Next year when I hope to go to Seattle and Vancouver, I am still interested in seeing a bit of Alaska if I have time. I'm thinking I might go out on the Zephyr, then up to Eugene OR, then to Bellingham WA to take an Alaska ferry, then to Vancouver, then down to Seattle before heading back east on the Empire Builder. Though I'm not sure I'll have time and money for all that!
Does anyone have any advice on the Alaska ferry out of Bellingham? When I try using the website, the links to fares and schedules don't come in very well. Is there just one ferry, and how frequently does it run? Would you take it to a particular place or just stay on it and make some sort of loop? If the former, what place do you recommend--Juneau, Sitka, or what? Do you know about how many days it takes? Would there then be a long wait before you can catch the ferry back, or does it run nearly every day? Also, can you make this trip in May, or is it still too icy then? What about June? And what are the accommodations and cost like, especially if traveling alone (with no car)?
What I'd really like to do is take the ferry one way and come back another, but is that possible? For instance, could a person take the ferry to Juneau and then take a bus (which travels part way on a boat) from Juneau to Vancouver? I haven't been able to find anything like that. I haven't found anything about intercity bus service in that part of Alaska, and of course there are no trains (other than the Skagway one to Whitehorse, I think it's called).
Maybe I'll just be able to take a boat to Victoria and then that bus to Vancouver, as others here suggested before. But I'd sure love to see a little of Alaska if I can.
Finally, does anyone have any hotel recommendations for Bellingham near the Amtrak station and ferry terminal (which I gather are near each other); also for Vancouver in a safe place reasonably convenient to the Amtrak station; and also for Victoria or any place in Alaska if you recommend that I stay overnight there? Again, I'm looking for something reasonably priced, not much more than $100/night.
Thanks so much for all your help!
Posted by Grandma Judy (Member # 3278) on :
I don't believe you can get to/from Juneau except by plane or boat. I thought of trying a trip like this a few years ago, and I was able to find a book on seeing Alaska by ferry. It was full of good advice - like the caution that ferries do not stop at each port every day & one should carefully plan accommodations in order not to be stranded. It certainly can be done and probably quite reasonably, but you would have to plan carefully. As an alternative, you could take the BC Ferry from Port Hardy (on the north end of Vancouver Island) to Prince Rupert. From there you can take the Alaska ferry north. You can return from Prince Rupert to Vancouver on the train. I'm not sure if there is a direct line, but you can take the Skeena to Jasper & the Canadian from there back to Vancouver.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
My further investigation is showing those Alaska ferries to be pretty pricey, esp if I go both ways. Actual cruise ships probably aren't that much more! So maybe I have to forget Alaska for the time being . . . unless I want to fly or drive (I don't).
Oh, well, I'll keep looking.
There does seem to be a bus from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. I thought maybe I could take the ferry just one way to Skagway and then take that train to Whitehorse and then a bus back to Vancouver via Prince Rupert, since those are all on the mainland. But though Greyhound seems to serve Whitehorse, it doesn't have buses going to Prince Rupert or Vancouver! I cannot figure out how to use the Greyhound site to find out the ROUTES, far as I can tell, you have to put in a terminus and just see if it works. Eh, maybe I'll give them a phone call . . . not that I'm ever thrilled about taking a bus.
I also have to look into BC Ferries and this Alaska-BC rail pass that VIA Rail seems to offer. Though that wouldn't include accommodations on the boat ride. . . .
Anyways, if anyone has any hotel advice for Bellingham, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle (or Juneau or Skagway I suppose) please let me know. Thanks a zillion.
Posted by goduckies (Member # 3885) on :
if you stop of in Eugene, I would stay at the Valley River Inn, or the Hilton. The Hilton is right across for the train station, and right downtown. They Valley River Inn is the best hotel in Eugene, and is right next the the Valley River Center, which is the biggest mall between SF and Portland. Brad
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Does the British Columbia Railway still run the RDC train between Prince George, BC and North Vancouver? As far as I know, the Skeena still operates from Prince Rupert to Prince George and maybe to Edmonton? (Mr. "Royal Trains" or "CN6060 Fan", can you answer this?)
Posted by Grandma Judy (Member # 3278) on :
The Skeena is a daylight only train between Prince Rupert and Jasper with an overnight stop in Prince George. When you make reservations, be sure you also arrange for your hotel in Prince George.
