Dyea Dave in Skagway?

[phantomII]

We just recently returned from Alaska and although we did not book with Dave (we decided to rent a car and do our own thing) - we saw Dave at the pier waiting for his group and spoke with him there. We also saw him several times along the way as his route was the same we were taking. He actually thought we were on his tour only in a different vehicle. At one of the stops later is when he found out we were not on his tour and we all got a good chuckle over it. We found him to be extremely friendly and helpful. He even told us where to look to see a bear on our way back. We looked where he said and we did see the bear. I would not hesitate to book a tour with him if I had the chance.:D

 

Nancy:)

I am thinking about renting a car in Skagway too since there are going to be 5 ships in port that day. So how did the car rental go and where did you go in it? I was thinking of driving all the way to Whitehorse.

[COJOMAY]

We are booked to Dyea with DAVE on the 12th??????Is that possible????

 

 

Michele

 

His wife will probably take you to Dyea. She does the shorter trips and around town tours. Dave usually does the longer trips.

[Sammy1]

We are booked to Dyea with DAVE on the 12th??????Is that possible????

 

 

Michele

 

Hi Michele,

 

Four of us booked Dyea Dave for an Emerald Lake Tour on July 12. This is after HAL switched our arrival on the Ryndam in Skagway from July 13 to 12. The port manifest hasn't been updated, so Dave says he booked others for a tour on the 12th as well, but will send someone else to take us if our ship does in fact dock there on the 12th. :confused:

 

Our ship is scheduled to dock at 11:00 a.m. - what time does yours?

 

Sam

[Minoushka]

Hi Michele,

 

Four of us booked Dyea Dave for an Emerald Lake Tour on July 12. This is after HAL switched our arrival on the Ryndam in Skagway from July 13 to 12. The port manifest hasn't been updated, so Dave says he booked others for a tour on the 12th as well, but will send someone else to take us if our ship does in fact dock there on the 12th. :confused:

 

Our ship is scheduled to dock at 11:00 a.m. - what time does yours?

 

Sam

 

WE are on Spirit from 7 to 5 pm .We are 7 I believe

[Trailblazer99]

I have now also emailed M&M and they say that they may be able to sort something for me.

 

Be aware that M&M is just a reservation service - they don't run tours.

[isleptwell]

We just returned from our cruise and our excursion with Dyea Dave's company. Becky was our driver, and she was delightful. I highly recommend her. She was completely flexible and helped us do whatever we wished. There were four couples in our van, each of which booked this excursion separately. We got along very well and Becky was a big reason why we all mixed together so well. She is not a character the way Dave is, but is friendly, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is easy to get to know. We enjoyed our time with her very much.

 

Some in our van were avid photographers. Others wanted to hike. So we stopped at many, many scenic overlooks and hiked around a bit at Emerald Lake (not commonly done, as far as we could tell).

 

As for the bathroom question, there are not many available in that area, but Becky knows where they all are. She will offer to stop anytime one is available.

 

Lunch at the widow's restaurant was particularly special because members of our group invited her (the widow) to sit and chat while they ate. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere very much. It was quite authentic and I was happy to give her our business.

 

We took the van both ways. If you are pretty sure you want to take the train back, let the driver know early so you can plan some stops at scenic overlooks on the way there. Usually, they only stop on the way back.

 

I was very glad we had not booked an early morning train. It was rainy and foggy in the morning and we would not have seem much if we had taken the train.

 

Please know that Emerald Lake is usually viewed from a scenic overlook along the road. If you want to take a walk there (or anywhere), ask Becky (or your driver) if it would be possible.

[Lennycpa]

Phantom II

How do you figure out how many ships will be in port at each port??

[pizzalady1]

Phantom II

How do you figure out how many ships will be in port at each port??

 

This will tell you the ships at each Alaskan port

http://www.claalaska.com/schedules.html

[isleptwell]

Uggh. You are so right. I did not remember the name of the restaurant or its owner, but it does come off sounding horrible. So, so sorry.

 

I can't figure out how to edit my post (I think its too late) or I'd change it right now.

[saibari]

I emailed Dave a couple of weeks ago and did not get a response. I had read that this is sometimes the case and figured he was booked. However, I then received a reply in which he asked if I had received his other emails. I had not. In my reply to him, I gave him my phone number and he called me the next morning. We got the last 3 spots for a tour in early August. He seemed very personable and commented that he sometimes has trouble receiving and replying to emails. He didn't know why. Perhaps spam filters are to blame?

 

I was glad I hadn't already made other plans as I've read nothing but raves from those who have gone on his tours. We plan on riding the van up to Emerald Lake and taking the train back. We're looking forward to it!

