Skagway - thoughts on renting a car AND doing an excursion

[mammymammy]

We'll be in Skagway from 7 am - 9 pm. We like the idea of renting a car and driving the Klondike Highway, and from what I read the consensus seems to be to allow 5 hours for this.

 

Carnival has an excursion "Glacier Point Safari" that lists the duration at 6.5 hrs. and has departures at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. If it is truly 6.5 hours then the 2:30 excursion would get back exactly the time the ship leaves. But since it is a Carnival excursion, we don't have to worry about missing the ship. So we're thinking we could pick up a rental in the morning (8 am) and return it in time for the 2:30 excursion.

 

This seems doable, so I guess I looking for reasons I haven't thought of why we should reconsider. If anyone has done Glacier Point leaving at that time, did they cut the excursion a little short, or does it really get back at 9 pm and then the ship leaves the moment this excursion gets back on board?

[sredish]

We'll be in Skagway from 7 am - 9 pm. We like the idea of renting a car and driving the Klondike Highway, and from what I read the consensus seems to be to allow 5 hours for this.

 

Carnival has an excursion "Glacier Point Safari" that lists the duration at 6.5 hrs. and has departures at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. If it is truly 6.5 hours then the 2:30 excursion would get back exactly the time the ship leaves. But since it is a Carnival excursion, we don't have to worry about missing the ship. So we're thinking we could pick up a rental in the morning (8 am) and return it in time for the 2:30 excursion.

 

This seems doable, so I guess I looking for reasons I haven't thought of why we should reconsider. If anyone has done Glacier Point leaving at that time, did they cut the excursion a little short, or does it really get back at 9 pm and then the ship leaves the moment this excursion gets back on board?

 

We did the hike and float trip (booked privately) and then drove the rental car to Emerald Lake for the afternoon. Had plenty of time for lunch and ice cream and lots of picture stops and were still back in town by 6 pm. I say do it.

[jerry20001]

We'll be in Skagway from 7 am - 9 pm. We like the idea of renting a car and driving the Klondike Highway, and from what I read the consensus seems to be to allow 5 hours for this.

 

Carnival has an excursion "Glacier Point Safari" that lists the duration at 6.5 hrs. and has departures at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. If it is truly 6.5 hours then the 2:30 excursion would get back exactly the time the ship leaves. But since it is a Carnival excursion, we don't have to worry about missing the ship. So we're thinking we could pick up a rental in the morning (8 am) and return it in time for the 2:30 excursion.

 

This seems doable, so I guess I looking for reasons I haven't thought of why we should reconsider. If anyone has done Glacier Point leaving at that time, did they cut the excursion a little short, or does it really get back at 9 pm and then the ship leaves the moment this excursion gets back on board?

 

It is doable, but is an ambitious, all day schedule. It is 73 miles to Emerald Lake and I'd say 3 1/2 hours of driving time roundtrip minimum. Avis opens at 8:00AM and is crowded with customers early. With luck, you could get on the road by 9:00AM. One unknown is how long a delay you might experience at Canadian Customs going and U.S. Customs on your return. If there are four cars and three tour buses ahead of you, clearing Customs takes longer. Five hours for the trip would be a minimum and not allow too much time for stops at the many scenic viewpoints. It is not a "must do" to go all the way to Emerald Lake, you could turn around at the Yukon border (50 miles) and gain extra time for photo stops. Skagway does have two gas stations now, but allow a little time to gas up and return your car.

 

The Glacier Point excursion is a highly rated tour, it is in Haines and involves taking the ferry, about 45 minutes each way. Due to the circumstances, I would suggest booking through your ship. The tricky part may be allowing some time to grab and eat some lunch. It will be demanding to do both, but each provides spectacular scenery. It might make for the most tiring day, but would probably be the high point of your entire trip. Enjoy!

[Giantfan13]

I concur with many of Jerry's points. Why try and do TOO much, when you will miss out severely on the beauty of driving to Emerald Lake. Believe me, I am not criticizing you, but so many people who go to Alaska, as well as many other cruise destinations, just try and do everything possible and don't stop and 'smell the roses' as to where they really are and really doing.

Yes, what you suggest is doable, but not really recommended. Just one example. When we drove to Emerald Lake, we stopped for a photo shot by a roadside waterfall. Walking back to the car, a nice brown bear decided to walk out into the road and stop there. This did tie up traffic for a bit, as everyone wanted to stop and take a pix or two. By time he moved on everyone was quite happy with the experience. is that something you might want to miss because of time factors. The drive is more than a drive, it is an experience all in itself. You need to stop for some ice cream, take a stroll thru the desert and stop at emerald Lake and admire the wonders of a land that is magnificent. Why try and rush thru something like this.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Jenbo57]

I vote for you to do it!

 

You'll be on the road before 9:00, especially if you get to Avis before it opens (7:45 usually works). If you're one of the first cars on the road that morning, you'll beat the tour buses, etc., and will have no problem getting to Emerald Lake and back -- with stops at Carcross (be sure to get your passport stamped), the Carcross desert, and plenty of scenic vistas along the way -- in time for your 2:30 excursion.

 

The beauty of that 14 hour time in port is that you can really cram a lot into the day. When we go back up there in July, we're visiting Haines, doing a flight-seeing trip over the west arm of Glacier Bay, and driving the Klondike Highway to Emerald Bay, all within that time frame.

 

Enjoy!!!

[sherryf]

I wouldn't do it. You will feel rushed all morning, not wanting to stop too long in one place. Then if you have border delays on the way back (we did!) you will be stressed out about not getting back on time. I think we spent more like 7 hours when we made this drive, stopping to watch bears, eat lunch in Carcross, etc. I wouldn't have wanted to rush any more than we did.

Edited March 17, 2014 by sherryf

[mammymammy]

Thanks for your responses. The different opinions expressed were pretty much what was going through my mind - part of me says to do it, it will be tiring but we'll make the most of our long day there, and another part still wonders if we'd be trying to do too much. I'll keep pondering. I think I'll shift my attention to finalizing what we're doing in the other ports. Maybe when that's all set we'll get a better feel for what to do in Skagway.

[fleckle]

Thanks for your responses. The different opinions expressed were pretty much what was going through my mind - part of me says to do it, it will be tiring but we'll make the most of our long day there, and another part still wonders if we'd be trying to do too much. I'll keep pondering. I think I'll shift my attention to finalizing what we're doing in the other ports. Maybe when that's all set we'll get a better feel for what to do in Skagway.

If you are really having trouble deciding, the easy solution is to book a B2B and take one excursion going northbound and the other excursion going southbound. :D