Although we'd already made multiple trips northbound on the Alaska Ferry system, on each occasion taking an RV with us to launch a trip south on the Alaska Highway, this time we decided to take a trip without any vehicle whatever. Instead, we'd board at Bellingham, the southern terminus of the Alaska ferry; take the ferry as far north as Juneau; fly the short air miles across to Sitka; and then pick up the same boat on the return trip when it reached Sitka on its southbound voyage some 36 hours after departing the boat at Juneau. The whole trip would take one week, departing Bellingham on a Friday afternoon, and returning there again on the following Friday morning. The information we collected en route should be of interest to any RVer who plans to take this wonderful ferry trip to or from Alaska.
From our prior voyages, we knew that there were various cabin options aboard the Columbia, but we'd not recorded anything for our future use. These notes are intended to cure that omission -- as well as perhaps to provide guidance for others who may be contemplating a voyage north.
The Columbia has two passenger decks among the five working decks on the vessel. The Main Deck, or car deck, is where vehicles board and are stored while under way. Next is the "Upper Deck". On the outside of this deck are staterooms. On the inside is additional space for vehicle storage. Next comes the Cabin and Mezzanine Deck, which has staterooms on either side, and common areas forward. Next is the Boat Deck. It has a nicely appointed dining room aft (though the dress is completely casual); a cafeteria type snack bar amidships; and a lounge, with surrounding observation area forward. The top deck is the Sun Deck, which has the navigation bridge forward, and a partially enclosed solarium aft.
The solarium, though open aft, has a partial roof with several banks of overhead heaters. This is the spot of choice for summer travelers who avoid the extra cost of a stateroom, choosing instead to "camp out" in this protected outdoor environment. Indeed, in the summer months, a few square feet under the heated dome is a coveted piece of real estate aboard this vessel. Others will opt for the indoor environment of other lounge and observation areas.
When one makes a reservation with the Alaska ferry system (800/642-0066) typically a stateroom assignment is simply made by the reservation clerk. Since the rooms, decks, and areas are not all of equal choice, however, some notes here will summarize some of the considerations one might have in requesting the assignment of a stateroom.
The Columbia's brochure describes its facilities as accommodating up to 1,000 passengers and 180 cars, with some 324 berths. A careful look at the stateroom layout show 91 staterooms. Most are of the "4 berth" type. The "Cabin Deck" (the higher level of the two stateroom decks) is the "200 series" rooms. Approximately the forward third of this deck, on both sides, contain the only 3 berth staterooms (203-210). Rooms 200-202 the forward most cabins, are 2 berth rooms. The lower stateroom level, or "100 series", has (with the 3 exceptions noted above) the only 2 berth staterooms. They are located forward of amidships, on either side, but are unique in having an outside deck between the stateroom window and the ship's side. Thus both the views and the privacy of these 10 rooms (115-124) are limited.
The even numbered rooms are located on the port (left) side, while the odd numbered rooms are located to starboard (right). Thus, a preference for morning or evening sun (if there is any!) might be a consideration here. All staterooms have a separate shower/toilet. In the main room, in addition to the berths, is a small hanging closet plus a sink, mirror, and a 110 receptacle. Towels are furnished at the outset of the trip, and can be turned in to the Purser for "new issue" as needed. There is an ice machine on both stateroom decks.
Here are some random thoughts about requesting a stateroom:
In summary, the trip is greatly enhanced by purchase of a stateroom. The longer the journey, the more important this amenity will seem. Costs increase with the number of berths, but not proportionately. The best of the 2 berth rooms would be 115-124, as the three on the Cabin Deck are not desirably situated with respect to toddlers and other noise and activity. The best of the three berths would be 207-210. And, on the assumption that amidships is the favored location in turbulent seas, 125-140 on the Upper Deck, and 215-231 (odd numbers only) on the Cabin Deck would seem to be the best choices.