Posted by Kiernan (Member # 3828) on :
The best way to travel to Alaska is on the Alaska Marine Highway System, commonly called the Alaska Ferry. The ferry leaves Bellingham every Friday evening at around 5 p.m. and gets into Juneau on Monday morning at around six or seven, depending on the tides. The Alaska Department of Transportation has yet to discover the concept of high-speed ferries, so at 15 knots the trips always take a while. If you do the trip in the summer you can camp out on the afterdeck of the ferries--no fires, but showers are available--for a real Alaskan experience. Or you can sleep in the observation lounge, lots of people do. Staterooms go quickly, so make reservations early. The ferries stop at Ketchikan, Wrangel, Petersburg--you can see the whole town in three hours--and in Juneau. And elsewhere. Buses are available from the ferry terminal to downtown Juneau. Juneau has a good bus system. You can fly back from Juneau to Seattle, but that's the only other way. Alaska Airlines is always fun, and if you get on the milk run you can see the same cities from the air that you saw from the ferry on the way up.
I've done the ferry trip on the M/V Matanuska, the M/V Malaspina--a piece of junk--and the M/V Columbia. I'd go take the trip tomorrow. It's LOADS of fun. The people are wonderful, the scenery is amazing, but the food on the Matanuska reminded me of an Air Force chow hall--they still serve creamed beef on toast. And you know you've been in Alaska too long when the food on the ferry doesn't seem expensive.
If you can possibly do it, take the ferry. I used to live in Juneau and can talk endlessly about Southeast Alaska. I'll be glad to answer any of your questions. Somewhere I have a picture of a stateroom on the Matanuska and a few other ferry pictures. I'll put them on my website tonight. http://homepage.mac.com/kiernanholliday Posted by North American Railroader (Member # 3398) on :
I'd certainly recommend Skagway as an Alaskan destination. It really has all the Alaskan charm, plenty of accomodations, as well as several things to see. There is a great town tour run by the Skagway Street Car Tour, which runs tourists around the area in vintage 1920's sightseeing buses, and even includes a small show. That was one of the best experiences in my life, and I certainly recommend it. In addition, for any rail fan, there is the White Horse Pass and Yukon Railroad, which runs from Skagway to to the US-Canadian border, high in the Alaskan Rockies. If you ever had the chance to ride the BC Rail route, this trip is fairly similar (with rails right along the mountain edge, and tresles hundreds of fet in the air), with the exception that it is a narrow gage route. On the weekends the trains are pulled by steam engines. In addition, on Saturday, there is a train which travels twenty miles past the boarder, to the end of the line at Lake Bennett and on Sunday, the train goes twelve miles past the boarder to Fraser Meadows. I have never ridden these two extensions, but they have been featured on many shows, such as the PBS special and looked like a fun route. The tour I mentioned above, was also featured on the PBS special. Overall, Skagway would be a great place to experience Alaska, besides the town tours and railroad, there are trails, glaciers, boat and air tours; it's just a great place to see what it's all about. I'd give two or three days there if possible, but if only one day is possible, the railroad is the must see; and it is even possible to do the tour and railroad (the shorter, more scenic leg) all in one day. If you want to take the ferry, there is one that departs from Prince Rupert, which would make for a great Skeena-Ferry connection. It really is too bad that BC Rail isn't still around, because then, a direct Seattle-Vancouver, North Vancouver-Prince Rupert would be possible instead of a round about through Jasper. A really good idea might be heading out on the Canadian to Jasper, taking the Skeena to Prince Rupert, go to Alaska, return on the Skeena, continue on the Canadian to Vancouver, Amtrak to Seattle, Coast Starlight to Emeryville, and CZ eastward. Hope this helps, and really no matter where you go, just try to make it to Alaska, it is such a great place.
Posted by espeefoamer (Member # 2815) on :
quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: Does the British Columbia Railway still run the RDC train between Prince George, BC and North Vancouver? As far as I know, the Skeena still operates from Prince Rupert to Prince George and maybe to Edmonton? (Mr. "Royal Trains" or "CN6060 Fan", can you answer this?)
BC Rail ended all passenger service shortly before the road was taken over by CN .
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
You guys have convinced me to try to see something of Alaska when I go to Seattle and Vancouver next year, as I'm planning. Now I just have to decide if I want to hazard the Alaska ferries, which seem complicated and not as cheap as I thought, or if I want to spend some more and take an Inland Passage cruise that Carnival, Holland America, or Princess all seem to offer out of either Seattle or Vancouver, which go to many of the interesting sites and of course include food. But I have a vital question: Is May OK for taking either the cruise or the Alaska ferries on the Inland Passage? Or is there still a weather danger threatening my seeing Glacier Bay, for instance, or Skagway or something else, and would I be better off going in June? I notice the ferry and/or cruises cost more in June, and I'd rather do May if I could, but I don't want to go too early and have any kind of weather problems limiting what I can see in that part of Alaska--for instance, I don't want to be on a cruise that is supposed to go through Glacier Park and find out the ship can't do it because there is still too much ice or something. Does anyone know if it is problem in mid-May?
