skagway train

[juantu]

On Celebrity these tours I believe are offered. Can't tell the difference.

 

SK-88 - bus up, train back to town.

 

SK-01 - is it the train both ways. Believe it goes 20 miles up on train.

 

How far up does SK-88 go up?

 

Is SK-01 on a train both ways?

 

Thank you for your help.

[Ashland]

Really no reason to book with the cruiseline. You might consider booking directly online with Chillkoot..They provide an amazing tour and are a favorite of many on Cruise Critic.

[wave rider]

It is also possible to purchase tickets for the train directly from the train operator. It is less costly than through the cruise line and it is the same ride. Ride up and back, it is a great trip. Try and book the steam train if it is running on the day you are there. It is well worth it.

[alcpa1]

No matter which dock the ship uses it is a short walk to the train if you self book.

Just as a little incentive....the self booked passengers used to get the best railroad car(s). Don't know if that's still the case but it was the last time we were there.

I would also recommend that you go up via the train and take the bus back. You get a little more variety that way.

[sunshine0009]

Agree, the ride back is very boring. I would go back by bus if I do it again.

 

 

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[jsf]

We booked with Chillkoot and saved some money, we did the all day trip with lunch included in an old train station. We enjoyed the day and would do it again, we did the both way's on the train. Make sure you take your passport you will need it.

J.

[ORV]

We booked with Chillkoot and saved some money, we did the all day trip with lunch included in an old train station. We enjoyed the day and would do it again, we did the both way's on the train. Make sure you take your passport you will need it.

J.

 

I don't think they offer that anymore. We did it a few years ago, and were going to do it next month as we have people with us that haven't been there before. I couldn't find that tour on the Chilkoot website.

 

They do offer one where you eat at Carcross, but not at Bennett station, which is what we did. We had the beef stew, served family style. Now it's BBQ chicken.

[Lady Chew]

We did this several years ago, and found it to be completely not worth the $$$. I think we did it through the ship but may have done it privately. At any rate, we found the seats to be extremely uncomfortable and tight, especially for Mr Chew, who is 6'4" (and he is somewhat resigned to the fact that sometimes various tour vehicles will be uncomfortable) but these were extremely hard & narrow ... going up in the train, we were seated on the "bad" side, it was really crowded, and even though the guides repeatedly asked for people to switch sides so everyone had a chance to see & take pictures, no one did. No one. We enjoyed Skagway itself very much, and next time we'll just stay in town!

[lisiamc]

We just took the train excursion through the ship (Solstice) a couple of days ago. It cost a few dollars more than booking independently. We were the furthest ship from town, and the train came almost all the way out to the ship on a spur of line. We didn’t have to walk into town to the station to get on. We were on the SK01 excursion, and it was train both ways. The steam engines are off duty this year, being overhauled, but should be back in service in 2019.

 

There were two trips up and back through the ship. Ours was the first one. One of the engines had problems, and they had to uncouple the engines from our train and help the lead train get up the last bit of hill. This made all of the trains late back to port by almost an hour, so the afternoon train trips left late, and one of those engines Lao had a problem, causing further delay. The captain had to hold the ship to wait for all the afternoon ship excursion train passengers, and four people (not on ship excursions) nearly got left behind. I don’t know if they were on the delayed train and had to walk back from town, but if so, I bet they ran all the way! Having a big mechanical problem with the train is an unusual occurrence, but something to think about when booking excursions independently or through the ship.

[Jim_Iain]

We were stopping in Skagway a couple years ago (4 of us in the group). We opted to rent a car and drive ourselves. The road almost parallel's the train. We had the car for the whole day so decided to continue on to Cariboo Crossing and had a wonderful day at about 1/4 the cost of the train.

 

Just a thought!

[chemmo]

Just a note for any wheelchair users....If you book directly with the railway you can prebook a wheelchair space which is big enough for a mobility scooter. There are two seats next to the chair space for companions. If you book through the ship and all disabled slots have been reserved your chair may need to be folded and stored and you sit on a standard seat.

 

We really enjoyed our trip. Only a short walk from the ship. We booked first trip of the day so no worries about returning on time. We enjoyed the little town and then returned to a still near empty ship to enjoy some glorious sunshine!

[raks]

As another alternative to ship tour, we did a day trip with Frontier Excursions. We did the Yukon discovey tour, up and back on a small group mini van with lunch at the turn around point. It was an amazing drive, it followed the train line most of the way, went much further than the train and we had numerous breathtaking photo stops. It remains a standout memory of our trip. They also have the train options.

[watchdiva]

We booked privately through Chillikote (sp?) and it was fantastic! Only 12 passengers on the train and we had the entire train car to ourselves so we could move freely. Our tour was the first of the season in May 2015 and it was phenomenal!

 

 

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[misterkevin]

If you can book the VIP car for the extra scratch, I highly recommend it. You're in a car with only 13 other people in loungers that swivel with free food, beer, and wine. You also get a private tour guide and I waiter. We booked this through Princess last summer and loved it.

[greydog]

We were stopping in Skagway a couple years ago (4 of us in the group). We opted to rent a car and drive ourselves. The road almost parallel's the train. We had the car for the whole day so decided to continue on to Cariboo Crossing and had a wonderful day at about 1/4 the cost of the train.

 

We also did Avis day rental and trip 60 miles to Emerald Lake for 4 was $100 +gas. TAKE EVERYONE'S PASSPORT. Need to rent well in advance. Refreshments in Carcross, visited 'world's smallest desert', sled dog farm, etc. Murray Lundberg? offers a milepost driving guide. Could see the train traveling on opposite side of valley. We did the train on prior trip and it was enjoyable but +$$. Happy Travels

[cruisequeen4ever]

For us, the train only cost a few dollars more pp to book through the cruise line, and when booked through the cruise line, you’re picked up right outside your ship, making it worth it. We did the train both ways. The advantages are that it’s more comfortable IMO to be on a train, and you don’t have to switch transport. The “downside” is that you see the exact same scenery on your way back. For us, we didn’t mind and enjoyed the train trip a lot. One thing to consider, too, is that if you’re in a full car, you’ll only have the “good” side one way because they ask you to trade sides to give everyone a good chance at viewing the scenery. We didn’t have that issue because we high tailed it to the furthest possible car, and since it was so far for people to walk, it only filled half up. We had the best view both ways.

 

 

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