ABOUT SITKA: On this particular trip we opted to book our ferry trip from Bellingham to Juneau; and from Sitka back to Bellingham. The link from Juneau to Sitka was via Alaska Airlines -- a flight of only 26 minutes. We had to forego the final stops at Haines and Skagway, but the opportunity to see Sitka for some 30 hours was well worth missing two ports we'd already visited on overnight stopovers. Moreover there was an intentional "security factor" built into this scheme. Airline travel outside of the summer months incurs schedule risks. And since there's only one flight a day, should it have been canceled because of weather, we would not have been without option. The ferry makes its turn at Haines, and returns via Haines and Juneau before making the trip out to Skagway. Thus had we been prevented from flying to Sitka, we could have stayed the night in Juneau, and re-boarded the same ferry early the following morning when it passed through on its way to Sitka. While staterooms are often fully booked, it would have made little difference, as we could have simply boarded as foot passengers in the morning, and waited 'til midday to get the stateroom we'd reserved for the balance of the trip from Sitka.
Sitka proved to be enormously interesting. It is a town demonstrably rich in its own history. The original residents here, who have once again re-established a strong presence, were the Tlingkit people. They reluctantly permitted a Russian enclave to be established in the late 1790's. The Russian American Company, the rough equivalent to the Hudson's Bay Company, was primarily interested in furthering its quest of furs for trading. But the relationship between the "locals" and the "foreigners" grew tense. In 1802 the Tlingkits attacked the enclave, killing most of the Russians, and completely destroying the structures. Baranov, who had initially set up the Russian presence, returned with a warship in 1804, and after some days of bombardment stormed the Tlingit positions -- only to find they had retreated. And they Tlingkit were not to return thereafter for several decades.
Meantime the Russians established a more permanent colony here, and in due course sent a Russian Orthodox bishop to the community. (The original bishop's house, a multi-purpose building which has been splendidly restored, is one of the many historical sites in Sitka.) Sitka did not really thrive under the Russian claim. The many hardships occasioned by its great distance from, coupled with a declining population of the over-hunted fur bearing creatures, appears to have caused the Czar increasingly to assess the Alaskan holding as of questionable value. During the Civil War years in this country, the relationship between the U.S. and Russia was one of friendship. Indeed, for reasons which are not well documented, the Czar sent a fleet to key U.S. ports as a type of moral show of strength. It was thought the Russian ships would have intervened on behalf of the Union forces had the British or French taken action in support of the Confederacy.
These dealings, involving the Czar and his representatives on the one hand, and Lincoln and his Secretary of State (George Seward) on the other, resulted in a friendship which was the foundation leading to the negotiated sale of Alaska to the U.S. At a price of some 2 cents per acre, the deal in hindsight looks pretty good from the U.S. point of view. But at the time, Lincoln's administration was roundly criticized for paying over $7 million of the nations treasure for such a remote piece of real estate. A curious and theoretical notion of the history of that day hypothesizes that the price paid for Alaska was in fact inflated by an amount intended to reimburse the Czar for his support during the Civil war. There was, according to this theory, no legal basis at the time for the payment of monies to other nations. So the payment was concealed in the purchase price of the Alaskan territory.
The transaction which was culminated on October 18, 1867, when the U.S. flag replaced the Russian standard at the fortress on "the hill" in Sitka. This ceremony is reenacted yearly in celebration of of "Alaska Days", a holiday in which Sitka celebrates its change from Russian to U.S. "ownership". And some holiday it is. Practically the entire community shuts down in observation of this historical event. The school system trades off Columbus Day for Alaska Day, so the kids can participate in or watch the day's main event -- the parade. It was amazing to us that there could have been such a crowd to watch the parade, as it seemed virtually every one in town was, in some way or another, in the parade. Moreover, the notion of "raining on" a parade has no meaning here, as the rain is just a standard part of the environment -- particularly at this time of year.
But it's not crucial to visit Sitka during Alaska Day to get a strong sense of its history. It manifests itself both overtly and otherwise. All of the historical sites are easily reached by foot from the Westmark, which is at the approximate center of the main part of town (the town itself, like many SE Alaskan towns, stretches for some distance along the waterfront). The vistas along the shoreline are superb in almost any weather. Just offshore from town there are many, many small islands -- mostly steep heavily wooded pinnacles which dot and protect the shoreline area from the effects of severe storms. The town itself is one of the best examples of a successfully "integrated" community one is likely to find. The Tlingkits appear to live together mainly in a defined section of town just east of the town's center. And there is evidence everywhere of the preservation of their unique culture. Yet this is a community where Caucasian and native American learn, work, and live together in harmony. While the Tlingkit people clearly have preserved strong family ties and traditions, they have in most other areas become fully integrated with the community.
If Alaska is correctly labeled as the United States' "last frontier", then Sitka must be viewed as Alaska's last frontier.