still can't decide if 7.5 hours is too long on a bus in Skagway

[hamnerpac]

We have everything ironed out, but Skagway. I want to go on the White Pass Railway...wish there was more time on the train, than the bus for some reason. Just not sure about the idea of riding on a bus all day. We want to see scenery, animals, etc....but just not sure. Are considering Chilkoot, but not sure. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Habubabu]

I was on the Diamond Princess for 14 nights (June 6-20)

 

In Skagway, we did the 7.5 hour tour with Chilkoot Charters (train up and bus down).

 

I highly recommend it because the time on the bus is not tedious in my opinion. Our tour guide, James, was wonderful and kept us regaled with stories and information about Alaska and the Yukon Territory. This was in addition to the stunning scenery. The smaller bus that Chilkoot uses is very comfortable.

 

Very approximate schedule of the day

7:40 am - we met the tour guide beyond the security post and they drove us to the train

8:05 am - the train departed

10:00 am - the train arrived in Fraser

10:00 am - 12:30pm - drove around to various points with plenty of photo ops. We even got to see a bear!

12:30-1:45pm - lunch in Carcross/Taxidermy Museum/Husky Puppies

1:45-4:00pm - drive back to Skagway with many different stops for photos. We could be dropped in town for shopping or taken straight to the security post by the ship.

 

James truly was a delight with stories, poetry and so much information delivered in a friendly welcoming style (you never felt as if you were attending a college lecture).

 

Since the seats are comfy, the scenery stunning and there are plenty of opportunities to get off the bus even if you don't take photos, the bus ride is not terrible or confining at all.

[compulady]

Do the Chilkoot Charters 7.5 hour tour with the train, we just did! It was great!

Time flies there are so many sites and the small bus makes lots of stops and will turn around when bears are spotted. We did the train down the mountain, there was something new to look forward to at the end.

 

We have everything ironed out, but Skagway. I want to go on the White Pass Railway...wish there was more time on the train, than the bus for some reason. Just not sure about the idea of riding on a bus all day. We want to see scenery, animals, etc....but just not sure. Are considering Chilkoot, but not sure. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[vbmom87]

We have everything ironed out, but Skagway. I want to go on the White Pass Railway...wish there was more time on the train, than the bus for some reason. Just not sure about the idea of riding on a bus all day. We want to see scenery, animals, etc....but just not sure. Are considering Chilkoot, but not sure. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

The bus ride goes very fast. You make many photo stops, the drivers are typically very informative with their narrations. Time really flies. I wished it didn't have to end.

[poolwife]

Habubabu and Compulady:

 

You didn't mention if your 7.5 hour tours went to Emerald Lake also. I am considering this trip for our Skagway visit on Sept. 1. Trying to decide between Chilkoot and renting a car and following Murray's Guide. I like the idea of driving on our own but yet I like the tour guide's history lessons also.

[Grannycb]

The views from the train are so different than from the road. I'd highly recommend the train up to Fraser, switch to the bus to Emerald Lake and Carcross, then bus back. You get the best of both worlds that way. I can also recommend Chilkoot Charters. They were great for our excursion.

[Elwinnie]

Thanks Sonia,

We will be taking the same trip in about an week. Is it really so cruicial to sit on the left side of the8s

[poolwife]

Grannycb: Have you done both the road trip in a rental car and the bus/rail tour?

 

I thought the rental car would be more feasible for stopping when we want and doing what we want and it would help for bathroom stops.

 

On the bus tour: if someone sees something to stop and take a picture of - will they stop? But, how can they if someone wants to stop every 10 minutes to take a picture, etc.?

[compulady]

I originally was going to drive and had a car rental lined up. Then I read that it might be foggy (though it wasn't) but I'm glad I did the Chilkoot Charter. The bus driver knew the best places to stop, knew where and when to look for bears. If we drove ourselves I would have spent all my time looking at the road and missing most of the cool stuff plus we were able to take the train back, which was really cool! And yes we did stop at Emerald Lake.

 

Habubabu and Compulady:

 

You didn't mention if your 7.5 hour tours went to Emerald Lake also. I am considering this trip for our Skagway visit on Sept. 1. Trying to decide between Chilkoot and renting a car and following Murray's Guide. I like the idea of driving on our own but yet I like the tour guide's history lessons also.

[nothriver]

We did the 7.5 hour tour with Chilkoot last week and loved it. Really loved the stop for lunch where we got to see the sled dogs. The museum there has stuffed animals and it is something to see, we could have spent lots more time there.

 

We were all really tired from a long week of traveling but the train/bus tour we did with Chilkoot was one of the highlights of our week. We made lots of stops along the way, I don't think there was any more to see that we didn't stop for. There were lots of kids in our group, including my very active 4 yr old. All the kids seemed engaged in the tour, none seemed in the least bit bored or fidgity if that gives you any indication of the quality of the tour. :)

[bimmermom]

Here's another vote for taking the 7.5 Chilkoot tour. We had a wonderful time - taking the train to Fraser and then bus to Emerald Lake, Caribou Crossing and back to Skagway. Our tour guide was Sean, very informative and fun, the train and bus both comfortable and the scenery spectacular. You will love this excursion - it was my favorite.

[Foxhill]

Can anyone who has taken the 7.5 hour tour - train up to Fraser and then bus back to Skagway - tell me what the cost per person is? I have looked at their web site but no fares are posted. I am just trying to get an idea of how much to budget.

