Ketchikan to Bellingham

Ketchikan

The ferry ride from Ketchikan to Bellingham started off okay.  We watched couple of movies the first night - MIB3 and Battleship, which helped make time go by.  The rest of the 1.5 day ride didn't go so smooth....

We were on the Matanuska, a sister ship to Malaspina, the one I took from Bellingham to Juneau two years ago.  Malaspina was an old ship, but this one seemed even older, and it wasn't anywhere near as nice as Taku, the one we just took from Juneau to Ketchikan.  This didn't really matter too much though.  The main problem with the trip was that we couldn't get Millie to pee or poo for about 30 hours while on the ferry.  Since there are no port calls on this leg of the trip, we are given 15 minutes at 0815, 1415, 2015, & 0015 daily to feed and walk our dogs on the car deck.  It was quite distressing to not see her go pet call after pet call.  To make matters worse, I got like 2 hours of sleep the first night on the ferry thanks to a book I couldn't put down.  By the 18 hour mark I was worried sick about Millie, thinking how uncomfortable she might be and wondering whether she'd end up going inside the car where she has to stay the rest of the time.  Every other dog was doing their business but Millie and this one other dog.  The owner of the other dog seemed quite upset too and we kept asking each other "did your dog go?"  I'm not usually an emotional person but I was really worried sick and balled on the car deck.  The Watchman saw that I was upset and came over to reassur me that my dog is ok (she was wagging her tail) and it's not uncommon for some dogs to hold it the entire trip.  That made me feel better.  Due to the lack of sleep the first night, I spent quite a bit of time sleeping mid-day again.  Millie eventually did pee at about the 30 hour mark, but she didn't poo until after we got off the ferry.  (I stopped feeding her after the 2nd meal.)  I hope I never have to take a dog on a long haul ride again.

Juneau to Ketchikan

Since the movers wouldn't do a weekend pack, they came on Thursday for packing and Friday for the loading.  I knew by Friday or Saturday the house would be cleaned out, so instead of doing the full 3 day ferry ride from Juneau to Bellingham on Tuesday, I made plans to break it up by taking the Sunday ferry to Ketchikan and staying there couple nights before catching the ferry rest of the way to Bellingham.  It might seem an inconvenience to break the trip up like this, but it's actually brilliant and works great for us because then Millie wouldn't have to be cooped up in the car for 3 days straight.  You see, you can take pets on the ferry, but they have to stay in the car for the whole duration except when in port or during pet calls, which is infrequent.  Three days would be tough for any pet, but even more so for an active 2 year old lab.  Getting the chance to walk her in the middle of the trip helps a lot.

The Sunday ferry to Ketchikan has many stops in between - Hoonah, Sitka, Kake, Petersburg, Wrangell.  Since there are several port calls, there are no pet calls on this trip.  We wanted to walk Millie every chance we got, so we got up even for the late-night, middle-of-the-night, and early-morning port calls.  Getting up at 3am two nights in a row to walk Millie was not fun.  The odd schedule made it hard for us to get a good night's sleep so we ended up sleeping during the day a lot.  Lots of folks bring sleeping bags and even air mattresses to sleep in the lounges, but we had a comfy cabin to stay in, which was nice.  Unlike my Northbound trip two years ago, we had a window this time so we could enjoy the view, which was nice even though it was raining the whole time.  The facilities on Taku is similar to Malaspina (ferry from Juneau to Bellingham), so there is a cafeteria, bar, lounges, observation deck, solarium, and a theatre.  I don't think we did much else but catch bits and pieces of movies and do some reading.  All in all, that leg of the trip was mostly spent sleeping and walking the dog.

Ten Reasons Why Ferries Are Better Than Planes

I've now had an opportunity to go on a ferry couple of times to and from Juneau.  I must say that it has been a fairly pleasant experience, unlike flying, which I hate with a passion.  I've been hoping for more alternatives to flying, and in Southeast Alaska, the ferries are it.  Here are my ten reasons why taking a ferry is so much better than flying:

10.  There is plenty of legroom

There's about 2 feet of legroom in front of you.  I could almost stick my legs out straight.  The seats are also wide enough I can prop my legs up on it.  The seats on the ferries are a lot wider, and most rows have only 2 seats next to each other so there aren't many 'middle' seats.

9.   The windows are much bigger

Pretty much the entire cabin area is wall to wall window, so you have a great view of the beautiful scenery.  It's like being on a cruise but for cheaper.  If you're lucky, you may also spot some whales or dolphins too.

8.  The food is much better

Although food isn't included in the trip, you have an opportunity to buy it at the snack shop or cafeteria.  On long haul trips, it's cooked right on the boat so you get a proper hot meal - not something that looks and taste like a cheap microwave meal.


