No reservation? Avoid taking your car on Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route this weekend, B.C. Ferries says

Passengers looking to take one of B.C. Ferries' busiest routes this long weekend should not drive on unless they have a reservation, according to the corporation.

A statement on Wednesday said there will be eight fewer daily sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay than originally planned between Wednesday and Monday because one of the ships needs repair.

The corporation said the Coastal Celebration is out of rotation "due to unexpected complications with its propulsion systems." More than 6,600 reservations were rebooked on other vessels, and customers with reservations "will not be affected" by the change, but there is little room left over for other cars.

"Customers travelling without a confirmed booking are strongly encouraged to go as walk-on passengers, given a limited number of spaces for standby vehicles on each sailing," the statement said.

Losing the Coastal Celebration cuts the route's capacity by roughly 12,800 people a day, as the ship has room for 1,604 passengers and crew on each sailing.

B.C. Ferries' website crashed soon after the announcement Wednesday. It came back online at around 6:30 p.m., according to the service's Twitter page.

The corporation said it's hired extra traffic flaggers and opened all of the ticket booths at Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen terminals "to deal with expected long lines and sailing waits."

"Both terminals will also offer activities for families in playground areas, hydration stations and misting stations to make wait times a bit easier," it said.

The Coastal Celebration is expected to return Tuesday if repairs and test runs are successful.