Alaskan Cruise and .44 revolver...

oops double post

Then SOMEHOW leave the gun ashore till we are finished with the cruise,

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Sounds like the only place you'll really have it is on your way home from the airport - that is more hassle than it is worth, IMO. You won't need it on the cruise, you won't need on your shore excursions, you won't need it on the ferry

Quote "If you get to Vancouver take the drive up to Whistler. It is also very pretty and one of the best motorcycling roads in the country if there is no traffic."

If you are comming down from Prince George on Highway #97, after you pass the tiny town of Clinton, but before you get to Cashe Creek (junction of #97 & #1 (Transcanada) you will come to a road (on your right) that says it goes to Marble Canyon. That road will take you through some of the most beautiful country, all the way through to Vancouver.

Mrs. Ceetee and I have been on 14 or 15 cruises, and there have always been security measures in place. I always manage to get a small pocket knife onboard, usually by packing it in my shaving kit. This past summer, I took a SOG multi-tool in, and they noted it bubt let it through. The confiscated our steam iron though...

We are thinking of going on an Alaskan cruise with says on land.

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As an Alaskan, I'd urge you to flip that around. Just fly up here and take day cruises instead. That way you control your budget and your schedule, and can go where you want to. The cruises are, to my mind, like visiting heaven while riding on a slice of hell. Overcrowded, pushy, draconian and full of mandatory fun. Not to mention the periodic virulent diseases that spread through the passengers. Why you would want to visit one of the freest states while living under totalitarian anti-gun rules is beyond me. But different strokes I guess.

If anyone wants tips on planning their own trip up here, I'm absolutely more than happy to respond by PM with details. It burns my cork that so many American citizens feel it necessary to come up here on tightly controlled cruises. This isn't a foreign country ;-) It's a free state where you can still breath free. And the shooting/hunting/fishing to be had is second to none.

You will not be able to carry you .44 onboard a ship, locked up or not. I just got back from an Alaskan cruise like 2 weeks ago and I must say it was a nice cruise. It was not as exciting as I would have liked nor did I really feel like I got to experience Alaska due to some very restrained excursions that cruise lines offer. IMO, you should do your own thing and save your money. In fact, this is like my 5th cruise and everytime we get back from one I tell my wife that we should just do out own thing and not do the cruise thing because IMO it is an absolute ripoff. if you go on any excursion you might stay at a place 15 minutes and then it is off to something else. We paid $7500 for ours and I feel like I need to go back to really get what I missed. I guess if you just like sailing and having a home base with great food then cruise are great but if you like to actually do something then I urge you to go against the cruise. I, personally, like to experience the outdoors which means seeing whales on my own time, hiking in one of the many forests they have their, mountain climbing, photography etc. You will not really be able to enjoy anything for all it has to offer on a cruise.

Anyways now that that is out of the way, I say again, you will not be allowed to carry a gun onboard the ship at all. Even if you were able to you have to go through security screenings everytime you return to the ship which is a pain enough in itself. I am not even really sure why you would want to carry one as the ships have a very good security staff and armory of their own, you just will not hear about it. if you are wanting to carry it for wildlife then dont bother because it is highly unlikely you will see anything other than some whales, eagles and sea lions, if you get to see that.

SilentStalker said:

I am not even really sure why you would want to carry one as the ships have a very good security staff and armory of their own, you just will not hear about it.

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Hmm, I'm interested in this, pray tell more. What type of armory and security staff? It's just one of those nerdy things I'm interested in since as we know from piracy issues, most ships are not armed due to legal issues (domestic and international).

Well, my first cruise occurred when all of the pirate hijacking started and I can tell you first hand, that this cruise was very secure. I will not mention the cruiseline but they had a security staff that was obviously made up of some trained personnel. I know there was one or two guys that openly carried handguns on the ship and the captain made a speech about it the first night and that is when we found out about the armory. Now whether he was going against the cruiselines rules or not I have no idea but I do know that most captains have some power aboard their own ships, so to speak.

I can also tell you that some of our guides on this last cruise told us that he would go ahead and get this out in the open. He was like this can of stuff here is my pepper spray for bears, which I only carry to make you guys feel safe LOL. This is when I yelled out, yeah that stuff is like adding seasoning to yourself for the bears LOL. The guide asked me how I knew this and I just told him it was my job to know these things. I also told everybody to avoid the bells as a recent discussion with some local park rangers will tell you with a quickness, in person, that these things do not work against bears. They just tell people that for political reasons. Once me and the guide got done chatting he told everyone that he did carry a gun with a large enough caliber for bears at all times. He did this jokingly by saying, if the cruiseline asks me then I will say no, but to you guys I will say no while shaking my head yes LOL. So, it is pretty apparent that the locals are much brighter than the cruiselines .

