Chilkoot Charters & Tours in Skagway

[Alaskacruiser08]

Has anyone taken one of these tours. I am intersted in the bus and White Pass Summit Rail Excursion. It is a lot cheaper than on the cruise. I just wanted to know if any one has heard of them or has taken this tour. Please HELP....

 

Alaskacruiser08:confused:

[australian_girl]

There is tons of info about this company on this board if you search for Chilkoot Charters. :) It's a highly recommended excursion. I booked with them independently.

[vbmom87]

Has anyone taken one of these tours. I am intersted in the bus and White Pass Summit Rail Excursion. It is a lot cheaper than on the cruise. I just wanted to know if any one has heard of them or has taken this tour. Please HELP....

 

Alaskacruiser08:confused:

 

The company is highly recommended on these boards. Many people seem to like the trips where you take the train up, then board a small bus, head to the Yukon with a stop at Emerald Lake and then return back to Skagway via the bus. As suggested, if you do a search within the Alaska Forum, you will find a lot of information about the company. I have been reading this board for months and can't recall one negative comment about the company.

[karatemom2]

We were very pleased with our excursion with Chilkoot Charters. We took the train up one direction and then a van back with stops at Emerald Lake and Caribou Crossing as well as numerous scenic stops along the way. I would recommend them.

[NancyIL]

We took Chilkoot Charters' 7-hour rail/bus trip to the Yukon, and it was my favorite excursion of the cruise. I originally booked the shorter trip to the Summit (actually, Fraser, BC) and back, but I'm very glad I changed my mind and switched to one of the longer excursions.

[GORDONCHICK]

We did the 7hr Yukon rail & bus tour in September and loved it. We had a couple with us who had been to Alaska four times before, but doesn't get on cruise critic. The man argued with me that we could do a tour like I was explaining to him, but I showed him all the reviews on here and so they booked to go with us. He just raved about the tour and our guide, Amity. He said it was one of the absolute best excursions he'd ever done (not just in Alaska) and now has joked about me booking their excursions for their QM2 cruise in September. I told him to give me his credit card, and I'd fix him right up. Anyway, I would highly recommend Chilkoot for the Yukon tour!

[cjnky]

Isn't Amity an absolute sweetheart?!! I felt like she went way above and beyond the call of duty on our tour. We took the shorter tour, and loved it, but if I had it to do over I'd have gone on up to the Yukon.

[kk-l]

Has anyone taken one of these tours. I am intersted in the bus and White Pass Summit Rail Excursion. It is a lot cheaper than on the cruise. I just wanted to know if any one has heard of them or has taken this tour. Please HELP....

 

Alaskacruiser08:confused:

 

We are on the Cruise West tour into Skagway. Is it possible to take the independent tour by Chilkoot Charters and still get back to the ship in time? We are first time cruisers so the cruiser structure is unfamiliar. I tried to get the arrival and departure times for the CW ship and was given a vague answer of about 8am arrival and about 5pm departure each day. Apparently small ships do not have as structured a time schedule as the big ships. I've also read about "Dave" on the forums who apparently prefers people who don't plan ahead and upon arrival will structure his "tour" depending on the weather.

[cjnky]

If I were you, I'd call Chilkoot and get their opinion - I'm sure they've faced this question many times. But I'm also sure Dave would give you a great tour if you can't work things out with Chilkoot. ;)

[Beaniemom59]

We will be in Skagway on September 15th. Does Chilkoot do the Yukon Rail Bus tour that late in September? Also, do you know what the cost is for this excursion? Thanks.

[australian_girl]

The 7hr trip is appx $166pp + 5% tax.

[GORDONCHICK]

We will be in Skagway on September 15th. Does Chilkoot do the Yukon Rail Bus tour that late in September? Also, do you know what the cost is for this excursion? Thanks.

 

Our tour last year was on 9/17/07.

 

And I loved Amity, but I'm sure all their guides are wonderful. She's been going up there for the past three seasons to work for them.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for the info about your web site, Dave. My ship goes to Haines instead of Skagway in 2008, but here's hoping for another visit to Skagway in 2009!

[txracefan]

I just booked the 7hr trip,the total cost was $174.00

[txracefan]

I just booked the 7hr trip,the total cost was $174.00

[antsp]

i cannot find the price on the website can anyone direct me to it, also how much was the sled riding

[derberg]

The email i got from them.

