\nGeneral info<\/a>
\nThe fleet<\/a>
\nSchedules and fares<\/a>
\nTravel policies<\/a>
\nRoutes<\/a>
\nConclusion<\/a><\/center>
\n <\/p>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nGeneral info<\/h2>\n
Unlike the continental United States, all of Alaska is not connected by highways and roads. So, if you\u2019re in Alaska for any sort of extended stay, odds are that you\u2019ll need to take one of the ferries at some point. It\u2019s also extremely likely that you\u2019ll need to do so with your car too. <\/p>\n
The good thing is that all of Alaska\u2019s Ferries operating on the Alaska Marine Highway System have room for your vehicle on-board. Some have more space than others, but if you book ahead of time, you should have no trouble finding space for yourself or your car. <\/p>\n
The Alaska Marine Highway System<\/a> is Alaska\u2019s most reliable nautical transportation service between coastal communities. Today, it is recognized as a National Scenic Byway as well as an All-American Road. It currently services almost four thousand miles of the gorgeous Alaskan coastline and connects over thirty communities. Some of which cannot be reached by car alone. <\/p>\n There\u2019s several routes and eleven different vessels. Consider the thirty communities these ferries travel between and you can see how someone can get easily confused when trying to coordinate their ferry voyage. However, you can use this handy guide to get to where you\u2019re going by ferry with ease. The fleet is comprised of eleven great ferries with a rich history behind each. These ferries operate all year long and can handle passengers and their cars. Get to know the different types of vessels in the fleet: These are the biggest ferries in the fleet. It almost always takes over twenty-four hours to go from the first port to the last port on the route on one of these mainline vessels. <\/p>\n If you are going to be on one of these Ferries overnight, you can rent a cabin on-board to sleep in or you can set up a tent or sleeping bag on the deck. Depending on the season, the second option might not be such a good idea. There are also several places to buy food and drink on-board as well.<\/p>\n It can carry just under five hundred passengers and has a car-carrying capacity of about a hundred and thirty vehicles. It also has over a hundred cabins, about half of which are for up to four people and the other half can fit two people. <\/p>\n The MV Columbia also boasts many great on-board conveniences. It has a dining room, a restaurant, a couple of lounges including a movie screening lounge, laundry and more. <\/li>\n <\/p>\n This ferry can carry about five hundred passengers but can only carry about seventy-five vehicles. It has over a hundred cabins pretty much split between two-person and four-person capacity. <\/p>\n The MV Kennicott has many nice amenities as well. It has a couple observation decks, a heated solarium, and a few lounges including a movie lounge.<\/li>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s amenities for those on board include lounges including a movie lounge and a heated solarium. <\/li>\n <\/p>\n The ferry also includes a restaurant, a heated solarium, a movie lounge and a child\u2019s play area.<\/li>\n <\/p>\n This ferry is named after the Tustumena glacier and has an elevator on-board especially made for loading and un-loading cars. It the smallest Alaska Marine Highway System ferry that has cabins. <\/p>\n It can carry a hundred and thirty passengers as well as thirty-four cars. It offers passengers a dining room, movie lounge, heated solarium and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n The purpose of these ferries is to get people from one small community to another as well as with the mainline ferry routes. You can expect a shorter trip on these ships.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These are essentially smaller and more limited day boat ferries. They generally only operate back and forth between a couple of small communities each day.<\/p>\n It carries up to two hundred and ten passengers and thirty-one cars. It also has a snack bar, lounges, child\u2019s play area and a study area as well. <\/li>\n It can hold up to two hundred and ten passengers as well as thirty-one cars. The amenities consist of a snack bar, kid\u2019s play area, solarium and lounges.<\/li>\n The ship can hold up to a hundred and twenty-five passengers and fifteen cars. The perks of being on-board include a couple of lounges and viewing areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n The schedules for each of these ferries, for every one of their routes for the entire year would be too detailed to post here, so you can them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, there are more general details that you should be aware of. For example, there are many more departures in the summer months than there are any other time of the year. By the same logic, the winter has the least amount of departures. This is based on demand which is generated by increases in tourism or lack thereof for the most part. <\/p>\n Fares for the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry are determined by:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n<\/ul>\n The following are booking restrictions for Alaska Marine Highway System ferries:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are many policies in place for Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. You should consult