Difference between Alaska cruise routes?

[SA71]

If you had a week and really wanted to see BC then of course it can be done. I have no knowledge of the alaska or yukon part but the BC part is pretty remote up north with small towns and not much to see except scenery. Something like 80% off the population of BC lives within a days drive of the USA border. With the price of gas here (1.20-1.40 a liter) and the fact you would need a few nights motel it would be cheaper to fly. If you want to see just a part of bc then you could fly to Prince George and then drive to Vancouver in two days easy with stops at Barkerville and Wells gray park overnight. Take highway 1 home and stop at Hells Gate.

[Kamloops50]

If you had a week and really wanted to see BC then of course it can be done. I have no knowledge of the alaska or yukon part but the BC part is pretty remote up north with small towns and not much to see except scenery. Something like 80% off the population of BC lives within a days drive of the USA border. With the price of gas here (1.20-1.40 a liter) and the fact you would need a few nights motel it would be cheaper to fly. If you want to see just a part of bc then you could fly to Prince George and then drive to Vancouver in two days easy with stops at Barkerville and Wells gray park overnight. Take highway 1 home and stop at Hells Gate.

 

Towns and gas stations are about 4 to 5 hrs apart. You have to count that you will have to pay about $200 per day for food and gas . Lodging will cost approx $200 per night. I lived in northern BC for 20 years and have travelled all over the region. You would have take 3 to 4 to travel from Prince George to Vancouver. There is a lot to see in BC.

Rental cars from Alaska can't be dropped off in BC. They also charge you a fee to return the car to Alaska. This is usually equivalent to a one way economy airfare.

 

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Edited April 9, 2014 by Kamloops50

[SA71]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help us. We've decided to fly into Vancouver and hire a car and travel 'The Rockies' then take a northbound cruise to Alaska (I can't stop singing that song 'North to Alaska' lol).

 

That gives me 2 more decisions to make though ... which cruise ship is best and is possible to drive back from anchorage to Vancouver?

 

 

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Achorage AK to Vancouver BC is approx 3400 km...basically the same as driving from Melbourne to Perth! Would you drive that??

[cruisingmum]

Achorage AK to Vancouver BC is approx 3400 km...basically the same as driving from Melbourne to Perth! Would you drive that??

 

 

My brother and his family live in Perth so yes, believe it or not we've done the drive ... both ways!! Never again though lol.

 

 

 

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[cruisingmum]

Which cruise ship is best is really decided best by you. What is best for me may not be best for you. Research the cruise lines, but decide what you want to see and which lines go to those places. Not everyone goes to Glacier Bay so that can narrow things down, if GB is where you want to go.

 

 

 

As for driving back from Anchorage to Vancouver, yes, it can be done. But I wouldn't do it. I did a google search on directions and it takes 46 hours of driving!:eek: Some (a couple of hours) of which will be a repeat of your drive through the Rockies. If you stop for the night and meals, it will take even longer. I don't know enough to comment about the overall cost differences between flying and driving. Something else to consider is the cost of doing a one way rental, and taking the rental car over the border.

 

 

 

The flight from Anchorage to Vancouver is around 4 hours. If you have the time and you want to see British Columbia from top to bottom, go ahead. I don't remember which month you're thinking of but I wouldn't do the drive too early or too late in the cruise season because of weather/road conditions.

 

 

Yes I take your point about the ship.

 

You'll all have to forgive me, I keep forgetting that we'll be visiting 2 separate countries ... Canada and USA ... and I didn't think about picking a car up in 1 country and dropping it off in another.

 

We'll fly from anchorage to Vancouver. Thanks for that.

 

 

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[cruisingmum]

Towns and gas stations are about 4 to 5 hrs apart. You have to count that you will have to pay about $200 per day for food and gas . Lodging will cost approx $200 per night. I lived in northern BC for 20 years and have travelled all over the region. You would have take 3 to 4 to travel from Prince George to Vancouver. There is a lot to see in BC.

Rental cars from Alaska can't be dropped off in BC. They also charge you a fee to return the car to Alaska. This is usually equivalent to a one way economy airfare.

 

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Thanks, flying seems the sensible thing to do.

 

 

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[cruisingmum]

Sorry, me again. What's the best way to get from Vancouver to Victoria? Getting from the city to ferry terminal then ferry across seems to take a long time. Is the ferry ride worth it? Or is there a better way?

