Photo: Facebook/V2V Vacations
This impressive high-speed catamaran with ultra-luxurious amenities on board kicked off its service career in full glory and with high expectations, but ended up being abandoned for almost as long as it had actually operated. After all of that, it has now left Canada, hopefully towards a brighter future.
It’s safe to say that numerous leisure boats in the tourism industry all around the world have been affected by the financial impact of the pandemic. But this high-speed ferry took a hit even before the pandemic broke out.
Its story began in 2017, when a premium cruise service was launched in British Columbia, Canada. A luxurious ferry would connect the center of Vancouver and the historic Inner Harbor in Victoria (hence the V2V Vacations name of the operating company). The company was a subsidiary of Riverside Marine, an Australian brand, and that’s where the vessel had come from.
Named V2V Empress, it was a large catamaran boasting 242 seats, and a two-class configuration. The most expensive out of the two, the “Royal” one, took luxury service to the next level.
For example, passengers would have access to their own dedicated host, to cater to all of their needs. Plus, they would also enjoy a three-course meal served at their seats, and limitless non-alcoholic drinks throughout the entire trip.
The trip was completed in a little over three hours, thanks to the ferry being a high-speed cat. It also included access to its beautiful sundeck with 360-degree views for everyone on board, plus modern perks such as complimentary Wi-Fi, and USB ports integrated in the ergonomic leather seats.
The most expensive ticket for a trip onboard the V2V Empress added up to 240 Canadian dollars ($179 USD).
But despite the apparent success (the venture even got a GlobalTrends Marketing Award) everything ended abruptly at the beginning of 2020, when the company announced that it was going to cease operations.
The official reason was “unsatisfactory financial prospects,” and the V2V Empress ended up remaining docked for three long years. It basically remained abandoned for almost as long as it had operated in British Columbia – a sad twist of fate for what had been such a luxurious vessel.
Recently, things changed for the former ferry. According to local media reports, it has been finally sold to a Mexican company.
The large vessel was loaded earlier this week onto a cargo vessel that is allegedly taking it to the Caribbean. That is where it will start a new life, under a new name, but still carrying passengers in style. It took two heavy-lifting cranes to move the nearly 200-ton catamaran onto the cargo ship. Perhaps we’ll hear about it again in the future, once it enters service – hopefully, with more luck this time around.
Its story began in 2017, when a premium cruise service was launched in British Columbia, Canada. A luxurious ferry would connect the center of Vancouver and the historic Inner Harbor in Victoria (hence the V2V Vacations name of the operating company). The company was a subsidiary of Riverside Marine, an Australian brand, and that’s where the vessel had come from.
Named V2V Empress, it was a large catamaran boasting 242 seats, and a two-class configuration. The most expensive out of the two, the “Royal” one, took luxury service to the next level.
For example, passengers would have access to their own dedicated host, to cater to all of their needs. Plus, they would also enjoy a three-course meal served at their seats, and limitless non-alcoholic drinks throughout the entire trip.
The trip was completed in a little over three hours, thanks to the ferry being a high-speed cat. It also included access to its beautiful sundeck with 360-degree views for everyone on board, plus modern perks such as complimentary Wi-Fi, and USB ports integrated in the ergonomic leather seats.
The most expensive ticket for a trip onboard the V2V Empress added up to 240 Canadian dollars ($179 USD).
But despite the apparent success (the venture even got a GlobalTrends Marketing Award) everything ended abruptly at the beginning of 2020, when the company announced that it was going to cease operations.
The official reason was “unsatisfactory financial prospects,” and the V2V Empress ended up remaining docked for three long years. It basically remained abandoned for almost as long as it had operated in British Columbia – a sad twist of fate for what had been such a luxurious vessel.
Recently, things changed for the former ferry. According to local media reports, it has been finally sold to a Mexican company.
The large vessel was loaded earlier this week onto a cargo vessel that is allegedly taking it to the Caribbean. That is where it will start a new life, under a new name, but still carrying passengers in style. It took two heavy-lifting cranes to move the nearly 200-ton catamaran onto the cargo ship. Perhaps we’ll hear about it again in the future, once it enters service – hopefully, with more luck this time around.
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