Where to get info about taking the ferry (Anchorage, Fairbanks: house, travel)

[Wrennie]

Okay, I checked old posts, and yes, that's you! It's awesome, the research you're doing beforehand.
Regarding the ferry:
It's a Long trip. LONG. It will be two nights before you reach Alaska from Bellingham, then you're going to have several more days just going on up to catch the mainland and drive in. We spend alot of our time in the winters in the interior--live in SE the rest of the time-(we're backward that way)--and most of the time we fly it---the ferry is just too spendy, and takes too long, especially in winter. AMHS does lots of ship repairs/maintenance in winter also and there are fewer vessels traveling.
If you DO end up on the ferry with your kids, here are my tips:
1//DO get a stateroom. It's extra, abt $300, depending on how far up you go, but the berths are very comfortable, and wide enough to fit more than one person in, so worth it. You can fit your family--three kids, right? in a 4 berth stateroom and be cozy. The solariums and lounges are packed with people camping out in the winter, so if you go that route get a spot as soon as you board because there is serious competition for the best spots.
2//Bring a cooler with water, sandwiches, etc. It is very expensive to feed a family from the cafeteria. An 8 oz drink was around 1.50 last time I was on the Columbia. It's no fun if you have to multiply that by three kids and a husband three times a day. Trust me on this.
3/Book early. The cardecks and berths fill up quickly, sometimes even 2-3 months in advance.
4/Make sure your kids have picture id's. The AMHS wants picture ids of I think 14 yrs old and over---so you might check with them on this before you go.
5/bring raingear. And cash.

You could save some money by driving up to Prince Rupert---around $2000 I'd say, depending on the vehicles your bring, and getting on there. It adds driving time, but cuts ferry costs dramatically.

I don't know you, but I think you're serious and I admire your resolve, so I'll risk it and offer some unsolicited advice: you might want to wait until at least mid-April before making this trip. I know where you're going, and unless someone on here knows something they could add that I don't: it's an unpredictable trip in early March--the road conditions can be very spotty. I think (again, unsolicited, sorry) that you should consider waiting until the AlCAN is good and safe---start checking mid to end of March---and drive it.
You'll save money that way, even with gas as high as it is. I'm assuming you're bringing your belongings: don't bother with things like appliances, furniture items. You can buy all of that when you get here, you will be close enough to Fairbanks and have all summer to get that stuff. There is always someone selling in classified ads, and there are always garage sales. Bring the things that are sentimental to you. The rest can be purchased when you get here.

Sorry to butt in--but, really, you're a woman after my own heart!
I think you'll be a perfect Alaskan!

[imbobbbb]

by the time you drive from the east coast to washington,take a ferry from washington to juneau,wait for the cross gulf ferry,spend a few more days on it,get through the tunnel at whitter,you'll still be about 500 miles from central,feeding 5 people all the way,and all you gain is avoiding canadian customs.it would be much cheaper to drive.and quicker

[megensmom]

Thanks for all the great info. after we sat down and did the figuring we will NOT be taking the ferry.
We will not be leaving our home in SC until the last Saturday of March. We are going to Washington though to have a day or 2 out of the auto with my Father in law and his wife. This will give us a little time to relax and also get more information on what we will need to be doing.

Thank you for the nice comment about doing my homework. We have no plans to be a burden on anyone. We may ask a ton of questions but we pretty much want to do all the work ourselves. The internet has been a great help,I have found good info,great info,and crappy info. I have had to learn how to read between the lines in some cases but that was ok.
We are planning on selling everything except things we love,and things we must have. We are going to ship some items up there before we go and have arranged for them to be held for us till we get there at the PO. We have a huge DVD collection and that will be shipped via Media mail,takes 30-60 days to get there but that will give us a little extra space. And I am going to ship some other items that I can put into flat rate boxes to help give us a little more room. We are also getting food grade buckets with lids here,I found a restaurant that sells them for $2 each and then donates the money to some charity that they founded. We will pick up a couple of weeks of groceries when we come through Fairbanks to tie us over till we get a little settled in and then we can go in for a real shopping trip and items that we need. We will be sleeping on air mattress's for a while because they are easier to transport,we have a camp stove and a small grill we are taking and we may or may not buy a small dorm fridge before we go.
I have read lots of people's posts here where they have no idea of where to even start,and while I think it is wise to ask questions you also need to have a certain amount of knowledge of things and certain skills. If you are not an outdoors person,can't live without a Walmart or if the thought of carrying in firewood or water bothers you then I say you might want to stay close to a decent sized town,because I know those are things I will have to do especially since my husband will more than likely working out of town for a couple of weeks at a time.

