Southound Ep 07 - The Longest Ferry in North America | Juneau to Bellingham on the Alaska Marine Hwy

5 місяців тому

We have now traveled all over coastal Alaska for the last month, on and off the Alaska Marine Highway System. These ferries have taken us and our Winnebago Revel Sprinter 4x4 camper van to some very wild and remote parts of Alaska. The ferry is a wonderful complement to adventurous #vanlife.
This will be our last leg, a 65-hour ferry marathon from Juneau, Alaska, to Bellingham, Washington. We will traverse the famous Inside Passage from Alaska through Canada and into Washington. This is a narrow marine passage through islands, fiords, glaciers, and magical mountain ranges. This is the longest ferry trip in North America (800 miles) and could be one of the longest in the world.
So, how do you survive a 65-hour-long ferry ride? Watch this video and find out. It's a wonderful experience full of excitement, interesting people, and all the amenities of a small floating city.
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Winnebago Revel 4x4 Sprinter Van:
www.winnebago.com/models/prod...
The Alaska Marine Highway System (Ferry info):
dot.alaska.gov/amhs/index.shtml
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This video is made with the support of our amazing Patrons:
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 35

@albertahaynesworth2689 7 днів тому

Thank you its on my BUCKET LIST

@Famagogo 7 днів тому

Awesome! It's a wonderful journey.

@user-hd3dq1wj1c Місяць тому

The inside passage is so beautiful been 12 cruises from Seattle to Alaska on 2 cruise lines Norwegian, and Holland America...I enjoyed them all had a great time... I been on a total of 29 ocean cruises in my life, and 5 river cruises...I seen one ferry cruise from Denmark to Ireland to Iceland that the ship had almost everything a cruise ship would have except night entertainment, casinos, and health centers...

@Famagogo Місяць тому

Awesome, maybe you can do the Alaska Ferry next. It’s very different than the cruise ship experience. Bring your car and say a while or go to really remote villages that few people get to experience.

@ericdanielson4177 5 місяців тому

Taking my van on that ferry is on my bucket list.

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

It was on mine too. It's a very unique and adventurous experience. I hope you get to do it soon.

@ericdanielson4177 5 місяців тому

19 months till retirement. I'm near ONP in WA so Bellingham is not too far from home for me. @@Famagogo

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

@@ericdanielson4177 It sounds like you have an amazing trip to Alaska on your horizon. And easy access to Alaska living so close to Bellingham. You will love it! Go for a boat ride and end up in the last frontier. How cool is that.

@marasievers 5 місяців тому

Super helpful. Great info and insight, Peter!

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

Thanks for that. I'm glad you liked it.

@cnevle 5 місяців тому

This is a super helpful video! We are definitely taking the ferry our next trip to Alaska. Looking forward to more tales from your trip south. Revel on!

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

Glad it was helpful! It's such a wonderful combination with the van+ferry. Thanks for watching!

@ilblues Місяць тому

I first sailed the AMHS the summer of '72 out of Seattle on the Malaspina. 3 other boats took us all over the SE panhandle: Taku, Matanuska, and MV Wickersham. I looked them up a few years ago; the Taku and Wickersham have been scrapped. Reportedly, the Malaspina was retired as the cost to repair was too great. I can't find a definitive statement on the Matanuska. We had planned a cruise on American Cruislines (Juneau to Juneau) this June, but we had to postpone a year. If recovery from knee surgery goes well, we're hopeful of taking the Columbia to Skagway where my family came from - with side trips to Sitka and Juneau. Gustavus is part of the American Cruise next year. I'm so looking forward to it - over 50 years since I was last there. It's such a beautiful peaceful cruise. I don't recall tent camping on the decks. But people were laid out all over inside on bedrolls and in the lounge chairs. My buddy and me took our guitars and spent afternoons on Malaspina's sun deck, playing Beatles tunes and leading singalongs. Probably won't do that this time. 😊

@Famagogo Місяць тому

That's a great story. It's going to be a great trip for you to return to Alaska. I did see 4-5 older ferries in dry dock in Ketchikan. I think the Matanuska might be one of them. I was told they hope to have them in circulation again as a labor shortage is overcome. Best of luck with your knee surgery. I know that feeling all too well.

