Dyea Dave in Skagway?

[alaskanewcruiser]

Well, count me in as one that's having great difficulty getting a hold of him. .I've emailed (from both comcast and gmail in case of spam issues) and called .. Im truly thinking by now he's booked for our June 9th trip into Skagway.

 

Im now debating between the full trip (train to Carcross and motorcoach back) through the White Pass or .the similar trip through chilkoot tours. but I know nothing of either of those

[Minoushka]

I booked with Dave for July so please post all info on your trip to the Yukon .Because we are doing BTB on Spirit we booked him twice once to DYEA and some other coast and the other to the Yukon .Looking forward to it

 

Michele

[hisrinee]

I booked with Dave for July so please post all info on your trip to the Yukon .Because we are doing BTB on Spirit we booked him twice once to DYEA and some other coast and the other to the Yukon .Looking forward to it

 

Michele

Could you please let us know what date you had booked him. Does he take booking or how he confirms the booking? Does he take card or cash? how do we know he is not overbooked any website to check?

[kenish]

My comments from our tour with DD last summer:

 

- All communication is via email or phone. He does not have an online booking website. By his own admission he's sometimes slow at replying to email, his sister is the cyber-savvy one. Since cruise season has started they will both be out all day. I would try calling between 5-8pm Skagway time.

 

- His van is about 10-12 passenger.

 

- Cash only, we didn't know and were slightly embarassed to not have enough cash for a full tip. We had to stop by an ATM and leave it on his doorstep later.

 

HTH.

[ute_fan]

Well, count me in as one that's having great difficulty getting a hold of him. .I've emailed (from both comcast and gmail in case of spam issues) and called .. Im truly thinking by now he's booked for our June 9th trip into Skagway.

 

Im now debating between the full trip (train to Carcross and motorcoach back) through the White Pass or .the similar trip through chilkoot tours. but I know nothing of either of those

 

Never used Dyea Dave, but we did the full train trip that I think you're describing a couple of years ago. We went by bus from Skagway to Carcross, boarded the train in Carcross and clear back to Skagway on the train. We booked through NCL, but there were folks on the train with us who had booked through Chilkoot, and I'd recommend using Chilkoot. Nice, small buses (ours was a regular sized tour bus) with big windows for viewing.

 

Lunch was served at the train depot in Lake Bennett, and we had about an hour to look around at Bennett. It was a wonderful, but LONG, excursion.

 

Here's a picture from Lake Bennett to give you an idea:

 

[Minoushka]

Someone on our roll call July 8 wrote to me and gave me dave'snumber and he has a website with his number -google his name Leave a message .He did call back

He was very nice so I'm hoping for the best .Reaaly want to go to the YUKON as a proud Canadian .I hear the sites are fabulous from train or road!!!

[pjfarkel]

My phone rang at 10:45p PDT and we thought "who the heck is calling at this time" and it was DAVE! He thought we were leaving May 23, but it is August 23...and we booked the "bus" for $600 for up to 16 people (I think we'll have around 12 - so that still makes the 6-7 hr. tour $50pp). We are skipping the train as we have a 2 yr. old with us and if he gets cranky, we don't want to upset others on the train. Dave was wonderful - says we can customize this tour to stop where we want, he makes suggestions for where to have lunch and so on. Yes, we originally had our hearts set on the historic train ride into the Yukon with lunch in the gold mine camp, but Dave says some of the train rails are in disrepair and the train isn't running that far. Also, hum...the ship wants $295pp for the entire tour and we can have a private bus for $50pp, adding lunch - GREAT DEAL DAVE - THANKS!!! Can't wait!!!

[Driftwoodgal]

We just got back from our tour with Dave and had a wonderful time. I liked the relaxed unrushed pace that we had with him. He suggested that we not be set on riding the train up or down as the weather would/could change and we would have a better ride up or down depending on the day we arrived in port. When we arrived in port the mountain was completely socked in so he suggested that we take the van trip up to the lake and the return on the train. Others in the van chose to ride up as well as down with him. He has added another van and driver to his tours. All of them seemed happy as clams when they stopped to eat luch too.

 

The lake was frozen, so we didn't get to see all of the colors, but I can say I say it frozen. We didn't get to see Caribo or bears, but we did see sheep and gotats. Others did get to see Caribo, but bears were just starting to come out due to the late snow fall this year. The train down was beautiful, the sun had come out and we had fantastic views as the trees are fully foilaged.

 

Dave even met us at the end of the train ride and offered us a ride back to the ship. We wanted to see some of the shops, and of course needed the extra calorie burning so passed on his offer

 

I would use Dave again on our next trip. It was nice that he could pull his smaller van over when we wanted to take pictures. The larger cruise ship vans weren't permitted to pull over unless they had a larger area.

 

Can't beat the tour. The train is not running past Carcross as they are working on the bridge. Sorry I can't remember what date it will open, but it is definitely closed in until later in the year.

