Travel Times for High Speed Ferry Skagway to Haines

[dulcie]

We have a rental car in Haines and are looking into times for the high speed ferry. Has anyone done this before and can you recommend timing? We are currently thinking of catching the 8:00 a.m. ferry (we dock at 7:00 a.m. - is that sufficient time to make this ferry connection) and coming back on the 3:00 p.m. ferry? Alternatively, our choices are 10:00 a.m. ferry to Haines and 5:00 or 3:00 p.m. back.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated! We are both rather slow in walking and we did not want to take a bus tour.

 

Thanks!! Mary

[karatemom2]

I would recommend you call them directly to discuss availability on your date. When we planned to do this a couple of years ago I discovered that most of the seats on the early and later ferries are pre-booked by the cruise lines for those going on ship tours to Haines. The availability for individual booking for some of the peak times was virtually non-existent. I did put our names on a standby list for times we wanted, but was told we would probably not know if we were going to get on until a day or at most two before the port date. We ended up opting to book a tour through the ship in order to secure our places at the times and for the excursion we wanted instead of trying to do it independently.

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com/

Edited June 9, 2014 by karatemom2

[chaperonemom]

I would recommend you call them directly to discuss availability on your date. When we planned to do this a couple of years ago I discovered that most of the seats on the early and later ferries are pre-booked by the cruise lines for those going on ship tours to Haines. The availability for individual booking for some of the peak times was virtually non-existent. I did put our names on a standby list for times we wanted, but was told we would probably not know if we were going to get on until a day or at most two before the port date. We ended up opting to book a tour through the ship in order to secure our places at the times and for the excursion we wanted instead of trying to do it independently.

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com/

 

Thank you for this info! I went to the web site & found only 8 seats left for the time we needed! That was for a September date!

[fleckle]

How close you will be to the fast ferry dock in Skagway depends on which berth your cruise ship gets.

If you dock at the RR dock, you will be very close to it.

 

It is a good idea to check the schedule of all your cruise ship's own tours that go to Haines on the fast ferry that day, even if you do not plan to take any of them.

If your cruise ship has a tour that returns on the last ferry, you can feel assured knowing that your ship will wait for the ferry to return to Skagway, even if it is late.

 

If you will be there late August through mid-September and have a rental car, do plan to take a drive out along the Chilkoot River and Chilkoot Lake in Haines as there is a chance for excellent, close up bear sightings there, especially if you go around dusk.

 

Bears may be seen along the river, or at the lake, or both.

 

Here are links to some videos showing what you may have a chance to see there if you are lucky. But realize that the bears are not always there. It can be hit or miss.

 

 

 

 

Also if renting a car in Haines, be sure to bring along Murray's guide to the Haines Highway.

 

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/haines_highway.html

 

Murray is Cruise Critic's own Yukon, the same fellow who wrote the popular guide to the South Klondike Highway out of Skagway.

 

Edited June 11, 2014 by fleckle