03-31-2012, 12:46 AM
One thing about the ferry vs cruise ship thing I feel the need to mention- the ferry is not as cheap as it used to be. If you're going to camp on deck, bring your own food, etc- yeah its the cheaper way to go. If you're going to get a stateroom, eat in their cafeteria, etc it may cost more than a cruise ship "deal" you can get online. The other thing to consider is that in many places (Petersburg, for example) the ferry terminal docks are over 1/2 hour drive from town. Juneau has a $10 shuttle, but most places you're stuck with an expensive cab ride both ways(some people try to hitchhike). Don't forget all the nickel and dime aspects of "doing it yourself". Obviously the ferry option is better for the independent traveler because you get to make your own schedule (sort of, subject to their schedules of course, with many middle of the night departures or arrivals). The few times I've slept on the ferry (I've never had a stateroom) it was one of the worst nights of sleep I've ever had. People generally aren't concerned about the volume of the their voices, the antics of their children, etc. I've never been on cruise ship, but I don't know if they suffer the diesel smell that the ferries do. If you do bring a car, you're not allowed on the car deck while the ferry is at sea, so you won't be able to get to your stuff.