V2V Empress Review – This Company Stole From Me!

*Hello future V2V passengers. Please consider this update to my V2V Empress review before purchasing those tickets!

Before you get into this V2V Empress Review I need to share a personal experience with V2V. This company stole from me and was pretty terrible about it. After my V2V review, they approached me requesting the use of my images and asked me how much I charge. This is standard practice and, as I don’t make money on these trip, it is a way for me to support this site. What is not standard practice is the company using my images and not paying for them! I replied with my price list and even offered to take another trip specifically to take photos. No reply.

Fast-forward a few months after this V2V review went live and I start seeing my images pop up in V2V facebook promotions and Instagram stories.

What. The. f@ck?

I then head over to the V2V website and find my images sprinkled throughout. This, obviously, did not sit well with me. I reached out to V2V to understand why they are using my images without permission. They were apologetic and began scrubbing their site. This was fine but again, they asked me how much to use my images then used them without paying. I followed up again with an invoice. This reached the attention of V2V VC Julian Wright. She simply played ignorance and said they would not be paying.

To hear that response from their vice president is shocking and sad. If this is how a company is being lead I can not support that. Especially considering they do not support the people that support them.

So again, if you are looking to travel from downtown Vancouver to Victoria please consider my V2V review experience before purchasing those tickets.

For transparency here is my original V2V Empress review:

Thanks to a partnership with Tourism Victoria I recently had the absolute pleasure of checking out Vancouver’s brand-new luxury passenger ferry service to British Columbia’s beautiful capital city. Here is my V2V Empress review and why I think you should get on board.

It Started with a Vision 

Canada is a lot of great things. A leader in transportation is not one of them. I have always heard that we are a country that is far too spread out to have a rail system like Europe and receive too few tourists to have passenger ferry services like those found in the Mediterranean. Although I agree we are a big country, I have traveled by passenger ferry around the Greek Islands as well as in New Zealand so have always questioned why it would not work in my hometown.

Cleary Hume Campbell, CEO and V2V visionary, wondered this as well. Coming from Australia where the islands around the major hubs are well connected and serviced, he could not understand why he had to drive 30-minutes out of town (longer with traffic) if he wanted to visit Victoria. That confusion led to the creation V2V Vacations and my very first trip on board.

I walked along the Vancouver Convention Center seawall with a skip in my step. I had been looking forward to this trip and V2V Empress review for some time. Although it was seven in the morning, I couldn’t hide my smile. Downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria on a luxury passenger ferry, what’s not to be excited about? On top of that, I couldn’t have asked for a better day to sail with V2V.

Inside the V2V ticketing office friendly and smiling staff greeted and checked us in. This courtesy continued from port to port as service aboard the V2V Empress is warm, welcoming, and first class all the way.  This was highlighted by Cesar, V2V Vacation’s sales and marketing assistant, who I had the pleasure of chatting with at check-in and again on the journey home.

Cesar has worked for many years in the tourism industry and with many large companies, but never one from day one. His excitement for this project was contagious and only made me that much more eager to set sail.

All Aboard

The V2V Empress is split into three service classes: Royal, First, and Premier Comfort. The latter is geared towards commuting or value seeking tourists but still features comfortable leather seating and door to door service. First Class and Royal Class are located on the upper deck with an inclusive three-course meal. Royal Class seats are at the front of the Empress and feature reclining seats with forward facing views. For my V2V Empress review I was seated in 1st class although the cabin was not busy so was free to wander.

Royal and Premier Comfort classes have access to the top viewing deck which offers unobstructed views. During the trip, the V2V Empress slows down allowing for sightseeing of the Gulf Islands and the Vancouver and Victoria harbours. The top viewing deck is also a great spot for whale sightings which are not uncommon! Sadly, no sightings on my sailing however that did not sour my day. With views like this, how could it??

Amenities and Food

All classes have access to onboard Wi-Fi, although as I found, it’s not much better than what you will find at sea with BC ferries. Even though I had the intention of getting some work done, I found myself enjoying the views and listening to the onboard commentary so this was a non-issue for me. I was also too busy admiring the interior of the V2V Empress.

The first thing that caught my eye on the upper levels was the wood carved nautical maps encased in glass. These make up the family-style seating tables and, hopefully one day, my coffee table at home.

Like everything else on board the V2V Empress, meals are gourmet and first-class. For breakfast and afternoon lunch you have a small selection of Salish Sea inspired dishes that feature BC products such as smoked salmon, backyard greens, and local craft beer and wine. V2V Vacations has committed to sustainable and preservative-free ingredients and uses Ocean Wise seafood` as well as deli meats that are additive-free. Desserts of chocolate truffles are supplied by Bernard Callebaut chocolate and are by far the best chocolates I’ve had at sea 😉

Downtown to Downtown

You’re not going to find a more literal name than V2V. Unlike BC Ferries, which picks you up and drops you off on the outskirts of town, V2V brings you door-to-door. From the convention center in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour to the historic Steamship Terminal in Victoria, V2V makes for a stress-free and carefree escape. For me and my V2V Empress review, this meant rolling my bag across the street to my accommodations at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Easy peasy.

On top of the stress-free terminal locations I found my crossing to be beyond relaxing and, although longer than BC Ferries (3.5 hours vs. 1.5… but again, V2V is door-to-door),  it was all about the journey. I’m hopeful others will recognize the same.

Sail Away

I should note this passenger service has been attempted before, but as Cesar explained to me on the return trip, not like this. The service on board is unlike anything you will find in British Columbia or Canada for that matter.  The prices do reflect this though. Premium Comfort is $120, 1st Class is $199, and Royal Comfort is $240.

These fares are one-way prices and may be out of reach for many who want to experience this wonderful service. V2V is aware of this and is already is in talks with Harbour Air to provide a ferry/flight package that will address cost and time. With talks of expanding service to downtown Seattle, it sounds like the V2V Empress is around for the long term.

I certainly hope it is here to stay and that it inspires other visionaries. Perhaps this will be a spark for the expansion of transportation options and the beginning of better connecting Canada’s prettiest parts. Time will tell.

Until then, check out the V2V Empress.

What say you?
Thoughts on this V2V Empress Review ?
Let’s hear it!

For more reviews from Canada and beyond see HERE.

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