RV on a ship

When dealing with the AMHS, the ferry system, remember it is operated by the state of Alaska, as subsidized transportation for the residents of SE Alaska. Hence, walk on passenger tickets are reasonable, freight cost are not too bad, but put a large RV on the system and you will pay for it. However it is about the only way to see parts of SE Alaska, as the ferry ships tend to be able to go in closer to shore than the deeper draft cruise ships. I have been on the ferry system about 4 times as I think back, two of those with our truck camper, the others as a walk on passenger. It isn't a trip that I would want to do every time, but for a once or twice experience, it is great. Yes it is costly, but so is a trip to northern Canada and Alaska.

I guess I'm not ever using the ferry with my 37 foot RV and f350 long bed dually!!

We spent the summer of 2011 in Alaska in a truck camper. We drove the Alaska highway up and took the ferry back from Haines, AK to Bellingham, WA. We left Haines and got off the Ferry in Juneau for two nights. Back on the Ferry to Ketchican for two nights and then back on the Ferry to Bellingham. We did have to pay by the foot for the truck camper (don't remember how much)and had a cabin (extra cost). We had our dog with us and were permitted to check on the dog about every 4 hours for feeding and potty breaks. We would highly recommend you take the Alaska ferry at least once. Great scenery and the food was not bad and reasonable. The ferry from Haines to Juneau and from Juneau to Ketchican had a cafeteria that served 3 meals a day. The ferry from Ketchican to Bellingham had a sit down restaurant and a small cafeteria. Both ferries had a lounge, theater and park rangers gave interesting talks during the trip.

Hope you enjoy,
John

I know a couple who did this on the Amazon. Lived in thier class C, no hassles about propane being shut off.

I suspect the safety rules are a little different in Alaska.

There are two options.

1) The Alaska Marine Highway Ferry system - Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK where you can pick up the roads - $369 per person, $70.20 per foot for a vehicle over 21 feet - $4,071.60 for my 22 ft pickup and 36 ft travel trailer attached (58 ft). The vehicle in kept below decks and inaccessible. Cabin if you don't want to sleep in a chair in the lounge - 2 berth outside $411 / inside $353 (bathroom & shower) - $5220.60 for me and the wife in an outside cabin.

Bellingham, WA to Anchorage (Whittier) - $572 per person - $109.00 per foot - x 58 feet - $6,322 - Cabin for 2 - $516 outside/ $462 inside (no private restroom/shower) - Roomette for 2 - $164 outside / $136 inside (no private restroom/ shower) - $7,982 for me and the wife in an outside cabin - $7,630 for an outside roomette.

Note - my TT is under 103 inches wide.

Vehicles - 103-107 inches wide is 125% of the fare - 25% additional cost. Vehicles 108 inches and wider is 150% of the vehicle fare - a 50% extra cost. Towed trailers - overall length is the measurement they use - and they do measure the exact distance when you get ready to pull aboard.

They will also turn off and seal your propane bottles to prevent any usage. There is no electrical power available to keep the fridge cold. Though the temps might be cold - they are usually not below freezing on the ferry route.

As an example of travel times - the ferry for Whittier leaves Bellingham at 6 pm Sunday and arrives at Whittier 10:30 am on Thursday - four nights on the ferry.

The ferry for Juneau/ Haines leaves Bellingham at 6 pm Friday and arrives at Haines at 1:15 pm on Monday - three nights on the ferry.

The good news is that the Alaska Marine Highway ferry and loading dock crews are very experienced with RV. When we did an Alaska inside passage cruise in September 2009, there were over a dozen 5th wheels, class A and TT in the Mendenhall Lake USFS campground outside Juneau, and several lined up at the AMH ferry dock as we went past waiting.

2) Private carrier shipping - which may be on a deck, or may not be on deck. Those have to be arranged via a shipping agent - but you can estimate which will be cheaper. All propane must be shut-off even if you have access to the RV. Will almost certainly not have any electrical power.

US Ship, Lyden Lines, Alaska Car Transport - are all brokers which can give you a quote for shipping an RV.

There are cargo companies that transport by ship between Washington State and Alaska. Some internet searching will bring them up. Don't know if they let you park on the deck and live in the RV though.

http://www.totemocean.com/shipping-vehicles-boats-rvs

http://www.pafak.com/services/lower-48-to-ak

http://www.northlandservices.com/schedules/

http://www.horizonlines.com/service/what-we-ship/vehicles-and-household-goods

Taking the Alaska Ferry up and driving back is great because you can easily extend your stay without worrying about a reservation for a specific date.

Here's how they ship a lot of stuff showing a barge in Ketchikan. See what they have on top? Wouldn't that be a wild ride in an RV? They, of course, wouldn't let anyone ride along.
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mabynack wrote:
Thanks, guys. It really seemed like it would be great to sit in my FW and watch the scenery, but not so much if you're below decks.

The car deck is closed and you wouldn't see anything. It's all about safety and insurance. Vehicles may move due to a variety of reasons. Ships sink and you want to be on the upper decks, etc.

On top of all of that the scenery is so much better on the upper decks. 180 degree or more view, sea creatures etc vs a very restricted view for any vehicle including the open ferries.

Take a ferry and you'll understand.

Thanks, guys. It really seemed like it would be great to sit in my FW and watch the scenery, but not so much if you're below decks.

When we used the ferry system in 2011, all vehicles were parked below deck and not accessible while underway.