White pass train excursion or a relaxing day at the Greenhouse spa onboard?/

[donnadoll]

We will be sailing on the Noordam this June 2017 and are trying to map out our excursions for each day.

In Ketchikan we will be taking a float plane over the Misty Fjords National Monument with Island Wings.

In Juneau we will do a Whale watching excursion with a visit toGlacier Bay with Juneau Tours.

We will get off the ship in Seward adn travel by train to Anchorage, I've read this is just beautiful scenery. The next day we will take a train into Denali, even more beautiful scenery and wildlife. The next day we will take a bus tour deep into the wilderness at Denali..The Wilderness Tundra Tour. So trying to decide what to do with 12 hours in Skagway. T he most popular of course is the White Summit train excursion. But do we want to take yet a third train ride?? I'm contemplating the ides of just wondering around the town and then when no one else is on the ship, enjoying the facilities at the spa. A massage and then just relax for hours on the ceramic loungers and the steam rooms and such. Something my husband and I have never done together.

Which would you choose??

[alwaysfrantic]

I'm right there with you. I feel like I'm *supposed* to take that train. And I have it booked. But honestly I think it sounds miserable.

[1ANGELCAT]

I would do the White Pass in a heartbeat. There is no way to compare this to the train at Anchorage.

The scenery and engineering aspects of the White Pass are phenomenal.

If you do the train early in the day, you still have time to Spa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[pv girl]

Yes, it is another train ride, but this train is an older steam type train, so a different experience. And the scenery is different. We did it with the train up and bus back down, so different views. Glad we did it. Also took the train Seward to Anchorage and that is a more modern domeliner with meals etc.

Depends on whether you plan a return trip in the future also.

 

Massage at the spa is just that. To enjoy the thermal loungers and hydropool, you must purchase a thermal pass for the day or week - additional charge. But the spa day does sound like a good break from all the touring.

 

Noordam is a great ship with a very friendly crew. Sailed her in 2016 New Zealand.

[donnadoll]

Thanks for your response. I feel like we have to take the train also....you just have to experience the history and it gets very high ratings. Everything in Alaska gets very high ratings. My daughter and I took a short trip to the American Club in Wisconsin last Jan. I know January..They have a very nice spa..we spent all day there. it was my first massage, we had lunch in the spa with robes on, they had pools, hot tubs steam rooms,....much like the Greenhouse Spa sounds like. It was heaven! I know my husband would really enjoy. I think on a port day, it would be less crowded and therefore more enjoyable.

Enjoy your ride, I'm sure you will.

[donnadoll]

Yes, it is another train ride, but this train is an older steam type train, so a different experience. And the scenery is different. We did it with the train up and bus back down, so different views. Glad we did it. Also took the train Seward to Anchorage and that is a more modern domeliner with meals etc.

Depends on whether you plan a return trip in the future also.

 

Massage at the spa is just that. To enjoy the thermal loungers and hydropool, you must purchase a thermal pass for the day or week - additional charge. But the spa day does sound like a good break from all the touring.

 

Noordam is a great ship with a very friendly crew. Sailed her in 2016 New Zealand.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I thought if you booked a treatment you were entitled to the use use of the amenities the remainder of the day.

[OlsSalt]

Unless you are hooked on the history of the Yukon Gold rush and want to see this phenomenal part of the whole rugged adventure that defies imagination of what men at that time were driven to do, then don't bother with the White Pass RR.

 

And then don't regret you missed the train, if you wander into the National Park visitor exhibition in downtown Skagway that highlights this extraordinary time in the history of Alaska.

 

But seriously, sounds like you have a lot of sweeping Alaska adventures already planned so if you want to take a pass on the pass and ignore this last great Gold Rush wilderness adventure that put both Alaska and San Francisco on the map, then kick back and relax in the spa. It is just a train ride that goes up and down a mountain.

 

Unless you can see the ghosts of the past all along the route and picture the armies of men tolling up this pass in their hopes of riches knowing they still had miles and miles to go with their sleds and dogs, then take a pass on the pass. Honestly, without the history it is just another scenic train ride.

