The Inside Passage, Taking the Ferry to Alaska

[@deplorablepatriot9628]

Amazing seeing others living simple as Ronnie Van Zandt moms told him and then us. Enjoy!

[@denniskirschbaum9109]

Thank you for posting this. My wife and I are planning to do a trip like this this summer. This gave us a great idea of what to expect.

[@user-xp5qx8wg9x]

Good jobs. Thanks for taking the time to record and edit your experience so the rest of us can get an idea of what's involved. Hope you had a great trip!

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank You, Thanks for watching! We did a have a great trip, and a great experience. ✅ off the bucket list!

[@chronicawareness9986]

dang 3200$ wow i thought maybe 800$... i like watching ferry videos from japan (one channel called kugas travels) anyways theres a huge difference.. for one no one can use a tent on the front deck lol... interesting to see how our ferrys are.. i cant get over the 3200$ though holly crap

[@vtrack1963]

Thank you for including the cost ($3200) of your trip. It has been very difficult to get what I had thought was an accurate cost for this trip. I’d like to visit Alaska and travel on a motorcycle and have been researching options.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jameteong2299]

Did you find any gold there

[@JJs-ClassC-Adventures]

Wow! That was an awesome ferry ride. We live in Texas, and we started making plans to ride the ferry from Bellingham to Whittier before Covid hit. We are thinking that 2023 or 2024 may be our next good opportunity to go to Alaska. Thanks so much for showing what the journey was really like.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you for watching. We did our ferry trip because of Covid, the Canadian border was difficult and we needed assurance we could get home, so the ferry became our only option to get the bike home. I am glad we did it. It was a great experience. Except for wearing a mask nothing else was required, at the time. I hope that you are able to make the trip. Blessings

[@kimberlybrown6875]

Thank you for the journey and taking us along and sharing the BEAUTIFUL scenery‼️ Glad you made it home safe💖

[@ilblues]

I sailed on the Matanuska the summer of 1972. At that time, the Alaska Marine Highway System sailed out of Seattle, not Bellingham. The 4 ships we took on our tour of the SE panhandle, was the Malaspina, Taku, Matanuska, and MV Wickersham. We spent 2 weeks living in and working around Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, formerly owned by the Presbyterian church of Seattle synod. Since then, SJC entered receivership and was sold, the MV Wickersham was sold several times and ultimately scrapped. The Taku was sold and per Wiki is beached and awaiting scrap at Alang, India. I remember one of my activist high school friends floating a petition on either the Taku or Matanuska for adding public showers for those of us who paid only for deck passage. Wonderful memories of that trip. Glad to see the old girl still making the trip.

[@Oursimplelife907]

That is so interesting, thank you for sharing. I came to Alaska in 1971, and this was my first time on the ferry, but hopefully not last, I enjoyed the trip and all the places we stopped.

[@ilblues]

@@Oursimplelife907 My wife and I intended to take the ferry system up to Skagway (where my grandmother was born) but the pandemic trashed that plan. She wanted to take a cruise ship out of Seattle but I convinced her the ferry system had better flexibility. We're getting to the age where I think it would be better to fly into Juneau and take the boats to visit the SE and fly back to Seattle. That shot you have from the stern of the boat is beautiful. I have a similar still photo with one difference - a strip of thick fog between the islands that we'd just emerged from. It just lay there like a thick gray blanket - scarecly taller than the boat. I don't know the state of radar tech then, the boat was sounding the fog horn every few seconds. ;^) Hope to see the SE passage one more time. Thanks for the lovely shot!

[@carolynbotting8658]

So glad you got to see your homeland from the water, beautiful journey and memories for you, thanks for sharing! Glad your home safe and sound

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you so much. Thank you for watching. see you next week. 😃

[@dianeb7420]

Such beauty! What a adventure!💕

[@Oursimplelife907]

It was a great adventure, I would definitely recommend it. Thank you for watching. See you again soon, stay safe and God Bless.

[@antoniounson8644]

Beautiful!!!! I'm thinking of doing the same adventure but on foot. Take the famous Denali Star to see the inland to Fairbanks to see hopefully the Auroras! Thanks for taking me for a ride with you.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Wow that sounds amazing. I just looked into that, might be a future adventure, thank you for the inspiration. See you again soon.

