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Alaska Marine Highway (Ferry) System Tips from 2021 Experience


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#1 ckent323

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Posted 08 September 2021 - 11:33 PM

Alaska Marine Highway tips

 

1) Get familiar with the ferry schedules.  It may take a bit of reading and playing around to figure it out.  Easiest way for me was to search on a destination and see what ferries were arriving and departing on particular dates.  Then I searched on that particular ship to see the rest of the ports and travel times.  You will likely have to iterate.

2) Don't try to do too many ports  Pick a couple and stay for several days. There is an upcharge everytime you disembark and then board a different ferry to continue on.  (most ferries stop in ports for at least an hour or two and you can get off walk around a bit and get back on with no upcharge BUT BE SURE TO TAKE YOR BOARDING PASS WITH YOU so you can get back on!

 

3) Decide if you want (or even need) to take a vehicle.  The cost for vehicles is by the foot and can significantly increase your cost.   An important consideration ==> There is no guarantee that a ferry will not break down or be delayed or even cancelled due to weather or some other issue.  It does not happen frequently but all the MArine Highway System will do is offer you another sailing.  If you have a vehicle, getting onboard another ferry requires that there is room and many years the ferry space for vehicles is fully booked by sailing time so you could face significant delays before finding rooom on another ship.  If you don't have a vehicle you can always fly to your next destination to maintain your schedule.  So conmsider renting a vehicle in each location or using public transportation in those places that have it.  I recommend thinking very carefully about the risk of getting stuck in a port with a rented vehicle if you decide to rent a vehicle and take it on the ferry.  If you get stuck it could get very expensive.

4) Reserve early - as in several months before the sailing date.  We started reserving in March for our August departure.  By mid April many of the ferrys departing in June and July were already filling up or full.  The pricing structure depends on what percentage of the particular ferry has already been reserved (bookled).  See the Alasj=ka Marine Highway system pricing structure for more details.

 

5) Decide if you want to rough it (sleep on deck in a lounge chair which are first come first served - you can bring your own - or your tent - I recommend a tent if roughing it) or if you want a cabin.  Which cabin to get depends on the vessel (see cabin info below under lessons learned).

6) On the longer trips between ports there may not be much to do or even see if the it is foggy or very cloudy so take a good book.  There is no TV or internet or cell service.  All the ferrys have jigsaw puzzles of various difficulty as well as board games.  Some of the ships also have theatres and there will be one or more documentary type movies about various places or topics (geology, local history, ecology, biology etc.)

7) The ships we were on had cafeteria style food as well as some snack food.  Small selection but main dish portions were reasonably sized.  Food quality ranged from OK to good depending on the dish.  All of the on-board bar service has been terminated.  You can bring our own but you can only consume it in your cabin.  All of the cafeterias we experienced had a limited selection of canned beer and wine which you can consume in the cafeteria or the unattended lounge room.

 

8) Assume it will rain.  Because of the warm ocean current the temperatures were mild  - ook up more details on the Alaska Current https://en.wikipedia.../Alaska_Current

 

Travelling the inside passage was for the most part pleasurable and smooth. 
 

Lessons learned on the ferry

 

The MV Kennicott 2 berth roomettes are tiny and have no private bath. No bedding is included either.  At least one of the ferry Captains likes the Ocean and he took us to Ketchikan outside the inside passage after passing between Vancouver Island and mainland BC becasue the seas were only 2-3  meters.  A lot of people got seasick.   No fun being seasick in a public bathroom.  That was a 2 night adventure.

 

On the leg from Juneau to Whittier (most of this trip is across the Gulf of Alaska) we were on the MV Kennicott again for 2 nights.  I upgraded us (right after the first leg - but at a premium for not being 30 days ahead of departure) to 4 berth roomettes.  They have private baths, include bedding and towels and are perfect for 2 people so skip the 2 berth roomettes on the MV Kennicott.

 

On the leg from Ketchikan to Juneau we were on the MV Matanuska and the 2 berth roomettes on that ship come with linens and private bath.  These cabins were fine for 2 people.  

Every employee of the Alaska Marine Highway that we encountered was friendly, helpful and patient.  I can't prise them all enough for making the voyages as pleasant as possible.

Food onboard is mostly cafeteria quality with an occasional Chef special that is quite good.  The Clam chowder was consitently good although it was nearly as thick as custard but full of clams and good flavor.

 

A portion of the trip from Bellingham to Ketchikan while crossing the Queeen Charlotte sound is open sea and can result in seasickness.  A large portion of the trip from Juneau to Whittier (Yakutat, Cordova) is in the Gulf of Alaska which is open ocean and it can get rough.   Bring seasick medication - get advice from your Doctor or Pharmacist before you depart. Some over the counter stuff works great for some people, others not so much.  Susceptability to seasickness is highly variable from prson to person but my recommendation is to assume you might need to take something.  So have it with you even if you don't need it.  I generally don't get seasick but I still put a patch on before crossing the Gulf of Alaska just in case.  Fortunately seas were modest when we crossed (6 - 8 feet) but three days later I saw a NOAA report that the seas were 17 feet!

 

We really enjoyed the ferry particularly between Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Gustavus.  I am pretty sure the trip from Juneau to Haines or Skagway is smooth as well because it is also in protected waters.

I hope this information is helpful.  

 


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#2 dorocks

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Posted 09 September 2021 - 12:04 PM

Thanks for the first hand report. Have considered this trip.


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#3 Ronin

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Posted 09 September 2021 - 03:59 PM

Great info. I too have been interested in doing this trip. Thanks for sharing your insights!!


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#4 dennis 221

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Posted 09 September 2021 - 05:06 PM

2019 we tent camped on the fantail i was awesome for a 5 day ride
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#5 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 09 September 2021 - 07:14 PM

Craig,thanks for all the info. That will be very helpful for new ferry riders.

The ferries can be a great experience. We have made 5 trips on the AMH

since 1990 and have enjoyed all trips. Over the 31 years we had seen a lot of changes

one of the biggest is the alcohol. The ships used to have a nice lounge/bar where you could sit

and enjoy looking out the large windows and enjoying some snack food plus your favorite

beverage.

 

We always found the crew friendly and helpful.

Berths can be a challenge. The Kennicott has a lot different choice then other ships.

We saw this when making out reservations and went right with the "family" one for the 5 nights.

 

We also slept on deck for a couple trips ,but that was for only 1 or 2 nights.

Usually it's hard to get a good spot as the walk on passengers who might be sleeping on the deck

get to choose first. If you can get a deck lounge fold down recliner ,then with a sleeping bag that works.

The 3 sided enclosed deck areas have heaters and keep you warm through the night.

 

There are "free" showers also so you can "camp out" on the ferry and have a great time.

Sleeping on deck at night lets you view a lot of interesting things.

 

For our trips we started making our reservations in February when the new season schedule first posted,

and usually got first choice.

 

All in all lots of nights and miles on the system traveling on almost every ship in the system was a great time.

 

Frank


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