Alaska Marine Highway question after riding it. (Ketchikan: mattress, buying)

[beenhereandthere]

I did it from Juneau to Ketchikan. It was good but not great like say BC Ferries.
The beds are at least the smallest rooms, like prison beds. Turned out i probably should have done my own air mattress but I just got out of a Covid Isolation Period so sleeping on the Decks wouldn’t have worked.
Plus no on board Wi Fi provided at all. Didn’t necessarily have to be free but like the Airlines you’d think they offer it.
Washington State Ferries don’t either but there you are close enough to civilization where you can still get the www without Wi Fi
An interesting side question, I got off the boat in Ketchikan but it continued on Bellingham after a 8 (sometimes it’s 4) hour layover.
But those going on where allowed to stay on.
So because they didn’t seem to check could one if they really wanted to, “sneak” their way on to Bellingham?
Of course if you reserved a room, this isn’t possible but if you didn’t???
Unless they check your boarding pass when you get off in Bellingham and subject you to arrest if they catch you there

[Metlakatla]

There wouldn't be many others on board during that four or eight-hour period of time except for the ferry employees doing cleaning and maintenance and who would be more than likely to notice someone skulking around.

The AMH has had a rough last few years; it'll be awhile before they'll be buying new beds or otherwise tarting up the ships. WiFi might happen sooner than later, though.

https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublic...aspx?id=206981

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by beenhereandthere

..

So because they didn’t seem to check could one if they really wanted to, “sneak” their way on to Bellingham?..

I don't see why not. There might not be much of a difference in the walk on fares for these destinations though. Have you compared?

The big costs are vehicle passage and staterooms, both of which you obviously couldn't get away with cheating in this manner.

[beenhereandthere]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

I don't see why not. There might not be much of a difference in the walk on fares for these destinations though. Have you compared?

The big costs are vehicle passage and staterooms, both of which you obviously couldn't get away with cheating in this manner.

150 dollar difference. That's why I didn't go the whole way.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Usually in life, if you want nicer, you pay more. When you are economizing, you give up some of life's little luxuries.


There is a very good chance that they know exactly the number of passengers they should have onboard, but it is unlikely that they will give out details about how they ferret out stowaways. I guess you could try it and let us know how well it works. Keep in mind that the traditional method to deal with stowaways is to chuck them overboard.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by beenhereandthere

150 dollar difference. That's why I didn't go the whole way.

So how did you get from Ketchikan to Washington?

It's possible that they require a ticket display/check for disembarking foot passengers in Bellingham. That would be a fairly easy way to catch persons attempting to do this.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by beenhereandthere

I did it from Juneau to Ketchikan. It was good but not great like say BC Ferries.
The beds are at least the smallest rooms, like prison beds. Turned out i probably should have done my own air mattress but I just got out of a Covid Isolation Period so sleeping on the Decks wouldn’t have worked.
Plus no on board Wi Fi provided at all. Didn’t necessarily have to be free but like the Airlines you’d think they offer it.
Washington State Ferries don’t either but there you are close enough to civilization where you can still get the www without Wi Fi
An interesting side question, I got off the boat in Ketchikan but it continued on Bellingham after a 8 (sometimes it’s 4) hour layover.
But those going on where allowed to stay on.
So because they didn’t seem to check could one if they really wanted to, “sneak” their way on to Bellingham?
Of course if you reserved a room, this isn’t possible but if you didn’t???
Unless they check your boarding pass when you get off in Bellingham and subject you to arrest if they catch you there

Our not so illustrious governor has been trying to kill the Alaska ferry system since he got elected. Deferred maintenance and neglect are part of the plan. As service gets worst, fewer people ride it and then you can point to decreasing ridership as a reason to shut it down all together.



Of course, that didn't stop him from acting like he was responsible for a new ferry that will be built to replace the Tustamena. The money for that came from one of our senators and the governor had nothing to do with it.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Usually in life, if you want nicer, you pay more. When you are economizing, you give up some of life's little luxuries.

While it's true that you can save money by getting a walk-in ticket and sleeping on the deck, there are some cruise ships that are cheaper than the ferry. Tickets can cost thousands if you take a vehicle and get a state room.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Northrick

Our not so illustrious governor has been trying to kill the Alaska ferry system since he got elected. Deferred maintenance and neglect are part of the plan. As service gets worst, fewer people ride it and then you can point to decreasing ridership as a reason to shut it down all together.



Of course, that didn't stop him from acting like he was responsible for a new ferry that will be built to replace the Tustamena. The money for that came from one of our senators and the governor had nothing to do with it.

Would that be the same governor who oozed his way into office by claiming that only he could save the precious PFD?

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

So how did you get from Ketchikan to Washington?

It's possible that they require a ticket display/check for disembarking foot passengers in Bellingham. That would be a fairly easy way to catch persons attempting to do this.

They also do random ID checks between some ports. I can imagine less likely on shorter duration legs within AK and more likely between WA and AK ports (Ketchikan - Bellingham). If you get off/on in Canada you need to show federal ID so your itinerary/fare paid could be verified.