 

The independent tour operators have their own rail car on the train. We had six of us on our rail car, we had it to ourselves.

 

Please ask any questions that you have and I will try to respond.

[pjfarkel]

We just got back from our tour with Dave and had a wonderful time. I liked the relaxed unrushed pace that we had with him. He suggested that we not be set on riding the train up or down as the weather would/could change and we would have a better ride up or down depending on the day we arrived in port. When we arrived in port the mountain was completely socked in so he suggested that we take the van trip up to the lake and the return on the train. Others in the van chose to ride up as well as down with him. He has added another van and driver to his tours. All of them seemed happy as clams when they stopped to eat luch too.

 

The lake was frozen, so we didn't get to see all of the colors, but I can say I say it frozen. We didn't get to see Caribo or bears, but we did see sheep and gotats. Others did get to see Caribo, but bears were just starting to come out due to the late snow fall this year. The train down was beautiful, the sun had come out and we had fantastic views as the trees are fully foilaged.

 

Dave even met us at the end of the train ride and offered us a ride back to the ship. We wanted to see some of the shops, and of course needed the extra calorie burning so passed on his offer

 

I would use Dave again on our next trip. It was nice that he could pull his smaller van over when we wanted to take pictures. The larger cruise ship vans weren't permitted to pull over unless they had a larger area.

 

Can't beat the tour. The train is not running past Carcross as they are working on the bridge. Sorry I can't remember what date it will open, but it is definitely closed in until later in the year.

 

The independent tour operators have their own rail car on the train. We had six of us on our rail car, we had it to ourselves.

 

Please ask any questions that you have and I will try to respond.

Thanks so much for this post! I am sold - Dyea Dave it is. Our group of 12 are picture-a-holics and it always bothers me that on the big ship tours there isn't a lot of "pullover" time and just too many people.

[StarTrkGeek]

Well, count me in as one that's having great difficulty getting a hold of him. .I've emailed (from both comcast and gmail in case of spam issues) and called .. Im truly thinking by now he's booked for our June 9th trip into Skagway.

 

Im now debating between the full trip (train to Carcross and motorcoach back) through the White Pass or .the similar trip through chilkoot tours. but I know nothing of either of those

I booked with him in February for our June trip, and he only had 2 spots left. So, we got lucky.

[Driftwoodgal]

Then he is the right man for you, as he will let you take a picture of everything except the customs building at the border.

 

He is a rare jewel of a tour operator. One other note, he paid for lunch at our stop in Canada for us. We then just paid him the US exchange rate for us so we didn't have to have Canadian dollars. We stayed in Vancouver a couple of extra days after our cruise and found that he gave us a very fare exchange rate on our dollar. Wish I could remember the name of the place, but the food was really good.

[StarTrkGeek]

Then he is the right man for you, as he will let you take a picture of everything except the customs building at the border.

 

He is a rare jewel of a tour operator. One other note, he paid for lunch at our stop in Canada for us. We then just paid him the US exchange rate for us so we didn't have to have Canadian dollars. We stayed in Vancouver a couple of extra days after our cruise and found that he gave us a very fare exchange rate on our dollar. Wish I could remember the name of the place, but the food was really good.

What town did you eat lunch in?

[cc_double]

We did a full day tour with Dave May 10th and had a fabulous time, we would reccomend to everyone interested in doing a tour with Dave go ahead, you'll come away from the day out feeling very satisfied and feel like you've really seen something so very different to what you would see on the typical Ships Tours of Skagway (as ive also done that), he is very knowledgable and a very friendly person, we were able to stop and start for photos and were even fortunate enough to pull up along the roadside and see a bear (which is very unusual for the time of year, that we were there)! Dave knows all the great photo stops along the way. We stopped for lunch at at Carcross at a Roadside cafe, and had great burgers, there was a little shop with it where you could get all types of other snacks and drinks. You'll need Canadian Currency with you when you go on your day out with Dave for the lunch as you are over the Border

[islandersx4]

Then he is the right man for you, as he will let you take a picture of everything except the customs building at the border.

 

He is a rare jewel of a tour operator. One other note, he paid for lunch at our stop in Canada for us. We then just paid him the US exchange rate for us so we didn't have to have Canadian dollars. We stayed in Vancouver a couple of extra days after our cruise and found that he gave us a very fare exchange rate on our dollar. Wish I could remember the name of the place, but the food was really good.

 

Your post is so very timely as I try to decide what to do. I have Dave booked. Per his suggestion I am waiting until I arrive to determine train or not. However: What I can'tdetermine is how does one take the train halfway? Where is the halfway point and how much was it pp? Which tour is it? Thank you so much for answering. I am excited about Dave. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him.

[pjfarkel]

Did you try this email address: dyeadave@msn.com

I know he got the email, as I sent it Monday and he called me late!!! on Wed night.

