Alaska Ferry Special using Space A

Author Message   Dalton Hanks Member Username: Dhanks0001 Post Number: 24 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Thursday, October 01, 2009 - 03:59 pm:    Hi: We took the ferry with our Roadtrek van. It was a wonderfull experience as we were able to get off at each stop and stay for about seven days before going to the next port. I had my fishing stuff and caught near 150 lbs of salmon while in Juneau. I gave the salmon to some of the people in collage looking for some extra food to stretch their budget. We kept one King salmon about 20 lbs and 1 Chum which was about 15-17 range. The rest of the salmon we caught while there we gave to the students. We did a lot of hiking including a hike to the glacier which required a bit of a climb not to mention getting lost in the trees on the way . We finally got to the top but it was scary climbing down. We both had jelly legs. We saw a lot of history about the natives along the way and enjoyed some of the tours. All in all we will always remember having a wonderful time on the trip and also stayed in Alaska for 4 months before driving back to Florida. If you have a motorhome type of van that is the way to go as we paid about 900 for the van one way as it was a 20 ft van. Wec were able to get on and off without any extra charge. Hope this helps on your decision. I don't know if I would go without a vehicle however as the cruise sounds much better. Dalton   Candice W. New member Username: Gulltrek Post Number: 2 Registered: 09-2009 Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 05:50 pm:    You're right about Skagway for sure. They basically have 1 road lined on both sides with tourist shops (and one ex-brothel museum/bar, "The Red Onion Saloon") and, at least when I went, the ENTIRE street was BOMBARDED by cruise ship tourists ("newly weds and nearly deads" is a common expression for tourists up there). You couldn't even get into some of the stores. If you go one street over from there, the town is entirely different and there's a nice towny cafe but I can't remember the name. Just remember that the locals in Southeast know you aren't one of them... and as such, don't really like you. Not much in Dyea either except the beginning of the Chilkoot -- which is kind of cool because some of the old gold rush stuff has been left along the trail for posterity. I think a big part of the boredom associated with my trips was just because they were off season so there was no wildlife to be seen and they were winter, so you couldn't really go on the deck for very long because of how cold & windy it was. I was just traveling the marine highway to get to and from Hoonah, not for sightseeing. In Hoonah there's basically nothing for tourists off the ferry w/o car. They have a cannery that's been restored and made into a sort of museum and the cruise ships take the tourists out to see the totem pole in the school parking lot and sometimes to a "bear viewing platform" out on the forest service road system but I saw more bears just on the roads than at that platform. In fact, my plane back to Hoonah from Juneau almost couldn't land once because there was a bear on the runway. I saw a family of whales from the plane Hoonah basically has an Ace Hardware (which serves as the toy store, hardware store, household goods store, gun store, etc), a minimart which serves at the main grocery, a bar, a liquor store, a couple of churches, Icy Strait Lodge, a pizza/coffee/movie-rental place where the pizzas are ~$30 and movie rentals look like they're just the leftovers from whoever moved out of the area, a fishing/tackle/gun place run by a really sweet couple, and 1 souvenir shop that's only open in summer. There's also a commune out on the road system, but I don't think you can just go there unless you're invited - they have an annual Thanksgiving dinner the entire community is invited to and they sing and the kids dress up. Yakutat really doesn't have much either. Mostly forest service employees. They do have more shops than Hoonah ever thought about having... but when I say "shops" I mean stuff like the hardware/clothing/household goods store and the minimart/movie-rental place. I think Yak is where all the adventure surfers go, but again.. I went off season. Basically if you go up there around August/Sept/October... expect all the touristy stuff in the entire state to be closing or already closed for the season. If you like buying keychain/shotglass/gold flake jars etc type souvenirs, they sell pretty much the same stuff all over the state (even in the grocery stores like Fred Meyer).   Bob-Cat 6 Intermediate Member Username: Blueball Post Number: 74 Registered: 01-2007 Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 04:11 pm:    We just traveled the Alaska Marine Highway using the See Alaska Pass in August 2009. We traveled South to North starting in Prince Rupert and concluding our journey in Juneau. Candice is right, this isn't a "cruise" but we had a very different experience than Candice describes (perhaps it was because Candice had lived in the area and this was our first trip to Alaska). We chose to get off the ferry and stay overnight in Wrangell and Petersburg. This gave us the opportunity to visit museums, take hikes and spend a day watching Brown and Black Bears catch salmon at the An An Preserve. We did not have a car with us but did not find this too much of a problem. We only rented a cabin on board one night and, although it was small (larger than cabin we had on ferry this spring from Netherlands to England) it had a bathroom and shower. Everything was very clean. The ferries were all only about 25% full so there was plenty of space for everyone. We never failed to have window seats to watch for whales and other mammals, which we did see on every leg of our journey. Our weather for the first couple of days was beautiful with calm seas but then it turned showery. We chose to skip Skagway and Haines and fly from Juneau to Anchorage because the weather was projected to worsen. Additionally, we had read and been told Skagway and Haines were basically owned by the cruise ships and probably too touristy for our taste. We did eat a couple of meals on the ferries, one being better than the other but, given our experience with the price of food on other ferries and trains we did not feel it was particularly expensive. We are glad we took the ferry and if we were to repeat the trip we would again choose the ferry over a cruise ship, despite the fact that probably dollar for dollar you get more for your money on the cruise ship.   