their policies page here<\/a>. Their policies include: animal transport, baggage, conduct, lost and found, marijuana, service animals and more. <\/p>\n Alaska Marine Highway System ferries have several vehicle related policies. They are as follows:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Southeast route includes communities from Bellingham, Washington and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, through the Inside Passage, all the way to Yakutat. <\/p>\n Routes in this region can take anywhere from an hour to thirty-eight hours depending on where you are traveling to and from. <\/p>\n The Southeast Alaska route stops at the following ports:<\/p>\n <\/uL><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Gulf of Alaska route includes ports in Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula. <\/p>\n Routes in this region can take anywhere from nine hours to thirty-eight hours depending on where you are traveling to and from.<\/p>\n The Gulf of Alaska route stops at the following ports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Southwest routes include ports from the Kodiak Island Archipelago, the Alaska Peninsula, and out of the Aleutian Chain to Dutch Harbor.<\/p>\n Routes in this region can take anywhere from six hours to nine hours depending on where you are traveling to and from.<\/p>\n The South Central and Southwest Alaska route stops at the following ports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Taking the ferry in Alaska can be a particularly complex process. However, many times it is the only way to get from one specific spot to another. <\/p>\n It\u2019s also a pleasant experience where you\u2019ll have great views of the Alaskan wilderness the whole way. Be sure you contact the ferry beforehand if you aren\u2019t sure of something.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jump to: General info The fleet Schedules and fares Travel policies Routes Conclusion General info Unlike the continental United States, all of Alaska is not connected by highways and roads. So, if you\u2019re in Alaska for any sort of … Continue reading
\n <\/p>\nThe fleet<\/h2>\n
\n <\/p>\nMainline Ferries<\/h3>\n
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\nThis Ferry is named after the Columbia Glacier and is quite large, the largest of the fleet. It cost twenty million dollars to build. <\/p>\n
\nThe MV Kennicott is named after the Kennicott Glacier and can be used as a command center for emergency teams in case of an ocean emergency like an oil spill. It has a helicopter pad and a floating dock in case it does need to be used this way. It also has an elevator specifically for loading and unloading cars. <\/p>\n
\nThe MV Malaspina got its name from the Masaspina Glacier and was one of the three original Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. It can carry four hundred and fifty passengers and eighty-three vehicles. It also has just over seventy cabins with both two and four person capacities. <\/p>\n
\nNamed after the Matanuska Glacier, the MV Matanuska was also one of the three original Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. It can carry four hundred and fifty passengers as well as eighty-three cars. There are a hundred cabins with capacities for two or three people.<\/p>\nDay Boat Ferries<\/h3>\n
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\nNamed for the Aurora Glacier, this ferry can hold up to two hundred and fifty passengers as well as thirty-three cars. It has observations lounges, a movie lounge, a heated solarium and showers available.<\/li>\n
\nThe MV LeConte got its name from the LeConte Glacier. It can carry two hundred and twenty-five passengers as well as thirty-three vehicles. This ship also boasts a restaurant, heated solarium and movie lounge as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nShuttle Ferries<\/h3>\n
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\nNamed after the Chenega Glacier, the FVF Glacier is one of the fastest ferries in the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry fleet. It is one of the very first ferries of its kind in the entire United States.<\/p>\n
\nTaking its name from the Fairweather Glacier, is also one of the Fastest ferries in the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry fleet. <\/p>\n
\nThe MV Lituya was named after the Lituya Glacier and is the smallest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry fleet. It is also the only vessel in the fleet that is dedicated to a single route (it only goes from Ketchikan to Metlakatla and back).<\/p>\nSchedules and fares<\/h2>\n
Schedules<\/h3>\n
Fares<\/h3>\n
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Booking Restrictions<\/h3>\n
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Travel policies<\/h2>\n
General policies<\/h3>\n
Vehicle related policies<\/h3>\n
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Routes<\/h2>\n
Southeast Alaska<\/h3>\n
Mainline routes<\/h4>\n
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Day boat routes<\/h4>\n
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Shuttle routes<\/h4>\n
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The Gulf of Alaska<\/h3>\n
Mainline routes<\/h4>\n
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South Central and Southwest Alaska<\/h3>\n
Mainline Routes<\/h4>\n
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Day boat routes<\/h4>\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n