Skagway train tour the $125 or the $219?

We will be on the Jewel of the Seas in August and wondering which of these excursions to choose.

Thanks for any advice!

We will be on the Jewel of the Seas in August and wondering which of these excursions to choose.

Thanks for any advice!

If you are referring to them based on the prices offered by your cruise line, it's hard for us to know exactly what tours you are referring to. There are generally many options, including round trip train, train to summit and bus back, train to summit with bus tour into Yukon, longer train to Carcross, etc. You need to be more specific about your tours if you want any advice. Even so, we can't tell you which one to choose. Only you can decide based on what you learn about the various options.

Personally, I have done 3 variations of train tours. I did the round trip train with extended family, including small children. It was a good option for us at the time. I have also done two longer tours into the Yukon, both with Chilkoot Charters. First we did the tour which includes Caribou Crossing and husky puppies and did the dog cart ride, which was really fun. Another year we did the Lake Bennet tour with the longer train ride. We did this with my mother and aunt, and we all enjoyed it very much.

If you have any specific questions about any of these tours, I'd be happy to answer them.

Here are our choices From RCCL BELOW, but open to booking our excursion on our own as well... Thanks

ALL ABOARD The STEAM TRAIN $215

Follow in the footprints of the Klondike Gold Rush on an epic 52-mile roundtrip train ride. Board the iconic White Pass & Yukon Route Railway for a fully narrated climb up one of the steepest grades in North America. Feel the magic of the steam engine and the route itself, built against all odds through rugged terrain, as it travels around the Fraser Loop, 6 miles beyond the White Pass Summit. SK63

WHITE PASS SCENIC RAILWAY $125

Delight in Skagway’s breathtaking mountain scenery and explore the fascinating history of the area as you travel along the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad. Enjoy spectacular panoramic vistas while seated in a vintage parlor car, passing sky-high evergreens and snow-capped peaks. Listen along as your guide shares tales of the Klondike Gold Rush and construction of the 19th century narrow gauge railroad. Admire picturesque views of sprawling White Pass and its towering 2,800-foot summit. SK01

WHITE PASS SCENIC RAILWAY AND DOG SLED EXPERIENCE $184

Admire breathtaking scenery on a journey along the world-famous White Pass & Yukon Railroad, plus meet one of the youngest aspiring Iditarod mushers at a dog sled camp. Travel to White Pass’ summit in an 1898 vintage railcar along the narrow gauge railway. On a guided coach ride, stop for photos at scenic Tormented Valley and Pitchfork Falls. Then enjoy a live racing demo with sledding dogs — your visit helps fund this musher's training for the 2016 Iditarod race. SK98

I would also suggest booking a private excursion. We took the Chilkoot Charters train to Fraser and the small bus from there to the Yukon and back to Skagway. It was fantastic.

This year we're taking their Lake Bennet tour. It's pricey but looks great and gets great reviews.

It was great not having to deal with the large cruise ship excursion crowds.

I would probably look at combination of Bus Ride one way and Train ride the other - Chillkoot Tours offers this.

If you were to choose from those listed, #1 or #3 if you have kids.

With the train, you really don't worry about crowding and cruise ship tours. I have booked the train through the cruise ship 2x and it was fine. There were very few people in my car, I got the last car and was able to stand out the back and take a ton of pictures.

The price difference is based on the train engine. Most of the engines are diesel, but they have a stream engine, and it charges more.

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Questions to ask yourself. Are you interested in trains? Interested in steam? History?, want to spend 8+ hours on a tour or 4? Is money of any concern? Especially- if booking the more costly tours- means you have to cut back elsewhere? Interested in Sled dogs?

Honest answers, should direct you and narrow down your selection. Final "ask"- why did you select these three tours to begin with?

I would do the one with the steam engine just because it is a steam engine. Not sure that my wife would agree w me on spending the extra money however.

DON

We will be on the Jewel of the Seas in August and wondering which of these excursions to choose.

Thanks for any advice!

We are traveling on the Jewel in less than 3 weeks. We are booked on the White Pass train and musher camp excursion. I would be glad to report back to you after our trip and let you know my thoughts, if that would help?:)

Last July we did the Bennett Scenic Journey through Chilkoot (it was not available through NCL) and enjoyed every minute! That particular day (Wednesday) it was train up to Carcross, YT and bus (more like a large van) back. There were no more than 24 of us in our Chilkoot group and we had our own railcar. On the trip back, our driver stopped many places that the large buses couldn't or wouldn't. Chilkoot picked us up at the foot of the Broadway Pier.

There are a number of tours available...some are rail only, some include other activities. Also, what is available on your day in Skagway depends on WPYR's operating schedule. You need to sort out what might be best for you.

FYI... I'll add that everything that is available through the cruise ships or tour organizations like Chilkoot is available directly through WPYR. Just make sure your ship's inport schedule will accommodate the trip.

Photos here ...

Video clips here ...

Enjoy!

We are trying to decide between the Bennett Scenic Journey or Yukon Rail & Bus with Dog Cart Experience with Chilkoot Charters. For those of you that have done both, which do you recommend? We definitely want to do the dog cart experience, but we may be able to do that in Juneau instead if we would really be missing out by missing the longer train ride and additional stops for the Bennett Scenic Journey. The list of sites looks similar on both tours with the exception of Bennett Lake and Bennett Station House. There are two kids in our party (ages 6 and 8) if that helps with recommendations. Thanks in advance for any help!

We are trying to decide between the Bennett Scenic Journey or Yukon Rail & Bus with Dog Cart Experience with Chilkoot Charters. For those of you that have done both, which do you recommend? We definitely want to do the dog cart experience, but we may be able to do that in Juneau instead if we would really be missing out by missing the longer train ride and additional stops for the Bennett Scenic Journey. The list of sites looks similar on both tours with the exception of Bennett Lake and Bennett Station House. There are two kids in our party (ages 6 and 8) if that helps with recommendations. Thanks in advance for any help!

I have done both and enjoyed both. The first time, I really wanted to do the dog cart ride, but once was enough. Now I want to do a real dogsled ride. If I was going to repeat one of these tours, it would be the Lake Bennett.

BUT, you mention kids. Both are very loooong tours for kids. There is some room to move around on the train, but not a lot. On bus portions, you have to stay seated, of course. The kids might like the dog cart, husky puppies and wildlife museum better than the longer train ride and Bennett Station. Also, this may not be a consideration, but I thought the stew lunch on the Bennett tour is much better than the BBQ chicken at Caribou Crossing, but your kids might not agree.

We did a bus - only round trip to the Yukon last week. We're photographers and the buses stop at turnouts. We got great photos at the turnouts and of the three bears we saw. Train pix wouldn't have been nearly as good.

You don't stop on the train except to head back down. The stops make the ride.

We used Frontier Excursions. Brooke was our tour guide. She was GREAT.

My plan is to take the train round trip, but I don't know what company to go on it with. Should I order tickets directly from the WPYR website or choose a group like Chilkoot Charters? We will be there in mid-August and take the 8:15 tour.

Thanks SherryF!