[Lovely other]

It is your vacation so do what makes you happy ... I've always felt this idea of 'must sees' and 'must do's' assumes too much that we all enjoy the same things ....

 

You should have seen the looks on people's faces when I said I had no interest in going to Ephesus when we stopped in Kusadasi ...just held no interest for me so I went to the spa instead ...

[alwaysfrantic]

My ship parks along in Haines. 4 ships with about 9200 guests will be in Skagway. I'm reticent to go to Skagway. Spend dollars and time learning about the other port.

[donnadoll]

Unless you are hooked on the history of the Yukon Gold rush and want to see this phenomenal part of the whole rugged adventure that defies imagination of what men at that time were driven to do, then don't bother with the White Pass RR.

 

And then don't regret you missed the train, if you wander into the National Park visitor exhibition in downtown Skagway that highlights this extraordinary time in the history of Alaska.

 

But seriously, sounds like you have a lot of sweeping Alaska adventures already planned so if you want to take a pass on the pass and ignore this last great Gold Rush wilderness adventure that put both Alaska and San Francisco on the map, then kick back and relax in the spa. It is just a train ride that goes up and down a mountain.

.

 

 

Unless you can see the ghosts of the past all along the route and picture the armies of men tolling up this pass in their hopes of riches knowing they still had miles and miles to go with their sleds and dogs, then take a pass on the pass. Honestly, without the history it is just another scenic train ride.

 

Wow! Thanks for such an eloquence response! you should be writing their brochures! Now, i just can't pass on the pass.

[donnadoll]

It is your vacation so do what makes you happy ... I've always felt this idea of 'must sees' and 'must do's' assumes too much that we all enjoy the same things ....

 

You should have seen the looks on people's faces when I said I had no interest in going to Ephesus when we stopped in Kusadasi ...just held no interest for me so I went to the spa instead ...

 

And how did the spa day work out for you?

[GE Mom]

We rented a car in Skagway, and drove to Whitehorse, Yukon. This was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in my life. The train goes about halfway - I think the car is the best way to see what there is to see. Glad I didn't miss it.

[OlsSalt]

Wow! Thanks for such an eloquence response! you should be writing their brochures! Now, i just can't pass on the pass.

 

Here is a good link to get started and see if this tantalizes your imagination a bit: https://www.nps.gov/klgo/index.htm

There are a number of good documentaries out there too. Netflix or youtube.

 

I knew nothing about this event before we went on our Alaska cruise - I had heard about the Yukon and the Klondike. After all who doesn't see Klondike bars in the ice-cream case. Made it seem pretty tame. So I had no idea of what it actually meant to go "gold mining" in a place like Alaska.

 

Being a Californian, I thought we had the only "real gold rush" - in relative balmy weather with civilization and supplies fairly close at hand Even so, it was still the defining moment in this state's early history. But these guys (and they were mainly guys) in the Klondike gold rush had to defy the unknown in both terrain and weather, with the later ones finally making this heroic trek to the gold fields only to learn the gold strikes had already run out.

 

Of course what men had to face a few decades later in WWI and WWII are the real hero stories, but for sheer adventure the Yukon Gold Rush remains an epic one.

[xlxo]

I would save the spa for a sea day.... Skagway is my fav port....

 

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Don't just take the train.... look for a train combo tour to complement the rail ride.

[Scrapnana]

On the cruise I took before Alaska, tablemates told me I absolutely had to do the train in Skagway. They were so right. I did an excursion where we took the bus up to the Yukon (stopping at a number of scenic views along the way), had lunch and then returned on the railroad. It was an amazing day.

[denatravels]

We rented a car in Skagway, and drove to Whitehorse, Yukon. This was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in my life. The train goes about halfway - I think the car is the best way to see what there is to see. Glad I didn't miss it.

 

 

If you book privately, there are options on the train to go further.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

I vote for the train in Skagway. We have done it 3 times -- 2 different versions. Love it. It is way different than the regular trains.

I am not a spa person.

Skagway has so much to see.