[Teknofauz]

I am thinking about renting a car in Skagway too since there are going to be 5 ships in port that day. So how did the car rental go and where did you go in it? I was thinking of driving all the way to Whitehorse.

 

We rented through Avis. I think that is the only choice. The Avis rental car place is located in town, which is not that far of a walk. I would definitely get there as soon as possible as there was a fairly long line the day we rented and the process seemed to take awhile. We used Murray's Guide (*****************). One of the times we ran into Dave he said we didn't need to pay the $5.00 for Murrays Guide - that we could have gotten something like it for free in town, but I'm still glad we did get Murrays Guide since I don't know where Dave said we could get it for free and we wouldn't have wanted to mess with it anyway. It's a very easy drive and it was nice doing it at our own pace. I will say it was nice running into Dave so many times and getting his input to stuff too. We had originally planned on going up to Whitehorse, but after talking to Dave we ended up stopping at Emerald Lake and turning around to grab a bite to eat. I'm glad we did it that way because we had enough time to do some shopping in Skagway.

 

If you have any more questions, please ask. I'll make sure I check back sooner than I did now.

 

Enjoy your time in Alaska - it's a trip we will definitely take again.

 

Nancy:)

[Trailblazer99]

One of the times we ran into Dave he said we didn't need to pay the $5.00 for Murrays Guide - that we could have gotten something like it for free in town, but I'm still glad we did get Murrays Guide since I don't know where Dave said we could get it for free and we wouldn't have wanted to mess with it anyway.

 

On one of Murray's pages about the highway ( http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike.html ) he gives a link to the free 4-page highway guide, which is online. It's also in the tourist paper available in Skagway. As with most things, you get what you pay for :)

[wigwam12]

Be aware that M&M is just a reservation service - they don't run tours.

 

Thanks

He did say he was checking with a couple of Tour Operators they have arrangements with

[Teknofauz]

We rented through Avis. I think that is the only choice. The Avis rental car place is located in town, which is not that far of a walk. I would definitely get there as soon as possible as there was a fairly long line the day we rented and the process seemed to take awhile. We used Murray's Guide (*****************). One of the times we ran into Dave he said we didn't need to pay the $5.00 for Murrays Guide - that we could have gotten something like it for free in town, but I'm still glad we did get Murrays Guide since I don't know where Dave said we could get it for free and we wouldn't have wanted to mess with it anyway. It's a very easy drive and it was nice doing it at our own pace. I will say it was nice running into Dave so many times and getting his input to stuff too. We had originally planned on going up to Whitehorse, but after talking to Dave we ended up stopping at Emerald Lake and turning around to grab a bite to eat. I'm glad we did it that way because we had enough time to do some shopping in Skagway.

 

If you have any more questions, please ask. I'll make sure I check back sooner than I did now.

 

Enjoy your time in Alaska - it's a trip we will definitely take again.

 

Nancy:)

 

I guess I wasn't suppose to give a web address. CC * out my web address for Murray's Guide. You can go to a search engine and get it that way.

 

Nancy:)

[sbflcruiser]

We have just returned from our trip to Alaska, and booked with Dave up to Emerald Lke. We had 17 from our group going, so part of our group was with Dave in the Van and part of the group was with Becky in the Bus, there were 2 other couples in the Bus with Becky. From all accounts, one trip was as good as the other, each has there own personality that makes this trip very special. One of the couples stated they did the train on a previous trip and found they saw much more and the flexibility of stopping with wildlife or to take photos, was a much better experience.

 

So if you are able, I would highly recommend Dave's tour when in Skagway.

[kidnk9]

His wife will probably take you to Dyea. She does the shorter trips and around town tours. Dave usually does the longer trips.

 

Dave is not married but does have his sister give tours also. Both are extremelly nice and informative people! You WILL NOT go wrong with them. Dave also wants everyone to know that as busy as he is right now, he does not always have time to answer all his emails although he tries his best. He would call people during the day also but while traveling to the Yukon there is no cell service.

We just returned from our cruise and spent June 15th with Dave. I woudl do it all the same if I went again. You cannot go wrong with Dave and no one else could compare! What an awesome day!

[travelbuds]

....We just returned from our cruise and spent June 15th with Dave. I woudl do it all the same if I went again. You cannot go wrong with Dave and no one else could compare! What an awesome day!

Hi Karyn,

Sorry we missed you at the M&M. We are planning to do another cruise and just trying to get some ideas. Dave was on our short list of excursions in Skagway. Decided to do the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari canoe trip instead, and also took a quick trip on the train to end the day.

Bruce

[COJOMAY]

Dave is not married but does have his sister give tours also. Both are extremelly nice and informative people! You WILL NOT go wrong with them. Dave also wants everyone to know that as busy as he is right now, he does not always have time to answer all his emails although he tries his best. He would call people during the day also but while traveling to the Yukon there is no cell service.

