With Canada Day approaching, BC Ferries says it is running at full strength, with all 37 vessels prepped to sail.
A spokesperson said BC Ferries expects 20 per cent more vehicles and 32 per cent more passengers than a normal weekend. This is similar to last year's traffic.
Summer long weekends can be some of the busiest times for the ferries, and waits should be expected for those who arrive at terminals without a reservation.
And because Canada Day falls on a Tuesday this year, high-traffic times are expected to be spread out over a few more days, with the longest waits on Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
BC Ferries has created a travel tips page with specific recommendations for the Canada Day long weekend. Sailings to the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island are expected to be busiest Thursday through Sunday. Those heading to the Lower Mainland are expected to experience fairly busy traffic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the heaviest traffic on Monday and Tuesday.
Travellers can check the current conditions page to find out when the next sailing is with space.
So far in the 2025 fiscal year, BC Ferries has carried its highest volume of traffic ever, with 22.7 million passengers and 9.7 vehicles travelling on its ships.
The Crown corporation had added more than 1,000 extra round-trips across the busiest routes this summer.
"And we’ve built in some operational redundancy where we can — because with an aging fleet, we know how important it is to be ready to respond quickly," a spokesperson told ronaldomanosa in an email. "Our teams are ready to deliver a strong peak season and help customers get where they need to go."
BC Ferries has four new ships on order, with a contract signed to have them built in a Chinese shipyard and delivered by 2031.
