Need to travel close to Christmas or New Years day? BC Ferries has discounted certain Route 3 sailings connecting the southern Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland. “Saver fares” range from $49 to $59 for a standard sized vehicle and driver, plus, free one-way reservations can be made online with those fares on select sailings from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay.
To access those rates, online booking and prepayment is required, which cannot be paid for with a BC Experience Card. Most of the charges are refundable if you have to change or cancel your booking. A fee of $5 is deducted to change sailings and you may have to pay to upgrade your booking if there is no Saver fare availability on any alternate sailing you book.
Cancelling a Saver fare booking will cost $5 if done four days or more before travel and that cost goes up to $20 to cancel between three days and up to one hour before the departure that you booked.
There will also be a $20 “no show” fee if you fail to cancel or report in time for any “no charge” reservation booked for sailings from Langdale. If you book a Saver or any prepaid fare from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and arrive at the terminal early or late, you can use your fare towards travel on a different sailing on that route on the same day by paying the difference in price between your fare and the standard “At Terminal” fare.
Another fare-related reminder is that free travel for BC senior passengers on Route 3 (and other routes) is not offered on Dec. 25 nor Jan. 1. Seniors will be charged the adult fare on those statutory holiday dates.
What sailings are still available?
As of Dec. 10, Saver fares were available Dec. 22 through 26 on both the Langdale and Horseshoe Bay Route 3 departures. When Coast Reporter checked, availability was limited to the last three sailings out of Horseshoe Bay on Dec. 25 and the final sailing on Dec. 26. For sailings between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, there were spots available at Saver fare rates going both directions.
There appeared to be an ample supply of sailings at the regular fare and the standard $20 per sailing reservation rate.
Saver fares are also available on routes connecting the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
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