New Travel Paradigm

[Moemg]

Al, Have you considered cruising?You could probably drive to the port .You & Lena like the outdoors so an Alaskan cruise would be a perfect fit .

 

[packrat44]

Al, Have you considered cruising?You could probably drive to the port .You & Lena like the outdoors so an Alaskan cruise would be a perfect fit .

I've been told cruises are for 2 types of people - newly weds and the nearly dead. However, I am going to make an execption for an Alaskan cruise of the inland passage. This one is on our bucket list.

 

[donheff]

I've been told cruises are for 2 types of people - newly weds and the nearly dead. However, I am going to make an exception for an Alaskan cruise of the inland passage. This one is on our bucket list.

I would have thought the same but turns out I like them. The inside passage was particularly enjoyable. Our next door neighbors are outgoing active types (they own and race a 38 foot sail boat). They go on cruises all the time including several transatlantic cruises where most of the time is at sea. DW and I are keeping our eyes out for convenient and well discounted cruises out of Baltimore and NY. Just drive up and load all our junk aboard.

 

[meierlde]

I've been told cruises are for 2 types of people - newly weds and the nearly dead. However, I am going to make an execption for an Alaskan cruise of the inland passage. This one is on our bucket list.

Actually one can do a cruise of the inside Passage on the Alaska State Ferries from Bellingham, WA up to the Panhandle. Not as fancy as a cruise ship, but if you don't take a car you can stop as you please in the towns along the way, and take a smaller boat tour of Glacier Bay. (You would fly to Gustavus from Juneau and then take the boat tour.

 

[Lsbcal]

Actually one can do a cruise of the inside Passage on the Alaska State Ferries from Bellingham, WA up to the Panhandle. Not as fancy as a cruise ship, but if you don't take a car you can stop as you please in the towns along the way, and take a smaller boat tour of Glacier Bay. (You would fly to Gustavus from Juneau and then take the boat tour.

This sounds really nice. Some questions:
So if you do not have a car would you walk or taxi into the towns? Are the towns you are thinking of really small and walkable?

If you have a car is there any issue with that other then that you'd have to leave the car in Juneau I guess and maybe that is higher cost and maybe stopping in various towns would be a pain with the car on/off ferry? Just guessing at the logistics here.

What's the best time of year to do this?

 

[meierlde]

It seems most of the towns have some form of car rental place. I checked Skagway and Juneau both have such places. However with a max of 50 miles of road one would have to decide between a taxi and a rental car. (Plently of places to stay in each town as well) The point is without a car you just show up on the ferry no reservation needed.

Note that Juneau is not accessible by road from the outside, only Skagway, Haines and Prince Rupert BC are accessible.

 

[Brat]

Actually one can do a cruise of the inside Passage on the Alaska State Ferries from Bellingham, WA up to the Panhandle. Not as fancy as a cruise ship, but if you don't take a car you can stop as you please in the towns along the way, and take a smaller boat tour of Glacier Bay. (You would fly to Gustavus from Juneau and then take the boat tour.

This is exactly what we will be doing starting June 1st. We will start in Portland, Amtrak to Bellingham to catch the ferry, inland passage ~2 weeks, explore Alaska one more week, then ( unavoidable flight) to SJC to see grandchildren, Coast Starlight back to Portland. We considered a "cruse ship", too fancy pants.

 

[packrat44]

Actually one can do a cruise of the inside Passage on the Alaska State Ferries from Bellingham, WA up to the Panhandle. Not as fancy as a cruise ship, but if you don't take a car you can stop as you please in the towns along the way, and take a smaller boat tour of Glacier Bay. (You would fly to Gustavus from Juneau and then take the boat tour.

What about taking bicycles with you. Is that a doable option?

 

[Brat]

The Alaska Ferry system transports vehicles, including motorcycles. A bicycle should not be an issue, however, you may need to make a reservation.

The sightseeing boats won't take your bike on board but you should be able to secure them during the tour. You would want to check with Alaska Rail for the leg from Whittier to Anchorage, generally speaking bikes go as checked luggage. If my memory serves me correctly the tunnel does not have much grade so if you take the ferry to Whittier you may be able to bike to Anchorage (the tunnel accommodates vehicles/train by time separation).

