Dyea Dave in Skagway?

[egruber]

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!

 

I agree. We also had Becky and she was terrific! We had a fabulous day. Please don't feel that if you don't get on Dave's bus that you will be disappointed. She knows her stuff.

[zertywert]

I am booked with Dave for next May! He seems like a really nice guy. He returned my email in less than 48 hours. I was pleasantly surprised. I told his he was famous on Cruise Critic, and he said he appreciated the "notoriety".:D

[ilovefridays]

I agree. We also had Becky and she was terrific! We had a fabulous day. Please don't feel that if you don't get on Dave's bus that you will be disappointed. She knows her stuff.

 

Could you happen to be one of the like-minded travelers with us during our wonderful day in Skagway???

 

I believe you were the one who taught us the useful term of RTFM. Sure comes in handy! :D

[tweety522]

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!

 

Did you do the Emerald Lake Tour?

[egruber]

Well, if you learned about RTFM, then it had to be me! And we did have a great day. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip. We did.

 

And for the person who asked about Emerald Lake...yes, we did visit there.

[seamare]

What time does Dave normally pickup passengers for the 7 hour tour. I just booked with him last night for August 22 and forgot to ask what time to meet. This was after several phone calls to him. He only has us booked for that date so if anyone else is out there traveling on the Volendam he has space available. He told me that he would not do the tour if it was just us (2 people). He needs 4 to do a tour. I will probably call him back closer to the date to make sure that we actually have the tour.

[ilovefridays]

What time does Dave normally pickup passengers for the 7 hour tour. I just booked with him last night for August 22 and forgot to ask what time to meet. This was after several phone calls to him. He only has us booked for that date so if anyone else is out there traveling on the Volendam he has space available. He told me that he would not do the tour if it was just us (2 people). He needs 4 to do a tour. I will probably call him back closer to the date to make sure that we actually have the tour.

 

Dave or Becky will pick you up most likely at 8am which is when they picked us up at the end of the pier. Few words of advice, if you're doing the Yukon/Emerald Lake tour, don't forget your passport!!!!

 

Yep. We did the Emerald Lake Tour just like egruber said. We had a fantastic time in Alaska. Thanks. But it's pretty obvious right? :D

[ilovefridays]

Did you do the Emerald Lake Tour?

 

Yep, like I mentioned before, don't forget your passport!!!

[larmaro]

We also toured with Becky and Dave last week. We were in Becky's bus but got to talk to Dave a couple of times along the way. They are both great people. Unfortunately, we didn't see any bear that day but the scenery made up for it. I would recommend this tour to anyone going.

 

Marilyn

[seamare]

Yep, like I mentioned before, don't forget your passport!!!

 

Thanks for the word of advice - never thought of that!

[seamare]

I found that calling Dave in the evening (9 PM eastern time) is the best to catch him at home. He also prefers to be called as he said that he gets hundreds of emails and its easier for him to have a phone call.

[des_from_oz]

My wife and I toured with Becky June 23. She was awesome - I was the only male in the car - and it was great that Becky got along with me just as well as with the girls on board. Although relaxed, Dave and Becky are well organised.

 

REMEMEBER your passport !!

 

We did the Emerald Lake tour - including the cemetery visit, and liunch at the Cinnamon Cache.

 

Yes, we could have a hired a car and did it ourselves using Murrays Guide, which I had with me - but I'm glad that I went with Becky - no driving required (more relaxed) and just as flexible.

 

One small bit of advice - I was stressing waiting for Dave to arrive - but just do as he says, and wait just beyond the Securtity checkpoint (where all the official tour people are standing with their hand held signs) and he WILL be there at 8am. His bus/van are also well signwritten, and easy to identify.

 

And yes, Dave does wear a huge bowler hat, easy to identify.

 

Cheers

Des & Marlene.

[ilovefridays]

That is so true. We were completely stressed out that day having read in one of the threads how important it was to be punctual or else the tour might leave without you. We skipped breakfast (a decision we live to regret cos we're such foodies), practically ran out the to end of the pier desperately looking for a place to buy train tickets from Fraser back to Skagway and lo and behold, Becky was already there in her bus at 7:30am warmly welcoming us! She advised us that she could stop by the ticketing booth in the morning or we could get our train tickets in the afternoon after checking out the weather first.