 

Also, I have read that the train can be foggy in the morning. Would the same apply to the bus? Would it be best to take the bus up and the train back?

 

When you are on the train, is someone from Chilkoot with you? Are you in a separate car?

 

Just trying to get a handle on the logistics. Thanks to everyone!

[jmhlaw]

We did the car rental in June because we had a 4 yr old with us and were concerned about the time on the bus. We bought a copy of Murray's Guide for $5.00 and had a great time. It has more places to stop and sites to see than you could possibly fit in to an entire day. We went the whole way to Emerald Lake, stopped at the Carcross and Caribou Crossing, saw sheep and 2 bears and got to see all of the sites that you see from the railroad. I've herad that some of the scenery was a little more dramatic from the train but going at our own pace and getting to see a little further in to the Yukon was great for us.

[FabFam4]

Also, is there a restroom on the train and/or bus? Traveling with kids :-)

[poolwife]

I called Chilkoot Tours last week and the gentleman was very nice and he said the 7.5 hour tour was $175.00 per person. The price included lunch.

[Foxhill]

Thanks for the info. I can certainly see why the Alaska cruises are losing passengers. Just this one excursion would run myself, my husband and our 14 year old granddaughter a total of $525.00! :eek: Spending that kind of money at each stop and pretty soon you have "real money" involved. We will have to give that considerable thought. No wonder so many choose to do the tours on their own. Renting a car would be far cheaper but then the driver cannot enjoy the scenery.

[judynorth]

Thanks for the info. I can certainly see why the Alaska cruises are losing passengers. Just this one excursion would run myself, my husband and our 14 year old granddaughter a total of $525.00! :eek: Spending that kind of money at each stop and pretty soon you have "real money" involved. We will have to give that considerable thought. No wonder so many choose to do the tours on their own. Renting a car would be far cheaper but then the driver cannot enjoy the scenery.

 

Renting a car is definitely cheaper and more flexible. There really isn't a problem for the driver seeing the scenery. It is a very easy drive with virtually no traffic and no directions to follow. There is just one road and you can't make a wrong turn or get lost. There are plenty of places to stop and you can also drive slowly when you are at a scenic spot (of course, it is scenic everywhere on the trip). The main limitation on the driver is that he can't take pictures while he is driving and the passangers can. We rented a car in 2005 and the total cost per person (4 of us) was under $25. With the money that we saved we were able to take a floatplane trip in Juneau.

 

BTW, bathroom stops are few and far between but the trip is only 75 miles each way. There is a stop half way through the trip and several in the Carcross area (Welcome Center, Caribou Crossing, Spirit Lodge, Cinnamon Cache, etc.). Other than that you are in the wide open spaces with beautiful scenery in every direction. The return trip is like a different trip because you see things from a different perspective. There is also a good chance that the weather will be totally different going back (such as fog on the way up and sun on the way back).

[jmhlaw]

Driving was not a problem for me. You can pull over many places in the road or slow down. The guide gives you mile markers and pull-off spots and there is very little traffic. Another bonus is that you can leave earlier or later than the tours so that you get to the pull-offs and nobody else is there. I have friends that loved the train but for our party of 4 the money we saved on the car allowed us to do flightseeing at Mount Mckinley. IMO the train is not worth the money. I would rather save the big dollar excursions for other ports. Skagway is a great place to do on your own.

[Foxhill]

Thanks for your comments. I think we will look into the car rental. I guess you can get a guide called "Murray's Guide" that gives information about the various points of interest. Also, thanks for the tip regarding bathroom availability. :o

[vbmom87]

On the bus tour: if someone sees something to stop and take a picture of - will they stop? But, how can they if someone wants to stop every 10 minutes to take a picture, etc.?

 

If you are on a tour bus like the cruiselines use, no, you will not be stopping at the whim of the passengers. However, if you are on an independent vendor tour, like Chilkoot, they do stop when a passenger asks. I know, because I asked. On our trip, the driver pulled off so many times, that there was usually no need for anyone to ask for additional stops. However, when I did see something and asked, he immediately stopped. What is nice about the small bus is it takes so little time to load and unload, so you aren't wasting a lot of time. On our tour, only about half of the people got off at every stop. At some stops even less. The window views were so great, that I guess some people felt their view was good enough.

 

The train and bus share some scenery, however the train does include scenery not seen from the road. If you can afford to do the bus/train combo you will get the best of both worlds.

[BeckyTX]

We did 3.5 hour chilkoot.... The 7.5 hour would have been way too long for us, I think :). The 3.5 hours was perfect! And the train is really worth the money!!

[vbmom87]

Although driving is not a problem on this road, it is a totally different experience being a driver and a passenger on this road. JMHO

[Foxhill]

TO: VBMOM87: Can you elaborate on your comment regarding driver and passenger? Obviously the driver needs to be watching the road, but if there are as many opportunities to stop as others have posted, what is the disadvantage for the driver?

 

My husband and I have done the train several years ago so know what it offers. It might be too tedious for our granddaughter and having our own car would offer a lot more flexibility. We are just trying to weigh all options.

 

Thanks to all who offered opinions. That's what I am looking for!

[frankn88]

I'll be travelling with 4 octogenarians and 2 toddlers, so I'm VERY concerned about bathroom spots. I'm sure the train must have bathrooms on it, do the cruise ship busses (not the Chilkook tour)? Thinking about driving ourselves, but not sure if I can rent something big enough for eight of us - any suggestions for rental agencies?

[frankn88]

Nevermind about the rental cars, found some other threads. Thanks.