The Amtrak Cascades train, which has a baggage car, goes to Bellingham but not in time to catch the ferry, you would need to overnight in Bellingham. Our routing includes a bus from Seattle which does not accommodate a bicycle.

When the kids were young there was a ferry that ran from Seattle to Victoria that could accommodate bikes, I don't see that today.

 

[Zero]

Looking at the Alaska Ferry website, and it looks like a lot of fun to travel that way. Fairly spartan but all the comforts.

It looks like a bicycle costs $57 to bring onboard. Lots of flexibility.

 

[omni550]

Looking at the Alaska Ferry website, and it looks like a lot of fun to travel that way. Fairly spartan but all the comforts.

It looks like a bicycle costs $57 to bring onboard. Lots of flexibility.

Has anyone compared the tours offered by Alaska Ferry to any of the major cruise lines? How do they compare, price-wise and feature-wise?

omni

 

[MichaelB]

This thread is a great illustration of the path by which older folks end up confined to their front porches.

Expensive hotels get you a nicer room, usually a nicer location, and lots of intrusive and obsequious service. They are a dramatically worse deal than mid level hotels because they nickel and dime you on lots of things that are free at the mid level hotels (wireless internet, coffee, breakfast, newspaper, etc.).

When I travel for business I have a strong preference for Marriott Residence Inns. These are typically set up as an entire studio apartment for each room, so I get a full kitchen. I get really sick of restaurant food on the road so I am a lot happier to be able to make whatever I feel like. When I travel for personal amusement, we mostly lug the travel trailer. We don't own a generator and we go to lengths to avoid the weekend party type places.

+1

One nice feature of Google maps is you can easily find nearby grocers as well. Any kind of travel is so much easier with an in-room kitchen and grocery store that's easy to find. It also makes trip preparation less demanding.

 

[Zero]

As part of my new travel paradigm, I put plenty of time in place to just ease into the trip, so I leave a day early and come home a day late. I go to DC a lot and so I fly into Baltimore arriving late afternoon/evening and get an inexpensive room at La Quinta near the airport and trains station, then take the train to Union Station next morning.

I telephone the front desk from the airport to request the shuttle and the two front desk ladies know me well, and they know to call John at Shoreline Taxi and have him pick us up an x-large pizza and a bunch of crab cakes from G&M, ummm. We all get a slice or two of pizza and a crab cake or two. Best part of the trip usually.

 

[Brat]

Has anyone compared the tours offered by Alaska Ferry to any of the major cruise lines? How do they compare, price-wise and feature-wise?

omni

We considered a cruise but it doesn't give you the inside passage experience (the cruise ships travel west of Vancouver Island). We are PNW natives relish the adventure feel of the ferry (but we do have a nice cabins for the overnight voyages ). The Alaska Ferry tours are by local consolidators who know the system and the shore services personally, the ferry system has enough to think about just running the ships.


Cyclists, keep in mind that there isn't a lot in the way of gentle slopes along the Alaskan shoreline and I don't see many roads that parallel the shore.

 

[omni550]

We considered a cruise but it doesn't give you the inside passage experience (the cruise ships travel west of Vancouver Island). We are PNW natives relish the adventure feel of the ferry (but we do have a nice cabins for the overnight voyages ). The Alaska Ferry tours are by local consolidators who know the system and the shore services personally, the ferry system has enough to think about just running the ships.


Cyclists, keep in mind that there isn't a lot in the way of gentle slopes along the Alaskan shoreline and I don't see many roads that parallel the shore.

Brat,

I toured British Columbia last year and took BC Ferries to/from Haida Gawai and from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy (the inside passage). I thought the ships were lovely.

Are these the types of ships that the Alaska Ferry tours utilize?

omni

 

[Brat]

You are booked as a regular ferry passenger (one of the details we like is that they do not include meals). They are not guided tours like what Alki Tours put together, they issue coupons for transfers, hotels, side trips. The Alaska State Ferries usually have a naturalist on the ship, BTW.