Mary Hill Intermediate Member Username: Mary Post Number: 63 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 10:20 pm:    Thank you Candice for the ferry info. I'll now stick to an Alaskan cruise. Mary   Candice New member Username: Gulltrek Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2009 Posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 12:22 am:    I've ridden the ferry system twice and I wouldn't really recommend it for sightseeing unless you don't mind really roughing it... and I definitely wouldn't recommend taking kids with you on long ferry trips -- they'll be bored stiff and drive you insane... for basically no reward since there's not really a lot to see right off the ferry docks in SE. It is NOT a "cruise"... or remotely close to feeling like one. It's a ferry. You are just cargo that needs to be fed. I lived in AK for ~4yrs, went basically everywhere, and lived in SE for several months... Honestly, if I were ever to take my husband whose never been to Alaska to see the state on a "we only get to do this once" kind of trip, I wouldn't waste my time with southeast at all unless it was for whale watching or if he just rented a plane. There's just really not a lot to see there right off the ferry unless you've got a 4 whl drive car, know where you're going, and have a lot of time because it is in a rainforest and so your entire trip might be full of ice cold rain & clouds. My ferry first trip was Skagway-Juneau-Hoonah (~Aug) and my second was Hoonah-Yakutat-Whittier (~Jan). Didn't get a cabin on the first trip but did on the second because it was something like 4 days of rough seas (I was literally getting tossed to the floor from my top bunk). Cabin was ultra cramped (to be expected on a ferry) - basically for sleeping or avoiding other passengers only. Note that "cabin" does not necessarily imply private bathroom, in fact, it probably won't. The public bathrooms do have showers usually, but I'd definitely recommend shower shoes and a strong stomach if you get motion sick or easily grossed out. Public dorm-like showers with flimsy curtains are a way of life for many Alaskans so they're used to it... your families may not be. The food on the ferry is pretty greasy and very expensive. Take food/water with you if you can... or at least snacks/water. There's pretty much nothing to do on board unless you have a laptop and manage to score a seat in the galley with an electric outlet (as there are few outlets elsewhere). I don't remember if they had wifi... I doubt it considering the remoteness of the areas. One of the ferries actually had a room for movie viewing... but showed kid movies mostly (because otherwise, they'll be in the galley the entire time). A lot of people don't bother to pay for cabins, so you'll find that people kind of mark out their territory and roll out their sleeping bags. Sometimes they're on the deck where there are lounge chairs under heat lamps (if you travel in Winter). Sometimes they'll be in upper compartments with great views (get there quick or you'll just feel weird waltzing in there later as they glare at you), sometimes in the theater or other darkened seating areas. I don't think tents were allowed. If you drive on, note that you won't just be able to go down to the car area whenever you want to pick up belongings -- there are specificied times and you must comply with that so make sure your snacks/portable electronics/babies, etc are in hand when you go up the ladder to the main deck. If you have any combustibles, you must put them in a special cabinet before the ship leaves port. Both my ferry trips were off season trips, so the atmosphere/traffic may be slightly different in Summer... Either way though, it's no cruise.   John A Civick Intermediate Member Username: John6412 Post Number: 112 Registered: 07-2008 Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 11:33 pm:    It would be an adventure! You have the option to get off when you please but you have to remember that lodging in AK is expensive as well as food! We priced the ferry and found it was cheaper to go with a cruise since they furnished lodging, food, entertainment. However, your way would be more entertaining, you'd see more of the lcoal culture and experience things that a cruise ship passenger would never hope to see.   Phyllis DeLancey Senior Member Username: Phyllis Post Number: 1980 Registered: 06-2003 Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 10:20 pm:    Joe, if you look at vacation to go.com they have some cheap trips for the month of May and the first of June. Some of them were only $400 and you would get your meals. You still have tax and tips, but that is a good price   Joe E. Brown Member Username: Kb2avb Post Number: 7 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 06:51 pm:    We are looking at 5-6 days in lower alaska getting on and off at various stops. $160 pass seems like it would accomidate space travelers well. Wondering how this compares to a real cruise with meals and all the extra amenities??? I have seen an occasional flights to Juneau and Ketchican from Anchoage. We did Anchorage and Fairbanks back in 06. Your comments please. Up to 25% Savings on Qualifying Travel Valid for travel from May 1, 2009 - September 30, 2009 The See Alaska Pass is now available for purchase through our online reservations system or by calling reservations directly at 1-800-642-0066, valid for travel from May 1, 2009 - September 30, 2009. Qualifying Travel: The See Alaska Pass applies to full price adult and children's passenger fares only. Travel utilizing the See Alaska Pass must initiate or terminate at the ports of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Haines or Skagway, Alaska. The See Alaska Pass must be utilized in a continuous North or Southbound route. Travel is valid for additional port stops in the communities of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, and Haines or Skagway. Pass Details: This one way pass may be used in either direction and is available to walk-on passengers allowing travelers the opportunity to embark /disembark at multiple port stops, while traveling the Inside Passage between Prince Rupert, B.C., and Haines or Skagway in North Lynn Canal. The See Alaska Pass offers passengers the chance to make up to three stops, and explore the communities of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau or Haines for the ticket price of $160, a savings of up to 25%. The See Alaska Pass is only valid for travel to these communities. The See Alaska Pass discount applies to full price adult and children's passenger fares only. Travelers utilizing the See Alaska Pass can stop and stay in Inside Passage communities along the way, catching another vessel en route to their final destinations of Prince Rupert, Haines or Skagway. The See Alaska Pass can be utilized anytime between May 1st and September 30th allowing travelers to set their own pace. Travel must be paid for in advance and the pass is non-refundable after travel is initiated. The See Alaska Pass can be purchased at any time. The pass will then be applied to your itinerary when travel reservations are confirmed. Passenger cabins or vehicle space maybe added to a See Alaska Pass itinerary at regular retail prices. Any changes to itineraries containing cabins or vehicles are subject to normal change or cancellation fees. Thanks Joe