Has anyone taken a Denali-Yukon Land / Sea cruise starting on land and boarding the ship in Skagway?

[tundra1]

I have been reading some amazing trip reports from folks who have done the Land / Sea cruises ending with a 7 night voyage out of Whittier.  We are taking a HAL cruise in August, starting in Anchorage, going to Denali, then Fairbanks, then Dawson City, and then to Skagway to board the ship for a 4 night journey, ending in Vancouver.

 

HAL was able to give me the times for the train departure to Denali, the time of our scheduled Tundra Wilderness Tour, and the bus departure to Fairbanks,  but not the times of our flights from Fairbanks to Dawson City or from Dawson City to Whitehorse.  Then, with the White Pass train not running to Fraser, I was told we would be taking a bus from White Horse to Skagway, then boarding the White Pass train for a round trip to the Summit, and then boarding the ship on our return to Skagway.  However, no one has been able to tell me the times for all of that. 

 

Will we have some time in Dawson City that last day before getting on the flight to Whitehorse?  Does the bus from Whitehorse to Skagway stop anywhere along the way?  I would love to see Emerald Lake or Carcross, and perhaps stop along the bus route to see the Train passing by from the other side.  Also, will we have any time in Skagway before we have to board the ship or the train?  It would be nice to be able to take a short stroll around the downtown area.

 

Sorry for all the questions!  Thanks for any information!  

Terri

[oaktreerb]

I have taken this itinerary but it’s been a few years and there have been lots of changes.  You will get a lot of information with your packet when you meet your journey host in Anchorage.  There are several options of this itinerary: Y3, Y4, Y5, and Y6 ranging from 14 days to 10 days.  You should definitely see Emerald Lake whichever you are on.  The bus will stop at interesting places  every two hours for a comfort break and/or lunch.  My favorite itineraries have an overnight or two in Skagway, some go directly to the ship.  

 

Hopefully someone who has done this land first Yukon trip this year will reply.  

 

 

[C1nnabar]

It looks like you're doing the 14-day? (The other, 11-day listing for August doesn't go to Dawson City.) If so, you should arrive in Dawson City the afternoon of one day, spend the entire next day there, and the day after that you take a bus to Whitehorse. As I recall, we arrived at Whitehorse late afternoon and departed pretty early the next day.

 

The bus from Whitehorse to Frasier stopped at Carcross (I don't remember Emerald Lake, but it's on the way, so I expect I have the pictures somewhere). In Frasier, you board the train for Skagway, where you spend two days before boarding the ship. 
 

if I have the right itinerary, you'll have enough time to fit in quite a bit. I did this one in 2019 and loved it.

[tundra1]

I am guilty of being a "planner".  I like to have my itinerary somewhat laid out in advance. 

 

We are on the Y6L, which is 10 days total.  The dates are August 24-Sept.3.  I would have loved to take a longer land/sea tour with a 7 night Southbound cruise, but because of my work, this was the best option for us. 

8/22:  We are traveling two days early to Anchorage, on a non-stop flight from O'Hare which arrives at 1pm,  and then driving down to Seward for 2 nights. The choice was 2 nights in Seward on our own, or the overnights in Whitehorse and Skagway, and Seward won out.

8/23:  We have the Kenai Fjords Tour with Major Marine scheduled for this day.

8/24:  We have a kayaking excursion on Resurrection Bay planned for the morning, and then we drive back to Anchorage and meet up with our tour group that evening. 

8/25:  Train to Denali, with an ATV excursion booked from 7-10 pm.

8/26:  Tundra Wilderness Tour from 7am - noon.  Hopefully we can fit in a hike around Horseshoe Lake in the afternoon, and then attend the Music of Denali show in the evening.

8/27:  Ziplining in the morning, and then we take a bus to Fairbanks at 2pm, scheduled to arrive around 5:30pm.  We might do the Chena Hot Springs excursion that evening, but I am not sure if it is worth it. We might just want to walk to a local bar and listen to music somewhere in Fairbanks, instead.  Any suggestions?

8/28:  Fly to Dawson City, unknown time.  There are no excursions offered for this day, so I am not sure what we will end up doing or what our timetable will look like.

8/29:  We have the whole day to ourselves, so have decided to rent a car and tour the area on our own.  We were thinking about going to Tombstone Park for part of the day, but we don't have that mapped out yet.  Again, any suggestions would be welcome!