A side matter: BC Ferries had an accident a couple years ago.. evidently a couple crew members were midst a dialiance and forgot to attend to navigation.

 

[unclemick]

Whenever I visit my Sis/BIL we always take at least one trip on the Port Angeles/Victoria BC ferry - so handy it's almost like catching a commuter bus. Leave the car and walk on - either walking or catching a ride when we get to Victoria.

Nephews wives are super internet sleuths - finding the place for our once a year family reunion - runs to 10 - 15 people usually. So a big place for a week doesn't cost that much when split.

Nags Head, Rangley Lake, Maine and this year it will be Bandon, Oregon. Right now my tab is $595 plus I will cook one of the 7 days - maybe $100 for 15 people cause I'm cheap.

heh heh heh - if you get enough people and have some good researchers in the family you can get some pretty plush digs.

 

[audreyh1]

Love that Port Angeles - Victoria Ferry! One time we just went over to meet friends for lunch! Well, we might have done a little shopping too . On the way back, perfect smooth ocean surface like mercury, and we were treated to a humpback whale showing its fluke.

 

[Brat]

Love that Port Angeles - Victoria Ferry! One time we just went over to meet friends for lunch! Well, we might have done a little shopping too . On the way back, perfect smooth ocean surface like mercury, and we were treated to a humpback whale showing its fluke.

That is a great trip and lucky you finding flat water. The boat is interesting. A 'double end' ferry can't handle that water because it can get very rough so there are heavy duty doors in the side of the hull for the car deck. Reservations for a car are an absolute must!

Customs & Immigration at Port Angeles is the one place where a terrorist was identified years before 911. The Agent, a woman, would take a few moments with each arrival chatting about their travels. She sensed something was odd and asked a guy to pull his car out of the line. He ran, she call the local cops who grabbed him a few blocks away (not many places to run to in Port Angeles). The car contained explosives intended for LAX.

 

[Brat]

this year it will be Bandon, Oregon.

Bring a windbreaker and your golf clubs. When my husband played Bandon Dunes they required he use a caddy, the use of golf carts is severely restricted.

 

[Helen]

Well, if it is any month but June give me a PM and lets get together!

I'd be up for an ER meet up too.

 

[Brat]

Let's do it! If we pick a sunny day McMenamins Kennedy School has a nice outside terrace which can accommodate a small group and isn't too noisy. Oaks Park is a great place to gather but would be very crowded on a weekend and to reserve a spot would cost a couple nickles. If we are only a handful we could meet at my place.

Retirees from my former place of employment get together for lunch a couple times a year. I am looking forward to an update from one next week. He photographed a Mexican fishing vessel in distress from a cruse ship on which he was a passenger. Maritime law requires coming to the aid of vessels in distress. The cruse ship didn't respond even after he notified the crew. Some of fishermen subsequently died, the one who survived is suing the cruse line. Captains, beware of birders using telescopic cameras.

 

[sunsnow]

A meetup would be fun! If we're in town, we'd definitely be up for it. Heading to Hawaii for July and Aug.

 

[kz]

DH and I usually take one or two extended (2 weeks or more) vacations each year but we also manage to take 2-4 mini mid-week vacations with a goal of less than 6 hrs from our front door to our destination. I actually think they are my favorite ones. We usually book a two-bedroom suite at a hotel with pool, hot tub, and sauna and get our moneys worth. And we hardly ever see another person using any of these facilities whatsoever since we're there from Sun. evening to Thurs morning. And the prices are usually quite low compared to weekends. Love it!!

 

[Katsmeow]

Some years ago when our kids were young we were owners in the Disney Vacation Club. What I learned from that is that you could stay at Disney properties in a 2 bedroom unit with a full kitchen and 2 bathrooms and this was less than it cost to stay in a single room at the nicest Disney hotel. We eventually sold our interest but found you could actually pay to stay in the 2 bedroom units and we found this very enjoyable (obviously had we not had kids a 1 bedroom would have been fine).

We've since done this at Hyatt Resorts at well renting a unit that someone else owns. This gives us lots of space and luxuries but it cheaper than a regular hotel room. Basically you spend less money for a much better place to stay.