[Truluv]

We took the train and enjoyed it as an unusual experience. The scenery was great. We were in Skagway long enough that we were able to take the train AND walk around downtown Skagway, which isn't that big. On a 2nd cruise, we rented a car and went to Whitehorse. Between the two, the car rental was a much better experience. We went through a very tiny Alaskan town with a single small general store, so saw a different way of living, saw the Alaskan Dunes and lakes that were an amazing shade of bright blue, took a picture in front of the Yukon Territory sign, and in the Whitehorse Territory ate in a diner with locals and toured a historical gold-rush ferry that was run by the National Park Service (I'm not sure whether it's still there, but it was very educational). (Note - went through a border stop on the drive). We saw the train on the distant mountainside as we were driving. On our way out of Skagway we got to see a gold rush cemetery and Skagway's "suburbs." It felt like we were the only car on the road most of the time! It was a great experience if your port-time is 6+ hours. I've always been surprised that the cruise lines don't offer a trip of this kind as an alternative excursion.

Edited March 11, 2017 by Truluv

[janmcn]

With what you have scheduled, sitting on the ceramic loungers looking out at the scenery might be just the thing. Have taken the train 3x...twice couldn't see a thing...in the clouds/rain the whole time. Third time was clear, but nothing spectacular IMO.

Also, you "could" wait until the day you dock, hurry to the train depot and get "regular" tickets if there are any available. That's what we did on our third try...No matter what you'll love AK.

[geoherb]

We rented a car in Skagway, and drove to Whitehorse, Yukon. This was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in my life. The train goes about halfway - I think the car is the best way to see what there is to see. Glad I didn't miss it.

We also rented a car. Murray's Guide is a great resource. We stopped several times along the way--at a lake, where we saw eagles feeding on fish; at a waterfall near a bridge, where I picked some wild blueberries; at Emerald Lake; at the world's smallest desert; etc.

[1ANGELCAT]

My ship parks along in Haines. 4 ships with about 9200 guests will be in Skagway. I'm reticent to go to Skagway. Spend dollars and time learning about the other port.

 

 

I recommend booking the Haines Fast Ferry on your own . They have a rail/sail package that was MUCH cheaper than the ship's tour.

Haines is a small port , a nice place to stroll around but Skagway has more to see IMO.

 

 

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[alwaysfrantic]

I recommend booking the Haines Fast Ferry on your own . They have a rail/sail package that was MUCH cheaper than the ship's tour.

Haines is a small port , a nice place to stroll around but Skagway has more to see IMO.

 

 

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Would the timing work to book the private tour with the train box combo? Is the ferry accurate in timing to arrive 10 minutes before the tour leaves?

 

My reluctance is mostly the nearly 8 hours the tour takes leaving from Haines. If I was on my own it wouldn't seem so forced.

[1ANGELCAT]

Would the timing work to book the private tour with the train box combo? Is the ferry accurate in timing to arrive 10 minutes before the tour leaves?

 

My reluctance is mostly the nearly 8 hours the tour takes leaving from Haines. If I was on my own it wouldn't seem so forced.

 

 

I did this last year on the Noordam southbound from Seward . I had no problem with the timing.

I suggest you look at their website Hainesskagwayfastferry(dot)com.

You can call and leave a message on their answering machine.

 

 

 

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[serendipity1499]

We booked the bus/rail excursion ourselves with Chilkoot..The tour operator was on time, met us at the ship & took us up to The white pass summit..The scenery is fantastic & the big pull for me was being able to go up to the Husky dog sled camp & play with the pups.. It was a wonderful day & would do it again..

 

IMO you could enjoy a spa day on the ship on a sea day..

[summersigh]

I would do the White Pass in a heartbeat. There is no way to compare this to the train at Anchorage.

The scenery and engineering aspects of the White Pass are phenomenal.

If you do the train early in the day, you still have time to Spa.

I agree.Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

When we went to Alaska our goal was to see as much as we comfortably could.

 

My feeling would be - I can get a massage/spa day at home... the White Pass train not so much;)