A Couple of Pit Stops in BC
- Paul Hallman
- May 10
- 5 min read
After 106 days on the Coral Princess we have now completed 50 stops in 17 different countries all within the Circle Pacific Route that we began on January 21st. Temperatures have ranged from -4C in the Gulf of Alaska to 35C in Vietnam and our wardrobe has now been fully utilized. Today, we are so excited to get back to our homeland. Oh Canada - it does feel good to be back and spend a couple days in British Columbia.
Our fist stop was in Victoria with a scheduled dockage time of 12 noon. We arrived in the port and were greeted by a Canadian Pilot boat and from the way he rushed to meet us I think he was excited to guide our ship into the port safely and without any delays.
After we left the ship we met Doug and Adele, a couple we had cruised with on a Holland America Ship that took us to Antarctica a couple of years ago.
They had been in a cabin right beside ours and during that cruise we had a chance to do several excursions together. They live on Vancouver Island in Courtenay which is a meager three hour drive from our ship and today, they were our excursion hosts. Doug has lived on the island for some time and he certainly gave us a fabulous historical tour of Victoria.
We spent several hours driving through the downtown area as well as to the coastal area of Sydney, the parks as well as the marina area, ship dry docks, fancy homes and a large school where Doug attended when he was much younger.
Our first stop was at the Craigdarrock Castle, which was built when the Victorian Era Came to life in Victoria. Perched on a hill overlooking the City of Victoria, Craigdarroch Castle is a vivid, immersive window into the Victorian era. It’s a classic example of a “bonanza castle”—a massive home built by an entrepreneur who amassed extraordinary wealth during the industrial age.
In Craigdarroch’s case, that industrialist was Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who built his fortune through Vancouver Island coal. The castle—constructed between 1887 and 1890—was meant to make a statement: it announced to the world that Dunsmuir was “the richest and most important man in Western Canada.” All the stone and most other components came from Scotland.
Dunsmuir died in 1889, before the project was completed. He left his entire estate to his wife, Joan, who lived in the castle until her death in 1908. Today the castle is a museum and inside, the Dunsmuir family’s immense fortune is reflected across four floors filled with exquisite stained glass windows, intricate woodwork, and fabulous Victorian-era furnishings—details that help bring the period to life for visitors today.
We continued our city tour by passing through several residential estates where beautiful flowers were in bloom and we were amazed by the landscaping of almost every property. Tucked into the residential area was a marina and a golf course.
Stop number two was a drive-by of the Central Middle School (formerly a Junior High) which is a public school in Victoria, BC, serving grades 6 through 8 within the Greater Victoria School District. It underwent a seismic rebuild in 2011.
The site has long educational roots, previously housing the Central Junior High, and the original, separate Victoria High School building in the late 19th century. The current building was rebuilt/upgraded in 2011, featuring modern classrooms, a T-shaped design, and a reinforced concrete structure.
As we ventured along the coastline we passed some high flyers, sitting in cradles "hanging out" in the winds and catching a breeze. It seemed like they were simply hanging in space and they certainly were enjoying the sunny afternoon.
We headed to an area called Sydney and it was a coastal town with docks, marinas and a small beach. We grabbed some beverages (alcohol for sure) as well as some Fish and Chips........... you can never go wrong with sea food when the restaurant is by the sea. Beside the restaurant was a bakery and we could not resist getting some freshly baked Canadian sweets.
We completed our town tour by passing the dry dock, marinas and a stop to get a snapshot of our ship docked on the old town docks where the pier was initially used for the shipment of coal.
This definitely was the best way to experience a city - a private Hop On / Hop Off automobile with friends. Thanks to Doug and Adele for our Victoria Experience.
The next day we were in Vancouver
We arrived in Vancouver the following day to sunshine and a warmer day than we had anticipated. Vancouver is located across the water from Victoria and a short cruise to get to the Pan Pacific Cruise Terminal. Jan and I planned to walk the downtown area and get a glimpse of Chinatown, Gastown and the Coal Marina area.
These images were taken in the Coal Marina area as well as streets near the waterfront.
During our walk into the city the sun was lower in the sky and there were so many mirror images of other buildings and I tried to get as many as I could - it made for some great photography and interesting images.
We walked some 15,000 steps around the city, grabbed some food at the Old Spaghetti House (this is a Canadian Chain) where we had our lunch in an old Trolly with Ashley, a friend from our ship. The last part of our walk took us past the Steam Clock and then back to the Coal Marina where we found some floating homes in the midst of an actual marina.
Finally we strolled past the Olympic Cauldron from the 1990 Olympics. The official lighting of the flame was lit by Canadian sports legends Wayne Gretzky, Nancy Greene, Steve Nash, and Catriona Le May Doan at the opening ceremony. A technical glitch resulted in only three of the four cauldron arms rising, leaving Le May Doan unable to light her section inside BC Place. That was just another time that she was able to make history.
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games, were held in Vancouver and were renowned for high attendance and success, the Games featured 2,600+ athletes from 82 nations competing in 15 disciplines across Vancouver and Whistler. Canada set a record with 14 gold medals, leading the count.
After soaking up the old-world charm of Victoria and the big-city energy of Vancouver, we made our way back to the Coral Princess with that familiar mix of gratitude and anticipation. We have had two unforgettable BC stops behind us, and the final week of our Circle Pacific Cruise ahead.
From hilltop views and historic streets to waterfront scenes and the buzz of a modern coastal city, these past few days felt like a perfect pairing. Now it’s time to settle back into shipboard life, watch the shoreline fade, and look north-to-south toward our next port in Seattle.
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