White Pass RW timing in Skagway

[lawladybug1014]

Cruising RCCL Ovation OTS in September 2023.  Looking into excursions.  Will have my husband and 3 kids with me.  Cheaper to book White Pass direct versus extra $200 through cruiseline.  Problem is timing.  We leave Skagway at 5:00 p.m.  Only time available direct is 1:00 p.m.  If I book through cruiseline I can book 9:00 a.m.  Worried we won't make it back to the ship in time for 5:00 departure or cutting it close.  Any advice?  

[jean-lynd]

If it was me I would book through the cruiseline.  I would not be able to enjoy the excursion because I would be watching my watch the whole time and worrying about missing the ship.

[martincath]

Railroad is also bookable through various indies, e.g. Chilkoot, who are also cheaper than cruiseline-booked in my experience - see if you can get an earlier slot that way maybe? Also, if this is just the 'summit' ride, up and back without getting off, unless something goes wrong with the train or the tracks it will be very much on time as there are no stations, no issues with freight trains etc. like Amtrak/VIA suffer from - so a 3 hour trip will either have a very small chance of a disaster you can't possibly make a sensible plan around, or be basically on-time which means walking back to the ship by recommended 30mins before departure should be fine...

 

Also, have you checked whether you could book the 1pm train via the cruiseline? If so, whether you book independently or not there will be cruise pax on the 1pm train, so if there is a delay the ship might wait for those folks anyway...

[lawladybug1014]

On 1/10/2024 at 12:58 PM, martincath said:

Railroad is also bookable through various indies, e.g. Chilkoot, who are also cheaper than cruiseline-booked in my experience - see if you can get an earlier slot that way maybe? Also, if this is just the 'summit' ride, up and back without getting off, unless something goes wrong with the train or the tracks it will be very much on time as there are no stations, no issues with freight trains etc. like Amtrak/VIA suffer from - so a 3 hour trip will either have a very small chance of a disaster you can't possibly make a sensible plan around, or be basically on-time which means walking back to the ship by recommended 30mins before departure should be fine...

 

Also, have you checked whether you could book the 1pm train via the cruiseline? If so, whether you book independently or not there will be cruise pax on the 1pm train, so if there is a delay the ship might wait for those folks anyway...

Nope.  Only 9 a.m. from the cruiseline.  That's another reason I'm worried.  I think I've decided to just eat the $200 for peace of mind.

[Coral]

You may want to look at a combo tour (bus/train) through Chilkoot. Since the train is the same view both directions.

 

How old are your kids?

[WELDON]

I was going to ask the same question as Coral. How old are your kids? I took the train because I heard so much about it. I was so bored I could not wait to get off.  I honestly don't think kids would enjoy being on the train for hours with nothing to do. There are other excursions in Skagway that would be more fun for kids.