Skagway-White Pass Rail

[gatorchinsky]

We have never been to Alaska so looking to book one of the 9 or 10 night Joy cruises either April 23, 2025 or September 19, 2025. Both of these cruise Glacier Bay which is something we really wanted. None of the other longer cruises in between these dates cruise Glacier Bay. My question is if we book either of these would the White Pass Rail train excursion be running since it’s in late April or mid to late September? Thx!

[shof515]

Yes the train is running according to their website. there schedule is late April to very early October

[FiremedicMike151]

53 minutes ago, gatorchinsky said:

We have never been to Alaska so looking to book one of the 9 or 10 night Joy cruises either April 23, 2025 or September 19, 2025. Both of these cruise Glacier Bay which is something we really wanted. None of the other longer cruises in between these dates cruise Glacier Bay. My question is if we book either of these would the White Pass Rail train excursion be running since it’s in late April or mid to late September? Thx!

Our Alaskan cruise was in October and the rail was running.  If you or your partner are at all into nature hikes, I highly recommend the rail excursion with hike.  The train stops midway up the mountain and you get off and head for a trail in the woods that will eventually lead to a glacier.

 

The only awkward thing about this excursion is that the train will drop you off at 0900ish and come and pick you back up, either at 1100hrs or 1600hrs.  The 1100 pick-up time is nowhere near long enough to get through the woods to see the glacier, and the 1600 pickup time was so much later that we turned around and went back.  So pack food, pack some toilet paper, pack some water, and go for it.  The scenery on this hike (even if you only do the 1100 pickup) is absolutely unmatched.  I have pictures on my phone that I took myself which could be in national geographic..

 

[mapleleaves]

contact the vendor directly regarding your specific excursion.

I'd go with the April date due to the amount of snow on the mountains would make the journey incredible, but the downside would be that emerald lake would probably still be iced over.  You imight also ask about the chance of a late opening date due to heavy snow? 

 

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway | Scenic Railway of the World (wpyr.com)

[LloydJr]

Last April, the train was running but not all the way to the top (due to snow).

[RocketMan275]

Book the VIP version.  Costs more but a far better experience.

[Smitheroo]

13 hours ago, gatorchinsky said:

We have never been to Alaska so looking to book one of the 9 or 10 night Joy cruises either April 23, 2025 or September 19, 2025. Both of these cruise Glacier Bay which is something we really wanted. None of the other longer cruises in between these dates cruise Glacier Bay. My question is if we book either of these would the White Pass Rail train excursion be running since it’s in late April or mid to late September? Thx!

My Alaska cruise on the Encore was the end of september, beginning of October and yes, we chose the Skagway-White Pass Excursion.

[littlelulu01]

This pic was taken May 20, 2023.  Still quite a bit of snow at the summit but we were able to do our train up to Canada and then bike down excursion. Have also done the train/bike excursion in September too and it was breathtaking with fall foliage. 
 

[RocketMan275]

8 hours ago, LloydJr said:

Far better?  How so?  Are the outstanding views any different?

Everyone in the VIP tour is in the same car and that car has a dedicated tour guide.  In the other cars, there is one guide for the entire train who narrates the tour over the loudspeaker.  In the VIP tour, you can interact with the guide and ask him specific question.  Instead of bench seats, you have cushioned easy chairs that rotate.  There are only 12 or so guests.  There are treats like sandwiches, cookies, etc.  Also, liquor, wine and beer.  Generally a much better experience.

[paradyne64]

Here are a couple of pics from the VIP car.

[gatorchinsky]

Thanks for the responses. I was just looking at NCL’s excursions for Skagway and counted 10 different excursions that include the White Pass Rail. Once we decide on April or September we’ll have to really look at all the different ones and also see if they will be options for our specific cruise.

[SoloAlaska]

50 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's not just the narration, it's also the ability to ask questions of the tour guide which is impossible if he is in another location.  I know it's a bit more than the 'coach' but it's a modest increase when you consider how much you're paying for the cruise.

