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‘Luxury cruise’ passenger ferry between Vancouver and Victoria to launch in May

V2V Vacations is gearing up for a May 1 launch of its passenger ferry service between Victoria and Vancouver.
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V2V Empress | Photo: V2VVacations.com

V2V Vacations is gearing up for a May 1 launch of its passenger ferry service between Victoria and Vancouver.

The company’s V2V Empress is a 254-seat catamaran that will follow a downtown-to-downtown route on a three-and-a-half hour trip billed as a luxury cruise service.

The ferry service has been in the works for a while. V2V’s parent company, Riverside Marine, signed a lease more than a year ago with the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, and it was estimated at that time that service would begin in summer 2016.

Fares will start at $120 for adults and $60 for children, and go to $199 for both adults and children in first class. The highest level is “royal class,” where the price is $240 for both adults and children. V2V said this class will feature full dining and premium seating.

Riverside is based in Australia, and this is the company’s first expansion into North America.

V2V will not be the first company to operate a passenger ferry that runs between the two harbours. The Royal Sealink Express ran for 19 months until 1993 after losing millions of dollars due to low ridership.

- With files from Andrew Duffy

Times Colonist