Try again. Put your tour date in the subject line. Good luck!

[islandersx4]

How would one get Canadian Currency? Does the ship exchange?

[Driftwoodgal]

Your post is so very timely as I try to decide what to do. I have Dave booked. Per his suggestion I am waiting until I arrive to determine train or not. However: What I can'tdetermine is how does one take the train halfway? Where is the halfway point and how much was it pp? Which tour is it? Thank you so much for answering. I am excited about Dave. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him.

 

I too was confused about this before we took the tour. You will either take the train up and get off the train at the border, or you will ride the van up with Dave and take the train back. Dave took us through town and then up the highway, making stops along the way, ending up at Emerald Lake. We stopped for lunch and as I posted earlier, Dave paid for lunch in Canadian and we paid him in US dollars. We didn't buy any snacks in the store so can't post about that. You might email Dave and see if he would rather you have CAN dollars. We got our passports stamped in Carcross but we boarded the train right outside the border crossing. You will buy your train ticket in town BEFORE you leave on your tour, so be sure to let Dave know that you are riding the train back so you can get your ticket.

 

The cost of the tickets were $81 pp.

[Driftwoodgal]

What town did you eat lunch in?

 

 

It wasn't a town, it was a convience store with a restaurant. Had great food though, the portions were huge.

[bqkali]

Thanks everyone for the great reviews! Now I really can't wait for my tour with Dave :D

[Driftwoodgal]

We did a full day tour with Dave May 10th and had a fabulous time, we would reccomend to everyone interested in doing a tour with Dave go ahead, you'll come away from the day out feeling very satisfied and feel like you've really seen something so very different to what you would see on the typical Ships Tours of Skagway (as ive also done that), he is very knowledgable and a very friendly person, we were able to stop and start for photos and were even fortunate enough to pull up along the roadside and see a bear (which is very unusual for the time of year, that we were there)! Dave knows all the great photo stops along the way. We stopped for lunch at at Carcross at a Roadside cafe, and had great burgers, there was a little shop with it where you could get all types of other snacks and drinks. You'll need Canadian Currency with you when you go on your day out with Dave for the lunch as you are over the Border

 

I am jealous we were with him on the 9th.....;) No bears for us, but we did get some great shots of big horn sheep.

[cantw8togo]

Can anyone confirm that he doesn't take credit cards, cash only? How many people were travelling in the van with you? We have booked him for a day in mid June, and there are 6 of us in our party. Will there likely be others joning us in the van? We have requested the train trip and a side trip to the ghost town of Dyea, where he assures us that my MIL will see bald eagles and a "million wildflowers in bloom".

 

I can't wait!

 

Thanks,

 

N.

[macnife]

We did a full day tour with Dave May 10th and had a fabulous time, we would reccomend to everyone interested in doing a tour with Dave go ahead, you'll come away from the day out feeling very satisfied and feel like you've really seen something so very different to what you would see on the typical Ships Tours of Skagway (as ive also done that), he is very knowledgable and a very friendly person, we were able to stop and start for photos and were even fortunate enough to pull up along the roadside and see a bear (which is very unusual for the time of year, that we were there)! Dave knows all the great photo stops along the way. We stopped for lunch at at Carcross at a Roadside cafe, and had great burgers, there was a little shop with it where you could get all types of other snacks and drinks. You'll need Canadian Currency with you when you go on your day out with Dave for the lunch as you are over the Border

 

Do you know if the places you stopped at in Canada took credit cards, or currency only?

[Driftwoodgal]

Dave just takes cash only, not sure if the restaurant took credit cards or not it is a gas station too so they might.

 

There were eight of us in the van, we all had plenty of room. I believe the van holds up to 14, it was perfect with tons of room with just the eight of us though.

[des_from_oz]

We are also booked with Dave in June. I did not consider the train trip, I was planning on going up and back with Dave.

 

Those of yiou that have been each way with Dave/Train - did you feel the cost of the train ticket was worth it - is the scenery better from the train than the road.

Thanks

Des

[pjfarkel]

Can anyone confirm that he doesn't take credit cards, cash only? How many people were travelling in the van with you? We have booked him for a day in mid June, and there are 6 of us in our party. Will there likely be others joning us in the van? We have requested the train trip and a side trip to the ghost town of Dyea, where he assures us that my MIL will see bald eagles and a "million wildflowers in bloom".

 

I can't wait!

 

Thanks,

 

N.

We booked the entire bus. (He has a van and a bus.) The bus was $600 up to 14 people. We have 8-12 (not sure yet) and this way no one else will be on it with us. We did this so if the 2 yr old acts up, he won't ruin the trip for anyone else. We need 10 to break even at his $60pp rate and we are fine with that. (The van is $500 for the day, but we have some elderly people and the bus is easier to get on/off.) If you book individually, he will fill up each vehicle with others. It just depends how many reservations he gets for any particular day.