Skagway, White Pass Scenic Railway - LUXURY CLASS

[tawlaw1526]

The excursions just opened up for our Alaska cruise in April, 2019.    I was looking at the White Pass Scenic Railway.   I noticed that the standard price is $135/pp and then I noticed they have something called LUXURY CLASS and that is $320/pp.   The description on the Luxury class is no different then the standard class other than it says.....Indulge in refreshments and savory appetizers while listening to your personal guide weave tales of Gold Rush history.   This surely isn’t worth the $185/pp up charge.    From the very small pictures, it looks like you have more comfortable seating and perhaps fewer people in your train car but that is not mentioned in the description.    There is nothing in the description that really tries to sell the LUXURY CLASS.   Has anyone done this train excursion in Luxury Class?    I am trying to determine if spending the extra $185/pp is worth it and does it really add to the experience.   

[wolfie11]

In my opinion, no.  There are ~16 people in the car in comfy lazyboy type chairs.  There's good appetizer-type food and booze, but it's still the same route and the scenery is the main focus.  I would spend the extra money to go to Lake Bennett.

[tawlaw1526]

Thank you!   I will research Lake Bennett.

[Thrak]

 

10 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

In my opinion, no.  There are ~16 people in the car in comfy lazyboy type chairs.  There's good appetizer-type food and booze, but it's still the same route and the scenery is the main focus.  I would spend the extra money to go to Lake Bennett.

 

It does sound nicer than the regular trip but not for that kind of extra money! I'm with you on this one. There's a lot of things I can do with that extra cash besides sit in a more comfortable chair, eat appetizers (as if there isn't enough to eat on the ship as it is!), and drink some (not at all) "free" booze. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who will gladly pony up the extra cash though. We're just more in the "not at all wealthy" class of travelers.

[donswife]

We skipped the train altogether and took a tour with Frontier Excursions. We followed the similar route as the train but were able to stop many places to have a better look and take pictures. We also stopped at Caribou Crossing for lunch (included) and had plenty of time to browse the museum, gift shop, play with sled dog puppies, and take a dog cart ride (extra charge).  The guide was excellent, and it cost around $100.

[mindy2]

Save that extra $$ and take a helipcopter tour in Juneau.  Epic!

[mcrcruiser]

We did a mini bus ride that  dose the dame route as the train . We stopped several times for photo ops & it cost like $35 each . They have a office in Skagway 

[Papa Yoda]

 

We did this one and loved it.  (Having also done the other version a few years ago.)  The car is at the front on the way up and the back on the way down with a large observation deck.  The food and beer/wine is fine but what's great is your own tour guide in the car so you get a personalized tour of the up and back. 

 

Also good for mobility challenged - you get on and off right by the ship.  (Not sure about wheelchair accessible)

 

As always your mileage may vary...

[Shirt-man]

We did it this past May and would do it again.  Great service and having your own guide was wonderful. We only had about 10 in the car. If you can afford it DO IT.

[Mike45LC]

I did not do the Luxury Class, but I spent much of the ride standing outside in the "between cars" part of the train.  (I know there is a proper term, but I don't know it.)  Many of the photographers were out there!  So I would not have benefited much from the more comfortable seats of Luxury Class.

[jagsfan]

I have been happy with the standard seats. Spent a lot of time outside taking photos and enjoying the air. 

A friend of mine did the luxury car in September but only because she likes to feel special. I asked if it was worth the extra money...she said yes, her DH said no. He said she was so busy eating and drinking she didn’t pay attention to the scenery. 

[tawlaw1526]

7 hours ago, Shirt-man said:

We did it this past May and would do it again.  Great service and having your own guide was wonderful. We only had about 10 in the car. If you can afford it DO IT.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL PICTURES!!!!  I am so glad to hear you recommend the Luxury Class.   Thank you!!!

 

[tawlaw1526]

6 hours ago, jagsfan said:

I have been happy with the standard seats. Spent a lot of time outside taking photos and enjoying the air. 

A friend of mine did the luxury car in September but only because she likes to feel special. I asked if it was worth the extra money...she said yes, her DH said no. He said she was so busy eating and drinking she didn’t pay attention to the scenery. 

 

That was a cute story...I could see that being my issue of eating and drinking and in the end, I miss the scenery.   Thank you for sharing!!!

[tawlaw1526]

22 hours ago, Ferd Berfle said:

 

We did this one and loved it.  (Having also done the other version a few years ago.)  The car is at the front on the way up and the back on the way down with a large observation deck.  The food and beer/wine is fine but what's great is your own tour guide in the car so you get a personalized tour of the up and back. 

 

Also good for mobility challenged - you get on and off right by the ship.  (Not sure about wheelchair accessible)

 

As always your mileage may vary...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!  Sounds like you recommend the luxury class car.   I really appreciate you replying.    

[crystalspin]

I considered HAL's version of this excursion, but it left early enough in the morning that the bottomless beverage glass was just not that appealing vs the extra cost. We did the up-train/back-bus with a stop at "gold camp". Next AK trip, I think we will take a longer RR trip farther into Yukon.