Alaskan cruises aren’t necessarily a lot of money. I was able to use airline and credit card point to pay for flights and my hotel so my entire trip is costing $1000 and that’s traveling solo. So if you include a tip etc it’s almost 20% of my cruise to one excursion. If you have the money then spend it. The biggest benefit would be to have a larger viewing platform honestly. When it’s misty you really can’t see much out of the windows so being outside is the best spot, the regular cars only have standing room for a few people sadly.

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Alaskan cruises aren’t necessarily a lot of money. I was able to use airline and credit card point to pay for flights and my hotel so my entire trip is costing $1000 and that’s traveling solo. So if you include a tip etc it’s almost 20% of my cruise to one excursion. If you have the money then spend it. The biggest benefit would be to have a larger viewing platform honestly. When it’s misty you really can’t see much out of the windows so being outside is the best spot, the regular cars only have standing room for a few people sadly.

Your trip is costing more than $1000.  You could trade those points for cash so the value of the points should be added to the $1000.   Having a larger viewing area is one advantage of the VIP tour since you have the open air platform at both ends of the car which you're sharing with only 10 or 12 other passengers.  Also since there are so few passenges inside the VIP car, the windows are not prone to fogging over.

[SoloAlaska]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Your trip is costing more than $1000.  You could trade those points for cash so the value of the points should be added to the $1000.   Having a larger viewing area is one advantage of the VIP tour since you have the open air platform at both ends of the car which you're sharing with only 10 or 12 other passengers.  Also since there are so few passenges inside the VIP car, the windows are not prone to fogging over.

Cant trade airline points for cash. Credit card points ok you’re right I probably could have gotten $150 in cash. So you’re correct it’s $1150, still not the 10k others may easily spend on their Alaskan cruise. 

[Suetravel]

Hi there

 

can someone please tell me what is the name of the tour that include the VIP tour?

 

Would the golden nugget, sled dogs & exclusive scenic railway qualifies as the VIP tour with 12 people in the car with cushion seat? 

thanks

[shof515]

the VIP tour has the words VIP in the title:

[Suetravel]

Thank you 

shof515 and Lloydjr

 

i did not see that excision so it must have been sold out. What was the other for that tour?

[ggTexasGal]

11 hours ago, Suetravel said:

Thank you 

shof515 and Lloydjr

 

i did not see that excision so it must have been sold out. What was the other for that tour?

WHITE PASS SCENIC RAILWAY

[gatorchinsky]

Another question…This cruise would be a 9 night roundtrip from Seattle. For RT’s, which side, Port or Starboard, would you recommend for balcony cabin?

[cruiseny4life]

On 2/18/2024 at 10:57 AM, FiremedicMike151 said:

Our Alaskan cruise was in October and the rail was running.  If you or your partner are at all into nature hikes, I highly recommend the rail excursion with hike.  The train stops midway up the mountain and you get off and head for a trail in the woods that will eventually lead to a glacier.

 

The only awkward thing about this excursion is that the train will drop you off at 0900ish and come and pick you back up, either at 1100hrs or 1600hrs.  The 1100 pick-up time is nowhere near long enough to get through the woods to see the glacier, and the 1600 pickup time was so much later that we turned around and went back.  So pack food, pack some toilet paper, pack some water, and go for it.  The scenery on this hike (even if you only do the 1100 pickup) is absolutely unmatched.  I have pictures on my phone that I took myself which could be in national geographic..

 

Wow! Thank you!!! The 9 - 4 hiking option sounds absolutely stunning. I had no idea. When I get back to Alaska I'll definitely be looking for this option. I so appreciate you mentioning this!!!

[FiremedicMike151]

19 hours ago, gatorchinsky said:

Another question…This cruise would be a 9 night roundtrip from Seattle. For RT’s, which side, Port or Starboard, would you recommend for balcony cabin?

We splurged for an aft balcony after numerous people suggested it.  While we didn’t spend a ton of time out there due to weather (it rained nearly half our cruise), it was worth it to be able to see without worrying about which side of the ship we were on.