[@evabalga6133]

Beautifully done video, without usual cruisers tourist traps. Thanks for refreshing my memories! I was on Matanuska in 2012 when it hit Ocean Queen processing plant in Petersburg. I loved sailing SE islands on AMHS.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you, and you are welcome. We enjoyed the trip very much and plan on doing it again someday, maybe spending more time in some of the places we stop.

[@evabalga6133]

@@Oursimplelife907 Don’t miss Icy Straits next time.

[@theglobalvagabond3074]

Thank you for the wonderful video. Makes me homesick. Went to college in Bellingham.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Your welcome, thank you for watching

[@rudbeckia885]

Well done !

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you 😊

[@robertdoyle8972]

Love the bike ! And the patch on his vest 100% for Jesus ! Ive been blessed and been able to see all the villages above the Arctic circle but would love to take this cruise up through the past to see the coast line

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you so much. Oh yes, it is a great cruise, highly recommend it. We have not been able to see any villages, what a blessing that you have. Thank you for watching.

[@tonyaevans8381]

We are scheduled for the Kennecott in March! So excited! Thank you for making this video. Very informative and beautiful! Praise Jesus!!🙌

[@Oursimplelife907]

Glad it was helpful! Oh goodness, exciting! I hope it is amazing for you. Thank you for watching. ❤️

[@SamSitar]

i am watching this for my planned trip to the Juneau Alaska.

[@Oursimplelife907]

How exciting, I hope the video help some. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Thank you for watching, Blessings to you

[@debbiemiller7342]

That looked like a fun but exhausting trip. Bet you were glad to get home. Thanks

[@Oursimplelife907]

It truly was fun. I enjoy traveling and being away from home. It was nice to get back to the dog and family. Thank you for watching 💕

[@workingguy6666]

Great video

[@Oursimplelife907]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching 😊

[@terrybryant]

What an excellent video by an incredible couple. Thanks so very much for your time in producing this masterpiece for all to see. I am looking so forward to traveling to Alaska with my 5th wheel and for the entire summer. Have a lot of decisions to make wether to drive through BC or via ferry. Thanks again and God bless both of you.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy your travels. Both ways are beautiful and an adventure. Drive up, ride the ferry back or opposite, experience both. God bless you, safe travels.

[@timeisnow777]

Beautiful scenery! We do inside passage and 4 stops, (Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay and Victoria B.C. with Princess Cruises in May. 11 day cruise total, food, entertainment etc., sails out of San Francisco $2848.00 for two. We are a senior couple and Princess cruise ships are pretty calm and a nice environment. Enjoyed your video, ty!

[@Oursimplelife907]

Wow 😮 that’s is going to be an amazing trip. I hope you enjoy it immensely and have stories to tell for years.

[@sammencia7945]

Flight to Seatac and back $600 Get to Bellingham $100 x 2 Passage AMHS to Juneau $475 x 2 Cabin to Juneau $475 x 2 Hotel Juneau 6 days $950 Food 7 days $150 $3800 total one week.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Wow, nicely done!

[@Dalevd]

I love your comforting voice. You should have a career in voice overs. Enjoyed .

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank You so much. Im still not very comfortable hearing my own voice played back 😆 The encouragement is appreciated.

[@ajit52]

Beautiful vlog

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you 😊

[@bypinkerton892]

Thanks..... That was a Wonderful Ride.....

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank You, We enjoyed it very much. Thank You for watching.

[@stumphead4885]

Cool video. That boat ride to me was expensive at $3,200 but I don't get out much.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you. Yes it is quite expensive, but it was a great experience (probably a once in a lifetime kinda thing). Thanks for watching.

[@nanaandpapashousethefrankl4900]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

[@Oursimplelife907]

You are so welcome! Thank you for watching, see you next week. 😃

[@tjadventures9163]

Applied for a social worker job in Juneau. They mentioned the ferry option so Im glad I saw your video. I would be heading up in winter though so cant imagine that would be very warm😊. Loved your video because it gave me an idea of how things would really be rather than most Alaska videos. Beautiful area!

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank You so much. Honestly I have lived here most of my life, I don't know much about other places. When I leave Alaska, things seem foreign to me....its nice, not knowing all that's out there. 😆

[@MountainManFred]

Very nice and informative! thx for the info, and thx for sharing your faith...