We just returned from our cruise and spent June 15th with Dave. I woudl do it all the same if I went again. You cannot go wrong with Dave and no one else could compare! What an awesome day!

 

I should have remembered that. Gads, he talked about his sister alot and even drove by her house. Thanks for reminding me he isn't married. LOL

[kidnk9]

Hi Karyn,

Sorry we missed you at the M&M. We are planning to do another cruise and just trying to get some ideas. Dave was on our short list of excursions in Skagway. Decided to do the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari canoe trip instead, and also took a quick trip on the train to end the day.

Bruce

 

We were sorry we missed the M&M also. We got caught up in standing out on the bow of the ship taking in the sights on our way to the glacier, the glacier, and leaving the glacier. We stood for over 3 hours in the same place. No body movement became very cold but was well worth it!

Karyn

 

P.S. We LOVED Dave! I would recommend him over and over! It was awesome along with his personality, sincerity, and professionalism! What a genuinely good person!

[kidnk9]

I should have remembered that. Gads, he talked about his sister alot and even drove by her house. Thanks for reminding me he isn't married. LOL

 

Dave did mention that he had lost his wife tragically years ago. I believe he did make mention of a girlfriend. You are correct that he took us by his sister's house and his other sister, Becky, works for him (she's quite the character also). They are awesome people!

Karyn :D

[one eyed jim]

Dyea Dave has size 18 feet and a personality to match. We took his tour to Emerald Lake last week. He will not give you the routine cruise excursion. He will not take you to the cruise Company stores. He will stop anywhere you wish. Listen to his suggestions and you can't go wrong.

Best excoursion in Skagway ;););)

[lbr20]

We used Dave last year, it took a few emails but we arranged to meet at the pier. The day we arrived in Skagway, the weather was terrible. Dave suggested that it might be better in the afternoon but probably not. So he said jump and we toured around skagway and Dyea other places for about 4 hours. He rang some one at the railway and it was all still fogged in. Dave said it would be a waste of time to go up but we could if we wanted. We decided not to and he continued to tour us around for another hour or two. We picked up hikers up here and there and cyclist etc and dropped them along the way. He would take any thing for these little services'. In the end he took us back to skagway, parked the van at his house, and then he took us to a local bar/club. It was great, he bought us drinks and made us fell welcome and we met many locals. They even have a bowling alley out the back. He would not take any payment from us and in the end he did accept something.

Great guy, good fun. He might be slow at replying to emails but be patient.

If you prefered to be herded around like sheep in a big mass, then steerclear of Dyea Dave. If you like a relaxed down to earth attitude then he's your man.

[Disneyworld]

We are doing a b2b cruise leaving this Tues, July 7th and have a 3 hr. tour booked with Dyea Dave northbound and 6 hr. tour southbound. Talking with him many times he sure does seem like a character!! I think he'll get a kick out of the fact that so far there are almost 200 posts about him here!! We can't wait!!

[StarTrkGeek]

We are doing a b2b cruise leaving this Tues, July 7th and have a 3 hr. tour booked with Dyea Dave northbound and 6 hr. tour southbound. Talking with him many times he sure does seem like a character!! I think he'll get a kick out of the fact that so far there are almost 200 posts about him here!! We can't wait!!

Here's a picture of Dyea Dave, so you will recognize him. The first picture is Dave (LOL). Just kidding. That's one of three bears we saw, up-close and personal.

 

The second picture is Dave. If you remember the Batman series on TV, think of the Mad-Hatter.

[ilovefridays]

We just returned from Skagway end of June and had a great time with Becky as our tour guide. As we did not specifically request to be in Dave's bus, we had the privilege of touring up to Yukon with this wonderful lady. Not only was she warm and funny, she tried to offer us every opportunity to hike around scenic points. This turned out not to be your run of the mill tour where people were herded around like cows. Thankfully, our bus included like-minded fellow travelers who were game for a bit of action - two of which became our very good friends on the Serenade.

 

The hike around Emerald Lake was THE highlight of our day in Skagway. Oh, did I mention that we saw bears? A momma bear and her cub! Becky stopped by the roadside to give us time to take photos. You can't beat that. We also hiked to the gorgeous Lower Reid Falls and the old cemetery where the notorious Smith and Reid were buried.

 

Lunch at the quaint Cinnamon Cache was perfect. But then again how could cinnamon buns drenched in cream cheese icing not be? It's too bad that Gail (the owner) has decided to sell the place.

 

Anyway, just wanted to let people know that if they don't end up with Dave, there's no reason to be disappointed. We could tell that Becky gave our tour 110%! :D This tour is part of the reason why we'll be back in Alaska soon!