Current Conditions

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    New fares are now available on routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island to provide more value, choice and certainty.
    
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      Secure your seats with tickets starting at $28 and book your Saver fare in advance from $49 on select sailings, available for same day travel on April 12 and May 11.
      
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      Pack your RV or camper this summer and sail to Metro Vancouver or Vancouver Island for less with our Over-height vehicle Saver fare.
      
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Travel advisory: Busy Weekend Expected View ×

Posted: Friday, April 18, 2025

Easter Long Weekend
April 18 – April 21, 2025

Easter long weekend is a popular time for travel on the coast. Busy travel days are expected from Friday, April 18 through Monday, April 21 on the following routes:

•   Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Victoria (Swartz Bay)
•   Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Southern Gulf Islands
•   Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Nanaimo (Duke Point)
•   Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Nanaimo (Departure Bay)
•   Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Sunshine Coast (Langdale)
•   Vancouver Island – Gulf Islands

Historically, the most popular day to travel from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast is Friday, from our Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay terminals. Monday is typically the most popular day for travel back to the Lower Mainland.

Customers planning to travel with a vehicle without a reservation should be prepared for sailing waits during popular times to travel. If reservations are sold out, the best option to avoid sailing waits is to travel during less busy times, typically mid-week days and early morning or late evening sailings, or walk on board.

Click here to view Travel Tips and here for Service Notices.

We look forward to welcoming you on board this Easter Long Weekend.

For schedule information and bookings, visit bcferries.com. For up-to-date travel information, check Current Conditions and follow @BCFerries on Twitter.

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We're testing a new current conditions experience on select routes.
Learn more 

Select your departure location then destination to view route sailing status and estimated deck space available. To check arrival and departure times for today's sailings, view departures and arrivals.

Metro Vancouver

Vancouver Island

Sunshine Coast

Southern Gulf Islands

Northern Gulf Islands

Central Coast

North Coast

Haida Gwaii

At-a-glance pages

Departures and arrivals

Terminal webcams

Ferry tracking

Major terminal status

Service notices

Learn more about current conditions

Current Conditions provides a forecast of deck space available based on the number of vehicles booked in advance and the number of drive-up vehicles in the terminal. Some sailings may show as “Full” below, but may have space available for additional vehicles depending on how many customers do not show up for their bookings, the size of vehicles that arrive, and the ability of our deck crew to fit more vehicles.

Read frequently asked questions about BC Ferries current conditions to learn about features and terminology.

Current conditions FAQs

Why do some routes have Current Conditions pages and others do not?

Current Conditions is available at terminals with Traffic Towers. We are looking into adding additional routes where we can install cameras for live traffic tracking.

How do we calculate Estimated Deck Space Available?

Estimated Deck Space Available is the approximate percentage of vehicle deck space that remains available for sale on a particular sailing. It is calculated after counting the number of reservations and the number of drive-up customers already checked in at the terminal. This percentage changes as more vehicles are processed through the ticket booth.

Around 10–20% of customers do not check-in for their bookings. After the booking check-in window closes, which is around 30* minutes before departure, we free up these spaces for drive-up customers.

*Some exceptions apply, find and review the check-in and cut-off times at your departure terminal.

What does Now Ticketing mean?

The Now Ticketing section of Current Conditions informs customers of the sailing currently being sold at the ticket booth. It indicates for those customers without a reservation in the pre-ticketing area with the sailing they can expect to travel on. As sailings become full during the day, Now Ticketing displays the next sailing with available deck space for non-reserved traffic.

Are commercial vehicles calculated as part of Estimated Deck Space Available?

Yes. We calculate all types of vehicle traffic, including commercial vehicles and buses, as part of Mixed Vehicle Deck Space Available calculations. Foot passengers are not calculated as they do not take up vehicle deck space.

Why do the cameras show an empty lot, but Estimated Deck Space Available indicates the sailing is full?

Estimated Deck Space Available includes advanced vehicle bookings. In most cases, these customers can check-in up to 30 minutes* before their sailing. If customers have a booking but haven’t yet arrived, the terminal lot may appear empty.

*Some exceptions apply, find and review the check-in and cut-off times at your departure terminal.

How often is Current Conditions updated?

Current Conditions retrieves live data from all terminals every five minutes.

Why does Current Conditions not show a sailing as delayed until after it departs?

There is currently no way for a terminal to update the anticipated departure time without affecting the scheduled sailing time online.

What is displayed when a sailing is cancelled or late departing?

When a sailing is delayed or cancelled, the sailing will display a message that indicates the reason. This will appear on the Departures/Arrivals page under Status.

Why does Estimated Deck Space Available only show departures for today?

Estimated Deck Space Available is built on a 24-hour clock and is designed to be a near-term planning tool that displays real-time conditions at the terminal. We have recently made updates to Deck Space Available that now show the day’s sailings as well as the first three sailings of the next day.

How we allocate space for our bookable routes

We provide travel certainty for customers who want to book in advance while keeping a percentage of space for customers who choose to travel without a booking.

Find out more about how we allocate space

Routes & fares

Book sailings

Travel & boarding

On the ferry

Deals & offers

Trip planning & activities

Current conditions

At-a-glance pages

Learn more about current conditions

Current conditions FAQs

How we allocate space for our bookable routes