Ferry's from Seattle to Anchorage... (Juneau and, Ketchikan: home, prices, mall)

[cobolt]

I agree. Do the "camping" thing with a tent, sleeping bags, etc. The cabin thing is no fun and an unnecessary expense. Bring your own food. They have showers on the ferry. The scenery is great---and the weather is always interesting!!! Dress for it. Rain gear. Warm clothes. Bring books. A journal. The ferry runs year long---as the previous poster said---a lower 48 to AK connection with the first point of entry into AK being the inside passage. The ferry is a mainstay transportation mode for those living in the SE. You can be risky and take it up to Haines and drive, or you can take the Gulf Crossing to Whittier and points beyond. I can tell you having done it myself, it's a blast!!

[hicks-k]

My boyfriend and I are leaving AK in December and we have explored all options. Here's some of the stuff we found out and what we decided...

The ferry Washington ferry only goes as far as Haines, and then you still have quite a drive to get to Anchorage area. This route changes around the beginning of February, you would be able to go to Whittier if you decide to wait until then (what's another month or two?) We also have a dog and didn't want to subject her to having to stay in her kennel for almost a week straight with small breaks every few hours.

We are going through one of the local shipping companies and will be able to ship all of our household goods and 2 vehicles for around $7500, and that's going from Anchorage to the Florida panhandle. I would suggest calling a couple of the companies up here and see if they have contacts in your area for shipping. The two better ones that we came accross are Allison's Relocation and Alaska Relocation, we're going with the latter.

Along with the two vehicles we're shipping with out household goods, we have another vehicle that we will be shipping down to Tacoma and will drive from there. We will be flying down to Seattle to pick up the truck, and our dog will only be subjected to about 5 hours (give or take) of continuous kennel time (as opposed to about 5 days with the ferry)

Also remember that no matter what way you go, your pet will have to be vaccinated and have a complete vet check. I think to cross the Canadian border there might be some extra things but I don't remember. If you decide to drive the whole way or take the ferry at all (unless you wait until Feb and go all thee way to Whittier and skip Canada all together), you will be driving through Canada so just keep that in mind.

The moving choices we are going with (shipping household goods and two vehicles the whole way, shipping one vehicle to Tacoma and drive to Florida and flying to Seattle from Anchorage), we are saving a few hundred dollars.

Hope you have a good move and if you have any questions for me, feel free to send a message!

[aquariusmom]

My personal opinion is the cabins are worth it, you get the exact same view and deck time during sunlight hours as the deck sleepers, but when its dark and there is nothing to see you get to go sleep in a comfy bed... that and your own private bathroom which for me is worth its weight in gold.

[cobolt]

Oh I agree--private bathrooms and beds are nice, and if one is traveling with kids, it's necessary. I've done the camping route and I like it---of course better in the summer months but more congested--and the weather through the inside passage even in the summer is questionable. I tend to rough it alot when I travel.

[aquariusmom]

Yes, I admit I am biased... see it's one of my life missions to avoid public bathrooms with all means necesary

[stiffnecked]

Yep, I broke down and rented a cabin on my last trip from Bellingham to Ketchikan. It was awesome. It was at the stern? of the ship. Right above the engine compartment.
That constant hum and vibration from the prop just puts you right to sleep. And talk about the view, awesome. I had a window that overlooked the area where the crew members took their smoke break, fantastic. That bed was something else. The only thing I liked about the cabin was that I could lock my junk up and not worry about someone walking off with it....

[cobolt]

Well----the other nice thing about cabins is that no one will stare at your fuzzy bunny slippers, puppy dog pj's--fill in the blank.

[corel]

Originally Posted by Fiddlekitten

Move with the Truck Rental Alternative - ABF U-Pack Moving

U-HAUL already said NO to crossing the Canada border with their trucks!!!!

I just got off the phone with Uhaul. I was planning on towing a trailer to make our move, and wanted to see if they would allow that, I was told that they also rent trucks, etc. in Canada so it is no problem to cross the border with thier trucks or trailers. (I used their 800 # maybe that made a difference). I hope this helps you out some.

[Roger Tweiten]

My wife & I met in Alaska 50 yrs ago when they 1st achieved statehood. Now we are wanting to go back but not on one of the sterile, pristine cruise boats. We went there back in 1960 on busses up the Alcan and cruised the inland passage on a missionary boat that was a converted mine sweeper. Does anyone know if we could take the ferry from Seattle all the way to Anchorage and how long would that trip take? Any suggestions from your experience. We'd like to get off along the way & perhaps stay a bit.

[stiffnecked]

Yes, you can take the ferry all the way from Bellingham to points north. Link to the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Alaska Marine Highway System :: Alaska DOT&PF (http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html - broken link)