Skagway Combo Tour -- Railway and Suspension Bridge

[Cru-Zin]

We are on an early May cruise that stops in in Skagway on Wednesday, May 11.  I found the exact excursion that we'd like to do, but Princess does not seem to be offering it for our cruise. 

 

Meet guide at the Skagway Cruise Ship dock
Board train and ride to Fraser BC (1 hour 45 minutes)
Board bus, drive to Suspension Bridge (20 minutes)
Visit Suspension Bridge (1 hour)
Re-board bus and return to Skagway via the Klondike Highway, including photo stops en route (1 hour 30 minutes)
Tour concludes at the Cruise Ship dock

 

Is this something we could put together on our own, or does someone know of a company that offers the same tour?  Thanks!

[JT1962]

Check Chilkoot Charters & Tours.  I’m not sure if they offer a tour if it stops at the suspension bridge, but they have a great train / bus combo tour that goes into the Yukon to Emerald Lake and includes lunch at Caribou Crossing.

[Cru-Zin]

I did that tour on a previous trip.  I really enjoyed it, but this trip, I am traveling with someone who would love to do the train ride and the suspension bridge, and spend more time walking around Skagway than sitting in a vehicle.  I have not looked at Chilkoot, so I appreciate the suggestion.  Thanks.

[JT1962]

Here are 2 options I found with a quick Google search: 

 

https://alaskashoreexcursions.com/skagway/white-pass-summit-with-yukon-suspension-bridge-tour

 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Skagway/White-Pass-Summit-and-Yukon-Suspension-Bridge-Tour/d943-37841P10
 

[Cru-Zin]

Thanks.  We are looking for bus to bridge and drop off in Fraser to take the train back.

[Cru-Zin]

JT1962-

I heard back from Chilkoot last night.  They don't do the suspension bridge walk, but they do seem to have the other components of the tour we are looking to do.  We'll give it another couple of days and then probably book with them.  I do like that they offer the bus heading out and train back -- we did the reverse going up to Carcross.

Thanks!

[JT1962]

I have seen mixed reviews on the suspension bridge. Some love it, others say it is overrated.  
 

We did the bus first and train back with Chilkoot and it worked well. For my upcoming May cruise, they only offer the train first / bus back in the day I am there. The scenery is the same with either option.

[Cru-Zin]

Which cruise are you on?  We are doing May 7 Majestic Princess.

[JT1962]

10 hours ago, Cru-Zin said:

Which cruise are you on?  We are doing May 7 Majestic Princess.

Carnival Splendor May 2

[Cru-Zin]

I'm sure the scenery in Skagway is the same both ways, but the perspective will be different.  Do you have any excursions planned?  We have a whale watch with Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and we'll do Ketchikan on our own.

 

Enjoy your cruise.  It's a good time of year to see a lot of wildlife.

[Ihibernate2]

Thanks for the info. We are on Celebrity Solstice May 5. We were looking at the same tours.

[Cru-Zin]

I used the Viator app and the code APPFIRST10 to get 10% off a Premier Whale Watch and Mendenhall glacier combo.  It was $150 and we saved $15 each.  I was under the impression that you could hang around the glacier longer and come back on a different bus.

 

I had trouble finding the tour I wanted in Skagway.  I did find Chilkoot Charters had a rail one way and bus the other direction, but did not do the suspension bridge.  Reviews of the bridge called it underwhelming, so we got the White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion.  The bus stops for some photos along the way.  The trip takes under 4 hours and was $145.

 

I looked up reviews.  Both looked good, and prices were competitive.

[don't-use-real-name]

Do a check - latest info - WPYRR only doing Summit trains -

"NO" Fraser - Lake Bennett - Carcross

[Cru-Zin]

Thanks for the info.  We take the bus first to the summit, then get on the train.  I had done the tour to the Yukon 10 years ago with my husband.  This trip, I am with a friend who has never been to Alaska before.  She chose this excursion, and we booked it on April 2 - not even a week ago.  We are on a Princess cruise.  They only offered the round trip summit on the train only.  We booked outside of Princess.

[Cru-Zin]

You are correct.  We just got this email.  

Chilkoot Charters & Tours

to me
32 minutes ago

Details

Hello,

Our company has learned recently that White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad has made the decision to cancel all Fraser and Bennett train departures for the 2022 season. We are terribly disappointed in not being able to offer a train portion for our tours this summer. We are in the extremely time-consuming process of reaching out to all of our guests over the next several days to give other options. To make matters more complicated, we have very limited office staff right now.

We will be offering our bus only tours listed below for your reference as well as a brand-new tour that includes the round-trip train and city tour. This tour should be available on our website to book within the next couple of days or so. We are also offering to provide refunds for those that want to cancel. Space will be limited for these tours and will be based on a first come, first served basis.

White Pass Summit Excursion (By bus only)
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Departure: 8:30AM
Cost: $49.00 Adult $39.00 Child (12 & Under)
Itinerary: Skagway to White Pass Summit with photo stops all along the way, fully narrated and entertaining, gold rush history with amusing Alaska stories

Discover the Yukon Adventure (By bus only)
Duration: 6.5 Hours
Departure: 9:30AM
Cost: $110.00 Adult $75.00 Child (12 & Under)
Lunch Included: BBQ chicken, baked potato, coleslaw, dinner roll, cake doughnuts, coffee, tea, water
Admission to the Yukon Wildlife Museum and Husky Puppy Camp also included
Itinerary: Skagway/White Pass Summit/Carcross/Emerald Lake and return to
Skagway with many photo stops along the way, fully narrated and entertaining, gold rush history with amusing Alaska stories.

White Pass Summit Train and City Tour (City Bus Tour and Round-Trip Train)
Duration: 3.75 Hours
Departures: 7:45am, 11:45am
Cost: $159.00 Adult $79.00 Child (12 & Under)
Itinerary: Skagway City Tour, fully narrated and entertaining, gold rush history, board the train for a 40-mile round trip train journey with full narration and beautiful scenery along the White Pass Summit

Our office will be processing booking changes and refunds just as timely as possible. We will be giving priority to the May tour bookings since those are coming up fast and following suit with all other bookings as time permits. This will be a timely process so please bear with us during this challenging time.

Please let us know how you would like to proceed.

Kind Regards,

Stacy Gould

 

 

CHILKOOT CHARTERS & TOURS
Skagway, Alaska

 

 

 

 

[quack2]

I concur that the Suspension Bridge is underwhelming.

 

[Cru-Zin]

Thanks.  There are so many of these types of bridges tours in other places where the senses are overwhelmed.  I don't want to go out of my way to be underwhelmed.😜

Edited April 9, 2022 by Cru-Zin