@user-mg7ez3og3y 5 місяців тому

Great video indeed👏👏👏

@Mark-wz4ez 5 місяців тому

Well done!

@brianwhidden 5 місяців тому

Thank you so much for this video Peter, im excited to possibly do this in 2024.

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

You are welcome! I hope you do it, t's a great trip.

@jasonbrink4237 5 місяців тому

Had no idea what it cost.. wheeew.... stays on bucket list.

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

It's not an alternative to the Alaska Highway but a very unique experience on its own. It's the only way to see much of SE Alaska. I also see a benefit in not driving the 1500 miles (closest equivalent) with $6-7 per gal diesel and the wear and tear on the van. But yes, it has its cost, too.

@mikemuck3319 2 місяці тому

Alaska Marine highway limits vehicles to 30' thought you said semi's. My rig is 53' so send that option down the road.

@Famagogo 2 місяці тому

They can be longer than 30', but have to be booked at the terminal as oversized vehicles. We took a 44' RV with trailer on this same trip in 2016. There were big trucks on most of our ferry trips this year too. Maybe give them a call and see what is best for your specific situation. It will likely very from ship to ship.

@tjhannon4223 5 місяців тому

Thanks for the awesome video Peter. We've taken the Washington State ferries and we've taken a cruise ship to Alaska, so this is next. At the beginning of this trip did you drive up to Alaska and if so what route did you take? Also, did you take bikes on the back of your Revel? Thanks again!

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

Hello, Thanks and I'm glad it was helpful. Sounds like the Alaska Marine Highway is the next step. We drove up the Cassiar Highway this time as we did the Alaska Highway in 2016. They are both great routes, but the Cassiar is more remote and wild. You can see the video on it here. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/faWGiq2NpHqCz6M.html You will also see the videos on the Dempster and Dalton highways. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/g3JmrIxsZIycmJ8.html & ukposts.info/have/v-deo/iJ54fqJ4r32Qyok.html These took us all the way to the Arctic Ocean and the edge of North America. It was an awesome trip.

@VanDoghies 5 місяців тому

This content about the Ferry rides has been super helpful. When we did the BC Ferries last year we actually had to stay in the Van with our dogs. Do they give you the option to stay in the Van with dogs or do you have to leave?

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

I'm glad you're enjoying it! You aren't allowed to stay on the car deck or in your vehicle. But people with pets are allowed to go down for short stints to care for their pets. The Ferry provides a dog clean-up station for dogs to go potty on the car deck and owners to clean this up. You see a bit of this in the video. It depends on the sea conditions, but normally, about every 4 hours, there will be a car deck call. It's also a chance for anyone else to get/leave items in their vehicles. We did this in 2016 with our Lab, Tucker. It worked well, but he wasn't sure about relieving himself on the ferry deck. He was convinced he would get in trouble. But eventually, he got over that, and all was well.

@VanDoghies 5 місяців тому

That's great information thanks! We have an elderly pup that needs to be on meds that makes her go way more frequently than 4 hours so we will need to plan accordingly. Thanks again!@@Famagogo

@user-cp2yi2gt7t 3 місяці тому

what month did you travel?

@Famagogo 3 місяці тому

This was shot in September.

@JD-yd3sj 5 місяців тому

If you camp on the deck do you have access to a shower?

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

Yes, There are showers in the normal bathrooms and in the private rooms. So everyone can access showers. That was a great perk!

@WanderingBat 5 місяців тому

Man... i looked up the prices. $4k+ for one person + a van?? Why not just drive?

@Famagogo 5 місяців тому

Yeah, it's not a discounted way to get to Alaska. It's a way to see part of Alaska you can't reach any other way. You can make the big drive up to Haines or Skagway (still expensive with $6-$8 per gallon diesel). Then take smaller less expensive ferry jumps to Kodiak or wherever. But it is an amazing trip to see some very interesting and remote landscape and communities in SE Alaska. But no matter how you do it going that far comes at a cost.