Skagway Train Question

[cruise 'n shopper]

I have a question for those who are familiar with the White Pass & Yukon railway in Skagway.

We are debating whether to book this excursion through the ship or on our own. The cost is $10 less per person to do it directly with the railroad line, but are there any advantages to booking through the ship? For example, do those who book through the ship get first choice of seats when they board at the dock? We plan to do the walking tour with the National Park Service before the train trip. Would we be closer to the end of the walking tour if we board at the train station rather than the docks? The $10 difference is no big deal for a once in a lifetime experience, so we would appreciate whatever info you can provide.

I need to decide within the next day or two, so thanks for your help.

[Budget Queen]

These are usually two separately run trains going to the summit. Cruise booked and independent. Seating on cruise booked is almost always full. Sometimes there is more seating on the independent. Both are identical runs. From the National Park service - you are 2 buildings away from the depot- actually the buildling that is now the Park Service visitor center is the orginal depot- the track ran down Broadway.

[Paulmj]

We did the WP&YR train trip last Wednesday. We booked it through the Serenade. The train is boarded just a short walk from the ship.

See: [url]http://www.pbase.com/image/32636025[/url]

The train was full, but there was no shortage of seats and all the views were good. I spent the entire ride up on the car platform shooting pictures. I would suggest you book it through the ship because I can see no compelling reason to do it otherwise.

[crawford]

I booked through the ship on my cruise two weeks ago. The train was about 2/3
full. Midway through the trip, when the engine is brought around to the rear of the train, everyone was asked to change sides, so that all would be able to enjoy the views/get pictures.

I saw everyone in my car comply.....no big deal.

If convenience is an issue, book through the cruise line; if you wan't to save a little extra cash, you can book online.

Enjoy your trip!

[cruise 'n shopper]

Thanks for all of your helpful advice!

Paulmj, your pictures are incredible!

I can't wait for our cruise in two weeks. Just hope that the great weather most people have been experiencing in Alaska this summer holds out for a couple of more weeks!

[CRB#33]

PaulMJ, I just want to tell you those pictures are incredible!

I can't believe I'm going to be able to wait for two years!:eek:

[Krazy Kruizers]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=blue]If you are going to do the walk first, you might not want to book the ship's tour as you would have to walk back to the ship dock area to board the train. Don't know when you walking tour ends.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#0000ff][/color][/font][/b]

[woodz]

We are going to do this on our 9/18 cruise. If you book at the depot you cannot cancel your reservation. It is about 1/2 of a mile to the depot (according to and e-mail I received from White Pass) If you book on line you have a window of 24 hours to cancel. If someone gets sick or hurt you can still cancel with the ship. Also if it is pouring down rain 1/2 mile is a long way to walk. But, if you are going into town anyway you could save a bit of money booking direct. Check out these pictures and you can see how close the cruise ships really are to town: [url]http://www.greatcruisephotos.com/skagway.htm[/url] (thanks to whoever posted these!!)

[lolane1]

I just e-mailed the White Pass for reservations on September 1 and they replied with a rather discouraging note. They will not be running the 12:45 PM train and encouraged me to book through the cruise ship at any time slot. The extra 5 dollar fee, they said, was for the "convenience" of boarding near the ship. Actually, we will be in town shopping and now have to pay extra fee for the INCONVENIENCE of walking back to the ship. Do e-mail them and check what the schedule will be.

[cruise 'n shopper]

Thanks for the heads up, Lolane 1. I called the railway on their toll free number and was told that the cruise lines have bought up all available tickets on Sept. 1 except for the 4:30 p.m. trip.

I contacted NCL and was able to get tickets for the 12:50 p.m. trip that we wanted.

It's just thanks to you that I was alerted to the situation and able to reserve the time of our choice through the cruise line. Thanks!

[nikki303]

Paulmj,
What amazing pictures!! Now I really can't wait until my turn on the Serenade on September 17th.

[cujosmom]

Paulmj - Loved your pictures, too. One question, though, if you are reading these posts. Did you have an aft balcony cabin? The pictures sailing through Misty Fjords looked like maybe you did. We have an aft booked and am hoping that's what our view will be. I'm also praying we have as beautiful weather as you seemed to have had. We're leaving on the Sept 5th sailing.

[Paulmj]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments about my pictures.

Yes, we had an aft balcony, #7176. After 23 cruises, this was our first time in the stern, along with 4 other couples traveling with us who also were so "rewarded" with aft cabins. We all concluded there is nothing finer. The balcony was about 10' x 12', the sound of the wake being generated was very soothing at night, there was no engine noise or vibration, and of course the view was superb. We just shut the door when the "white noise" was not wanted.

Any further questions, just ask. I'll be happy to respond fully.

[lolane1]

Good show, Cruise 'n Shopper. See you on the train!