Ferries from Hullo - Nanaimo Ferry Terminal

Hullo runs a passenger-only fast ferry from downtown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver — no cars, no vehicle deck, and no BC Ferries queue. The terminal sits at the Nanaimo Port Authority on the city's harbourfront, which is the whole point of the service: you board within walking distance of Nanaimo's centre and step off in Coal Harbour, in the middle of Vancouver.

Where the terminal is, and how to reach it

The address is Nanaimo Port Authority, 100 Port Way, Nanaimo BC. Three ways in:

• Free shuttle bus — runs seven days a week between downtown Nanaimo and the terminal, picking up at the corner of Front and Church Street and near the Bus Exchange at Port Drive and Front Street. It seats 20 and works first come, first served, so it is not a guaranteed connection on a busy sailing. It is also temporarily not wheelchair accessible.
• Parking on site — 350+ spaces with EV charging. Free for up to 30 minutes if you are only dropping someone off, $5 up to 3 hours, $14 up to 24 hours, then $25 per additional day. Spaces are limited and fill early.
• Taxi — there is a rank by the terminal; ask for the Nanaimo Port Authority rather than "the ferry", which in this town means something else entirely.

If the lot is full, the overflow options downtown are the Port Authority's own pay parking (kiosk, four-day maximum — do not use the Helijet spots), the Overflow Lot on Port Way, Harbour Front Parkade, Bastion Street Parkade, the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and Lot #54-411. The shuttle links most of these to the terminal when it is running.

Check the date: sailings sometimes move to a temporary terminal

When a cruise ship takes the berth, Hullo relocates to W.E. Landing Marina, 304 Front Street. In 2026 the published dates are 5 September, 2 October and 9 October. Three things make this worth planning around:

• It is an outdoor area with no shelter — dress for the weather.
• Gates close five minutes before departure, and it is about a 500 m walk from the drop-off area to the berth.
• You can still park at 100 Port Way and take the free shuttle across. What you cannot do is use the BC Ferries Gabriola terminal for parking or drop-off — that is explicitly not available to Hullo guests.

Sailings and crossing time

Our timetable currently holds 28 departures from Nanaimo and 29 from Vancouver, running from 07:00 through to a last boat at 22:00 from the Nanaimo side. The Vancouver side runs later still — there are scheduled late-night returns after 23:00 and past midnight, aimed at people coming back from a Canucks game or a concert.

Frequency is not uniform: the timetable carries a dozen different day patterns, with the fullest service midweek and thinner weekend sailings. Check the day you actually travel rather than assuming a daily pattern.

On crossing time, two numbers circulate and both are right. Hullo advertises a 70-minute crossing, which is the time at sea. The scheduled blocks in the timetable are 75 to 80 minutes, because they include manoeuvring in and out of two harbours. Plan on the longer figure when you are booking a connection at the other end.

Tickets: no check-in, assigned seats

This is the biggest operational difference from the vehicle ferries. There is no check-in process and every ticket carries a reserved seat, so there is no queueing hours ahead to secure space. Four fare tiers, all quoted before GST:

• Comfort-Connect — from $19.99, the cheapest way across, but heavily restricted: weekday 07:15 from Nanaimo and 17:30 from Vancouver only, bookable online 30-60 days ahead, and it carries no child or senior rate. Main deck, wheelchair accessible, Wi-Fi included.
• Comfort — from $42.99 ($81.00 return). This is the tier with family pricing: children 2-12 and seniors 65+ pay $23.99, and infants under 2 get a free seat.
• Comfort-Flex — $49.99 flat ($95.00 return, no child or senior discount). Buys free seat selection and full refund up to 48 hours before sailing.
• Premium — from $59.99. Upper deck (stairs only), reclining seats, free seat selection, priority on and off, a dedicated AC + USB/USB-C outlet, streaming-speed Wi-Fi, and refunds up to 24 hours before departure.

Return bookings are cheaper than two singles, and a first booking made through an online account carries a $10 credit.

Luggage rules are stricter than on a car ferry

Because everything is carried on, the allowance is closer to an airline's than a ferry's. Free: one personal item (up to 19 inches on its longest side, under 25 lb) and one carry-on bag (up to 22 inches, under 25 lb), both kept with you at your seat. Anything beyond that — a second case, golf clubs, skis, a snowboard — is a paid add-on and should be pre-booked, because onboard luggage space is limited and priority in the bays goes to sports gear and large items. Guests who turn up with unbooked bags may be turned away from the bay.

The two ships

Hullo runs two four-engine catamarans carrying 354 passengers each, built by the Damen Group and delivered in July 2023 ahead of the service launching that August. They carry hul'q'umi'num' names gifted by the Snuneymuxw First Nation, on whose territory the terminal stands: spuhéls (spah-els), meaning wind, and sthuqi' (sta-key), the sockeye salmon. The company reported passing 650,000 guests with 99% reliability in early 2025.

Not the only ferry terminal in Nanaimo — and they are far apart

This trips people up constantly, because "the Nanaimo ferry" means four different places:

• Hullo (100 Port Way) — passengers only, to downtown Vancouver.
• Departure Bay — BC Ferries to Horseshoe Bay, north of the city centre, takes vehicles.
• Duke Point — BC Ferries to Tsawwassen, well south of town, takes vehicles.
• Nanaimo Harbour — the small-boat basin, including the Gabriola Island run.

If you are driving onto the boat you want Departure Bay or Duke Point, and neither is walkable from the Hullo terminal. If you are on foot and heading for central Vancouver rather than the Horseshoe Bay bus, Hullo is the one that leaves you downtown.