------------------

1) White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion

Duration: 3.5 Hours

Departure: 7:30AM & 12:00PM

Cost: $118.65 Adult $76.65 Child (12 & Under)

Itinerary: 1 3/4 hours on train to White Pass Summit & Fraser by train - Return to Skagway by bus (This tour operates in reverse order at 8:30AM & 1:00PM)

;

2) Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion

Duration: 7 Hours

Departure: 7:30AM

Cost: $174.30 Adult $114.45 Child (12 & Under)

Lunch: Caribou Crossing Trading Post/Yukon Wildlife Museum/Husky Puppy Camp/Lunch Included

Itinerary: Skagway/White Pass Summit/Fraser by train - 1 3/4 hours on train to Fraser, Fraser to Carcross & Emerald Lake and return to Skagway by bus

3) Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion With 15-Minute Dogsled Ride

Same as #2 above only dogsled ride is included in this package

Cost: $208.95 Adults $153.30 Child (12 & Under)

4) Skagway/Carcross Rail & Bus Excursion

Duration: 9 Hours

Departure: 7:30AM

Cost: $229 Adult $146 Child (12 & Under)

Lunch: Lake Bennett Train Depot dining hall/Parks Canada Interpretive Displays/Lunch Included

Itinerary: 2 1/2 hours on train to White Pass Summit, Fraser & Lake Bennett – 1 1/2 hours for lunch and layover at Lake Bennett – 2 hours by train to Carcross – Carcross to Emerald Lake and return to Skagway by bus

(This excursion operates in the reverse order on Wednesday and Sunday.)

Courtesy transportation is provided to and from all cruise ship docks in Skagway.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any further questions. Reservations may be made by visiting our web site at www.alaskatoursales.com and completing our online reservation form. Once we receive a reservation request, we will respond with an email confirmation that includes meeting and pickup instructions.

--------------

[Sumy]

The 7hr trip is appx $166pp + 5% tax.

 

Hi Rachel,

 

Looks like we will be on the same tour. My Husband and I are on the same cruise you're on and we are about to book the 7hour Chilkoot tour.

[Costafox]

We did the 7 hour bus/train excursion with Chilkoot in May and it really was one of the highlights of a fantastic trip. They are a very professional and well organised outfit - you will have a great tour.

 

Best Wishes

 

Gill

[Nan59]

We too did the 7 hour with Chilkoot Charters. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We especially like the smaller bus with the ability to stop along the road whenever we wanted. Stopped to watch a bear on the side of the road that the Princess bus flew by.

[oldmedic]

we would also strongly recommend Chilkoot Charters.... you cas see some of my pics from our April 08 cruise (PP.14-21 of the folder) at: http://www.oldmedic.smugmug.com

[G'day mate]

Costafox ...

 

If you could, would you fill me in on what to expect weather-wise for cruising Alaska in May. We are booked on the Coral Princess for May 25/09 ... and not quite sure what to expect. Please tell me the temps were fairly well tolerated with lots of sunshine !!!! (keeping my fingers crossed) Pleaseeeeee .....

 

Also ... can anyone recommend which tour to take out of Seward. We will have a few days there and are definitely taking the Kenai Fjords tour, without question since that seems to be a favourite. However, not sure about the Prince Wm Sound tour vs the 21 Glacier Cruise (Is is 21 or 27 ... not sure). The 21 Glacier cruise sounds like you're getting alot for you money ... but I almost get the impression with the high-speed boats that their main goal is to simply show you all the glaciers the quickest way they can .... can't leave much time for patiently viewing the calving I don't imagine, and the high speed boats would add to the chill of the day in May. The Prince Wm Sound tour takes in only a handful of glaciers, but seems to have time to spend at each of them. Third option is .... Is there enough difference between the two (since the routes are similar) to warrant taking both tours, if time allows?

 

Would love feedback regarding this issue.

[Costafox]

G'Day Mate

We were on the 14 day repositioning cruise that left San Francisco for Alaska on 3rd May.

The bad news is that we only had 2 rainy days - when we were in Sitka and Icy Strait Point.

The good news is that the other days were dry but mostly cloudy - we did have beautiful sunshine when we did the White Pass Rail/Bus trip with Chilkoot Charters in Skagway - the sunshine was on the return bus trip.

The other day with beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures was the day we were sailing through the inside passage

 

The only time we actually felt chilled was in the rain with a very cold windand both times it was when we were waiting to catch a tender to return to the ship, otherwise we were fine. My advice is to dress in several layers and they you can take off and put on as appropriate for the conditions!

 

We had a wonderful trip and I hope that you do too.

 

Best Wishes

 

Gill

[jacksan1]

Amity is great. We love her (east coast) sense of humor. A very intelligent person she is too. Is she back this year?

[adverb]

We will be in Skagway on September 15th. Does Chilkoot do the Yukon Rail Bus tour that late in September? Also, do you know what the cost is for this excursion? Thanks.

 

We are going to be in Skagway on the 15th too!!

 

Which tour did you decide to do? Both of the train ones look very cool. I guess I can skip the dog ride since it's not actually on the snow.