We drove from Seattle to Bellingham, WA. We will be traveling the Alaska Marine Highway, a state run ferry system. We had to be there early, 3pm for the ferry, even though we don't leave port until 6pm. While waiting in our truck in line, they had security dogs sniffing all the vehicles for explosives and drugs. They board more passengers than they have cabins, so it's common for passengers to camp out in tents on deck and sleeping out in deck chairs or on various sofas inside. We got on board and set up a tent on deck, prepared to spend our nights in the drizzling rain. We'll be celebrating our anniversary while on board, so we put our names on a waiting list for a cabin, in case of any cancellations. We're on board the M/V (motor vessel) Malaspina. We waited with our fingers crossed until 15 minutes after we left port.