Originally Posted by SilentStalker
I am not even really sure why you would want to carry one as the ships have a very good security staff and armory of their own, you just will not hear about it.

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And they have firefighting gear and are trained to use it as well, only you won't hear about it until there is a fire and you see how disorganized the crew really is, untrained, or opt not to participate in caring for the passengers. Sorry, the idea that cruise ship lines have your best interest at heart may be true, but that does not extend to the multinational crews.

Just go back to news accounts and review cruise ship crises and see how many of the passengers are impressed with the crews efforts to protect the passengers first. The record is not impressive.

Two co-workers of mine went hunting in canada several years ago, and then went on a cruise immediately afterwards. There firearms (both rifles and a handgun) were on board the ship but they had no access to them. This was the first time I'd heard of americans being allowed to take handguns into canada to hunt with, apparently you can do just that on certain guided hunts. So even if you could take a gun you'd only have access to it on your way to the airport and your way home. I'd ask them what they had to go through arrangement wise but there both in south dakota shooting prairie dogs for the next two weeks.

Now that may very well be true. I know I did not feel near as secure on this last one as I did my very first one that I spoke of in the post above. I would even venture to say that my first cruise had some hired, ex military people on it. I can't prove it but it definitely felt that way. They had a certain swagger about them I guess. However, on this last cruise, it was just a bunch of multinationals like you are talking about. I am not saying it was unsafe by any means but it was nothing like my first one.

SilentStalker said:

Well, my first cruise occurred when all of the pirate hijacking started and I can tell you first hand, that this cruise was very secure. I will not mention the cruiseline but they had a security staff that was obviously made up of some trained personnel. I know there was one or two guys that openly carried handguns on the ship and the captain made a speech about it the first night and that is when we found out about the armory. Now whether he was going against the cruiselines rules or not I have no idea but I do know that most captains have some power aboard their own ships, so to speak.

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Interesting, I wonder what they had?

Kyle M. said:

Two co-workers of mine went hunting in canada several years ago, and then went on a cruise immediately afterwards. There firearms (both rifles and a handgun) were on board the ship but they had no access to them. This was the first time I'd heard of americans being allowed to take handguns into canada to hunt with, apparently you can do just that on certain guided hunts. So even if you could take a gun you'd only have access to it on your way to the airport and your way home. I'd ask them what they had to go through arrangement wise but there both in south dakota shooting prairie dogs for the next two weeks.

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Like I said in the second post I suspect hunting and people traveling for that purpose might be a (highly regulated and strict though) exception. I have to imagine clearing customs must be a royal mounted pain in the butt!

Double Naught Spy said:

Just go back to news accounts and review cruise ship crises and see how many of the passengers are impressed with the crews efforts to protect the passengers first. The record is not impressive.

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On the bright side the Italian Coast Guard has some men of honor in it.

Late spring of 13 we plan on flying to Anchorage(two sons there), ship back to Washington, rental car to LA (daughter), and flying back to NC. Have been watching the thread with great interest as I intend on having firearms with us where ever possible. Being unarmed is not on the agenda.

Baring any medical or family crisis, my bride and I are going to Denali for a brief stay in a couple, maybe more, years.

We are going to have a less stuctured visit in AK and the destinations and time spent at each stop will be our choices, not those of a Cruise Line/Travel Agent.

If there was a real pressing felt need to have a big bore sidearm available, I imagine it, leather, and ammunition could be available when we arrive.

AK is in the USA. Cruise Ships, Airlines, and Canadian Ports Of Call aren't. Don't overthink the problem.

salty

Dang, I just remembered, we do have a 3" and 4" .44 and a 4" .45Colt. Possibilities boggle the mind.

.

preachnhunt said:

Also if you park at a cruise terminal it is illegal to store your firearm in your car. Be very careful.

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I don't supposed you could post the statute that makes it illegal, could you? There is a whole world of difference between illegal and against company policy.

06 said:

Late spring of 13 we plan on flying to Anchorage(two sons there), ship back to Washington, rental car to LA (daughter), and flying back to NC. Have been watching the thread with great interest as I intend on having firearms with us where ever possible. Being unarmed is not on the agenda.

