thanks for the reply. to follow up, we are actually headed to Nanaimo so we will take the ferry. I ended up booking the direct flight, to try to make the day less cumberson since we have to go through customs/immigration, take a taxi to the ferry, take the ferry, and then have my parents pick us up for a 45 minute drive. It'll be a long day, and changing planes wasn't big on my list.

thanks for the advice. we booked the flight at $700 and paid for the convenience of the direct flight. oh well.