Tourists beware BC Ferries
BC Ferries has decreed that ferry riders aren’t allowed to take pictures on board their ferries. I know, a ludicrous ruling, given that the ferries are packed with tourists all summer long, but so typical for BC Ferries. Evidently, the reason is ... wait for it ... 9/11. Yes, when all the rationale reasons fail, pull out that all-purpose American bogeyman.
Context: A friend of mine was on a BC Ferries vessel, taking some photos of the outdated portraits of various British monarchs, with a running commentary to himself about how they were missing a couple of monarchs between Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. A BC Ferries employee tells him he has to stop, IMMEDIATELY. He is threatened by staff, and supervisors are called, who also try to intimidate him into submission. When he insists on a *reason* (Yes, remember, this is Canada, and though police sometimes tazer unsuspecting tourists to death, an articulate and informed citizen has a little better chance of asking for someone to make more sense instead of just grunting out “Becuz I says so."), there are some not-so-logical, half-hearted reasons given before that all-purpose American reason is trotted out.
But this is pretty typical for BC Ferries. Consider that the rest of the travel industry gives discounts when travelers make reservations so the company can plan their loads. Not BC Ferries. Instead, they charge extra for reservations. Yes, for helping them anticipate loads, they charge extra. And they don’t create variables fares (other than weekend and weekday fares) to encourage travelers to fill up the boats that otherwise travel half-empty. Talk about counter-intuitive. Of course, this creates resentment for the people who make the reservations because half the time, you didn’t need the reservation, and if you arrive even one minute past the 30-minute window, you can’t benefit from the reservation anyhow, so what was the point, other than to line the pockets of BC Ferries? But again, they used to be government bureaucrats, and haven’t made the transition to a customer-centric organization.
Well, now you’re warned. No taking pictures on the ferry, tourists - leave your cameras in the car! And it’s cheaper to bet with ferry waits than it is to shell out close to $20 extra to make a reservation that you might not need.