentioned that we paid for whale watching too however that’s not what we got. For about $40 more a person, you can stay on the boat after it docks in Friday Harbor and be part of a 2 hour whale watching tour. If you don’t see any whales during the tour, they give you credit for a free trip back to Friday Harbor on a later day. Halfway to the San Juans there was an announcement that the whale watching tour will be delayed by at least two hours due to low visibility. Unfortunately we didn’t have two hours so we had to get a refund instead.
Overall, Victoria Clipper provides a simple service to get to the San Juans that works as a passenger ferry first and a tour guide boat second. The boat itself is a little dated and needs some upgrades but it gets the job done by transporting people to the San Juans fast and cheaply.
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