8/30:  Fly from Dawson City to Whitehorse, board a bus to Skagway, ride the White Pass Train, and board the Koningsdam ship for four nights. There is no overnight in Whitehorse or Skagway before boarding the ship. It would be great if the bus stopped along the way so we could see the sights.  I would also love an hour to spend in Skagway.  We do gain an hour on this day going from PST in Canada into Alaska Time, but this day still looks pretty packed.  That is why it would be helpful to know our flight time and White Pass Train time.

8/31:  Glacier Bay

9/1:  Ketchikan:  Electric Bike and Rainforest hike excursion planned.

9/2:  Inside Passage:  Rest and relax!

9/3:  Vancouver,  Our flight leaves at 2pm and is a non-stop to O'Hare.  I have to work the next morning, so we cannot stay overnight in Vancouver.  That is on the bucket list for next time!

[C1nnabar]

For some reason, I didn't see the 8/24 option when I did the search, oops. (Maybe it's sold out).

 

I did enough walking around in Fairbanks when we arrived that I was happy to spend the evening in the hotel, so I can't help you there (it was HOT for most of my tour, the last thing I expected in Alaska -- hot enough to be tiring).

 

In Dawson City, we had some out-of-town excursions built into the tour, so I spent my free time mostly walking the streets and visiting local attractioms (there's an online Dawson City Visitor Information Center that you might want to take a look at). But I'm a history buff, so the city and its landmarks were just what I wanted.

 

That is a pretty packed day from Dawson City to Skagway. There's only one flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse that day (10:30 - 11:40), so it's a good bet that you'll be on it. The trip from Whitehorse to Skagway is, in theory, about two hours, but you'll likely make a few stops on the way, so maybe three. And then the train trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. So you might have an hour in Skagway thanks to the "extra" hour. Most of the historical sights are along the one main street or within a block of ot, so you can expect to see them anyway!

 

 

[oaktreerb]

Good choice of starting your Alaska visit in Seward.  If you rented a car you might consider stopping at the Wildlife Conservation Center along the way.

In Fairbanks there is an excursion of a Salmon bake and a show.  I haven’t done it but might sign up for it this year.  We are traveling mid-August so the rain and daylight hours may be a factor.

 

Dawson City in itself is a delight.  Since you rented a car go up to Midnight Dome, the view is amazing.  We did an excursion out the Dempster Hwy a few years ago.  Once was enough.  We love to hang out in Dawson City.   Parks Canada has wonderful programs and there are a lot of historic buildings.  Just walking along the Yukon River is a special experience.

 

Skagway is a national park and has Gold Rush exhibits and some wonderful hiking trails.  When you get to Skagway you will be taken to the ship to check in and then may have some time to see Skagway.  I don’t understand how they are working in the railway excursionthis year.  We took it from Fraser to Skagway as part of the transportation.  

 

We have taken the Yukon trips several times and there have been last minute changes every time so be ready and savor the journey as HAL says.  Be prepared for rain and have a great adventure.

 

 

[renee00]

I have a related question, if you don't mind me jumping into this topic. I'm looking at a similar itinerary for next year, but it includes an overnight in Skagway before boarding the ship (it's the Y4L cruisetour with the Konigsdam). I'm wondering when you're allowed to board once it arrives in port?

 

The ship is scheduled to arrive in Skagway at 7am. Would we be able to check out of the hotel right away in the morning and get on board or is there a set time for the cruisetour people to board? I'm thinking it would be nice to get our luggage on the ship really early and then have the day to do whatever we want.

[C1nnabar]

If you're doing the cruisetour, I seem to recall that they pick up your luggage from the hotel and deliver it to the ship, which leaves you free to spend the day as you want. 

[renee00]

23 minutes ago, C1nnabar said:

If you're doing the cruisetour, I seem to recall that they pick up your luggage from the hotel and deliver it to the ship, which leaves you free to spend the day as you want. 

Oh that sounds great that Holland handles it all, thank you!

[tundra1]

Thanks for all the helpful information!  If anyone has ideas about Fairbanks, I would love to hear your suggestions!  Chena Hot Springs or hang around downtown?  Are there any good venues with music on a Saturday night?

[tundra1]

On 7/3/2022 at 1:52 AM, C1nnabar said:

For some reason, I didn't see the 8/24 option when I did the search, oops. (Maybe it's sold out).

