What routes are you looking at?

AMHS supposedly has funding to replace some of their mainline fleet, but that won't be for a few years. The ferry system really suffered when Murkowski was governor as he cut back ferry service in order to make a Juneau road connection more appealing to people who don't know any better, and it hasn't really recovered since then. The new fast ferries have run into some unexpected mechanical problems, and are so expensive to operate that they are only used during the peak summer season when they can break even or make money; mechanically, the big gripe in the news is that they have issues with sucking logs and other foreign objects into the motors.

I'm hopeful that AMHS can begin to return to its former glory, but with the current state of the economy, and a pro-develop-everything governor in office, it may be a while.

The ferry system is still an outstanding way to see Alaska (even as a resident I go out of my way to make one or two ferry trips every year just for fun), but it's definitely showing its age a little bit, too.