moving to alaska (Juneau and: relocation, house, rent)

[maxchristina]

My boyfriend and i are going to be moving to alaska but we are wanting to take our cars and we live in spokane washington we have heard that there are ferrires we can take but im having a really hard time finding one to theere and how much it would cost to do it if you know anything please let us know thanks

[mal_flisk]

Alaska Marine Hwy ferry departs from Bellingham and goes to Juneau. Stops at several other places before that. Transfer to another ferry out of Juneau and it will take you to several other places in the state. check with AK DOT who run the ferry system for dates and prices.

[Rance]

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html for the Alaska Marine Highway, and scroll down to bottom right corner of page for contact info.

http://www.travelalaska.com/ might have some info for ya.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Would the AMHS be a good option for those that want to avoid driving through Canada, especially if you are traveling with items that are Canadian restricted?

How about moving vans...can you take a moving van on the AMHS if you are moving to Alaska?

[Alaskagrl]

AMHS is basically the ONLY option if you don't want to drive through Canada; that's how I had to do it when I moved up here. I filled the back of my S-10 to capacity and sold off other stuff. Instead of moving vans, most people ship personal goods by container on barges through a shipping company...I think moving vans are extremely expensive to haul up here and drop off, as I remember. Container shipping is not cheap either. It does take a chunk of cash to get up here. I ended up selling most of my furniture and buying new used stuff here; it saved me boku $. People leaving here do the same thing, so furniture and other hard-to -ship items get traded around a lot.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

What about pets on the AMHS? Our dog and cat are fairly young and should still be around when we make the move up there in 5-6 years. We also have a couple of parrots that should be around for 80+ years and we need to get them up there too. Yes we have a lively household with pets, and there is one more, my son's lizard, a water dragon, but I told him that when he goes the lizard goes with him.

[Alaskagrl]

Cats and dogs are not a problem as long as they are in carriers; you will need to have up-to-date records of shots for all pets. I would imagine for the parrots and lizard...might be considered more "exotic" so you would have to have medical records very much in order...you should contact AHMS direct about that one. So start saving all med. records for the pets! And the areas they travel in may not be very temperature controlled (thinking mostly of birds and lizard) so ask about that, too...here's a link to AHMS and should have contact #'s on it...http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

[Rance]

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html

Scroll to bottom of page. Bottom right corner has contact info.

[DannyL]

The secret word here is "moving". You should call the 800 # on their website, that will get you the Juneau office, and when they start to "sell" you a ticket tell the nice person this is a relocation and the whole tone of the conversation will change. Lots of good constructive info given.
Getting you guys on the ferry is not an issue, getting your vehicle on is. Vehicle space sells out quick, you need to start calling NOW. You will catch the ferry in Bellingham.
Pets are ok on the ferry. Have current, up to date medical records on them. They will be checked before boarding or you will be denied. Seriously.
It takes 3 days, and every 4 hours you are allowed a "pet visit" to go down to the car area and check on them, walk them a bit, play, etc. Be advised if they pee or take a dump you are required to clean it up. After that, it's back in the car for them. Lot's of folks visit their vet before going and get some ,,ahem...."medication" to mix in the pets food to keep them docile during the trip. They are not allowed to roam free or at will at all. Exotics I have no clue about.
If you are coming to Juneau during the May thru Sept time frame, CALL IN ADVANCE to get a place to stay. It's tourist season them and most places stay sold out.
Extended rates are available, you pay no sales tax after 30 days, so just do as I did, pay the 30 day extended rate up front and pay zero sales tax from the git-go.
I'm paying 850.00 a month for a one room, 400 sq ft "extended stay" room (basically a "motel 6" setup), and it's a bargain.