Q: We’re planning our second trip to Alaska and we want to visit Juneau, Haines, Sitka, Ketchikan and other ports. We plan on using the Marine Highway ferry and want to miss all the crowds. What days are the cruise days? —Duane

A: Great question. The ferry is an excellent way to travel Alaska—it’s laid back, and stops at both major ports and lesser-known ports that are great for exploring. (This is a popular way for Alaskan locals to do their own vacations.) If you want to dodge the huge influxes of cruise passengers at the major ports, check out this link to the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska web site that shows the docking calendar for each Alaska port. For more info on the ferry, check out our Alaska Marine Highway page on Alaska.org.