Skagway: NCL's 'WHITE PASS SCENIC RAILWAY' excursion cheaper than 3rd party!

[fstuff1]

ncl is $149:

https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/SGY_01/White-Pass-Scenic-Railway 

 

3rd party (Costco) is $169:

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/white-pass-summit-rail/AKSGWHTRAILBUS

 

normally, 3rd party/Costco is cheaper but im shocked ncl is cheaper for this excursion. 

Best Value  indeed

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by fstuff1

[Ptroxx]

 I paid 136 with a private co booking on my own.  Chilkoot charters.  Bus/train 

[Ptroxx]

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

ncl is $149:

https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/SGY_01/White-Pass-Scenic-Railway 

 

3rd party (Costco) is $169:

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/white-pass-summit-rail/AKSGWHTRAILBUS

 

normally, 3rd party/Costco is cheaper but im shocked ncl is cheaper for this excursion. 

Best Value  indeed

 

Also.  One link you provided is train only round trip.  And the other is train bus combo.  

[AKStafford]

It's only $129 if you book directly: https://wpyr.com/excursions/product/summit-excursion/

[fstuff1]

6 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

Also.  One link you provided is train only round trip.  And the other is train bus combo.  

oh.. didnt realize that ncl's excursion is round trip train.

 

thought both were the same.

1 way train and other way bus

[przyk]

I haven't been yet, but I booked a private bus/ train combo with Dyea Dave.  From my reading you will get a much nicer experience with either Chillkoot or Dyea Dave on a 12/15 passenger small bus compared to the large coaches used by the Cruise company tours.

 

[martincath]

The 'summit' train you linked is the shortest possible trip OP - it doesn't even legally enter Canada! Unfair to compare with the others, including every train/bus combo as they all go at least into BC and many also into the Yukon. Plus, since Carnival now own that railroad I would say there is now a 0% chance that you will ever find any other cruiseline offering a better price than the Carnival family of lines, and of course the indy tours like Chilkoot (who I also recommend strongly) manage to undercut Carnival as well as offering smaller buses and instant refunds when the proverbial brown stuff hits the fan...

 

Last week for example an engine broke down (we overheard our driver on his sat phone being told that it overheated and then burst into flames!) heading up the pass, cancelling all the afternoon trips except Summit trains - the breakdown was further up the track than that - and guess who helped out getting all the folks who had bussed up in the morning and were waiting for the now-never-coming train to collect them? The indy bus companies who were already up in Canada - every spare seat was given to folks who had already been dropped off by cruiseline buses which then drive away before they knew about the problem!!! The cruiseline buses obviously did get despatched back again to collect their people, but the folks in that situation had an hour or two of hanging around at a tiny train station... and folks with us on Chilkoot who ended up bussing both ways but had paid for the train back had refunds credited for the difference before they even got back to Skagway - whereas folks who booked onboard got diddly-squat until they went and complained at guest relations!

 

NB: that passports or equivalent are mandatory for all bus trips and all-but-the-Summit-trains (and even though we have NEXUS, which is normally better than a passport as it expedites crossing both directions at US/Canada land borders, we were asked by our driver last week NOT to show those but to use our passports instead as other ID, even when legal, slows the process of clearance... makes sense given the methodology employed at this border, where everyone just holds their open passport up to their face and the CBSA person walks the bus asking a random question or two - NEXUS and other wallet-size-cards would require them to actually handle the cards and check us more carefully as the pics and text are much smaller than on the full passport!)

[Budget Queen]

Facts and details are significant .    There basically  are 4 different, train tour options  which obviously the op doesn't know about.    

 

 

1-   round trip White Pass-   no documents reeded

2. combo,   Fraser.  train-   one way,   Fraser/Skagway  via  Klondike Highway

3.  combo  Fraser train-  one way,   Klondike Highway transit -  Emerald Lake-  Yukon-  turn around point.

4.  combo Lake Bennett train-  one way,  Klondike Highway transit-  Emerald Lake - Yukon turn around.  

 

There can be additional add ins as well-  dog kennels,  meals  etc.   

 

Again-  details are everything with picking the right tour for YOUR preferences.  

 

 

[dahuffy]

PTROX that's what it is with Princess too.

Edited July 15, 2019 by dahuffy

[dahuffy]

Just now, dahuffy said:

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