Vancouver Indian Arm Cruise: Lunch Buffet & Live Music

4.54

(180 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You can always tell the locals by how they stand in the wind,” our captain joked as we pulled away from Vancouver’s harbor. He was right — I tried to look casual but my hair immediately whipped into my mouth. The city shrank behind us, all glass towers and that weirdly comforting smell of salt and engine oil. It was early spring, so the air had that bite to it, but the sun kept breaking through in patches. There were families, a couple of older couples (one guy wore a tie — bold move for a boat), and a few solo folks like me just soaking it all in.

The lunch buffet surprised me — not just sandwiches or something basic, but actual west coast stuff: wild salmon, some kind of crunchy salad with berries (I forgot the name), and bread still warm from the oven. I grabbed a seat on the top deck with my plate and one of those bright cocktails they kept offering. Our guide, Mel, pointed out where the forest slid straight down into the water — “That’s why you don’t see houses here,” she said, “it’s too wild.” The live music started up below deck, soft enough that you could still hear seagulls arguing overhead. At one point I closed my eyes just to feel the sun on my face and listen to everything at once — boat engine hum, laughter from a table nearby, forks clinking.

I didn’t expect Indian Arm to feel so far away from Vancouver so quickly. The water turned this deep green-blue as we got further up the fjord. Mel told us stories about old steamships and how people used to come out here for picnics ages ago — she laughed when someone asked if there were bears (“Not today! But maybe keep your sandwich close”). I tried saying thank you in Cantonese to one of the crew (Li? Lee? I hope I got it right) and she grinned at me like I’d just done something heroic. Sometimes little moments like that stick with you more than any view.