Just how much of a "Must Do" is the white pass train in Skagway?

[grobma]

Oh my gosh! I need to read my posts before I click "post

" Sorry.

 

I believe it is an actual condition one can get from sitting on too many bus and/or train excursions.

 

Thanks for the giggle!

[CobbClan]

We are doing the Railway, because, simply, it's a train. Hubby parks his rear on every train he can find. So it's all about what suits YOU.

[EMED2010]

We are planning on doing the car rental. I am obsessed with taking pictures at Emerald Lake and want to be able to spend some time there. We are also planning to do the Goldstar on the Coastal Classic from Seward to Anchorage so we will get our train ride too.

[bonvoyagie]

I am also a train buff so to me it is a necessity. That said it is not for everyone - and yes ALL AK excursions are expensive compared to other cruise destinations - the reasons behind this are twofold - one the cost of doing business in AK is high and the tourist season is short - these tour operators must be able to survive the rest of the year on what they make in a few short months.

 

Now back to the WP&Y - you have several options with the RR- the first is a RT Summit at around 100.00 pp and takes around 3hrs. This is still the most popular tour and often sells out (on 4 ship days the RR runs two trains in both the AM and PM timeframes.

 

Meanwhile the second most popular is one of many combo tours that include a one way train ride between Skagway and Fraser BC (Fraser is just a few miles beyond the summit). At Fraser the tours transition to busses for further exploration and visiting of other tourist attractions either further up in the Yukon or back towards Skagway. The tours run in various orders with the train first or last.

 

The last train option is a one way trip to Carcross YT with a stop in Bennett for lunch and a tour of this other important gold rush town. A bus will return you to Skagway after touring Emerald Lake and the Carcross Desert.

 

If you want to learn a bit more about the various AK ports take a look at www.cruiseportinsider.com here you will find out some of the history, what the cruise lines offer and some DIY suggestions and local tour operators.

 

The train is more that scenery - it is also a part of the gold rush history - as is most of Skagway.

[Glaciers]

This link is the milepost that covers Skagway to Carcross on the WPYR. Much better to read it now and use it as a reference before taking the trip than to hang your head it in during the trip. Nice historical references along the tracks.

http://www.wpyrmediakit.com/mediakit/milepostguide.html

 

Photos from the photo contest.

http://wpyr.com/explore/photocontest.html

[4cats,1dog]

We are booked on Chilkoot Charters bus only to Emerald lake. Is it worth the Extra $60 to make one way on the Train. Scenery might be a little different, but

If most people on CC suggest renting a car and driving, then how important is the train really? (Unless you are a train buff)

[Kamloops50]

We are booked on Chilkoot Charters bus only to Emerald lake. Is it worth the Extra $60 to make one way on the Train. Scenery might be a little different, but

If most people on CC suggest renting a car and driving, then how important is the train really? (Unless you are a train buff)

 

A lot would depend on whether you want to do the driving or someone else. When I go on a cruise I personally don't want to drive to see the sites . Also if your not familiar in driving on two lane highways with a lot of twist and turns it could stressful. Most rental companies charge up to $50 US per day for an extra driver. Meaning one person is going to be behind the wheel for up tp 6 hours getting to & from Emerald Lake YT.

[UPGrandma]

This link is the milepost that covers Skagway to Carcross on the WPYR. Much better to read it now and use it as a reference before taking the trip than to hang your head it in during the trip. Nice historical references along the tracks.

http://www.wpyrmediakit.com/mediakit/milepostguide.html

 

Photos from the photo contest.

http://wpyr.com/explore/photocontest.html

 

Thank you for the link. Skagway is the next port for me to plan.

[joyride21]

We are booked on Chilkoot Charters bus only to Emerald lake. Is it worth the Extra $60 to make one way on the Train. Scenery might be a little different, but

If most people on CC suggest renting a car and driving, then how important is the train really? (Unless you are a train buff)

 

I see in your sig you are on Radiance, two weeks before me. I tried booking the train/bus combo thru Chilkoot, and they emailed me and said that because we leave at 4:30, that tour is not an option for us. Here is a copy of the email they sent me:

 

"The only excursion we would be able to offer you is our 3.5 hour White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion at either 7:30AM or 8:30AM as your ship's departure time is too early in the afternoon for our longer tours. There are times when we are delayed at the US Customs station for up to an hour sometimes waiting in a long line of buses trying to get back to Skagway. We would not want you to miss your ship."

 

They didn't even give me the option of the bus only tour, perhaps assuming we had to take the train. We ended up contacting Dyea Dave and will be doing his Emerald Lake tour instead.

[lizzie3180]

If you want to book the train yourself, the site is open for 2014 reservations now.

We are doing Dave's tour and then the train back.

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Putterdude]

I much prefer booking the train at the station on the day of arrival that way if the weather is inclement or there is a lot of low cloud then I don't have go.....I have never had the problem with the weather but it is an option I like to have. As to the comment about Skagway being crazy when 5 ships are in port, I can remember when there was only one ship in port and there was 300 pax in town....and yes 5000+ people do make it busy but I have never felt overwhelmed by it, I have found many ports in the Caribbean busier.

