Russia to Alaska

[honkanen]

Hey Guys & Gals,

 

We're just starting to think about taking the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow to Vladivostok and we'd love to take a ferry/cruise from there to Alaska, then make our way back home to Victoria, BC Canada from there.

 

Which ferry/cruise line would you suggest for the Russia to Alaska leg?

 

Thanks!

[Yukon]

Which ferry/cruise line would you suggest for the Russia to Alaska leg?

 

There isn't one. While there are a few ships that cruise that route, there's no embarkation in Kamchatka.

[pspercy]

Actually Vladivostok isn't in Kamchatka, not even close.

 

Maybe some Russian entrepreneur has started a "Relive the Gulag" tour so you can ride in the freezing hold of a ship from Vladivostok to Magadan ?

 

I have seen itineraries that stop in Providenya but don't remember whose they were.

[Rickey 88]

Hey Guys & Gals,

 

We're just starting to think about taking the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow to Vladivostok and we'd love to take a ferry/cruise from there to Alaska, then make our way back home to Victoria, BC Canada from there.

 

Which ferry/cruise line would you suggest for the Russia to Alaska leg?

 

Thanks!

 

We rode the Trans-Siberian from Khabarovsk to Irkutsk about 20 years ago when Alaska Airlines serviced that area from Anchorage. They have since discontinued the connection.

 

There is no "ferry" connection from Vladivostok to Alaska.

 

About the only way you might get to the U. S. from Vladivostok is by way of Korean Air, to Seoul, then on to Hawaii and then on. A very long flight.

 

And you may want to rethink the train starting in Moscow - this is NOT a luxury train, it is quite basic and primitive and without much in the way of personal comfort. Cars back then were very old and dirty - food service, if any, was basic - and airconditioning was unheard of!

 

There may still be some tour companies who might put together a package such as what you're looking for - please don't attempt to do it on your own....

[Chenega]

Alaska Airlines and a Russian carrier used to fly from Anchorage to the Russian Far East but the route was dropped many years ago.

 

Had a friend who had to fly from Anchorage to Irkutsk and her routing took her from Anchorage to Atlanta to Moscow to Irkutsk. Talk about getting frequent flyer miles!

[frugaltravel]

Actually Vladivostok isn't in Kamchatka, not even close.

 

What's 1,400 miles and two bodies of water anyway? :D

[alexandria]

This one from Regent Seven Seas starts in Vancouver and ends in Bejing with a stop in Petropavlovsk, Russia.

 

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV100908A/Itinerary.aspx

[greatam]

Hey Guys & Gals,

 

We're just starting to think about taking the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow to Vladivostok and we'd love to take a ferry/cruise from there to Alaska, then make our way back home to Victoria, BC Canada from there.

 

Which ferry/cruise line would you suggest for the Russia to Alaska leg?

 

Thanks!

 

I have been seriously thinking about the same trip. I have looked at this website repeatedly. VERY good train info. http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm

 

There are also a couple of luxury trains making the Trans Siberian trip, if you don't want to take the regular Russian train. Much more expensive. First class on the Russian trains looks OK to me. http://www.sokoltours.com/tours2.phtml?m=148 I know nothing about this company, but the pictures of the different class of cabins is good info.

 

You will have to make your way to Beijing by train/bus/car/plane. Then you can board the Princess ship which repos from Asia to Alaska in the spring and the reverse in the fall. Those Princess trips are often a super bargain. Three years ago, inside cabins were less than $700pp for 16 days. The Diamond Princess left China today, bound for Alaska. Price for an inside cabin was less than $1100 (of course, fees/taxes, etc. extra).

[Coral]

 

You will have to make your way to Beijing by train/bus/car/plane. Then you can board the Princess ship which repos from Asia to Alaska in the spring and the reverse in the fall. Those Princess trips are often a super bargain. Three years ago, inside cabins were less than $700pp for 16 days. The Diamond Princess left China today, bound for Alaska. Price for an inside cabin was less than $1100 (of course, fees/taxes, etc. extra).

 

I actually got a last minute email on this one on March 29th of this year. Insides were $699 and balconies were $1299 pp. It also promised low air.