 

That is a pretty packed day from Dawson City to Skagway. There's only one flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse that day (10:30 - 11:40), so it's a good bet that you'll be on it. The trip from Whitehorse to Skagway is, in theory, about two hours, but you'll likely make a few stops on the way, so maybe three. And then the train trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. So you might have an hour in Skagway thanks to the "extra" hour. Most of the historical sights are along the one main street or within a block of ot, so you can expect to see them anyway!

 

 

The 8/24 cruise tour was sold out before final payment was due.  Then on Memorial Day Weekend, the 11-day tour was advertised at a lower cost than our 10-day one, but not by much.  We could have switched tours, but would have had to give up Seward, which I was not keen on doing.

 

Thanks for the flight information.  I was hoping we would leave earlier, but now we will have time to find a cute little breakfast place in Dawson City before we head out.

 

I think we will end up walking around downtown Skagway before boarding the ship.  I might as well be productive instead of standing around waiting in line!  LOL!  I appreciate your insight!

Edited July 5, 2022 by tundra1

[oaktreerb]

On 7/4/2022 at 8:29 PM, tundra1 said:

 

 

Thanks for the flight information.  I was hoping we would leave earlier, but now we will have time to find a cute little breakfast place in Dawson City before we head out.

 

 

The dining room at the Westmark (Belinda’s) is a nice place to have breakfast.  Of course, they provide the breakfast buffet offerings for those on the go but if you have more time I think you can get table service. 

[C1nnabar]

14 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

The dining room at the Westmark (Belinda’s) is a nice place to have breakfast.  Of course, they provide the breakfast buffet offerings for those on the go but if you have more time I think you can get table service. 

Table service probably starts too late for an air departure, but I second the approval of the buffet. It's (or was) a nice place to sit and eat.

[quack2]

I wouldn't do Fairbanks unless I could rent a car. 

[nasellemom1]

On 7/2/2022 at 8:35 PM, tundra1 said:

I am guilty of being a "planner".  I like to have my itinerary somewhat laid out in advance. 

 

We are on the Y6L, which is 10 days total.  The dates are August 24-Sept.3.  I would have loved to take a longer land/sea tour with a 7 night Southbound cruise, but because of my work, this was the best option for us. 

8/22:  We are traveling two days early to Anchorage, on a non-stop flight from O'Hare which arrives at 1pm,  and then driving down to Seward for 2 nights. The choice was 2 nights in Seward on our own, or the overnights in Whitehorse and Skagway, and Seward won out.

8/23:  We have the Kenai Fjords Tour with Major Marine scheduled for this day.

8/24:  We have a kayaking excursion on Resurrection Bay planned for the morning, and then we drive back to Anchorage and meet up with our tour group that evening. 

8/25:  Train to Denali, with an ATV excursion booked from 7-10 pm.

8/26:  Tundra Wilderness Tour from 7am - noon.  Hopefully we can fit in a hike around Horseshoe Lake in the afternoon, and then attend the Music of Denali show in the evening.

8/27:  Ziplining in the morning, and then we take a bus to Fairbanks at 2pm, scheduled to arrive around 5:30pm.  We might do the Chena Hot Springs excursion that evening, but I am not sure if it is worth it. We might just want to walk to a local bar and listen to music somewhere in Fairbanks, instead.  Any suggestions?

8/28:  Fly to Dawson City, unknown time.  There are no excursions offered for this day, so I am not sure what we will end up doing or what our timetable will look like.

8/29:  We have the whole day to ourselves, so have decided to rent a car and tour the area on our own.  We were thinking about going to Tombstone Park for part of the day, but we don't have that mapped out yet.  Again, any suggestions would be welcome!

8/30:  Fly from Dawson City to Whitehorse, board a bus to Skagway, ride the White Pass Train, and board the Koningsdam ship for four nights. There is no overnight in Whitehorse or Skagway before boarding the ship. It would be great if the bus stopped along the way so we could see the sights.  I would also love an hour to spend in Skagway.  We do gain an hour on this day going from PST in Canada into Alaska Time, but this day still looks pretty packed.  That is why it would be helpful to know our flight time and White Pass Train time.

8/31:  Glacier Bay

9/1:  Ketchikan:  Electric Bike and Rainforest hike excursion planned.

9/2:  Inside Passage:  Rest and relax!

9/3:  Vancouver,  Our flight leaves at 2pm and is a non-stop to O'Hare.  I have to work the next morning, so we cannot stay overnight in Vancouver.  That is on the bucket list for next time!

