Kozicka

Has anyone sailed M/V Kennicott from Whittier-Juneau? If so, does the scenery justify the additional time/expense?
The ferry trip takes 1 day and 15 hours and it costs $654 (with cabin) for two people compared to a $338 flight from Anchorage. Not sure what would be a better choice?

Gardyloo

Big water, open ocean, small ship. You connect the dots.

Kozicka

I agree just too many dots.
How about Sitka-Bellingam on Columbia? It takes 2 days + 18 hours but can't tell how many hours in the open ocean. This is the last question. I promise.

centralpa

Not sure when you're looking to go, but the ferry to Bellingham only runs once a week arriving on Fridays from the middle of June until the middle of August and not even that frequently at other times. Just some extra coordinating to do. Also, very little open ocean and suppose to be very scenic with a good bit of wildlife sightings.

repete

Sitka-Bellingham is a very scenic and usually smooth route, plus Sitka is a cool little town.

You can hit occasional rougher water south of Ketchikan, but nothing like the cross-gulf route.

http://www.alaskatrekker.com/images/amhmap.gif

Kozicka

Great.. thank you. I do want to spend a couple of days in Sitka

repete

Well Sitka is cool but little. If you plan some outings -- fishing, whale watching, kayak -- you could spent a few days, but it's not a lively place. A better idea might be to spend a day in different stops along the way.

Another think folks often overlook is that you can have a great trip of you combine the Alaska and BC Ferries.

Kozicka

Do you mean Port Hardy-Prince Rupert?
I only struggle with port selections when trying to balance ‘budget vs. curiosity’. We'll be going in June. As to our activities:
Shopping-no
Museums-yes
Moderate hiking-yes
Wildlife viewing-yes
Easy kayaking- yes (IF not too cold)
Fishing- my husband wants to try, he says
Food- love fresh seafood and Chinese
Accommodations-small, clean, moderately priced

Gardyloo

Combining the Alaska and BC ferries (using the Prince Rupert - Port Hardy route) really only works if you have a car. Once you get to Port Hardy it's a long schlep to Nanaimo or Victoria before you can cross back over to the mainland. I'm sure there's public transportation between Port Hardy and the southern part of the island, but I can't imagine it's very comfortable or scenic.

One thing to consider in June is that most of the towns in SE Alaska where the ferry stops are pretty heavily impacted by cruise ship tourism. Often there can be four or even five 2000+ passenger cruise ships in port at one time (e.g., at Skagway, population 700) which makes for pretty congested and high-intensity tourism. If you want to kayak, you need to stand in line behind the dozens of cruise pax on excursions who want to do the same, and so on.

The ferry is a great and relaxing trip, especially the run between Ketchikan and Bellingham, where you have a day and a half with nothing to do but stare at the beautiful scenery.

Given your preferences, two thoughts come to mind. First - and don't yelp here - is to take a cruise from Seward or Whittier to Vancouver. When you add up all the included items - transport, accommodation, food, "entertainment" - it can often turn out to be cheaper than the combination of ferry + cabin + food etc. Plus, the cruise ships go into inlets and bays for the scenery, while the ferry skips these because there are no passengers or freight to pick up or drop off in those places.

What you miss, of course, is staying overnight in the ports of call, because the boat has to sail in the evening. It's a trade-off in that respect, but in my mind the cost savings (e.g. you don't have to pay extra to arrange sightseeing from some town where you're staying independently, because the ship goes there anyway) and the access to beautiful (if uninhabited) places outweighs the negatives. I personally think the ferry is best in the winter, anyway - uncrowded, cozy, and the towns are not full of artificial goings-on. I'd also mention that if you like seafood and Chinese food, Vancouver is your mecca - enormous Chinatown, amazing variety of restaurants and things to do... it's a great city for visitors with your preferences.

The other alternative is to pick a town in SE Alaska that offers scenery and a bit more variety, with good excursion possibilities, fishing, etc., but also with accommodation and restaurants etc. that will make the evenings okay (when the boat people have left.)

Juneau would be my choice for that. Lots of local interest, history, and great scenery; excursions to Glacier Bay are not break-the-bank stuff, and because it's the state capital and the largest town in SE Alaska, there is very good visitor infrastructure compared to smaller towns like Sitka.

Then take the ferry from Juneau down to Bellingham, and you're good to go.

Kozicka

Dear Gardyloo,

LOL, I did not 'yelp'. On the contrary, after evaluating the ferry option(s), I could not agree with you more and just needed to hear it from someone who knows how to travel Alaska. So, I will book a cruise from Whittier or Steward. That too will be a new experience for us.
We were in Vancouver and Victoria many moons ago and loved the area. And yes, the best Chinese food in the world. Thank you much, for helping me out.

repete

Well, yeah, a car indeed is the way to go if you do the BC connection.

Probably not great for the OP ... but not a bad adventure for some. (There's a Greyhound from Port Hardy to Nanaimo or Victoria daily) and both have ferry connections to Tsawwassen. In my hazy remember of the old days, I do recall friends from Sidney and a van.

Wouldn't be budget ... but one could connect from AK to Port Hardy, bus it to Campbell River for a little fishing and grab Kenmore Air (which also will fly to Port McNeil)back to Seattle. That's a great flight with a dramatic finish ... although my flight landed at the Lake Washington instead of Lake Union.

Kozicka

Funny… Kenmore Air also offers attractive last minute specials. There is no end to alternatives one can consider, for sure. But, as strange as it may sound, I have to keep reminding myself that we truly do not have to see ‘everything’ and keep our itinerary relatively simple but interesting.

Also, would like to fit in an extra week and rent a tiny cabin or a studio in Girdwood or Homer or ‘somewhere’. And this idea would not leave much $room for air excursions, which are no doubt beautiful.

repete

Another great Alaska adventure is renting a Forest Service cabin.

We rented one once for a parental visit and had a great time. It was in Prince William Sound in a little bay with a salmon stream.

The stream was right next to the cabin, but the bears (black) were so into the fish that they paid us no mind -- although it was interesting that when DW walked to the outhouse the fish laying by the trail was gone when she emerged.

The best part was the trip out there. We found a sailboat that would drop us off. On the way back, the skipper pulled a shrimp pot and we dined enroute to port.

Kozicka

Whoa…this is too much although I would love to do that with a small group of friends. Most likely will settle in a bearless cabin this year.