Posted by Kiernan (Member # 3828) on :
Late May is great. The days are long and the scenery is beautiful. If you're going to Juneau, though, the BEST day to be there is July 3. It's not dark enough on the evening of July 4 to have fireworks, so the fireworks are right after midnight after July 3. It's July 4, but very early in the morning. After the fireworks is Juneau's only traffic jam.
No ice in Glacier Bay NP. Don't worry about that. Two hundred years ago, Glacier Bay was a glacier, but it's ice-free now. May, June, or July is fine.
Posted by Kiernan (Member # 3828) on :
I have more time to write this morning. The only threatening weather you'll get in May is rain. Glacier Bay NP is ice-free, but you will see ice bergs, and that's part of the attraction. Don't worry, the cruise ships don't go fast enough in the park to cause a Titanic problem. The humpback whales are moving into Glacier Bay in May and the cruise ships usually stop and let you watch them if they see any. Because the ferries are on a schedule, they can't stop and watch. You occasionally see whales and dolphins from the ferries. You can take short day trips from Juneau if you get a little closer to whales. The best one is to go to Tracy Arm.
In any event, have a good time. Everything costs more in Alaska, particularly in the summer. If you decide to take the ferry, make your reservations early. If you decide to do a cruise, shop VERY carefully--the prices can vary tremendously, not just between cruise lines, but depending on where you live and what date you buy your ticket.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Thanks, Kiernan. Is mid-May usually very rainy? I guess I don't want to go when my views will be bad because of excessive rain, but otherwise I really like the idea of going then.
So far the best Inland Passage cruise I've found is a round trip out of Vancouver that visits Juneau, Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, Skagway, and Ketchikan. (I am not interested in the one-way cruises where you fly back.) It does not go to one place that looked kind of interesting, Sitka, but the cruises out of Seattle that do stop there don't seem to go to Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm, which I have heard are very beautiful. I will have to shop around about prices too, they sure do seem to vary!
Thanks again for the info!
Posted by Kiernan (Member # 3828) on :
It's ALWAYS raining in Southeast Alaska, except when it's snowing. Not really, but I always say that. The rain doesn't really make any difference, the rain is one of the things that makes it so beautiful. Here are some websites with webcams.
On the last one, click on Juneau then Pedersen Hill and you can see the Juneau airport. The second one is the Forest Service webcam that looks at the Mendenhall Glacier. The first one is downtown Juneau and you can sometimes see the cruiseships. Look at Anaktuvik Pass and you can see that it's high summer up there and the sun doesn't set.
Have fun!
Posted by Grandma Judy (Member # 3278) on :
In Ketchikan, I saw a jacket patch for the "Ketchikan Rain Festival; January 1 - December 31" The first time I was there, we just put on our ponchos and went exploring in the rain. You won't melt in the rain unless you are made of sugar. The second time I was there it was sunny and everyone was walking around squinting. In choosing a cruise, remember that your cabin is only for sleeping and showering. All areas of the ship and its programs (and food) are equally accessible to everyone. If your cabin doesn't have a window, go to a public area with a view. Definitely May is good because the days are long, but watch out for the Alaska state bird - the mosquito! Don't dismiss the cruise one way, fly the other option. We flew to Anchorage & cruised back to Vancouver. You don't go to Glacier Bay, but you see College Fjord and Valdez (and Sitka - unless the weather is bad). Remember that if the weather makes you miss something, it's a good reason to go back!
Posted by RRTom (Member # 3744) on :
Hi, Sojourner.
I am an Amtrak conductor who works the Seattle-Bellingham and Seattle-Vancouver, BC runs. The ferry leaves Bellingham on Fridays throughout the year, and on Tuesdays, during peak months. Departures used to be at 6Pm, but I am not certain if that still holds true. The train station and ferry terminal are quite close together. There is some lodging nearby, as well as the usual chain-type places within three miles of the station/terminal. The train ride from Seattle north to Bellingham is quite scenic, following Puget Sound for a good part of the way. These are views that won't be seen from I-5. The equipment that we use would be Talgo-equipped trains.
Posted by cassrr (Member # 1834) on :
I took the same trip last summer, Cascades to Bellingham, Alaska ferry to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Absolutely beautiful scenery and a great way to see SE Alaska. Comparatively speaking the ferry costs less than a cruise line and you enjoy a more eclectic group of fellow travelers. Taking a cruise ship I would have seen the same incredible vistas but with just 6-8 hours in each port I wouldn't have seen much of each town. I wound up spending a couple of days at each location and was able to take the WPYR steam train at Skagway. Cruise ships aren't in port long enough for you to ride the Saturday only trip to Lake Bennett. You adjust to the rain quickly. In Ketchikan it's noted that annual rainfall is measured in feet, not inches!
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