We have the same itinerary booked for May 23, do you remember how far out you were able to book excursion for the land portion? We are able to book and see what's available for Skagway and Ketchikan but not the rest. Just wondering when I should start looking? Thanks. 

[C1nnabar]

On 7/7/2022 at 12:32 PM, nasellemom1 said:

We have the same itinerary booked for May 23, do you remember how far out you were able to book excursion for the land portion? We are able to book and see what's available for Skagway and Ketchikan but not the rest. Just wondering when I should start looking? Thanks. 

I don't have any specific memories, but in general they don't seem to post excursions before about nine months out. Also, they can add them at any time without warning, so if you're looking for something specific and not finding it, you should check back periodically to see what, if anything has changed.

[tundra1]

On 7/7/2022 at 2:32 PM, nasellemom1 said:

We have the same itinerary booked for May 23, do you remember how far out you were able to book excursion for the land portion? We are able to book and see what's available for Skagway and Ketchikan but not the rest. Just wondering when I should start looking? Thanks. 

We booked ours in September, and by January we could see the options for the land portion.  However, besides Denali, there are not many options.  There were 5 choices for Dawson City and 3 for Fairbanks (the Salmon bake / dinner theater, an Aurora Borealis viewing excursion to a Yurt, and the Chena Hot Springs tour),  I had heard that the riverboat excursion is really nice, but that is not offered to us.  Dawson City offered the Tombstone Park excursion, a couple of Gold mining excursions, Diamond Tooth Gerties, and a Top of the Dome excursion to an overlook above Dawson City.  I am hopeful that other options will still be available, but have not heard anything yet.  That is why we decided to rent a car.

 

Just so you know, our group was not offered any excursions in Skagway.  I think we arrive too late after the White Pass Train ride to do anything else.

[nasellemom1]

17 hours ago, tundra1 said:

We booked ours in September, and by January we could see the options for the land portion.  However, besides Denali, there are not many options.  There were 5 choices for Dawson City and 3 for Fairbanks (the Salmon bake / dinner theater, an Aurora Borealis viewing excursion to a Yurt, and the Chena Hot Springs tour),  I had heard that the riverboat excursion is really nice, but that is not offered to us.  Dawson City offered the Tombstone Park excursion, a couple of Gold mining excursions, Diamond Tooth Gerties, and a Top of the Dome excursion to an overlook above Dawson City.  I am hopeful that other options will still be available, but have not heard anything yet.  That is why we decided to rent a car.

 

Just so you know, our group was not offered any excursions in Skagway.  I think we arrive too late after the White Pass Train ride to do anything else.

Thanks for the information. I actually changed to a Y4l to include those extra 2 nights. I really for some reason want to overnight in Skagway. Hoping to have the opportunity to see the northern light at some point. That's a bucket list item for the family! 

[tundra1]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:38 PM, nasellemom1 said:

Thanks for the information. I actually changed to a Y4l to include those extra 2 nights. I really for some reason want to overnight in Skagway. Hoping to have the opportunity to see the northern light at some point. That's a bucket list item for the family! 

I am sure you will have a wonderful time!  Skagway does seem like a town straight out of a movie set! 

 

We received a notice from HAL today, so I guess our land / cruise tour is one step closer to happening.  The email topic line said they had sent our ship boarding time, but unfortunately, that part was missing from the memo!  LOL!  It had included items that I did not realize were part of our package, along with a little bit of travel information, such as the time of the train to Denali and that we have a 15 minute stop in Talkeetna. It did confirm that we will be flying from Dawson City to Whitehorse, taking a bus to Skagway, and then boarding the White Pass Train for a round trip to the Summit before boarding the ship.  The flight times and flight numbers are still missing for all our plane transfers, so we still can't complete the Arrive Can / Verifly information needed, but I do feel we are one step closer!

[alanpsych1]

We are leaving  sunday 7/14/24   from Long Isl  to Anchorage to begin y1L 11day cruisetour starting 7/16.  Anyone joining? 

[Zippercat]

We did the 5Y last month.  Some notes for the OP:

 

) We did not get flight info for the charter flight from Fairbanks to Dawson City until we arrived at our Fairbanks hotel around 5:30 pm the day before.  We didn’t need or use any online checkin.  Flight checkin was done at the airport.  You’ll get an immigration card to fill out with instructions. We were given a boarding pass with an assigned seat, then at boarding told we could sit anywhere except the first few rows. Short flight but flight attendants served coffee and soft drinks.

