[Skagway] Chilkoot Tours - Yukon Klondike Adventure

[botbien]

Thanks to the recommendation on this boards, I just booked the Yukon Klondide Adventure excursion with Chilkoot Tours for July 30. 

 

Prior to booking I noticed that their website shows the 8:30 AM tour was not available.  They normally have 2 options: 8:30 and 9:30.  So I called and spoke with Stacy (the owner).  It turned out they had to cancel the 8:30 tour and combine it with the 9:30 since they only have a few passengers booked.  Stacy said that lot of passengers called and told her they wanted to cancel because they don't want to take a COVID test for this excursion.  She said the testing requirement is killing their business, but unfortunately many visitors are not aware that they don't need to test to enter Canada anymore.

 

If you are interested in this your and would like to do the 8:30 excursion, please add a note in the comment section.  If they have enough passengers interested in the 8:30 trip, they would move the tour to 8:30.  As of now, only the 9:30 slot is open for booking.  It's sad to hear these business still suffering from COVID.  I hope her company will have more customers soon.

[Gramma of Boys]

Why would you have to take a test for this excursion?  You've already tested before embarkation and Canada does not have a testing requirement to enter the country.

[botbien]

36 minutes ago, Gramma of Boys said:

Why would you have to take a test for this excursion?  You've already tested before embarkation and Canada does not have a testing requirement to enter the country.

 

My understanding is prior to April 28 (or whatever date that was), a negative test was required to enter Canada.  But that requirement was lifted in April.  However, lot of people are still unaware that they don't need a test to take this excursion.

[Ashland]

2 minutes ago, botbien said:

 

My understanding is prior to April 28 (or whatever date that was), a negative test was required to enter Canada.  But that requirement was lifted in April.  However, lot of people are still unaware that they don't need a test to take this excursion.

Then I think this policy change should be clearly stated on their website. Additionally emails sent to those that have booked would be the thing to do.

[rwdw]

The email I received from Chilkoot Tours on May 7 for our upcoming Yukon Klondike Adventure states that we will need,

1. Passport

2. Proof of Vaccination

3. ARRIVE Can QR Code

 

The email also states:

Covid testing is not required.  Masks are not required.

 

So it appears that Stacey is sending this email out to booked customers. 

 

Also on their website it does state :

ALL bus only tours with our company require a PASSPORT or PASSPORT CARD. All guests participating in our 'bus only' tours must be vaccinated and carry their card on their person. 
The White Pass Summit Train & City Tour does NOT require a passport or ArriveCAN.
All guests who are participating in the Yukon Klondike Adventure by Bus must complete ArriveCAN and show evidence of the ArriveCAN receipt if asked. ArriveCAN entry for boarding ships in Canada will suffice for our tours in Skagway. 
Covid testing and/or masks are NOT required for any of our tours.
Questions? Call 877-983-3400 or email at alaska-tours@hotmail.com

 

It appears that people are making assumptions on Covid testing when going to Canada. I understand how confusing and fluid these Covid requirements are. 

 

[JT1962]

1 hour ago, rwdw said:

 

It appears that people are making assumptions on Covid testing when going to Canada. I understand how confusing and fluid these Covid requirements are. 

 

I was on this tour the first week of May and there were only 7 on the tour, even with 2 ships in port. I think there are several reasons people are canceling or not booking: 

 

1. Many had the bus / train combo booked and may have decided to do the roundtrip train instead of the Yukon bus.

 

2. Many are confused / frustrated about the use of ArriveCAN and don’t want to deal with it a second time.
 

3. Some don’t care for long bus tours and think it will be repetitive on the return and they will be board (I was not).

 

4. Some still think they need another Covid test, as mentioned.

 

I would highly encourage anyone considering the Yukon Bus Tour to book it. There is a little bit of extra to do with ArriveCAN, but it’s fairly simple and the trip is excellent.

[cruisingrandy]

18 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

I was on this tour the first week of May and there were only 7 on the tour, even with 2 ships in port. I think there are several reasons people are canceling or not booking: 

 

1. Many had the bus / train combo booked and may have decided to do the roundtrip train instead of the Yukon bus.

 

2. Many are confused / frustrated about the use of ArriveCAN and don’t want to deal with it a second time.
 

3. Some don’t care for long bus tours and think it will be repetitive on the return and they will be board (I was not).

 

4. Some still think they need another Covid test, as mentioned.

 

I would highly encourage anyone considering the Yukon Bus Tour to book it. There is a little bit of extra to do with ArriveCAN, but it’s fairly simple and the trip is excellent.

  we r doing this tour tomorrow. I thought you could use same arrive Canada we used in Seward .did u have to redo it,?

[JT1962]

32 minutes ago, cruisingrandy said:

  we r doing this tour tomorrow. I thought you could use same arrive Canada we used in Seward .did u have to redo it,?

I did mine again, but they never asked for it. Chilkoot emailed me a few days before I left and said they needed my passport information to provide to Canada. I believe the ArriveCAN information is linked to your passport, so they probably saw where I had done it originally. 

[Kellie in Texas]

If this is the tour that goes to Caribou Crossing and has the BBQ lunch and you get to pet the sled dog puppies, we did it in 2011 with Chilkoot and loved it.  We are headed to Alaska in another week and I wanted to do the same tour again; unfortunately, our ship isn't in Skagway as long as many other ships are and I didn't want to risk missing the boat, so we've booked a different excursion.  

[jerseygirl629]

I wanted to re-book with Chilkoot after our excursion with them (Train and bus combo) got canceled but, the 7 hour tour they have with lunch doesn’t leave any later than 9:30. I asked if there was any possibility of them adding additional times for the ships that get into port later (we get in at 11am) and they said unfortunately their food stop closes at a certain time and therefore they wouldn’t be able to offer meals to those on the excursion. So, we are now just doing a RT train. Sigh. 