 

So just to reiterate what des_of_oz has previously posted: Relax, have a good breakfast, and just be there at the end of the pier 5-10 minutes before 8am with passport in hand and you'll be set for a good trip.

[saibari]

Just got back last night from a great 2 weeks in Alaska! We booked Dyea Dave and he was right there as we walked down the dock. He had accidentally over-booked, so enlisted the help of his sister and we were assigned to her van. Turned out my children and I were the only ones in her van so we got a private tour and she was a delightful tour guide--very accommodating. The scenery and wildflowers were outstanding and although the whether cooperated--the sun was doing its best to shine--the winds were blowing smoke into the area from distant wildfires. This impeded visibility during the mornig hours, but had cleared considerably by the afternoon. We had planned on taking the train back, but my kids decided they preferred riding back in the van so they could take more pics and boy am I glad we did! They got some great pics and while we didn't see bears on our drive up to Emerald Lake, we had two sightings on the way back down. In the second sighting a black bear was ambling right alongside the road, stopping to gorge on blueberries every so often! We followed him for some time, driving slowly (certainly not daring to get out of the car!) until he disappeared deaper into the shrubs. My son managed to get some video. As as soon as I figure out how to do so, I'll post it...and some of my kids' pics!

 

And yes, Emerald Lake is amazing! I've never seen such colors in a lake! Oh ... and the cinnamon buns are WELL worth the calories. I love the signs the owner has out front: "Get your buns in here!" and "If you don't stop here to eat we'll both starve!" ...

[d-ray]

Do you think it would be a good idea to take the train first and then have Dave pick up in Fraser????? Or have Dave pick us up first then go to the train for the ride back???Does anybody have comments on this, I would appreciate.

[Minoushka]

WE went with Dave .I loved our journey .The Yukon is FABULOUS .Emerald Lake unique

Skip lunch at the bun lady ...very expensive for what it is over 30$ for 2 wraps 1 soup 1 bun

Go Eat elsewhere!!!

THe drive is scenic and interesting

Dave has loads of info he shares.Saw a bear on the road ...got loads of pictures

[Lookingforfacts]

Do you think it would be a good idea to take the train first and then have Dave pick up in Fraser????? Or have Dave pick us up first then go to the train for the ride back???Does anybody have comments on this, I would appreciate.

 

Dave suggests waiting until you arrive to make the decision. He said there is no point paying for the train if the weather is bad.

 

WE went with Dave .I loved our journey .The Yukon is FABULOUS .Emerald Lake unique

Skip lunch at the bun lady ...very expensive for what it is over 30$ for 2 wraps 1 soup 1 bun

Go Eat elsewhere!!!

THe drive is scenic and interesting

Dave has loads of info he shares.Saw a bear on the road ...got loads of pictures

There are only 2 or 3 places to eat. None of them are cheap. We ate at a combination "diner"/ice cream store/... Food was good, a little less expensive.

[Driftwoodgal]

Do you think it would be a good idea to take the train first and then have Dave pick up in Fraser????? Or have Dave pick us up first then go to the train for the ride back???Does anybody have comments on this, I would appreciate.

 

I second the advice as to wait until you get there. Dave will look at the weather and help you decide if you should ride up or take the train down. We waited until the return trip and had wonderful views. If we had taken the train up we would have been socked in by clouds.

 

Remember the prices in the restaurants are Candian money, not US dollars so the price will be higher because of the currency exchange. The prices on the menu are in Canadian. I think our exhange was $1.18 to $1.00 CAN.

[VikkiGarcia]

I recommend eating at Spirit Lake Lodge. Everywhere is expensive but the lunch we had there was much better than the lunch the rest of my family had at some dinner type place on the outskirts of town. Spirit Lake makes there own bread, soup was homemade, fresh made pie. I think the soup, sandwhich, pie, and can of soda combination was $12 July 2008. We contacted their website before our cruise and they ran down all the lunch options. It was ready when we arrived.

[saibari]

I second the recommendation to drive up with Dave and then decide whether or not you want to take the train. You may decide, like we did, not to bother--saves $$ and the drive was great! But, in any case, you'll make a more informed decision by waiting until after the drive up. ...

 

Regarding the Cinnamon Cache -- yes, the prices seemed high ($4.50 Canadian for a large bun), but we had a full breakfast before leaving the ship and a (quite large) cinnamon bun and cup of coffee was plenty for lunch... though admittedly not healthy, but oh so yummy! :-)

[firststeps]

My husband and I just returned from Alaska on the Coral and did Dave's tour. After the great reviews on this board it was a HUGE disappointment. He is a a very nice guy but it was essentially a WASTED day! He gave little historical or relevant info, was disorganized, did not provide a map of where we were traveling (we picked up a free one in in Carcross which made the travel more relevant), etc. If all you are looking for is a long ride with stops for photo opts then this is for you. If you are looking for a clear understanding of what you are seeing, take the train. Others who went on the train had a MUCH better experience. We did whale watching with Harv and Marv in Juno which was exceptional and the Deadliest Catch was also a favorite of many folks on the ship.

I ran into other folks who did the DAve tour with us the day after and they agreed that it was a total waste. I asked them because I thought maybe it was just us but they confirmed what we had felt. Have no idea why he got such raves on Cruise Critic ?????

[Longtonian]

We went out on the Emerald Lake trip with Becky last week and it was outstanding. There were just four of us and we stopped wherever we liked for as long as we liked and did little hikes on route, during one of which we saw a fabulous fresh bear paw print at Emerald Lake (no bear though, sadly). Becky was extremely friendly and informative and by the end we were sad to say goodbye. The scenery was stunning. For the price of half a dozen overpriced Celebrity cocktails we had the best day out of our cruise. :)

 

Steve and Sue

[abra*]

Anyone interested in sharing a tour with us with Dyea Dave on Sat the 12thof September? We want to go to Emerald Lake and Carcross.

 

Come and chat with us on our roll call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1029312

 

Barbara:)

[tranceFusion]

I also was worried after the feedback I had read, but I met him promptly at 7:30 as he asked. There were 5 people who didn't show, and Dave waited a whole hour for them (we watched a movie at the visitor center while we waited) and then had his sister try to call them, then go down to the dock keep an eye out for them after we left. I didn't really see him as someone being unreasonable, but it isn't fair to the other people on the tour to wait around all day hoping they will show.

[pjfarkel]

DYEA DAVE was absolutely fantastic. We loved him as a group and individually. He was there at 7:30am waiting for us. Our group arrived in tact, early at 7:45 and off we went. It was a foggy, rainy day. Dave gave us the option of changing our plans to not go all the way to Emerald Lake, due to the weather. No Way - this is what we came for - to be one of the few who get to go into the Canadian Yukon and get our passports stamped in Carcross. To witness the beauty of the wilderness. To see the little "desert" along the highway to see Emerald Lake and so on. He got us through the fog enshrouded summit...couldn't see a stick length. He drove careful. He had a brand new car seat for Jackson. We felt safe. After the summit - WOW - just absolutely gorgeous all the way to Emerald Lake. Felt sorry for the train people that only went to Fraser (my cousin) as the fog never lifted and they paid a lot for not much to view...on the road we got to see so much and Dave stopped where ever we requested for as long as we needed to satisfy our picture needs. He filled us with delightful stories about Skagway and the gold rush. He filled our heads with the history of the area, all the way 500 miles to where the gold rush happened and how Skagway was involved. It was great information. He is knowledgeable, funny, talkative, and very interesting. We stopped by his historic home to pick-up the car seat and got to meet his dog. The dog climbed aboard to visit us on the bus and didn't want to leave. The grandson's loved it (as did we). It was great to have someone to take group pics of the 10 of us - much appreciated. Bridal Falls had a fun story and we made it into a kodak moment with our one single gal. Lunch was a little harried. New girl. Power went off, but a lunch to remember. Good food too. Trips are nothing if all goes perfect...the little mishaps make memories, for me that is. When we got back to Skagway, we did the local trip to taste smoked fish, shopped, and Dave stayed with us the entire time. Took us to see some salmon spawning, a lookout point up in the hills to view the city and the cruise ship - and threw in a lot of little extras for us. We could not have had a better day. WOW - we love Dyea Dave and not one of the 10 of us had a single negative remark - he exceeded our expectations. Dyea Dave was fantastic. We would recommend Dyea Dave to anyone looking for a private day with a real Alaskan. He knows the area-he knows the history-he provides a real value and you get your monies worth. He is not corporate - not a rip-off and you get much more than you paid for. Tip big - he deserves it!