7.  You can take your car with you

No need to rent a car at the other end because you can bring your car with you on most ferries.  Plus, the AMHS ferries often offer 'driver goes free' discounts, so it may not cost much more than if you went without your car. 

 
6.  You can bring your pet with you

Although you have to leave your pet in your car or in a crate on the car deck, I think your pets are much more safer and comfortable than in the cargo area of an airliner.  There's plenty of ventilation, and in the winter, the heat from the engine will keep the car deck at a reasonable temperature.

5.  There's no security hassle

There's a few restrictions on firearms and hazmats, but for the most part, there's no serious screening of passenger baggage.  So no x-rays and baggage search, and the long lines that go with it.  On the long haul ferry, there was a bomb sniffing dog running around the vehicles on the loading area so there is some security, but none that you have to be involved in.

4.  No worries about falling out of the sky and crashing to your death

Although flying is supposed to be relatively safe, there's enough stories about plane crashes to worry me.  I'm not a huge fan of turbulence either.  If you're like me, you'd be much more comfortable on a ferry.  It's also not very likely you'll get seasick either because most of the trips are usually on the inside passage where the waves aren't so big.

3.  Clean and roomy bathrooms

You don't have to try to squeeze into a compartment the size of a linen closet to do your business.  There are proper men and women's segregated bathrooms with proper toilet stalls, sinks, hand towels, and trash bins.  There are even showers on the long haul ferry.

2.  You can rent a cabin

If you are on a long trip, you can rent a cabin for the duration of the trip.  This will assure you a comfortable rest and some privacy during the trip.  Some cabins also come with full facilities - toilet, shower, and sink.

1.  No worries about lost luggage

There are only so many places your luggage can go at the ferry terminal so it is not very likely that your luggage will get lost.  You can also choose to take your own luggage on and off the ferry so you always know where it is. 


In this age where there's so much to complain about regarding the airline industry, I can find very little to complain about for the ferries.  The downside, of course, is that it takes a little longer.  However, because it is so comfortable, I would almost rather spent 5 hours on a ferry than an hour on a plane.  It's actually relaxing.  You can sleep, read a book, or watch the scenery.  On the long haul ferries there are movies to watch and a bar to go to.  Since you can walk around easily on the ferry, you can also meet new people easily and talk to them without having to shout over jet engine noise.  If I could ferry everywhere I would.  Give it a try if you have the opportunity.

Alaska Ferry from Bellingham to Juneau

View from ferry

The final leg of the road to Juneau was on the Alaska Marine Highway System.  Since there are no roads leading in or out of Juneau, my options were to fly or ferry.  Since I had my puppy & car to transport, I decided on the ferry option. The 3 night, 2 day ferry ride took us from Bellingham, WA to Juneau.  Although I should have been excited about the ferry ride, I was actually very worried for Millie.  Pets have to stay in the vehicle except during pet calls and while in port.  That is a long time to be cramped up in a crate in the car all by herself.  (I cannot leave her out of the crate since she would tear my car apart.)  I looked into various alternatives but didn't find them to be much better.  Well, it turned out I worried for nothing.  A guy (called Matt) next to me on the car loading dock also had a puppy (a very cute Golden Retriever) and he offered to let Millie stay in the cab of his truck with his puppy.  Now she had more room and a companion for the trip.  I was so relieved for her and enjoyed the trip more knowing she was not suffering. 

Millie getting a kiss from Charlie

The ferry was an old one, but it had enough amenities to keep us entertained.  There's an observation deck, cocktail lounge, movie theatre, gift shop, and a cafeteria.  I think there's also a playroom for kids.  I booked a cabin with full facilities, which made the ride comfortable also.  The clear skies we had the whole trip gave us fantastic views for when we just wanted to chill in the observation deck or go out for some fresh air.  As far as wildlife goes, I only saw dolphins, but apparently there was a whale at one point that I missed.

The trip was fairly relaxing overall, except during the 15 minute pet calls when frantic owners hurried to get their pet to eat, potty, & walk.  Pets did their business right on the car deck so we had to clean up after them, which wasn't so easy.  Cars were also packed tight so it was hard to navigate around them and other dogs.  Millie did ok, since she went potty at every pet call, which was at 0830, 1430, 2030, & 0030.  Other dogs seemed to have a hard time and their owners worried, so I guess I'm lucky.

Creek Street in Ketchikan, AK

On the second day of our trip we actually had a seven hour port call in Ketchikan, AK.  We took a taxi into town with Millie and had a walk around.  There wasn't much going on since it's the off season, but I really enjoyed a walk down Creek Street.  Supposedly during season, you can see tons of salmon in the creek along the shops there.  I may have to go check it out at some point. 

We arrived into Juneau on the 3rd morning.  Since all of Southeast Alaska got dumped with snow over the last couple nights, it was a gorgeous view coming in. 

View coming into Juneau