My TripAdvisor Review No.609: Vypeen Island, Kochi, Kerala.

Picturesque Island North Of Fort Kochi,

Vypeen or Vypin Island is one of the group of islands which form the city of Kochi and Ernakulam. It is just north of Fort Kochi and easily accessed by ferry or road. It is an elongated island, about 27 km long and less than 2 km wide at its widest. It is connected to mainland Kochi by a series of bridges known as the Goshree Bridge which is about 3 km long and touches two other islands.

Another way to reach the south end of Vypin Island is by a ferry. There are ferries from Fort Kochi, Bolghatty Island and Ernakulam on the mainland. All the ferries offer scenic rides on the Vembanad Lake backwaters. We crossed over on the Vypin-Fort Kochi ‘Jankar’ ferry with our car, and the crossing took barely 10 minutes, although we had to wait for about 15 minutes to board it.

The drive along Vypin Island is very scenic, although it is supposed to be one of the most densely populated islands in the world. One the western side is the Arabian Sea, and on the east is the scenic backwater. Both sides are lined with pretty palm trees. There is a lighthouse and some pristine beaches lining the seaside, Cherai Beach and Kuzhupilly Beach being the most popular. There are many seaside resorts and restaurants as well on the beach front.

It is worth taking a ferry trip to Vypin Island if you are visiting Kochi or Ernakulam for sight-seeing.

Date of experience: December 2019

Ask EkMusafir about Vypeen Island

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.568: TransLink SeaBus, North Vancouver, Canada.

Short Ferry Ride To North Vancouver.

The TransLink SeaBus is the quickest way to cross the Burrard Inlet between Waterfront Station at Vancouver Downtown, and Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. These are passenger-only ferries and there were two of them in service when we took a ride in one of them. They are actually oval shaped catamarans that do not need to turn around at the quay. They generally operate at 15 minute intervals during peak hours, and do the crossing in about 11 to 12 minutes.

They are part of the integrated public transit system of metro Vancouver, and we used our Compass Card Day Pass to board the ferry from Waterfront Station after alighting from a SkyTrain, and again to catch another bus from the Lonsdale Quay bus station. So we traveled seamlessly from the Vancouver International Airport to our lodgings in North Vancouver, using the SkyTrain, SeaBus and motor bus, and reached our destination in an hour and a half.

The views of the harbor from the ferry are incredibly beautiful, especially in the evenings around sunset. Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore is a tourist destination by itself, with a lot of shops and restaurants at the landing area.

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Date of experience: August 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.561: BC Ferries (Tsawwassen), British Columbia, Canada.

Another Scenic Voyage Across The Strait Of Georgia.

BC Ferries are the best forms of transport to get from the mainland to places on Vancouver Island and other smaller islands on the west coast of British Columbia. This time we did the sailing from Duke Point at Nanaimo to Tsawwassen which is south of Vancouver compared to Horseshoe Bay, which is north of Vancouver. This voyage is a bit longer than the Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay trip and takes about two hours.

We boarded the early morning sailing of the MV Queen of Alberni which is an old vessel of 1976 vintage and has been through quite a few mishaps. On board they have the ‘Coastal Café’ cafeteria which serves good burgers and sandwiches, a gift and souvenir shop, a video arcade, clean washrooms which can be accessed by the disabled as well, elevators and a lot of free tourist literature on deck. It can carry 295 cars and 1200 passengers and crew.

Foot passengers do not need to book in advance and can simply walk on after buying the ticket at the terminal. Oversize luggage can be checked in before boarding with no extra charges. Vehicles generally have to be booked in advance and there is a long queue of cars waiting to board the ferry.

Once on board we relaxed in the comfortable chairs on the upper level deck and enjoyed the views from the broad glass windows. One can go up to the sun deck for better views and the cold breeze in your hair, and one can take better pictures from there.

Refreshments are readily available on the ferries, and the regular passengers would rush to queue up for the tasty meals on board. One can buy a hot meal as listed on the menu or simply go for the snacks like burgers, sandwiches, pastries or chips in the racks. Cold drinks, tea and coffee are available on tap.

Washrooms are clean and well stocked with liquid soap, tissue and napkins. There are some work stations, a video arcade, kids playroom, gift and souvenir shop and racks from where you can pick up free tourist literature.

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Date of experience: June 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.498: BC Ferries, Nanaimo, Vanc-Island, BC, Canada.

Walk On And Enjoy The Scenic Voyage.

BC Ferries are the best form of transport to get from the mainland to places on Vancouver Island. We did the sailing from Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver, to Departure Bay at Nanaimo and back thrice during our stay in British Columbia and quite enjoyed the experience every time.

Foot passengers do not need to book in advance and can simply walk on after buying the ticket at the terminal. Oversize luggage can be checked in before boarding with no extra charges. Vehicles generally have to be booked in advance and there is a long queue of cars waiting to board the ferry. Once on board we relaxed in the comfortable chairs on the Level 5 or 6 decks and enjoyed the views from the broad glass windows. One can go up to the sun deck for better views and the cold breeze in your hair, and one can take better pictures from there.

Refreshments are readily available on the ferries, and the regular passengers would rush to queue up for the tasty meals on board. One can buy a hot meal as listed on the menu or simply go for the snacks like muffins, pastries or chips in the racks. Cold drinks, tea and coffee are available on tap.

Washrooms are clean and well stocked with liquid soap, tissue and napkins. There are some work stations, kids playroom, gift and souvenir shop and racks from where you can pick up free tourist literature.

We always enjoyed the cool and relaxed ferry rides. It takes about an hour and a half to get across the Strait of Georgia. The ferries are generally on time and the walk-on tickets cost about $18.

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Date of experience: July 2019

Ask EkMusafir about BC Ferries

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC