Alaska Ferry Proceedures March 20, 2012, 02:48:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129264Since we've got a good Alaska thread ongoing I thought I'd jump in with an off-the-wall question. Can someone who's been there - done that tell me what the proceedure is for on-loading and off-loading your motorhome with toad on the Alaska Ferrys, in particular the one from Skagway to Haines. Surely they don't make you back up nor unhitch. How's it done???Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Alaska Ferry Procedures Reply #1 – March 20, 2012, 03:34:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129268I can't comment specifically on the Alaska Ferry system, but we have used both the Washington State and British Columbia ferries several times. Both large and small ships. You always load in one end, and drive out the other. Anything you are pulling stays hooked up. It's just a straight shot through the ship. We have even been on a ferry crossing the Bodensee from Switzerland to Germany. Same deal. Drive straight on. Drive straight off. I think most ferries work pretty much the same way. Otherwise it would be sheer chaos.Dick
Re: Alaska Ferry Proceedures Reply #2 – March 20, 2012, 03:54:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129269Unhitch is what we've seen, and it stands to reason with limited deck space. I don't know if they would let you go hooked up if you paid for the connected length or not - remember, the charge is per foot, and they measure .
Re: Alaska Ferry Procedures Reply #3 – March 20, 2012, 04:05:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129270Quote "You always load in one end, and drive out the other." "We have even been on a ferry crossing the Bodensee from QuoteSwitzerland to Germany. Same deal. Drive straight on. Drive straight off." Dick Thanks Dick. I figured that's how it might work but then they could do a 'U' turn on board if there was enough room. I've crossed the North Sea from Denmark to Norway in a VW MicroVan but that's been too long ago to remember. I've also crossed from Tok to Dawson on that ferry in a full size Ford Van and 30' TT and that is a drive on/off also.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Alaska Ferry Procedures Reply #4 – March 20, 2012, 04:36:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129272Unless they are using new ferries since our last trip, that is NOT how the Alaska ferries load...at least the one from Haines to Skagway. It's sort of a "serpentine" load procedure...hard to explain, but it "may" require backing up. The last time we took the ferry between Haines and Skagway, we had a truck camper, but, as I recall, the motorhomes did have to unhook if they were pulling a toad. I suppose a lot would depend on how crowded a particular load is. If you are by yourself and don't have anyone to drive the toad separately, I'd recommend staying in either Haines or Skagway and ride the ferry as a walk-on. If you're going from Haines to Skagway, "stuff" isn't that far away from the ferry dock that you couldn't walk the town. This is especially true if you're planning on taking the White Pass & Yukon train excursion (highly recommended if the weather is clear!). Besides, *we* found Haines to be a far more relaxing place to stay compared to Skagway. There are at least 3 to 4 huge cruise ships that come into Skagway each day...Haines gets one perhaps once a week or so. And if you're in Haines during the Southeastern Alaska State Fair, be sure to go (July 26-29 this year)...AND take in the logging competition. Great fun! http://www.seakfair.org/As you can tell, Haines is one of our favorite places in Alaska...we spent 11 days there on our last trip and the only reason we finally left was that we didn't want to get caught in snow on the trip back. If we'd been willing to spend the money for the ferry back into Prince Rupert, we'd have stayed longer (but we had a Freightliner pulling a 33' fifth wheel, which would have been prohibitively expensive!).Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Alaska Ferry Procedures Reply #5 – March 20, 2012, 05:57:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129273Quote "Unless they are using new ferries since our last trip, that is NOT how the Alaska ferries load...at least the one from Haines to Skagway... but it "may" require backing up."Linda Hylton Linda Yup, kinda what I imagined and the very reason I asked the question. I've been to Skagway. Left my 30'TT in Whitehorse and drove the Van down. Took the White Pass and stayed overnight in a motel. Then it was back to Whitehorse. This time I would like to drive to Skagway, take the ferry to Haines and continue on from there. I'll be traveling alone (the dog doesn't drive) and unhitching would be out of the question.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs (who won't drive)
Re: Alaska Ferry Procedures Reply #6 – March 20, 2012, 06:34:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129274Steve, in that case, I'd contact the Alaska Ferry and ask them specifically about the trip between Skagway and Haines.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Alaska Ferry Proceedures Reply #7 – March 20, 2012, 08:25:25 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129276Returning back to the mainland from Alaska via the Inside Passage on a ferry was a highlight of our trip. Lots of Forestry Department folks onboard who gave classes and pointed out many interesting things along the way, including whale pods. But, if you like this idea make a reservation for a room months in advance. Rooms book quickly and your other choice is to sleep on deck, or in a chair, or anyplace you can find. For many people in Alaska this is their mode of travel and it is very informal. It's not a cruise ship, but was a lot of fun and even the cafeteria was OK. Bonus was traveling from Alaska to Washington, so no Border Patrol stops through Canada. Gale[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Alaska Ferry Proceedures Reply #8 – March 21, 2012, 12:27:25 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129281Steve, We always disconnected our Jeep when boarding the ferry. My wife drove that on and off and I drove the LD. I believe that
Alaska Ferry Proceedures Reply #9 – March 21, 2012, 02:59:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129286I'm probably fixin' to get thumped, but I would suggest that you REALLY question your need of taking the tow car. Then look at driving one way and taking the ferry the other way - no reservations, just go to the terminals and get the next available space. Cost difference in driving, and the ferry should not be to great. Try to make all of the sailings during daylight for the scenery, each leg will be around 6hrs leaving from Prince Ruppert. Stop at ALL ports, and ENJOY the TRIP, the destination is only the place you turn around. We did The trip north by ferry, then drove back on our last AK trip, very enjoyable.Dave W
Re: Alaska Ferry Proceedures Reply #10 – March 21, 2012, 05:00:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129290Quote "I would suggest that you REALLY question your need of taking the tow car."Dave W Dave W...THUMP!I'd sooner cancel my insurance than leave my toad at home! And as far as miles and miles of water, Saturday night is more than enough! The Marine Corps suggested 'Sea Duty' but I said "No thanks" and ran the other way. ;>))Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
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