Travel headaches continue as most BC Ferries routes today have sold out

BC Ferries is feeling the heat as the demand for summer travel hits a peak.

In a now-deleted tweet, BC Ferries announced that the remaining spaces for Monday, July 24 have been sold out for the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route.

This means, plans on escaping Vancouver today are out of luck and you might want to start thinking of alternate routes.

The earliest available booking along this route is only from 7 am tomorrow, July 25.

The maxed-out ferries come after a headache-filled weekend of traffic and delays from Canadians flocking to Seattle for Taylor Swift and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bookings are also filling up because the Coastal Celebration had to be pulled from service due to a hydraulic oil leak.

“This results in a reduction of eight sailings per day and 2,480 fewer vehicles and 12,832 passenger spaces between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay,” BC Ferries said.

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If you are looking to reach Vancouver, you might just be able to squeeze onto the ferry. There are limited spots left on the 8 pm ferry service from Victoria to Vancouver.

Twitter users have taken to the social media platform to express their frustrations with the sold-out bookings and how it’s impacting plans.

Thanks, brutal. Neither ferry will get me there in time for my concert tonight. Why is your sailing service so abysmal these days? We need a bridge so we’re not held captive all day long in your mind-deadening lineups. Gah!

— clcm (@QuatreVanCat) July 24, 2023

BC Ferries is recommending passengers consider walking on instead of travelling by vehicle to avoid waiting.

Not all passengers are sold on that solution and have responded with their own suggestions to avoiding wait times, including swimming.

Skip the line and swim is what ive always done!

— xbrainheadxtheworstx 🐀 (@brainheadworst) July 24, 2023

The sold-out ferry tickets come on the horizon for another busy weekend.

The BC Day weekend is approaching fast, and tickets for ferries are expected to sell out quickly. BC Ferries released a tweet giving its top tips for ensuring travellers manage to board.

#BCDayWeekend
We’re preparing to welcome over 580k passengers and 210k vehicles on board from August 3rd – 8th. Our top tips to avoid sailing waits 👇

✅ Book in advance
✅ Walk on board
✅ Travel off-peak
✅ Check #CurrentConditions

Find all our BC Day #TravelTips below. ^km pic.twitter.com/4SXFlBK5hP

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) July 24, 2023

If you’re hoping to sail on BC Ferries for the long weekend, try booking in advance, or consider travelling as a foot passenger.