Cross-Gulf Ferry Trip: Whittier, AK, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia
[Editor's note: This is a trip we made in June 2005. When planning your trip, be sure to check current summer ferry schedules for sailing dates and fares.]
It wasn't until the end of April that we decided to take the Cross-Gulf ferry sailing in early June, departing from Whittier, AK, and arriving at Prince Rupert, BC. We planned to drive to Seattle from Prince Rupert, and then return to Alaska a few weeks later via the Alaska Highway. We were fortunate to reserve passenger, vehicle and cabin space on the Cross-Gulf sailing only 5 weeks before sailing. While travelers should heed the warning to reserve space ahead of time for many Alaska state ferry sailings, particularly the infrequent Cross-Gulf trips and the popular Inside Passage service, it is equally important to remember that you don't have to rule out ferry travel when making last minute plans. First contact the Alaska Marine Highway (by phone, online or in person) and find out about availability. You may be pleasantly surprised.
When the Alaska Marine Highway's MV Kennicott began its Cross-Gulf service in summer 1998, it was the first time the state's 2 regional ferry systems--Inside Passage/Southeast and Southcentral/Southwest--connected. For motorists using the marine highway, the new ferry connection meant a savings of about 2,000 miles of driving. Today, the Cross-Gulf ferry trips connect Whittier and Juneau, with through service aboard the MV Kennicott to Ketchikan and Prince Rupert. (Travelers may extend their ferry trip to Bellingham, WA, from either Juneau or Ketchikan, for an additional cost by reserving space aboard another vessel, although keep in mind this may require a longer stopover in either port.)
While ferry travel offers motorists a savings in driving miles--and a memorable view of Alaska's coastline--it also requires some careful travel planning to ensure that travelers arrive in time to make their ferry connection. Although we live in Anchorage, only 60 miles from Whittier, we had to leave early enough to allow for driving time and "tunnel time" in order to arrive at least 1 hour prior to sailing (some ports require you check-in 2 or 3 hours prior to sailing).
"Tunnel time" refers to how long you'll have to wait to use the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to reach Whittier. Vehicles and trains take turns traveling through the 2.5-mile-long tunnel. In summer, the tunnel is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., allowing 15-minute alternating directional use for vehicle traffic every half-hour except during scheduled passenger trains and daily maintenance. Printed schedules of the tunnel times are available at the tollbooth located at the entrance to the Bear Valley staging area, where eastbound motorists pay tolls. (Tolls are not charged for vehicles traveling westbound from Whittier to Portage.) The tunnel schedule is also available online. If you call the recorded phone number, you'll get a recording giving the general times, e.g. eastbound traffic at the bottom of the hour, westbound traffic at the top of the hour, but you won't get specific hours for closures for train traffic and maintenance.
Our experience has convinced us that it's best to aim for a tunnel opening that allows some margin for error. If you are supposed to check-in for the ferry in Whittier by 9:30 p.m., for example, and the tunnel times are at the bottom of the hour for eastbound traffic, then shoot for the 7:30 p.m. tunnel opening. Don't wait for the 8:30 p.m. opening. Getting to Whittier early will give you time to check-in at the ferry terminal, park your vehicle in one of the boarding lanes, and then explore this small town. There are several restaurants and shops in the harbor area. Just make sure you are back at your vehicle when ferry personnel start loading the car deck.
Once loaded, check in with the purser if you have reserved a cabin or are wait-listed for one. Like other ferries in the fleet, the Kennicott can carry more passengers than it has cabins for, which is what makes early reservations such a must on the longer routes if you want a bed. (Without a cabin you'll overnight either outside under cover on the solarium deck, or inside in one of the reclining chairs in the lounge.)
The cabins are efficient but not roomy. Fortunately, there are enough public areas on the ferry to more than make up for the cabin size. Do keep in mind that the 2-berth cabin means one of you has to climb up to the top bunk, a not unimportant consideration if you've ever tried climbing a narrow metal ladder in rolling seas. If you are not very agile, consider reserving a 4-berth cabin. The larger cabin we investigated had a bunk bed and a sort of foldout sofa sleeper, thus providing 2 "ground-floor" beds.
Onboard any Alaska Marine Highway vessel, the amenities and procedures are similar. There are scheduled breakfast, lunch and dinner hours in the cafeteria. The Kennicott's food court served breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m., lunch from noon to 4:30 p.m. and dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. There are also daily natural history programs presented by the U.S. Forest Service and movies for entertainment. The MV Kennicott is one of the newer vessels in the Alaska Marine Highway fleet, and it shows. Instead of watching movies on a wall-mounted TV screen in the lounge, we watched the nightly movie in a small "theatre" with a wall-size screen.
The real distinction of the Cross-Gulf trips is the fact that you are sailing across the Gulf of Alaska for a significant part of the trip, rather than within the protected Inside Passage waters of Southeast Alaska. Despite white caps and some significant rolling motion, our Gulf crossing was deemed "good" by crew members.
Conditions in the Gulf may prohibit regular car deck calls, a possible hardship on pets, who must travel inside your vehicle and wait for the 15-minute car deck calls to be walked, watered and fed. Listen for the car deck calls, which are announced about 3 times a day, and be ready to sprint down to the car deck to take care of your animals.
There are opportunities to spend more time with your pets when the ferry is in port. You can even walk your dog off the ferry, as long as you make sure to take your boarding pass and I.D. with you and return before departure time. On our Cross-Gulf trip, we had plenty of time to spend with the dogs at Tatitlek and Yakutat, when minor technical difficulties delayed our departure by several hours in each port.
Possible delays like those we experienced remain a critical component in planning any ferry trip where you have to make connections to another ferry or a plane. Although ferries are often able to "make up" for lost time and get back on schedule, always factor in enough time when making connecting reservations to allow for unexpected delays.
We arrived in Prince Rupert on time at 8 a.m. (Pacific time) Monday morning. After clearing Customs, we headed east on Yellowhead Highway 16, reaching Prince George--448 miles away--in the late afternoon. We then turned south on Highway 97 and drove to Quesnel, where we spent the night before continuing on to Seattle, WA, the next day.
The Cross-Gulf trip from Whittier, AK, to Prince Rupert, BC, took 82-1/2 hours or about 3-1/2 days. The total cost (in 2005) was $1,506. That fare broke down as follows: 2 passengers (adult 12 years or older), $284 each; 1 vehicle (up to 15 feet), $657; 3 pets, $11 each; and one 2-berth cabin (no facilities), $248. Note that these rates included the published fare and a 10 percent fuel surcharge on each item. Also, our cafeteria meals are not included in the total cost.
