nicoleinwi Posted April 19, 2022 #76 Share Posted April 19, 2022 NCL is still also insisting the train will go to Canada. I have spoken to 2 different agents who said they've heard from passengers what we are reading online but "you can't believe everything you read online" and they have no word of cancellation. We originally booked the train just to the Summit with some other activities so doesn't effect us. But our inlaws are also going and on the train into Canada. They want to take the gamble and wait and see what happens. Oh well, their choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted April 19, 2022 #77 Share Posted April 19, 2022 OK - this is weird. It just dawned on me that Holland America Princess Alaska Tours owns the White Pass Rail. They bought it a few years ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAllie Posted April 19, 2022 #78 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Thanks to all those who brought this to everyone's attention. NCL today still claimed to have no information, but the shore excursion rep on the phone sounded like she had discussed this with others before. I had her switch my friend and me to a train-only excursion. I'm sorry we won't be able to do the train up, sightseeing, and bus back option that we had originally booked for our mid-May cruise. But I really prefer round-trip train to round-trip bus, so it seemed wise to rebook. If something better opens up, we can try to rebook again later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Aurora Posted April 19, 2022 #79 Share Posted April 19, 2022 5 hours ago, Coral said: OK - this is weird. It just dawned on me that Holland America Princess Alaska Tours owns the White Pass Rail. They bought it a few years ago. While it is a somewhat complicated story in 2018 Carrix Rail Management group joined with the Holland American Princess Alaska Tours to purchase the WP&YRR from a Canadian company which owned/managed golf courses. In 2021 Blackstone Infrastructure Partners purchased Carrix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramma of Boys Posted April 19, 2022 #80 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Still trying to figure this out... I commented earlier that maybe the bus/train combo could still go. My thought process was that if you ride the bus up into Canada, and catch the train back, that you could cross the border on the bus and catch the train back down on the US side. Or is that not possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SightCRR Posted April 19, 2022 #81 Share Posted April 19, 2022 (edited) It won't work. AK and Yukon don't have a lot of roads. At the AK /Yukon border there is no road for the buses to make the connection. In the past years when the combo was possible the train went into CA to make the connection. sightcrr Skagway - Google Maps Edited April 19, 2022 by SightCRR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted April 19, 2022 #82 Share Posted April 19, 2022 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Gramma of Boys said: Still trying to figure this out... I commented earlier that maybe the bus/train combo could still go. My thought process was that if you ride the bus up into Canada, and catch the train back, that you could cross the border on the bus and catch the train back down on the US side. Or is that not possible? There is no way to board the train at the border. The closest location is at Fraser, about 7 miles North of the border. Unless something changes, which is always possible in the Covid era, there will be no bus / train combo options in 2022. Edited April 19, 2022 by JT1962 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70momma Posted April 19, 2022 #83 Share Posted April 19, 2022 On 4/7/2022 at 10:42 AM, PJB3 said: I emailed Chilkoot to change my trip in Sept and they quickly reimbursed me the difference and scheduled me for the bus only trip. Great service!! Same here, Stacy was very accomodating for our group of 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhskick Posted April 19, 2022 #84 Share Posted April 19, 2022 From White Pass Railroad site. Would think this is correct. Cross Border Tours – Service Suspended for 2022 Operating Season After months of working towards restoring the Carcross and Fraser Train Service Combination, we unfortunately must announce that we are unable to provide these offerings for the 2022 Season. We have delayed this difficult decision for several months in the hopes that we could find a workable solution for all involved and provide passenger service on these international routes. The challenges of logistics, restrictions, and uncertainty around wait times would have made it impossible for us to provide a consistent high quality service without delays and would create significant disruption to the passenger experience. We respect and appreciate the time and efforts of our communities, staff, partners, customers, and governmental agencies at all levels in both Canada and the United States over the last year to try to bring this to fruition. Though we could not complete the task in time for this season, we will continue to work together towards restoring this service for 2023. For those booked on Fraser and Carcross train service this summer, our reservation staff will be reaching out to discuss your travel options and provide an alternative service on our White Pass Summit Excursion offering. Our staff is dedicated to providing a safe and memorable trip for all that step aboard our trains each summer. We look forward to seeing you aboard the Scenic Railway of the World. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted April 19, 2022 #85 Share Posted April 19, 2022 3 hours ago, SightCRR said: It won't work. AK and Yukon don't have a lot of roads. At the AK /Yukon border there is no road for the buses to make the connection. In the past years when the combo was possible the train went into CA to make the connection. sightcrr Skagway - Google Maps The Bus-Train connection point is 7 miles after crossing the border. The train and bus connection is at Fraser. Take the provided Skagway - Google Maps and zoom OUT to see the relationship. Note the train goes up one side of the valley to the Summit while the bus (roadway) is on the opposite side - the two merge at Fraser. Also note the Summit train trips do actually cross in to Canada - a remote location 7 miles from Fraser. The trains used to park on a siding at the facade Canadian border check point station and the locomotives moved from one end of the train to the other. Now with the recent loop added to the track the locomotive movement is not necessary. Note which side to sit on - left side ascending to the Summit and right side returning to Skagway - feel free to move about the empty seats in each car but do not plan on moving between cars while the train is in motion unless directed by a WPYRR crew person. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramma of Boys Posted April 19, 2022 #86 Share Posted April 19, 2022 What are the cruise lines waiting for? Everyone seems to be saying that the bus/train trips cannot happen except for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted April 19, 2022 #87 Share Posted April 19, 2022 20 minutes ago, Gramma of Boys said: What are the cruise lines waiting for? Everyone seems to be saying that the bus/train trips cannot happen except for them. I can only guess that they either are hoping Canada will change their current policy (and the train operator will resume the trips into Canada) or they are short staffed on programmers to update the websites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cawhite Posted April 19, 2022 #88 Share Posted April 19, 2022 (edited) Hi all, Given the current situation of no trains going into Canada for 2022, which Chilkoot Charters tour would you recommend for first-time Alaska visitors: (1) the 6.5 hr. Yukon Klondike Bus Adventure (2) the 3.75 hr. White Pass Summit Train & (Skagway) City Tour My husband and I would love taking the train, but we don't want to miss out going into Canada, either. So we booked option (1) above. That seemed to be what Stacy from Chilkoot Charters recommended during our phone conversation but I would love to hear feedback from people here who have experienced both train and bus. We always prefer smaller tour groups / buses so we traditionally have always booked through local, independent tour operators rather than through the cruise line. Thanks, in advance, for your help. Edited April 19, 2022 by cawhite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted April 20, 2022 #89 Share Posted April 20, 2022 2 hours ago, cawhite said: Hi all, Given the current situation of no trains going into Canada for 2022, which Chilkoot Charters tour would you recommend for first-time Alaska visitors: (1) the 6.5 hr. Yukon Klondike Bus Adventure (2) the 3.75 hr. White Pass Summit Train & (Skagway) City Tour My husband and I would love taking the train, but we don't want to miss out going into Canada, either. So we booked option (1) above. That seemed to be what Stacy from Chilkoot Charters recommended during our phone conversation but I would love to hear feedback from people here who have experienced both train and bus. We always prefer smaller tour groups / buses so we traditionally have always booked through local, independent tour operators rather than through the cruise line. Thanks, in advance, for your help. I think you made the right choice. I have taken the summit only on the train, the bus / train combo with Chilkoot and moved to the 6.5 Hour Yukon Klondike Bus Tour with Chilkoot when the bus / train combo was canceled for my cruise in 2 weeks. You will see amazing scenery, have several stops for photos and hopefully see wildlife as well. If you have a long day in Skagway, it is possible to take the 6.5 hour tour in the morning and still have time for the summit roundtrip train in the late afternoon. It would make for a long day, but is possible with the right times in port. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brisalta Posted April 20, 2022 #90 Share Posted April 20, 2022 On 4/18/2022 at 5:49 PM, Coral said: OK - this is weird. It just dawned on me that Holland America Princess Alaska Tours owns the White Pass Rail. They bought it a few years ago. It was then sold to Klondike Holdings in 2018 with a minority ownership still held by Carnival PLC but who really owns Klondike Holdings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted April 20, 2022 #91 Share Posted April 20, 2022 17 minutes ago, brisalta said: It was then sold to Klondike Holdings in 2018 with a minority ownership still held by Carnival PLC but who really owns Klondike Holdings? Carnival is the main player here although under cruise lines names - Princess - Holland-America and its own brand Carnival. Carnival owns a host of other cruise lines some of which: Carnival AIDA COSTA Cunard Holland-America P & O P & O Cruises Australia Princess Princess and HAL are more well known in Alaska than others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlxo Posted April 20, 2022 #92 Share Posted April 20, 2022 I wonder if excursion operators are doing the Yukon segment all by bus on the West side of the Valley. Once back to Skagway, put the passengers on the White Pass Railway to go up the East side Valley for a round trip summit ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted April 20, 2022 #93 Share Posted April 20, 2022 4 hours ago, xlxo said: I wonder if excursion operators are doing the Yukon segment all by bus on the West side of the Valley. Once back to Skagway, put the passengers on the White Pass Railway to go up the East side Valley for a round trip summit ride. That is exactly what they are doing - separating the two excursions - all bus -OR- all train These can be done with the bus and then the train -OR- train and then the bus --- Caution if doing both to factor the Port time available BUT the two are not connected at any point i.e. a combo tour of one of each round trip. At least that is the present game plan for the season 2022 - - - - - Weather wise lots of variables - but the bus tour in the morning and train afternoon is the best way to view these excursions. Weather in the am is likely foggy misty low overcast clouds and clearing later in the day - later in the day the clouds pushed off by prevailing winds the train views will be remarkable (nothing guaranteed here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpdog42 Posted April 20, 2022 #94 Share Posted April 20, 2022 2 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said: That is exactly what they are doing - separating the two excursions - all bus -OR- all train These can be done with the bus and then the train -OR- train and then the bus --- Caution if doing both to factor the Port time available BUT the two are not connected at any point i.e. a combo tour of one of each round trip. At least that is the present game plan for the season 2022 - - - - - Weather wise lots of variables - but the bus tour in the morning and train afternoon is the best way to view these excursions. Weather in the am is likely foggy misty low overcast clouds and clearing later in the day - later in the day the clouds pushed off by prevailing winds the train views will be remarkable (nothing guaranteed here) I just canceled mine, It just seemed two risky...Plus for such a popular Excursion..how come Princess and i suspect HA have so many seats available at this late date.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlxo Posted April 20, 2022 #95 Share Posted April 20, 2022 1 minute ago, mpdog42 said: I just canceled mine, It just seemed two risky... Not a risk if this is a cruise line organized tour. The ship will wait. I believe the next port after Skagway cruise ship itineraries is a short distance away. So the ship has contingency time to wait a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpdog42 Posted April 20, 2022 #96 Share Posted April 20, 2022 3 minutes ago, xlxo said: Not a risk if this is a cruise line organized tour. The ship will wait. I believe the next port after Skagway cruise ship itineraries is a short distance away. So the ship has contingency time to wait a few hours. Hi, that's not what i meant by risky...Cruise line cancels at the last minute...then your left to pick thru the scraps of what is left of the tours... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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