[ncstatefan]

I don't fly first class, and I struggled with paying the extra money, but for me the Luxury car was well  worth it.  I had done the regular cars on a previous Alaska trip and that was a good experience; however, my husband had not been to Alaska before.  He has a little problem with hearing and I wanted him to really enjoy the scenic trip so I decided to splurge.  There were maybe 12 passengers and while  we did really enjoy the comfy chairs and drinks and food, the greatest benefit was in having our own guide.  She was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained with history and stories about the railroad, gold rush, etc.  We learned a lot of facts I had not heard before. There is a commentator for the regular cars, but when I was on that trip the car was very crowded with a lot of noise and I was unable to hear everything that was said.   My husband told me later that it was his favorite excursion.   If we do another Alaska cruise, I will book the Luxury car again.

[tawlaw1526]

10 hours ago, ncstatefan said:

I don't fly first class, and I struggled with paying the extra money, but for me the Luxury car was well  worth it.  I had done the regular cars on a previous Alaska trip and that was a good experience; however, my husband had not been to Alaska before.  He has a little problem with hearing and I wanted him to really enjoy the scenic trip so I decided to splurge.  There were maybe 12 passengers and while  we did really enjoy the comfy chairs and drinks and food, the greatest benefit was in having our own guide.  She was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained with history and stories about the railroad, gold rush, etc.  We learned a lot of facts I had not heard before. There is a commentator for the regular cars, but when I was on that trip the car was very crowded with a lot of noise and I was unable to hear everything that was said.   My husband told me later that it was his favorite excursion.   If we do another Alaska cruise, I will book the Luxury car again.

Hello ncstatefan, Thank You So Much for sharing your story.   We are convinced and will be booking the Luxury Class.   Thank you!   

[Bimmer09]

We enjoyed the Luxury car splurge in 2015. The comfy chairs could be swiveled to gaze out of the window.
Norris

 

[tawlaw1526]

8 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

We enjoyed the Luxury car splurge in 2015. The comfy chairs could be swiveled to gaze out of the window.
Norris

 

EXCELLENT PHOTO!!!  Thank you so much for sharing.   I am getting very excited.  

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

EXCELLENT PHOTO!!!  Thank you so much for sharing.   I am getting very excited.  

 

Glad you found the photo helpful!

This was our 3rd time on the train and the Luxury car had recently been offered for booking so we had to try it. We loved every moment on board-the comfy swivel chairs, the included beer and wine, snacks including some fine salmon and a narrator who knew when to be quiet.

I didn't sit in my chair once we left Skagway and it was allowed to go out on the deck between cars-I was out there taking photos until we turned to come back to Skagway. Then I went inside  to feast and drink in the warmth and comfort.

It was worth the splurge to us- a small group in comfortable surroundings on one of the greatest train rides you can take.

For all the pics see my Star Princess review

 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2403532

Enjoy!

Norris

[tawlaw1526]

21 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

Glad you found the photo helpful!

This was our 3rd time on the train and the Luxury car had recently been offered for booking so we had to try it. We loved every moment on board-the comfy swivel chairs, the included beer and wine, snacks including some fine salmon and a narrator who knew when to be quiet.

I didn't sit in my chair once we left Skagway and it was allowed to go out on the deck between cars-I was out there taking photos until we turned to come back to Skagway. Then I went inside  to feast and drink in the warmth and comfort.

It was worth the splurge to us- a small group in comfortable surroundings on one of the greatest train rides you can take.

For all the pics see my Star Princess review

 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2403532

Enjoy!

Norris

Norris, Thank you so much for the link to your Star Princess Review.   We going to be on the Star going to Alaska as well.   I thoroughly enjoyed your review.    

[DrivesLikeMario]

22 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

... and a narrator who knew when to be quiet.

...was allowed to go out on the deck between cars-I was out there taking photos until we turned to come back to Skagway...

Enjoy!

Norris

That's good to know you could still go outside.  That was my favorite place on the train.  Could've stayed out there the whole time but those chairs do look much more comfortable than the regular train car chairs. 

[Bimmer09]

20 hours ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

That's good to know you could still go outside.  That was my favorite place on the train.  Could've stayed out there the whole time but those chairs do look much more comfortable than the regular train car chairs. 

 I could only go outside once we had cleared the outskirts of Skagway (local by-law) and it was only the cold that drove me back inside 90 minutes later when we made the loop at the end of the track. There was a cold mist at that point and my hands were uncovered to operate the cameras. It just made the cosy warmth inside that much more welcome. Drinks and great savory and sweet snacks just a short walk away. I think they did a good job of adding value to the $299 ticket price by the comfort and service once on board. The cost was the same as the helicopter landing on Taku glacier near Juneau in 2011 which lasted a fraction of the time. Both were memorable experiences and worth the spend. 

Taking photos through the windows wasn't an option for me as I was in one of the most scenic landscapes imaginable and the air out there was like champagne. 

Thanks for the comments!

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

21 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

Norris, Thank you so much for the link to your Star Princess Review.   We going to be on the Star going to Alaska as well.   I thoroughly enjoyed your review.    

 Wow-you must have read it in a day! Well done.

It was a great trip on a great ship with a one of a kind Captain.

Sorry if you couldn't see the videos as they just show as html until CC gets up to speed on the new format.

You can see them on my Youtube channel (using my real name as I always do)

I'm so glad you enjoyed the review of the Star!

Norris Adair

[tawlaw1526]

Hi Norris!  

Yes, I spent a few hours on Friday reading your review.   I cheated and got through it in just a few hours because I only read what you wrote.   You surely do have an entertaining and informative style in your review.   Thank you!!!!