 

 

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[Nodales]

Sorry, me again. What's the best way to get from Vancouver to Victoria? Getting from the city to ferry terminal then ferry across seems to take a long time. Is the ferry ride worth it? Or is there a better way?

 

You can fly via Harbour Air from Vancouver to Victoria but it is significantly more expensive. The ferry routes take you into the Canadian Gulf Islands and it's a really beautiful scenic trip with a good chance to see whales.

[Kamloops50]

Sorry, me again. What's the best way to get from Vancouver to Victoria? Getting from the city to ferry terminal then ferry across seems to take a long time. Is the ferry ride worth it? Or is there a better way?

 

 

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The easiest way is to take the bus from Vancouver(train station) to Victoria(downtown).If just for the day take an organized tour from Vancouver that includes the ferry to Vancouver Island (Victoria) and the plane back in the evening.

If the weather is sunny the ferry ride is beautiful and relaxing .

[Fog123]

Agree with Nodales, the ferry is a great way to go. Very pretty and very relaxing. If you're just doing a walk on-walk off without a car it's also pretty economical.

 

I was in Vancouver a few weeks ago and my cousins from Nanaimo came and met me for dinner via the ferry and went back the same evening, so pretty easy to do even just for an afternoon (though you would obviously stay longer to see the sights).

[Budget Queen]

Sorry, me again. What's the best way to get from Vancouver to Victoria? Getting from the city to ferry terminal then ferry across seems to take a long time. Is the ferry ride worth it? Or is there a better way?

 

 

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I always take a car over to Vancouver Island, and never go there for less than 3 days. This is my preference for the activities and places I want to go.

I would suggest you figure out what you want to see and do there, then decide the best transportation. The bus works good for those only interested in the Victoria area, taking cabs and buses. Flying works good for those who have a priority to see Victoria and short on time. A car rental gives the most options and most efficient use of time.

[SA71]

FYI the ferry crossing from the mainland to Vancouver island is 1 hour 40 min each way, plus loading and unloading of over 400 cars, so it's about 2 hours, not including wait times at the terminal and travel time from downtown vancouver to the terminal which is located in a suburb called Tsawwassen. The scenery on the crossing will be more of the same as your first day of travel northbound on the Alaska cruise.

 

If on an organized day tour from Vancouver then the buses get priority boarding and they can travel in the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes on the highway to avoid traffic, so it's a tad quicker.

 

Be advised that if you are travelling on your own in a car on a weekend it will be busier and you should plan to be at the terminal at least 45 min prior to sailing time. Boarding is either first come first serve, or for an additional fee you can reserve your spot on the ferry in advance - online booking is the norm.

 

For schedules and fares see www.bcferries.com. Ferries run to Victoria (actually to Swartz Bay, a 30 min drive from Victoria) on every hour in the summer. It's roughly $100 Cdn for two people and one car to cross, one way, and you pay both ways.

[martincath]

All sensible info above so far.

 

Suggestion - why not, assuming your budget allows it, fly one-way and take the ferry the other? One of the absolute highlights of our first trip to Victoria was the floatplane. There's also helicopter service with Helijet, $156 offpeak (weekends included) but they just aren't as much fun as taking off & landing on the water IMO.

 

K50 mentioned some daytours that use this method - mostly they add a 'rack rate' ~$200 per person for the airfare - e.g. Land Sea charge $349 per person with the flight, $195 with ferry both ways (remember that half the ferry fare is deducted from the latter before adding air...). Booking the same thing direct with Harbour Air is just $280. To be fair Landsea do give an 'orientation tour' of downtown Victoria which you don't get with Harbour Air.

 

You can also do the separate components yourself - go to or from Victoria on the very convenient Pacific Coach service downtown to downtown for under $115 a couple including the ferry fare (Transit on each end plus a walk-on fare would be about half this price); a tour to Butchart Gardens bought on the island from e.g. CVS is $113 or less per couple (seasonal pricing at Butchart). A next-day one-way fare on Harbour Air is usually available under $150 per person offpeak (otherwise everyone would use Helijet) and if you get lucky it can be as low as $99. All-in somewhere from $430-530; even less if you are willing to use transit.

 

Taking off from one downtown harbour and landing in another just can't be beat for convenience - but the ferry gives you some beautiful views from a very different perspective than the planes so doing both, if you have time, is the best way to see as much as possible.