Ferry ride tips and suggestions (Anchorage, Soldotna: rental car, camping, cost of)

[ggoodman]

well I just watched my truck and everything I own get loaded on a car hauler. aside from being stressed out and nervous as heck, i guess there's no turning back now.

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by ggoodman

Already got my ticket for me and the truck. going from Bellingham to Juneau

any tips for the ferry ride bring this bring that dont bring this, how early should I arrive? their site says 3 hours but im planning on much more. Im satying in seattle and driving to Bellingham the day of.

Oh yes, no acabin rental for me, had to pay for the truck instead.

This trip will certainly be one of the most interesting trips you will take. It is a beautiful trip with a lot of very, shall we say, colorful people. Pay close attention going through the Wrangell straights.. It is a real close fit. Get to the front of the ship early so you get a good view!

You will pass through open ocean waters twice. If you are prone to sea sickness I would take a Dramamine. Heck, even if your not I would take one just to be safe. It can get a little bumpy if the weather is not so hot.

The food is very pricey as someone mentioned. If you can pull off bringing something on board to make yourself you will probably save $100+ bucks. We probably spent $180.00 on meals between the two of us for three days.

We spent most of our time talking with others on the observation deck. We took our trip at the end of October so there were not a lot of people and the ones on board were "Alaskans". It's funny now, we talked to these people and thought wow, they are "different". Now that we have been here for a while we find that we are just as "different". LOL. Alaska has a tendency to change people without them even knowing it..

Lastly, don't be stressed out! It is a blast! You will find that Alaskans are some of the most helpful friendly people you will ever meet. My wife and I thought that the area we came from was friendly until we got up here. We then realized that the town we came from was really quite snitty and self absorbed.

Just strike up a conversation with someone that has a backpack, rubber boots! There are SO MANY adventures so little time

ENJOY YOUR TRIP AND MAKE A PILE OF NEW FRIENDS! OH, THE SALMON ARE IN

[Beenaroundabit]

If I remember correctly, there were only two car deck calls per day when not in port, and only for 15 minutes each. I want to say it was like 8 AM and 8 PM. Maybe its changed by now; this was in 2004, the last time I traveled on the AMHS. That's pretty tough on anyone with a dog, because that's the only time your dog gets a break. Gets better when you start hitting ports, though.

We only ate in the cafeteria one time. Screaming kids and subpar, expensive food. Luckily we had brought quite a bit - I'd advise to bring some wine, cheese and snacks, as well as meals. Good camera, binoculars if you have them, and a LOT of stuff to read. If you have a laptop, consider some DVD's.

We were lucky: someone from (I think) the Forest Service rode along with us and did some presentations on the main deck here were also a couple of seminars on the main deck about wildife in SE Alaska. They also sometimes show movies on the main deck, though the selection is limited and they're usually kid-oriented.

[Alaskan Mutt]

Not sure if the still let you get away with flying kites. When we would ride the ferry on school trips we would always bring several kites. The ones made out of plastic worked best. Used fishing line instead of string.

[Mollym313]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Bring food, sleeping bag and some kind of padding for putting on the floor. Last time I slept commando on the ferry floor my hips hurt for a week. The food on the ferry is pretty darn expensive. Quarters for the lockers on the ferry. When your away from your "nest" on the ferry it's a good idea to lock your valuable stuff up. They don't have much problems with theft but they do happen. Since this is your first trip don't forget to bring a camera.

I thought commando was without underwear So you were on the floor without undies

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Mollym313

I thought commando was without underwear So you were on the floor without undies

So that's why they threw that blanket over me!

[Mollym313]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

So that's why they threw that blanket over me!

I have learned so much from this thread...I have friends that are moving to Alaska and it got me curious. I had no idea about the ferry business. I even went to the website and took the tour...very interesting.

If I ever go that route...I'll be sure to have a camera for the nekkid man laying on the floor

[mbtimm120259]

Hi out there. I'm from Wisconsin and my daughter is in graduate school and will be traveling to Alaska (Soldotna) for a physical therapy internship in January 2010 until April 2010. She'll be in Seattle till the middle of December. Her plan was to take the ferry from Bellingham all the way to Whittier, but now since the winter schedule has come out, it doesn't look like the ferry makes the run from eastern AK to the Kenai peninsula. If she gets up to Haines, she thought she could drive the rest of the way. She'll be traveling by herself, she's 25. Mom (me) is getting pretty worried. What are your thoughts about a girl her age traveling on the ferry herself. Also, if she does go this route, would it be advisable to drive by herself from Haines to Soldotna in January. What are road conditions like? How remote are some of the areas in case she has car trouble? Lots of questions.

[Mollym313]

Originally Posted by mbtimm120259

Hi out there. I'm from Wisconsin and my daughter is in graduate school and will be traveling to Alaska (Soldotna) for a physical therapy internship in January 2010 until April 2010. She'll be in Seattle till the middle of December. Her plan was to take the ferry from Bellingham all the way to Whittier, but now since the winter schedule has come out, it doesn't look like the ferry makes the run from eastern AK to the Kenai peninsula. If she gets up to Haines, she thought she could drive the rest of the way. She'll be traveling by herself, she's 25. Mom (me) is getting pretty worried. What are your thoughts about a girl her age traveling on the ferry herself. Also, if she does go this route, would it be advisable to drive by herself from Haines to Soldotna in January. What are road conditions like? How remote are some of the areas in case she has car trouble? Lots of questions.

From what I have read in some of the posts, the winter is rough going North. There is a post earlier in this thread that gives the ferry link. I am a single mom and I'm very cautious and I'd rather take the ferry where there are people around than be stuck on a wintry road. Go to the website...it is very interesting how elaborate the Ferry is from Bellingham, WA. But then again you don't want to know what I thought all Ferry's were like

[DannyL]

Originally Posted by mbtimm120259

Her plan was to take the ferry from Bellingham all the way to Whittier, but now since the winter schedule has come out, it doesn't look like the ferry makes the run from eastern AK to the Kenai peninsula. If she gets up to Haines, she thought she could drive the rest of the way. She'll be traveling by herself, she's 25.

If she takes the ferry, she should be just fine. One thing not mentioned here, but the ferry makes every effort to have a state trooper on each trip. They ride for free. You see them walking around in full uniform (including sidearm) and they have full jurisdiction on the ferry, even at sea.
As far as driving from Haines by herself , absolutely not. Especially if it is her first time. Sorry, that is just the Dad coming out in me.
Put her on a plane.