Chilkoot or Dyea Dave in Skagway??

[puhkuh]

We know we want to take a driving tour out of Skagway to Emerald Lake, then return to Skagway on the train. As I understand it, Chilkoot will book everything for us (including lunch). With Dave, we are responsible for purchasing/obtaining the RR tix. His tour does not include the price of lunch, and is approx. $15 cheaper for this reason.

 

I'm wondering if one may be favored over the other.....Thoughts??

[Kamloops50]

We know we want to take a driving tour out of Skagway to Emerald Lake, then return to Skagway on the train. As I understand it, Chilkoot will book everything for us (including lunch). With Dave, we are responsible for purchasing/obtaining the RR tix. His tour does not include the price of lunch, and is approx. $15 cheaper for this reason.

 

I'm wondering if one may be favored over the other.....Thoughts??

 

I would go with one that supplies everything.:cool:

[TheCalicoCat]

We know we want to take a driving tour out of Skagway to Emerald Lake, then return to Skagway on the train. As I understand it, Chilkoot will book everything for us (including lunch). With Dave, we are responsible for purchasing/obtaining the RR tix. His tour does not include the price of lunch, and is approx. $15 cheaper for this reason.

 

I'm wondering if one may be favored over the other.....Thoughts??

 

Just to add to the confusion, we chose Beyond Skagway with Becky. (Pricing is pricing - I quit trying to figure it out. Why is a dozen eggs $2 here & $4 there?)

[TheCalicoCat]

I would go with one that supplies everything.:cool:

 

& get stuck with food choices that you have no control over - yah not for me.

[cruisin'mama]

I am contemplating the same thing. My understanding is that Chilkoot has their own train car assigned to them, Dyea Dave does not. Does anyone know if this is true? I like the smaller group with Dyea Dave, but would prefer a "private" train car with fewer passengers. We are also looking at van/bus up and train back.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We just did the van up/train back with Chilkoot Charters last week, and I can highly recommend them. We had a guide by the name of Bruce, who gave us an excellent trip! There were only 8 of us in our van. We saw three bears, a couple of eagles and several mountain goats. Bruce would stop the van whenever we wanted to take a photo (many times :)), and he was really good at spotting bears. Lunch was excellent, and it was a real kick to visit with the sled dogs and puppies at the lunch stop. Emerald Lake is too beautiful to be real.

 

Our train car coming back down wasn't crowded, but there were more than just the 8 of us who had gone up in the van. Possibly Chilkoot had more than one group there. My husband and I found the van portion of the trip much more enjoyable than the train down. I think we had been thoroughly spoiled by the Alaska Railroad trip down to Seward from Anchorage. :D No food or drinks on the White Pass trip.

[sharecruises]

We used TNT - Trails of 98 Tours....fantastic time

 

Private van to Yukon....we had a blast

Tom was wonderful

 

We saw Emerald Lake, Carcross Dessert...saw 4 bears

4 Dall sheep, 3 mountain goats and a porcupine LOL

 

Went to the animal museum, lunch was included and fun

hugged the sled pups

went on a dog cart ride...wonderful fun (was extra but worth it)

 

Loved loved our day and our guide

 

They are the number one tour guide on Trip Advisor

[tel2]

Hi! There are some earlier threads here that indicate that Dyea Dave has expressed reluctance and reservation when you try to reserve for children on his tours. So, if you have kids, you might want to read that thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1#post26246741

 

 

 

Terry

[TheCalicoCat]

Hi! There are some earlier threads here that indicate that Dyea Dave has expressed reluctance and reservation when you try to reserve for children on his tours. So, if you have kids, you might want to read that thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1#post26246741

 

 

 

Terry

 

I had this experience as well. We chose Beyond Skagway with Becky - better fit based on e-mail exchanges & she has a car seat for our son - I know some people don't trust other peoples car seats - I have bigger worries on my mind.

[Budget Queen]

I am contemplating the same thing. My understanding is that Chilkoot has their own train car assigned to them' date=' Dyea Dave does not. Does anyone know if this is true? I like the smaller group with Dyea Dave, but would prefer a "private" train car with fewer passengers. We are also looking at van/bus up and train back.[/quote']

 

Yes, Chilkoot does have a train "assigned" to them, with the reservations. this does NOT mean it is an exclusive contracted car, just for them. You never are with cruiseship passengers no matter who you independently book. Their cars are always separate. But, I personally have gone with Chilkoot and other people besides my group were in the same railroad car.

[Budget Queen]

& get stuck with food choices that you have no control over - yah not for me.

 

Have you chosen where you are eating?? Many of the independents as well as cruisetours, go to Caribou Crossing. There is also Spirit Lake, which can be slow service, but otherwise, you are looking at the gas station diner. About it.

[sharecruises]

We went to Caribou Crossing, Tom timed it so that the big tours were not there, we had the place to ourselves..food was pretty good, donuts were really good

 

I really really enjoyed the sled dogs <grin>

 

TNT was super with us....loved it

 

stopped where/when we wanted

got all the photo ops

 

Tom provided a lot of history info, even had pictures and historical stuff

printouts he passed around

 

"Skagway" means "windy place" <grin>

[TheCalicoCat]

Have you chosen where you are eating?? Many of the independents as well as cruisetours, go to Caribou Crossing. There is also Spirit Lake, which can be slow service, but otherwise, you are looking at the gas station diner. About it.

 

Becky is going to get us Vegeterian sanwiches.

[NRG]

Which side of the van should we sit on the way from Skagway to the Yukon for the best views?

[Budget Queen]

Which side of the van should we sit on the way from Skagway to the Yukon for the best views?

 

Right.

[NRG]

Right.

 

Thanks BQ for your quick response as always.

[lois1112]

I am thinking of booking with Chilkoot...which tour would you take? (I am going in September)

any comments on them? good or bad?

[ashbris]

We are looking at doing a driving tour and the train back. Do you HAVE to have a passport? 4 of us do and 4 of us don't.....Carnival only requires birth certificate and driver's license and now we don't have enough time to get a passport.....I think that is my next investment!

[Kamloops50]

We are looking at doing a driving tour and the train back. Do you HAVE to have a passport? 4 of us do and 4 of us don't.....Carnival only requires birth certificate and driver's license and now we don't have enough time to get a passport.....I think that is my next investment!

 

Some where on the Carnival site in the excursion section it will say

" Passports are required for tours that cross into Canada"

The problem is Canada doesn't require a passport but

the American WHTI ( Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) requires that passports are required to enter the US from other countries.

Because you are on a closed loop cruise from Seattle you don't require

a passport . To re-enter the US from Canada you'll require a passport a US requirement.

[Budget Queen]

We are looking at doing a driving tour and the train back. Do you HAVE to have a passport? 4 of us do and 4 of us don't.....Carnival only requires birth certificate and driver's license and now we don't have enough time to get a passport.....I think that is my next investment!

 

Yes you need passports. You have time to get an expedited passport.

[ISLABONITA]

Passport requirements in detail say a passport card for a US citizen is valid enough for entry into Canada and US and is $30 .

Check the government website.

If you also have an expired passport take it with you.

[ashbris]

Thanks to everyone that replied. I used the link and worked my way through what you needed to have on a closed loop cruise and this is the answer from US Custom & Borders page. Maybe it well help someone else also!

 

U.S. Citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country on the cruise with proof of citizenship, such as an original or copy of his or her birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) and, if 16 or older, a government issued photo ID. If the child is a newborn and the actual birth certificate has not arrived from the Vital Records Department, we will accept a Hospital issued birth certificate. The United States does not require you to have a passport. (A Consular report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State or a Certificate of Naturalization is also acceptable.)