[@Oursimplelife907]

Glad you enjoyed it! Join us anytime for more adventures 😊

[@sjordan7085]

Thanks for the wonderful video of your journey. I live in Bellingham, and had fish'n'chips at the Ferry Terminal today. Wanted to join the passengers getting on the ferry. Can't wait to do it!

[@Oursimplelife907]

Oh goodness, it was an awesome trip, I would do it again, if even as a round trip, just to see it all again. Thanks for watching, have a very blessed day.

[@deenaburch5600]

Looked like a very long trip, but a good adventure, love and miss you guys!

[@Oursimplelife907]

It was a great adventure, I recommend it highly. Love and miss you too.

[@laisprague3436]

very good job

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you so much 😀, Thank you for watching.

[@thegoblin2684]

I missed the opportunity to take a trip to Alaska , I hope I get another opportunity .

[@Oursimplelife907]

I hope that you will someday get that opportunity again, it is an amazing place, although I am a bit biased 😆. Thank you for watching, stay safe and dream big.

[@mskrislewis]

What time of the year did you travel? How long were your "city" stop overs?

[@Oursimplelife907]

We traveled in June…it was an awkward year because of covid….so the vessel was not full. The city stops were anywhere from 30 minutes to an overnight, each one different. We were not allowed to stop in Canada, I’m not sure if that is still the case or not.

[@margaretfoster492]

Awesome. I want to live in Alaska. Hubby doesn't. We had to sell our motorcycles. To old. 70 and 67.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Im sure you have had a lifetime of adventures and good memories. Thank you for watching. see you next week. 😃

[@kevinschmidt2813]

Thanks for the informative video!! Really enjoyed it. So you’re able to get off the boat when it’s docked at the ports?

[@Oursimplelife907]

Thank you. Yes, we were able to get off at every port the vessel stopped at. See you again soon.

[@bradleyeis7319]

@@Oursimplelife907 How long did you have to sightsee before leaving again.

[@Oursimplelife907]

@@bradleyeis7319 Every stop is different. From 1hr to a 12hr overnight. I hear that sometimes when you switch vessels, it can be a few days stop.

[@robertlaird6746]

Wow, $3,200 is way more than a cruise ship charges and it's only for three days. I want to take it anyways. I'll probably do it with a full size diesel truck that has a camper shell to sleep in on my way back via the Alaskan Hwy. I'm going to get a room and bring my own food. I'm not sure what that will cost me but the adventure calls me.

[@Oursimplelife907]

Sounds like a great adventure. I’ve never been on a cruise ship, maybe 🤔 I should put it on the the list of adventure to do. 💕

[@robertlaird6746]

@@Oursimplelife907 This is a ferry, not a cruise ship. I want to experience more the inside passage than what you can see on an Alaskan cruise ship. I've been on an Alaskan cruise ship and didn't get to see all that much because the cruise ship was traveling at night and you would wake up in a different port every day. Actually, I'm thinking of getting a nice power boat and making the trip. When I get to Homer, I'll purchase a full size diesel truck drove it home and then sell it. Then fly back to Homer and bring my boat back. I want a boat and might as well take a nice trip with it. The truck cost about $3,500 plus another $1,800 for you and one passenger with an inside cabin and the food cost extra. The total cost for two is going to be about $5,000 which is very expensive and way more than a cruise.

[@Oursimplelife907]

That sounds like a great plan, might be expensive, but the experience will last a lifetime. Homer is a really nice 👍, I love to go there in the summer.

[@MyJourneySolo]

How long did you get to stay in each location?

[@Oursimplelife907]

Every stop was different, from an hour to overnight.

[@travelsfromdoodah949]

Thanks for the information, now I'm going to look up how much it would cost for a campervan with two people and a dog.

[@Oursimplelife907]

You are welcome. I think prices may have been different then 1) because Canada was shut down, we could not do a usual route stop in Canada. 2) it was mid covid, so I think passengers were limited, and because Canada was shut down it was the only way to get a vehicle up to Alaska. I don't think there is a charge for an animal, but they will be on the cargo deck the entire trip, in the vehicle, with 30 min. potty breaks every 8 hours Thank you for Watching

[@4133EWvianen]

Looks pretty much like a ferry for the homeless......................

