Alaska ferry

[Christopher Eklund]

Originally Posted by barbarakessel

I'm thinking of signing up for the 8 day ferry trip from Bellingham to Skagway. Does anyone have experience with what the cabins are like on the ferry? What about the food and the overall experience? Is it comfortable?

Last May, 2008, took Alaskan ferry from Bellingham to Skagway. It's around 1180 nautical miles. Great experience. Hospital clean, great food. Don't rent a cabin. Sleep under heated solarium on deck on a reclinable deck chair (very comfortable.) Showers are clean and free. Nice people.
Free movies offered throughout the day. Cabins do not have outside windows. Several women lamented the fact that they had rented a cabin rather than "squatted" a deck chair. Many young guys and girls on deck. No thievery or disrespect. Crew was great and attentive to the needs of passengers. Safety for a young woman is of absoluetly no concern. The best part of trip was lying under solarium window watching moon disappear behind snow capped mountains. Take a good sleeping bag and a good rain-coat. As the ferry shifts from strait to strait, weather changes dramatically. One can spend a couple of hours sun-bathing on the open back deck in one strait; enter another and need a winter-jacket.
Go. You won't regret it. (There's also a cocktail lounge which opens at night.) P.S. I don't know why you would have to sign up for any trip. You only need to go to ferry ticket station on Friday afternoon and buy a one-way ticket. I wouldn't constrain myself with an all inclusive ticket. You can buy tickets from port to port. I think my ticket last year from Bellingham to Skagway was $286.00. I stayed for several days in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan. The ferry runs just about everyday so you needn't fret about getting stranded. The best part of the ferry is flexibility. If you want to check something out, you just need to catch the ferry ( arrive a couple of hours before departure at the ticket counter) the next day.

[pw72]

I took the ferry system from Prince Rupert to Haines in '96. While it certainly saved some driving time, I will reiterate what others have said. This is no cruise line. Most of the boats seemed dated (perhaps new ones added since?). Food service spotty, cabins spartan, and lots of people sleeping in public areas, which I understand is completely acceptable. Overall, an interesting experience, despite the boat being 10 hours late leaving Prince Rupert. The best part is the scenery and chance to see whales, but these boats don't sneak up to glaciers like the cruisers do. They are purely utilitarian.