75 replies to this topic

[ckent323]

Canada renewed the border closure on April 21 for another month.  They are reviewing the closure and deciding on renewing it on a month to month basis.  I have read several reports, supposedly from people who understand Canadian politics, that they expect the Canadian border to open no earlier than mid summer to Fall.

As a consequence I modified our ferry itinerary this week (just in time it turns out), to go all the way to Whittier instead of disembarking at Haines.  I also booked a return trip to Bellingham from Whittier just in case we are unable to drive back though Canada (cancellation fee is only 5% if cancelled at least 31 days prior to departure).  If we cancel the return ferry trip it will cost around $350 for both vehicles, which is cheap insurance to be sure we can get home.

The Alaska Ferry agent told me that the ferrys were wide open until the week after the renewal of the Canadian border closure on April 21 and in the past three weeks the available ferry reservations have been disappearing fast, so much so that the Alaska Ferry management this past week added more ferries to and from Whittier this summer.  

They added a ferry to Whittier in August that was still wide open for reservations this past week but I was told that at the rate of bookings they expect it to be full by the end of this week.  Similar for the ferry I booked for our return on Sept 27.

Anyone thinking about going to Alaska by Ferry this summer needs to act fast, indeed, it may be too late for for reservations depaending on dates for a number of destinations.

Good luck.

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 09 May 2021 - 08:11 PM.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Craig that's great to hear.We enjoyed the Kennocitt ferry.

It has a different car/truck elevator system and was fun to watch

it in use while docked in Yakatt.

 Enjoy your trip.

Frank

[Wallowa]

Craig,

 

If they refuse you passage coming home and you need to make a break for the border, let me know which border crossing and I will bring reinforcements to help you escape!  

 

Phil

[ckent323]

Frank,

 

You comment is useful.  I don't know much about the ships yet.

We will travel on the MV Kennicott for two legs of our trip North.  Belingham to Ketchikan and Juneau to Whittier.  The Ketchikan to Juneau leg will be on the MV Matanuska.  We have cabins booked for all the legs but the rooms on the Kennicott look pretty spartan.  I hope the narrow bunk bed matresses are resonably confortable.  One night on a bunkbed separated by several days is no big deal even if I sleep poorly.

The return trip is booked for the MV Kennicott, again with cabin.  But that is a direct trip back to Bellingham of 4-1/2 days.  I am not looking forward to 4 nights on that little bunk bed.  I hope the Canadian border will be open by then. 

;-)

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 10 May 2021 - 04:46 PM.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Craig our trip on the Kennicott we wanted a cabin with bath but had to get one that slept 3/4.

It worked nice for us more room.We can sleep both in the bed >they seem to be a little wider

then a single.

The ferry is equipped with a stabilizer system for the open water.

Frank

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Craig,the Matanuska is also a very nice ferry.

It's one of 2 that years ago was refitted and stretched

longer.

Since our first use of the ferry system in 1990 we have

traveled on just about every one of the systems ships,

from the largest Colombia ,Kennicott to the small Aurora.

Why is your trip north split?

 

We envy your ferry trip.

Over the years we have enjoyed that means of travel.

You meet a lot of interesting people.

 

We have even used the Canadian system from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert

several times.Great way to travel.

Frank

[ckent323]

We will be taking our truck and camper.  We will be spending 4 days in Ketchikan to explore and camp then we stay 10 days in Juneau with a few days of camping. 2 or 3 days will be devoted to a trip to Sitka and 2 or 3 days will be devoted to a trip to Gacier Bay.  After Juneau we will continue on to Whittier. We will have about a week to spend before our railroad motorcar trip on the entire legth of the Alaska railroad begings (16 day excusion).  Since the leg to Whittier is a recent change from our original itenerary to disembark at Haines and then drive up to Dawson City and go to Anchorage via the top of the world highway we still need to work out what we will be doing after arriving in Whittier and before we start the motorcar trip.  I am thinking we should go to McCarthy and perhaps Valdez.  We drove down to Homer in 2018 (my second time there).  Maybe buy three day fishing licenses and go fishing as well.

 

This will be a repeat of the motorcar trip we did on the Alaska Railroad in 2018.  For that trip we drove up the Stewart Cassiar highway, detoring to Stewart and Hyder (wonderful time viewing Slamon and a Grizzley feeding at the Fish Creek observation site and a trip up to the toe of Salmon Glacier) and we returned on the Alcan Highway where we saw lots of animals, Woodland Bison, Cariboo, Fox, Moose, etc.  We will have layovers in Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks and Seward during the motorcar trip.  We plan to repeat the Kantishna roadhouse bus trip agin as that was a highlight on our last trip.  We also enjoyed the Fountainhead Auto Museum in Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks as well as the Anchorage Museum. 

 

This time we hope to be able to return through Jasper, Banff and Glacier National Park (instead of coming back on the ferry).

Edited by ckent323, 10 May 2021 - 07:35 PM.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Don't know if you have stayed at the Williwaw CG through the tunnel

from Whittier. We stayed there just after getting off the ferry then again

6 days later on route to Denali.

 

It's a nice CG there are several spots there to view the salmon.

We really enjoyed it. Very quiet and great views of the glaciers.

 

While in Ketchikan will you camp at Ward Lake CG?

If you haven't in the past it is very nice ,camp sites next to the lake.

We haven't stayed there since 09 when they refurbished it.

Salmon in the lake and some beavers.

 

In Juneau Mendenhall Lake CG is nice.Free showers and lots of good spots for trailers.

You now need to make reservations before but I don't think it gets very full.

In 2016 we had to make reservations,unlike past times we stayed there.

You used to be able to just drive up and get a spot.

 

Frank

[Dirt Rider]

Craig,

 

Glad you got a room on the ferry, my last trip I had to sleep on the rear deck in a sleeping bag! My goal is still Tuk, so no ferry this time.

 

Hal

[ckent323]

Hal,

 

Maybe you can get to Tuktoyaktuk next year.  I don't think the border will be open soon enough this year.  ;-)