Camping on the Deck of a Cruise Ship?
Alternative Travel through the Inside Passage

by Larry Padgett

Know anyone who has pitch their tent on the deck of a cruise ship? If you’ve traveled on one of the ships making up the Alaska Marine Highway system, it could have been you. In addition to traditional cabin space six of the ships, ferries actually, offer deck space for tents, and lounge-chair camping, as well as conventional cabins. While some may consider it a stretch referring to the AMH ferries as cruse ships; in a very practical sense, they have evolved into an alternative travel style for both adventure and economy-minded travelers – offering some amenities not found on traditional cruise liners.

The eleven Alaska Marine Highway ferries provide service from Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Alaska, with stops at many historic points along the way. In a state where road access is non existent to many seacoast locations, the ferries transport people, cars, busses, RVs and trucks as large as eighteen-wheelers to points along the route known as the Inside Passage.

The Inside Passage is a section of the waterway along the western coastline of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. The passage begins just south of the U.S. border at the southern tip of Vancouver Island and proceeds north as far as Skagway. A little over 1,000 miles in length, the route is sheltered from the ravages of the Pacific Ocean by a string of large and small islands forming a western perimeter paralleling the coast line.

Travel through the inside passage offers almost continually changing views of early settlements - some abandoned, seaplane ports, bears and eagles plying the shoreline, cute, wise-looking sea otters, whales, and several small cities, each with a very distinctive character.

In contrast to the ocean-going cruse ships carrying thousands of passengers, providing heated pools, gaming tables, shops and entertainment to distract you, the focus of entertainment on AMH ferries is what you see off the ship. Whether standing at the rail or sitting in a lounge chair you will be constantly entertained by dynamic and scenes of raw nature and unique life styles, Ferry travel offers more than breath-taking scenery. Passengers choosing AMH ferry travel over cruse ships are either Alaskans in route to another port along the way, or travelers who have chosen to experience the journey on a more authentic level. Their interests and backgrounds vary from doctors, lawyers, university professors, anthropologists, to mom with four children, adventurers, trekkers, writers, and just about anyone who has an interest in experiencing the journey, rather than just making the trip. There is an openness amongst these travelers that provides opportunities to strike up conversations with passengers from all over the world.

For the more adventurous travelers, there is a truly unique opportunity to either pitch their tent on the rear section of the second-level deck, or campout on a lounge chairs in the adjacent heated solarium section. Here you can absorb the whole experience, 24 hours a day. Most people travel in the summer, taking advantage of the 19 hours of daylight.

The glass-covered, semicircular solarium is open on the end facing towards the rear of the ship. Here passengers cast their sleeping bags on one of the many plastic lounge chairs located in the solarium and call this parcel of deck space "home" for the duration of their cruise.

In addition to providing its camper-passengers with shelter from the elements and radiant heat in the solarium, campers have their own showers, airport-style lockers, and toilet facilities. These facilities are conveniently located inside the ship immediately behind the solarium. Many of the AMH campers bring their own groceries for snacks or meals. Others choose to take their meals in the ship’s cash-based cafeteria.

During the night hours, approximately 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. in the summer, passengers have unobstructed sky views from their “berths” while snuggled in their sleeping bags. The cool, unpolluted, pristine sky presents a brilliance of stars and constellations in night sky.  If you have pitched your tent outside the solarium, the experience is more surreal. With a little imagination you are transported to a very special place.

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