New Travel Paradigm

[omni550]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni550 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brat 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclemick 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brat 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.

[EveryLady]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 we are going in the opposite direction. We're trying to get "used" to flying again as we wish to travel much farther afield. ... Our world-traveling neighbors have it down such that they go on exotic (international) location walking adventures or whatever, yet each gets by with just a carry-on. Amazing! Something to aspire to, as I bet it really cuts down on the hassle factor of traveling overseas. Audrey

Here, just had a talk with my DD to say I'm ready to downsize to U.S. vacations again for shorter periods. Wanted to show her Europe but putting together 3-4 week multi-country extravaganzas to expensive locales to stay in centrally located super-nice B&Bs/small hotels/flats for (last year) $5000 (total for the 2 of us, including air) is a lot of *work.* Endless details, as disrupting to a sensible daily routine as was a job. And stressful - always weighing $$$ vs. lots of hassle factors. Need a break.

Do rather feel like an insensitive jerk for typing that out knowing what an economic struggle life is for so many these days. Guess if stress is not externally dumped some can self-impose.

Even last year's light luggage was a downer. So have decided to dispense with the one-per-person carryon idea. And no more backpacks. Both are fine if you're not petite (DD) and less than super strong (me). Obviously, for what we spend there are no cabs and lots of walking and lots and lots and lots of steps (metros, villages, onto/off a bunch of trains). Will be trying out the idea of a single, very light wheeled duffle that we can carry together on the ups and downs. And two small daypacks. That will be it ... packing day will be interesting.