[Angsa]

I have been seriously thinking about the same trip. I have looked at this website repeatedly. VERY good train info. http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm

 

There are also a couple of luxury trains making the Trans Siberian trip, if you don't want to take the regular Russian train. Much more expensive. First class on the Russian trains looks OK to me. http://www.sokoltours.com/tours2.phtml?m=148 I know nothing about this company, but the pictures of the different class of cabins is good info.

 

You will have to make your way to Beijing by train/bus/car/plane. Then you can board the Princess ship which repos from Asia to Alaska in the spring and the reverse in the fall. Those Princess trips are often a super bargain. Three years ago, inside cabins were less than $700pp for 16 days. The Diamond Princess left China today, bound for Alaska. Price for an inside cabin was less than $1100 (of course, fees/taxes, etc. extra).

 

This was what I was going to write. From Vladivostok there is no cruise ships available but you can sail between Beijing (Tianjin) and Alaska. The Trans-Siberian goes to Beijing as well. The Princess cruise has a call at Vladivostok so it kinds of compensate for it. I am not sure but I think HAL might sail this route also.

 

Nowadays there are luxury trains on the Trans-Siberian route for the rich. If I ever became loaded then I'd ride that.

[pspercy]

Russian carrier used to fly from Anchorage to the Russian Far East but the route was dropped many years ago.

 

Oh the memory !

 

Flew Aeroflot Anchorage to Russian Far East in 1990s. So many stories .. checked baggage thrown into rear passenger compartment etc... anyway weather bad so landed in Vladivostok. Twelve hours parked on runway (temps outside below zero F), then took off for Khabarovsk, original destination. Scruffy, dirty plane, hostile staff, lousy/little food and so on - just like all the other stories of white knuckle flying with Aeroflot.

 

Always had a fascination with the train ride tho', could be fun if you're prepared to rough it a bit tho' crime was an issue at one time in the post-Soviet world.

 

A bit off topic but couldn't resist it:)

[NorbertsNiece]

What a fabulous thread. Puts the term 'adventure' into a whole different category.

[greatam]

What a fabulous thread. Puts the term 'adventure' into a whole different category.

 

While the train would be an adventure, THIS is a REAL adventure over Siberia:

 

http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/index.php?page=overview

 

I so want to do this for the adrenaline rush if nothing else. DH says no way-even though we are both super mechanical (I own a trucking company-he is an engineer). Ulaan Baatar is supposed to be the most technologically sophisticated city/town in the world. They had NOTHING, so everything is top of the line, newest technology, system admins to keep it top of the line. This trip is right up there at the top of the bucket list-Mongol Rally- #3.

[Chenega]

Russian carrier used to fly from Anchorage to the Russian Far East but the route was dropped many years ago.

 

Oh the memory !

 

Flew Aeroflot Anchorage to Russian Far East in 1990s. So many stories .. checked baggage thrown into rear passenger compartment etc... anyway weather bad so landed in Vladivostok. Twelve hours parked on runway (temps outside below zero F), then took off for Khabarovsk, original destination. Scruffy, dirty plane, hostile staff, lousy/little food and so on - just like all the other stories of white knuckle flying with Aeroflot.

 

Always had a fascination with the train ride tho', could be fun if you're prepared to rough it a bit tho' crime was an issue at one time in the post-Soviet world.

 

A bit off topic but couldn't resist it:)

 

A friend of mine who is a retired pilot with Alaska loves to tell the story of the time they had to use cases of vodka on the wings for deicing at one of the Russian airports. Don't know if it is true or not but it makes a great story. ;)

[frugaltravel]

Scruffy, dirty plane, hostile staff, lousy/little food and so on

 

Sounds like the US airlines of today :D:D

[pspercy]

cases of vodka on the wings for deicing at one of the Russian airports.

 

I was on a Lufthansa flight one January, the groundstaff at Tashkent tried deicing us with warm water, presumably to save money:)

 

We were there a few hours longer than scheduled . . . and I learned some German cuss words from the cockpit crew.

[cantw8togo]

You may want to post your question on the Freighter and Non traditional Cruise Line Forum. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=485 They seem to be of an adventurous spirit on that board. :)