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You can check the gun in checked baggage on the flights. From Anchorage to Washington you will have to ship the handgun via a common or contract carrier to yourself in Washington State in care of someone you know here. FEDEX and UPS will no longer (by company policy) ship handguns to other than an FFL and you cannot use an FFL because they won't be able to transfer a handgun to you unless you are a Washington resident, so good luck with that part.

When you get to the California border you will have to unload the gun and lock it in a container.

Hmm, I'm interested in this, pray tell more. What type of armory and security staff? It's just one of those nerdy things I'm interested in since as we know from piracy issues, most ships are not armed due to legal issues (domestic and international).

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Are you SERIOUS? Not everywhere in the world is like Somalia. Perhaps venturing out in public is not for someone who thinks it is.....really dude, have you EVER been on a cruise of any kind?

I don't supposed you could post the statute that makes it illegal, could you? There is a whole world of difference between illegal and against company policy.

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It was posted as such in the Port of Miami - you couldn't bring one through the gates in your car, even if you were going to pick up a passenger - it was considered a violation of TSA rules, like trying to go through the metal detector at the airport, even if you were just picking up an arriving child

Are you sure you want a cruise? They are fine as long as what they offer matches what you want to do. If not, you will be better off planning your own trip. A travel agent will be glad to sell you a cruise but will be of little help if you want to do your own thing. For our second trip to Alaska, I asked a travel agent to help us design a vacation that included white water rafting and a horseback pack trip. What I got was a lecture that amounted to, "You'll get bucked off the horse and that's if you don't drown in the rapids or get eaten by the bears, first." We ignored that, did our own research on the internet, found the accommodations and activities we wanted and had a wonderful time.

It's quite easy to fly to Alaska and rent a vehicle to get around. As long as you stay out of Canada, you will have no problems about firearms. The only reservation I have about a .44 mag revolver is that it's not enough gun. If you are going to wander around by yourself in the bush, definitely have a can of bear spray for each hiker. The spray is your first defense and the gun is backup if the spray isn't enough.

Late spring of 13 we plan on flying to Anchorage(two sons there), ship back to Washington, rental car to LA (daughter), and flying back to NC.

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Flying in and out with checked arms is no major problem. The regs are pretty simple and TSA up here is very familiar with arms coming and going. Just have a good locking case and go through the drill to check them.

Alaska Ferry is also different from the cruise lines. Someone already posted a link to their rules. If you are going by cruise line or through Canada, shipping long guns to yourself is pretty simple. I've done it myself.

Cruise lines are their own little fiefdoms.

For ease and best protection, I'd suggest a used Mossy 500 and some Brenneke hardcasts. It's cheap, potent and you won't cry tears of sorrow if it gets deep sixed in the rapids. Also if you want to ditch it after the trip it's easy to just consign it at a local gun store.

Why not just do a series of day cruises? Or heck you can charter a boat for a day trip or even a week for pretty reasonable prices out of any of the ports here. Go anywhere you want, like a millionaire with your own yacht. Hunt, fish, sight see--whatever you want. I'd suggest poking around the net and sending emails out. If you're planning a year in advance you can get some good deals.

Even on the larger boat day cruises, the crew has a lot more flexibility than the major cruise lines permit. So they can adjust their routes to see the most wildlife or in accordance with the weather. For folks I've taken out on sightseeing those have been really rewarding. You're down closer to the water and that's where the action is.

Only draw back is they are a little rougher riding than the big ships. But that's part of the fun! And if the wife gets sea sick on the day cruise out of Seward, then she's liable to be more interested in your fishing plans on terra firma.

Vern Humphrey said:

The last time I was on an Alaskan cruise, they objected to my swiss pocket knife.

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We have been on 8 or 9 cruises including Alaska, Jamaica, Honduras, Belize, etc. I always take my swiss army knife in my checked luggage and it is the first thing I unpack and put in my pocket while I am on the ship. You never know when I will need to cut a thread, loosen a screw etc. I also carry some cheap knives in my checked bags for the ports. I carry one off the ship for protection but when I get back to the port I go in the bathroom, wipe down the knife and throw it in the trash before I pass through security or try to get on the ship. I figure that every turd in town knows that cruise ship passengers are unarmed so a blade may be all I need for an advantage...

That's wise -- at least you're not totally unarmed.

However, I long ago decided not to patronize businesses that object to me being armed. So cruise ships no longer get my money.