 

) Dawson City airport has one runway and no terminal.  Rolling outside staircase to the plane (we had a sunny day- those things can be slippery when wet). Customs/immigration is in a mobile home type building; two agents processed our group of 37 quickly.  There’s an adjoining similar structure with restrooms. And really nothing else at that airport.  We arrived at our Dawson City hotel around 1:00 pm (all times in this post in the location’s time zone - suggest you bring a watch not tied to your phone) and had the full afternoon plus the next day on our own there.  YMMV, of course.
 

) We wanted to rent a car in Dawson City but could not find online, nor saw while there, any car rental agency.  Beware - some rental companies might quote you for a different Dawson (which I think is in Nova Scotia and not Yukon).  No rental cars visible at the Dawson City airport.  If you found one, please share the info!

 

) Our itinerary was to go from Dawson City to Whitehorse via motor coach.  About 6:00 am the morning that bus trip was supposed start a note was slid under our hotel door.  It informed us that a fire had closed the highway and we were now flying to Whitehorse around 1:00 pm.  So we got an extra half day in Dawson City and arrived in Whitehorse hours earlier than originally planned. BTW, there was no checkin or security screening for this previously unscheduled flight.  They handed us boarding passes as we left the bus and walked over to the plane.  
 

) The motor coach trip we took the next day from Whitehorse to Skagway took about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, including off bus stops at Emerald Lake and Carcross and a couple shorter picture stops.  So I would suggest that your flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse will be rather early in the day.

 

) The motor coach from Whitehorse to Skagway dropped us at the pier around Noon.  We were sent directly to the showroom where they had snacks and pretty quickly did the usual ship checkin.  
 

) We then had a bit over an hour to find our stateroom, get lunch and gather at the end of the pier to shuttle over to the White Pass train.  We given VIP like treatment at the train: driven to train side near our car and skipping a very, very long line of people waiting to board. Some of our group skipped the White Pass train -they had done it before.  We thought the Summit trip was quite nice and enjoyed it.  The train got back around 4:00 pm, dropping us downtown near the tourist information center.

 

And a few restaurant notes:

 

Anchorage:  Tequila 61 is a blend of local ingredients and Latin.  We had incredible tacos and more.  About 15 minute walk from Sheraton (where HAL bunked our tour) and maybe closer to the Westmark.
 

Fairbanks:  We ate at Jazz Bistro on 4th.  Great meal!  Met the chef/owner who is truly hands on.  Small place that was full. We had a reservation.  About 10 minute walk from Westmark hotel.  Supposed to have live music later?
 

Dawson City:  We loved Bonton & Co.  Not for everyone; small plates style and very creative uses of local ingredients.  Reservations a must- make them via text.

 

At Sourdough Joe’s I had an incredible halibut sandwich.  Red Mammoth Bistro had great sandwiches and pastries for breakfast and lunch.  

[RRFan]

We are doing that land/sea tour starting 7/17 (this week). We have done the reverse several times where we started on Vancouver and got off the ship at Skagway and did the land portion, so we’ve done the cruise first in the past. This week we fly into Anchorage and spend one night at the Westmark then take the domed train to Denali for 3 nts followed by coach to Fairbanks and charter flight to Dawson City for 2 nts then coach to Whitehorse for 1 nt and coach to Frazier to get in the WP train to Skagway for a nt before getting in the Zaandam to cruise back to Vancouver.  
 

You will have a tour guide with you the entire time keeping your group together. Lots of fun!  You will get new instructions each night (well, each new location) giving you time assignments and everything you need to know. You will also have the phone number of your tour guide if you have questions.  
 

Let me know if you have specific questions I can answer. Maybe we’re in the same tour??  

[alanpsych1]

We are leaving  sunday 7/14/24   from Long Isl  to Anchorage to begin y1L 11day cruisetour starting 7/16.  Anyone joining? 

 

Thanks for getting back.  We had a choice to do the Zaandam as you describe or the Koeningsdam on the 16th.  We chose the latter because of the newer ship.  This our first time there and planned  and postponed several times since 2019 due to Covid.  Will be flying into anchorage tomorrow. Stay 2 nights Comfort inn, taking the wildlife tour on the 15th and head to the Westmark on the 16th to begin the 7 day adventure

 

Thanks again

Alan