Vancouver Island instead of Alaska cruise?

Would Vancouver Island give us East Coasters enough of a "taste" of Pacific NW water activities/landscape instead of an Alaskan cruise? We only have 2 weeks and really want to combine with a 2nd week in Banff area or Whistler. We went to Banff last year and loved it. Everyone wants to go back to the Canadian Rockies. If we do a cruise, we have to cut out something. Plus, a TS stay is almost free for us vs. at least $6K for a cruise. We would only do a RT Alaskan cruise from Vancouver or Seattle, so not getting too far up into Alaska. I know a one way is better, but budget, flights and time would dictate RT. I am thinking Vancouver Island would be a decent alternative for my active family? thoughts?

A lot of people love the Alaskan tours so I won't say no, but I would do Vancouver Island. Lots of beautiful scenery (eagles galore), Butchard Gardens, Victoria, and perhaps a side trip to Vancouver. Factor in the cost difference ...

We were on a small ship (about 55 passengers) through the Panama Canal on a boat that did the Alaska tour during the summer months. Talking to one of the workers on the boat, she was not that excited about the Alaska stretch. Her comment was it was too much like Washington which she hailed from. So, what you might see starting Seattle could pretty much be like what you see on Vancouver Island.

I am sure others will disagree, but those are my thoughts.

I live in NW Washington, a healthy stone's throw from Vancouver Island, and I used to live in southern Alaska. In my opinion, the area in and around Puget Sound in Washington, and the Straits of Georgia/Salish Sea area between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland, are generally very similar to the southeast Alaska coastal areas. Similar trees, similar coastline, and so forth. So in that regard, from a distance it "looks" a lot alike. It's quite beautiful, and a Vancouver Island vacation would definitely be worthwhile, as would seeing the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound.

But the differences are also striking. Alaska has a difference that is tangible. The sky is bigger, the air is cleaner, everything is fresher. Things are much less crowded, so the open space is more open. The towns are a very different kind of experience. It's different enough that I think it's worth seeing them both. What an Alaska cruise will offer you is that similar scenery, but also glaciers, bigger snow-capped mountain ranges, and a lot of wildness that the BC/Washington experience can't match.

As I say, I live here, in the heart of it all, and yet I'm taking a cruise to Alaska next Summer. That has to say something.

Dave

thanks. Although everyone LOVED Banff and wants to return, I just looked at Pacific Rim Nat. Park, which looks pretty awesome. We would add 2 days in Vancouver. So maybe Vancouver Isalnd, plus an Alaska cruise and skip going back to Alberta (which also cuts out a travel day and one-way rental car).
But, would a week on Vancouver I plus Alaska cruise then be too repetitive?

That park looks really great, very similar to the Olympic Peninsula coastline in Washington, in and around Forks, Washington. (Any "Twilight" fans in your house?) Very rugged coastline, and forest right down to the water. Very different than the DC area.

Dave

elaine said:

thanks. Although everyone LOVED Banff and wants to return, I just looked at Pacific Rim Nat. Park, which looks pretty awesome. We would add 2 days in Vancouver. So maybe Vancouver Isalnd, plus an Alaska cruise and skip going back to Alberta (which also cuts out a travel day and one-way rental car).
But, would a week on Vancouver I plus Alaska cruise then be too repetitive?

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It's all beautiful so you can't go wrong. Focusing on the ocean this year and eliminating the travel day makes a lot of sense. However, note that all of the Canadian national parks will have free entrance for 2017. The fee for a family/group pass is around $130 US (depending on the exchange rate). That might make the case for a Canadian NP trip from Pacific Rim to Revelstoke, Glacier and Banff/Jasper/Yoho/Kootenay.
I love Pacific Rim NP. The section between Tofino and Ucluelet has lots of short trails that access the beaches. There is a nice combination of rugged cliffs and sea stacks + long sandy beaches. The timeshares on Vancouver Island are either at the south end (Victoria or Sooke) or mid-island just north of Nanaimo. Pacific Rim is doable as a day trip from the mid-island ts but too far from Victoria. Victoria has easy access to the Juan de Fuca Trail along the Strait of Juan de Fuca; the body of water that separates the US and Canada. The mid-island options have easier access to beaches; but it's pretty cold water so it needs to be a hot day for swimming. Victoria is a beautiful city with good outdoor options as well with a few beaches here and there but more rocky shores than sand.
If you end up in Victoria and want a couple of nights at Pacific Rim, lodging in Ucluelet is a LOT cheaper than Tofino, though some of the hype is spilling over and there's been a lot of new building the past few years. Ucluelet also has the Wild Pacific Trail along the cliffs; a really beautiful trail. I've stayed at West Coast motel in a variety of units including the Fisherman's house which is a 1950's era house split into a top or bottom duplex or rent the whole thing. It has a full kitchen in both up and downstairs. They've been remodeling over the years but the service has always been top notch.

Sue

thank you. I think we will stay mid-island b/c we really want to just day trip to Pacific Rim. TUGGERS are great!

Hi Elaine, I think your plan is shaping up well but I would urge you to stay overnight (at the very minimum) in Tofino or Ucluelet. If your TS is in Victoria, you might also consider a day trip to Salt Spring Island?

My opinion only--Vancouver island would be nice, but is no substitute for an Alaska cruise. You would have a great trip with Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies, just realize that Vancouver Island is not Alaska.

Not ALASKA

Visiting Alaska via cruiseship compares little to the whole of the state. Viewing Straits from Hurricane Ridge or tripping Olympia rain forest compares little to the whole of Washington state. That being said, do Victoria and cruise as time allows. Canadian Rockys you have seen already. The cruise allows for pictourous islands and ice and maybe whales; altogether different.