We even met someone about a month ago that is a teacher that moved to Barrow and today while I was out check out the flea market he had a table there. He said he went to Barrow and it wasn't anything like he expected,his next 2 statements prove that while he was a teacher he did NOT do his homework. He said and I quote " It was freaking cold there,way colder than it gets here", and " It started getting dark and stayed dark way to long". I had to laugh what was he thinking? Did he think that the weather there was going to be in the 90's like it has been here lately? Did he not ever pick up a book and read where it talks about the amount of darkness some places experience? So he lost his home here,his job,and is having to start over.

[aquariusmom]

We just made the move from SOuth Carolina to AK too (a little over 2 mos ago) ... what we did was drive up the eastcoast then across the lakes and crossed into Canada via Montana, drove through the Canadian Rockies to Prince Rupert BC and caught the ferry there. It was an AWESOME trip!!!

Personally I am glad we took the ferry system, everyone should come up the inside passage once in their lives! The ferry from Prince Rupert to Juneau was 1 night, we had 2 days to explore Juneau then and caught one from there to Whittier- it was 2 nights. Then we had an 8 hr "fast ferry" to Cordova from Whittier. It was interesting to see SE AK before getting up here, I don't think I really appreciated how different the regions of AK could be until I traveled through them.

[Xa'at]

This is kind of random, but a good piece of advice nevertheless.

AMHS uses rather harsh cleaners to clean the bedding in the staterooms. If you, hubby, or the chitlins have ever had any sort of allergies or asthma you should bring your own bedding. It seems stupid, but I recall a very miserable three days during my first overnight ferry trip as a little girl. Needless to say, I learned my lesson!
They may have since stopped using the chemicals- I wouldn't know since I bring my own stuff- but why take the risk?

[Alaskan454]

megensmom....

Don't forget...the new passport law for driving through Canada begins on Jan 1st 2008

You and your family members will be checked twice, once at Sumas Washington and again at Beaver Creek

[megensmom]

Passports already in hand, got them back in 4-6 weeks I was impressed. Now to take the guns and register them and fill out the paper work for when we get to the boarder.

What part of SC are you from? What was the cost like for the ferry for you if you don't mind me asking?

[aquariusmom]

We came from Charleston... I am not really sure what the ferry cost was to be honest, we drove an Expedition, had 5 of us, and had cabins so I imagine it wasn't cheap... thankfully my husbands employer covered all our relocation costs including the ferry (he is in the Coast Guard)

I know for us to take the day ferry from here to Whittier roundtrip with our vehicle and the driver being free right now, that leg alone is around $700. We don't have a road out of here so I was pricing trips for an Anchorage power shopping wkend, it still ends up less than flying us all out, renting a car, and then paying to freight our shopping back.

[Alaskan454]

Originally Posted by megensmom

Passports already in hand, got them back in 4-6 weeks I was impressed. Now to take the guns and register them and fill out the paper work for when we get to the boarder.

What part of SC are you from? What was the cost like for the ferry for you if you don't mind me asking?

Forget taking the guns through Canada...its a rip-off. There is a fee per firearm btw...the Canadian government just plain sucks.

Its an easy 2-day drive to Prince Rupert from Washington, or in your case you can keep heading north at Prince George to Whitehorse Yukon, on to Haines Junction and north from there...another 2-3 days....another option that cuts off some miles is take the Cassier Hwy......you need to get you a copy of "The Milepost"

I drive to Prince Rupert ever spring and catch the ferry from there as its way less costly than catching it at Bellingham, not to mention its a long ole boring ride....my ferry ride is only 6 hours up to Ketchikan

The Alaska ferry system has been reduced to a tourist transportation deal...that why its now double-expensive.

The ferry system was originally developed for the benefit of Alaskans....those day are long gone, most Alaskans can no longer afford to use the ferry system....

[pblair29]

The Ferry System is now in their winter schedule. They are also offering
free fare for the driver of a vehicle.
You don't necessarily have to go through Canada. Drive to Bellingham, WA
take the ferry to Juneau, AK and transfer to another ferry that goes to
either Whittier or Seward. That route is the cross-gulf ferry. It does only
run once or twice a month. Be sure to look closely at the schedule.

If you do take the ferry all the way to Haines, AK, you will go through
Canada. It is a 750 mile trip to Anchorage if going this route. Make sure
your passports are in order, it is now a requirement to cross the border.

Hope this helps!