The Alaska Marine Highway, founded in 1963, provides a complex network of essential state-operated passenger, vehicle and freight services between the Lower 48 States, British Columbia and Inside Passage ports, many of which do not have road access to the outside world. Other routes operate in South Central Alaska and out to the Aleutian Islands.
Fleet
Six ferries have overnight passenger accommodations withprovisions for carrying deck passengers and vehicles. The rest of the fleet,mainly servicing shorter runs, does not have cabins. Most of the long-distancefeet dates from the 1960s and 1970s but they have been refitted numerous timesand are well maintained.
Itineraries
Trips aboard the ships generally begin outside the state at Bellingham, Washington north of Seattle and at Prince Rupert on British Columbia’s InsidePassage coast just south of the Alaska border. Other services operate between theGulf of Alaska and the Inside Passage, South Central, and Aleutian Island ports.
Dining and Decor
Most ships have cafeteria style services, and only two havewait-served restaurants. The food is good, moderately-priced and paid for atthe time of purchase. Round trip passengers can run a tab. The décor runs fromattractive with Alaskan motifs to Spartan.
Programs
National Park Service guides join the long-distance Inside Passage fleet in summer for informal talks and narrations on deck, and documentariesare shown.
Onboard Experience
Clients will find a thoroughly American cruise travelexperience that combines the reasonable on-board comforts of a hard-workingferry liner, Alaska’s fabulous scenery, a wide variety of relatively smallports and contact with Alaskans. The Marine Highway operates year-round, andthe months of June to August see a huge surge of tourist travel, frompassengers traveling with their cars and backpackers to those making around-trip cruise. The public rooms and decks can be crowded, and the portcalls are short and rarely permit much touring, so with frequent schedules stopoversare advised. The Marine Highway is recommended for those with a sense ofadventure.
Competitors
While the Marine Highway is unique to North America, itshares some characteristics with the Norwegian Coastal Voyage, the dailydomestic service between Bergen and the North of Norway known also as theHurtigruten, such as multiple ports of call, the choice of one-way travel withstopovers or a round-trip cruise, wonderful scenery and the chance to meet thelocals. However, the Alaska ferries offer plainer cabin accommodations, mostlycafeteria-style meals, less sophistication and fewer on-board amenities thanthe Norwegian counterparts.