[hollon]

Check out the train Bus combination tour. Beware you'll need a passport for that one or any that you can get off in Canada.

 

Can you use a passport card instead of a passport book? My kids only have the cards?

[mollanjake]

I see in your sig you are on Radiance, two weeks before me. I tried booking the train/bus combo thru Chilkoot, and they emailed me and said that because we leave at 4:30, that tour is not an option for us. Here is a copy of the email they sent me:

 

 

 

"The only excursion we would be able to offer you is our 3.5 hour White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion at either 7:30AM or 8:30AM as your ship's departure time is too early in the afternoon for our longer tours. There are times when we are delayed at the US Customs station for up to an hour sometimes waiting in a long line of buses trying to get back to Skagway. We would not want you to miss your ship."

 

 

 

They didn't even give me the option of the bus only tour, perhaps assuming we had to take the train. We ended up contacting Dyea Dave and will be doing his Emerald Lake tour instead.

 

 

I'm on the Radiance in July and we are in Skagway until 8:30pm. Is your port time shorter in May?

 

 

Laura

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Putterdude]

Can you use a passport card instead of a passport book? My kids only have the cards?

 

Yes, a passport card is quite adequate for crossing between Canada and the US by land. A passport or passport card is not necessary if taking the return summit trip on the train as you only enter a few feet into Canada or get off the train in Canada .

[joyride21]

I'm on the Radiance in July and we are in Skagway until 8:30pm. Is your port time shorter in May?

 

 

Laura

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Are you Southbound? I believe in general Southbound stays until 8:30, but Northbound only until 4:30.

 

(We actually would have preferred the Southbound route so we could do our land tour first, but time off of work did not permit...)

[mollanjake]

Are you Southbound? I believe in general Southbound stays until 8:30, but Northbound only until 4:30.

 

 

 

(We actually would have preferred the Southbound route so we could do our land tour first, but time off of work did not permit...)

 

 

Yes, I am southbound, had no idea the northbound had different port times. I wonder why....

 

 

Laura

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ClaireyBear]

Hello, I am cruising for my first time to Alaska this may.

 

At ~$130pp, just how much of a “must do” White Pass train? It seems to be one of the top recommendations in Skagway, though I have the initial feeling that it takes up a little too much time and is a little pricy for (not to sound negative)- watching scenery go by. In a way I am already getting a lot of Alaska Scenery while being on the ship, and just being in the ports. On the other hand people seem to rave about it... so I'm not sure.

 

Anyways, I am already doing whale watching for $175pp w/ tax in Icy Strait, and I am trying to budget one more excursion in the $150-$200 range between Juneau, Skagway, and Ketch.

 

Any recommendations on whether to budget my excursion dollars elsewhere?

 

Thanks!

 

If it makes you feel any better, we had to choose between a Glass Blowing excursion with a small group and the White Pass & Yukon Railroad (they get back within 1/2 hour of each other, they overlap), and ended up choosing the glass blowing. We figured that was more unique but the railroad will still be there when we go back. We haven't even been there yet and we already feel in our bones that we WILL be going back, so it's just something to look forward to next time :) I've also been told by people who just walked off the ship that they had a wonderful time, so don't sweat the excursions too much.

[joyride21]

Yes, I am southbound, had no idea the northbound had different port times. I wonder why....

 

My assumption is because it doesn't take very long to get from Skagway to Juneau when traveling South, but the extra time is needed when headed North to get to Seward on time...

[sprint180]

skip it

[mollanjake]

My assumption is because it doesn't take very long to get from Skagway to Juneau when traveling South, but the extra time is needed when headed North to get to Seward on time...

 

 

Interesting! I had assumed the cruises were just opposites, but looks like the port order is different as well as times in port.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

Laura

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[joyride21]

Have a great trip!

Laura

 

Thanks! You too! :)

[rlreklaw57]

This May will be our third Alaska cruise, and third time on The White Pass Railway.

The only difference this time is we are taking the motorcoach tour up the pass into Canada, and returning to Skagway by train. Can't wait!:)

[fleckle]

At Skagway we like to do the rental car + train ride combination.

 

We rent a car for the day. Those in our party who wish to ride the train buy a one-way train ticket from the Skagway train station up to Fraser.

The driver drives the car (very slowly) up to the Fraser train station and waits there for the train to arrive.

 

Then everyone continues on in the car together for the trip from Fraser up to Emerald Lake and back down to Skagway, stopping to enjoy the sights along the way.

 

[SeahawkSiren]

I am going to be in Skagway on May 21 and will be booking this train excursion. It sounds wonderful. I also appreciate the comments about escaping from Skagway when there are multiple ships in town. There will be 3 other ships in Skagway on May 21 in addition to NCL Pearl (and all 4 will be arriving at the same time no less - yikes!), so it will be nice to get outside of town for awhile. Also plan to do the Lower Dewey Lake hike in Skagway. I will research more about that as well. Thanks everyone and happy cruising!

[Taxi]

I hated the train, it was long, broke down on the way up, and everyone slept all the way back. I would never do it again. It looked to me like you could see everything from the road, no need to spend money on the expensive train ride.