[@Oursimplelife907]

There’s quite a price for the ride, and if you don’t mind camping, it’s a lot cheaper. I enjoyed it tremendously. When you don’t have a room, you meet so many more people and get to know them and their story.

[@jimbasu67]

Awesome trip...also loved the background music...can you please share artist for this music?

[@Oursimplelife907]

There are are few different songs throughout the video, most I can't see the artist now, its from my epidemic sound (website for non-copywrited music)Subscription. The song that was playing when we first boarded the ferry was "Johnny Hortons song - North to Alaska." He has some great, songs. Also a local musician here (recently passed away from cancer) that has a ton of amazing songs about Alaska is "Hobo Jim"

[@jimbasu67]

@@Oursimplelife907 Thanks, i was curious on the epidemic sound ones....guitar...starts at 5.56 on video

[@sincereuni4m452]

Where do you go to get a ferry ticket from seattle to Alaska? I am planning on going to Alaska next summer and do not want to fly, I can not find any information online. Thanks in advance

[@Oursimplelife907]

You get the ferry in Bellingham Washington

[@ironhorsegladiator5034]

A very expensive ferry for motorcycles that take 1/4 space of a car, but pay for 3/4 of the price of a car space, crazy and greedy on part of the Inside Passage.

[@Oursimplelife907]

It might have been a bit pricey, but it was an awesome experience. Prices may have gone down now. We went during the middle of the pandemic and the ship was under half full of people. Blessings to you and Thanks for watching.

[@victoriathompson4024]

Are people allowed to Ferry if not immunized?

[@Oursimplelife907]

Yes 👍

[@deeperroot]

It is so expensive. 😂

[@mattg8787]

i got a question i was told one time that a lot of the cabins in AK are not finished like siding is because it cost more in taxes is that true offglide cabins that is

[@Oursimplelife907]

That is true, if you don’t care what it looks like, not putting siding on, keeps it in an unfinished home category,, which is a cheaper tax rate. It’s not just off grid, anywhere there aren’t rules that require a finished home, you will see houses without siding.

[@jofher007]

Do you need a passport to take the ferry from Washington to Alaska?

[@Oursimplelife907]

We did not need a passport, but because of Covid we did not stop in Canada, which is a usual stop, not sure if a passport would have been needed there. We carried our passports with us, as we had flew from Ak to bring the bike back.

[@jamesmathers9294]

Still a Christian Crusader? 👍 I’m currently in Hoonah Alaska

[@Oursimplelife907]

We are members of the Christain Motorcyclists Assoc. We have not ever been to Hoonah....have wanted to go for the zipline. Thank You for watching. Many blessings

[@jamesmathers9294]

I’ve ridden with many of your brothers in Washington and even at sturgis

[@Oursimplelife907]

@@jamesmathers9294 That is awesome. David has been to Sturgis with his Dad. We have many adventures to come on the bike.

[@anderander5662]

Why wouldn't you just take a cruise ship for $700-1000 if you didnt have a vehicle?

[@Oursimplelife907]

We did have a vehicle. We brought a motorcycle home to Alaska from California. Thanks for watching and blessing to you.

[@dethclik2002]

How long were the trips on the boat between stops?

[@Oursimplelife907]

Each one was different, it’s been a bit, but I feel like we stopped once a day at a different place. It’s an entirely different life on the boat, time almost doesn’t matter, because you have so much time with so little to do. It is literally a vacation from life, no cell phones or internet, unable to go anywhere except when you stop, it’s rather a nice break.

[@dethclik2002]

@@Oursimplelife907 I never thought about that, there’s no cell service along the way?

[@mikedean8061]

@@dethclik2002 I just watched another video from Bound For Nowhere. They have 2 vids out for the AK series. They showed the ferry from WA to AK from last summer as well. Slept on the deck in a tent. Drove their pickup camper on. Broke down cost, etc. Very informative. Was first time I knew about this way to reach AK. She did mention cell phone use, or lack there of. Only time she could get a signal was when they would arrive into a town or pass one. While out a ways, no connection provided.

[@dethclik2002]

@@mikedean8061 I’ll check that out thank you, I’m trying to travel to Washington from here. Only curious about the cell service since I get it almost everywhere I’ve traveled around in my years up here

[@Oursimplelife907]

There was service near town stops or when we were passing by towns, depending on your phone service carrier. Once we hit the open ocean on the second ship, no service for those 2 days.