[cruisingrandy]

Just did this tour today. It was Great. Only 7 of us on the bus . At Canada border only wanted to see our passports, nothing more. Saw a Bear within 10 ft of our bus. We stopped He was eating dandelions then he cross the road to eat or nother side. He paid no attention to our small bus. We watched him for about 10 minutes then he went down into woods..We r on NCL Jewel

 

 

[puppymama1]

We just returned from the Chilkoot Yukon tour today and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!  It was the best day of our cruise so far.  We had our ArriveCAN passes ready but never needed it.  Just had to show our passports to get into Canada and back.  We only had one other couple on the bus with us, so it was basically a private tour.  We had Mike as our tour guide and he was exceptional!  Has been doing this for 13 years and really knows his stuff.  He was so informative and funny.  Spotted a grizzly on the side of the road and then spotted a mama bear and cub, and gave us plenty of time for pictures.  Took us to so many different spots that were incredibly beautiful.  We are so glad we did this tour instead of just the train ride up and back… much more personalized because you can stop and get out of the bus for pictures which you cannot do on the train!

[krkheffe]

2 hours ago, puppymama1 said:

We just returned from the Chilkoot Yukon tour today and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!  It was the best day of our cruise so far.  We had our ArriveCAN passes ready but never needed it.  Just had to show our passports to get into Canada and back.  We only had one other couple on the bus with us, so it was basically a private tour.  We had Mike as our tour guide and he was exceptional!  Has been doing this for 13 years and really knows his stuff.  He was so informative and funny.  Spotted a grizzly on the side of the road and then spotted a mama bear and cub, and gave us plenty of time for pictures.  Took us to so many different spots that were incredibly beautiful.  We are so glad we did this tour instead of just the train ride up and back… much more personalized because you can stop and get out of the bus for pictures which you cannot do on the train!

Which side of bus is the best to sit on? I read somewhere to sit behind driver on left side.  So was the arrivecan that you did to get on the cruise good for the tour as well...like you don't have to do it twice?

[puppymama1]

Chilkoot’s instructions specifically said you could use the same ArriveCAN you used to get on the cruise, but they never asked to see it at the border.  But I would have it just in case they did ask for it.  We sat in the first row on the side opposite of the driver, since you can see out the front of the bus that way.  Since there were only 4 of us on the bus, when the bears were on the other side of the bus, we were able to just get up and go over there.  I don’t think it matters which side you sit on, since you come back on the same road, so you will see everything no matter where you sit.

 

[5waldos]

On 5/26/2022 at 6:48 PM, cruisingrandy said:

  we r doing this tour tomorrow. I thought you could use same arrive Canada we used in Seward .did u have to redo it,?

No- "Pillai says a completed ArriveCan app will still be required to cross the border. However, passengers that completed the app before boarding their cruise ship won’t have to update it. He also says a printout of the final QR code page from the app will be accepted at the Fraser border, as will a screenshot of that page saved on a smartphone. "https://khns.org/yukon-relaxes-border-rules-for-tours-but-not-enough-for-white-pass-and-yukon-route-railroad

[CONCH65]

We did this excursion last week and had a great time. We're from Florida and really loved the snow along the US/Canadian border. There were 3 ships in port and we had 13 in our group and only saw 1 caribou. Our guide was Brian and he was a trip!

[mrsturkelton]

We have this tour scheduled in a few weeks.  We did it 5 years ago on the Train/Bus route and had intended to do that again this year but with the cancelation of that trip we opted for the full bus tour instead of the train only.  I mean, who can pass up petting sled dogs!!!!  I hope more people share their experiences of this years trips.

[royalcedars]

I did this tour the end of May and it was fantastic!!  James was our guide and chatted about the history of the area the whole way.  We saw a caribou, and bear and 3 different spots.  Each time he would pull the small bus over and make sure everyone got a picture.  We stopped numerous places for photos.  Getting across the border was no problem, just needed to show your passport.  The ArriveCAN that we did initially to get into Vancouver sufficed.  I thought I would miss the train, but I saw so much more.  Highly recommend.

[rwdw]

We went on this tour yesterday. Crossing into Canada on the bus, all we had to show was our passport. The Canadian Customs officer came on the bus walked down the aisle and looked and each passenger's Passport. No other documents required.

Beautiful day, with many stops for pictures. I also highly recommend this tour. 

[llarsen]

1 hour ago, rwdw said:

We went on this tour yesterday. Crossing into Canada on the bus, all we had to show was our passport. The Canadian Customs officer came on the bus walked down the aisle and looked and each passenger's Passport. No other documents required.

Beautiful day, with many stops for pictures. I also highly recommend this tour. 

Hi, I have this tour booked for August. Odd question, but one person in our group may need bathroom stops. Did they offer to stop on your tour or do you need to tell them in advance?

Also, how was the weather? Clear/Cold/Rainy? Thank you!

[rwdw]

Hi llarsen,

There are outhouses Just after you cross into Canada. I did not use, but was told they were "very rustic". There are 2 stops in Caracross with flush toilets.

 

For our tour it was partly cloudy in the 60's.

 

[Travel some more]

The Chilkoot Charters bus to the Yukon is fantastic! It’s also very easy, no extra testing required. The Canadian boarder patrol is happy to have folks coming through to visit Canada, so they are not going to give ship passengers a hard time unless you were to not have your passport with you. Your ArriveCAN is digitally attached to it which you already did before getting on the ship. Nothing extra required.