Can you book the White Pass Summit Excursion individually?

[eyern1]

I've looked at the ship and tour operator excursions and they were almost double what the price is vs buying tickets on your own. However, I just saw something I hadn't seen before on the railway's website. Here it is.

     CRUISE SHIP

For passengers arriving via cruise ship, this tour is available from your ship’s Shore Excursion Department. By booking through the cruise line, you will be able to take advantage of the dockside service and board the train on the pier alongside your ship. Contact your cruise line’s Shore Excursion Department for more details.

 

Does this mean you can't book this independently? If so, it implies that you can't book it through a tour company as well. Or, does this merely mean it will be a little more effort once you get there to get to the train station to board?

[ruready]

Are you sure it is the exact same thing?  For the cruise I am booked on, it was only about $8 difference.  I think you are fine booking independently.  I think the operator is just letting you know that you are on your own to getting to the station on time, particularly if you choose an early time.  In my experience, typically cruise lines give preference to debarking at ports to those who purchased excursions through the cruise lines.  

[Kathscof]

I read this as you will have to walk farther from the ship to the place that will take your tickets and you get on (the main station is at the base of the main street in town)......maybe a 5-10 min walk?  We were trying to do it last year, but the normal tickets sold out, so we had to buy the tickets from the cruise line.....we were already in town and we had to walk back out there haha

[eyern1]

1 hour ago, ruready said:

Are you sure it is the exact same thing?  For the cruise I am booked on, it was only about $8 difference.  I think you are fine booking independently.  I think the operator is just letting you know that you are on your own to getting to the station on time, particularly if you choose an early time.  In my experience, typically cruise lines give preference to debarking at ports to those who purchased excursions through the cruise lines.  

Well I have no idea how I missed them, but there are several ship sold train excursions I didn't see. The similar one is down to $147 so I'll probably just take it or another one that also goes to the suspension bridge for $190, but I get the feeling it is a bus ride back down instead of the whole trip being on the train.  I think I'll post about opinions on the train both ways vs the bus back.

[Kathscof]

6 minutes ago, eyern1 said:

Well I have no idea how I missed them, but there are several ship sold train excursions I didn't see. The similar one is down to $147 so I'll probably just take it or another one that also goes to the suspension bridge for $190, but I get the feeling it is a bus ride back down instead of the whole trip being on the train.  I think I'll post about opinions on the train both ways vs the bus back.

I did the round trip last year on the train since the trains weren't stopping in Canada.....it was less exciting on the way down 🙂

 

The combo tours have to have at least one way in a bus as there's nowhere that people get off halfway down the mountain.  But, you get to see new stuff! 

[eyern1]

Thanks Kathscof

[Ashland]

Look at booking with Chilkoot.

[Kathscof]

12 hours ago, Ashland said:

Look at booking with Chilkoot.

not the OP, but when I was in Skagway last year, I pretty much decided for this year we would go with them!  We are doing one of their longer tours (the best one isn't first offered until the day after we are there) with the train and Canada! 

[wolfie11]

The Bennett Lake tours are the best!

[GTJ]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:22 PM, eyern1 said:

Does this mean you can't book this independently? If so, it implies that you can't book it through a tour company as well. Or, does this merely mean it will be a little more effort once you get there to get to the train station to board?

The White Pass & Yukon Route has its main railroad station in downtown Skagway, and it may require a walk of 1,500 feet or so, between one's vessel and the railroad station. The White Pass & Yukon Route also has tracks that go directly to each of docks, and for tickets purchased from cruise line excursion desks, passengers may board trains that travel directly to the docks. So the answer to your question is your final answer: purchasing tickets directly from the railroad simply means having slightly greater effort to get to the train station to board.

[dreamer321]

On 3/15/2023 at 3:05 PM, wolfie11 said:

The Bennett Lake tours are the best!

I wanted to book this tour but unfortunately I'm in Skagway one week too early. I ended up just booking Chilkoot's White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion instead.  I'll have to come back sometime in the future to make it to Lake Bennett.

[Kathscof]

9 hours ago, dreamer321 said:

I wanted to book this tour but unfortunately I'm in Skagway one week too early. I ended up just booking Chilkoot's White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion instead.  I'll have to come back sometime in the future to make it to Lake Bennett.

sadly, the day AFTER our stop is Skagway they start the longer lake tour 😞 

[JohnChiang]

NCL jacks up the prices of all their tours to compensate for the "free excursions" of their Free At Sea promotion. So the price difference is significant between buying on board Norwegian ships and at the train station, especially for a large group or family.

 

When I did the White Pass trip years ago, those that booked at the station were assigned their own car near the back of the train. (a better spot for taking pictures of the train turning up the mountain)

[eyern1]

On 3/16/2023 at 12:37 AM, GTJ said:

The White Pass & Yukon Route has its main railroad station in downtown Skagway, and it may require a walk of 1,500 feet or so, between one's vessel and the railroad station. The White Pass & Yukon Route also has tracks that go directly to each of docks, and for tickets purchased from cruise line excursion desks, passengers may board trains that travel directly to the docks. So the answer to your question is your final answer: purchasing tickets directly from the railroad simply means having slightly greater effort to get to the train station to board.

I read this as the ones booking through the ship board first and therefore are more likely to get the best seats or window seats but I don't know their loading logistics.  Am I right?

[wolfie11]

47 minutes ago, eyern1 said:

I read this as the ones booking through the ship board first and therefore are more likely to get the best seats or window seats but I don't know their loading logistics.  Am I right?

You are assigned to a specific car.  Relatively few people book direct.  Your train may have only a couple of cars for independents.  Local guides, for example Chilkoot Charters, will also have their own cars.  There may be several trains traveling the tracks at the same time with separate trains for the summit, Fraser, and Bennett Lake.  
 

You want to sit on the left side going up or the right side going down as that is the side with the view.

[brnsofia]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:22 PM, eyern1 said:

I've looked at the ship and tour operator excursions and they were almost double what the price is vs buying tickets on your own. However, I just saw something I hadn't seen before on the railway's website. Here it is.

     CRUISE SHIP

For passengers arriving via cruise ship, this tour is available from your ship’s Shore Excursion Department. By booking through the cruise line, you will be able to take advantage of the dockside service and board the train on the pier alongside your ship. Contact your cruise line’s Shore Excursion Department for more details.

 

Does this mean you can't book this independently? If so, it implies that you can't book it through a tour company as well. Or, does this merely mean it will be a little more effort once you get there to get to the train station to board?

I booked through Alaska shore excursions and got the all day up on train back by van. they guarantee you will be back on ship on time or they pay for what you need to get to next port. they told me they have never had an issue in all the years they have been doing it. WAYYYYYYYYYYY cheaper than the cruise ships and its all day

[eyern1]

Thanks everyone. I think I've got what I need to know now.