Skagway Port

[Ampurp85]

I was wonder can anyone tell me about the Skagway port. It is the only port on my Alaska cruise with no excursion planned and I was wondering if I should book something or if the port area will be enough. 

[Ryan79]

The port area is small but VERY cool to walk around. However it will be crowded as there isn’t many places for the cruise crowds to dissipate. I would do a 2-3 hour excursion and then you will stuff have plenty of time to explore the whole town without feeling rushed. I did the VIP car on the White Pass train and it was soooooo much better than the regular cattle cars. Worth the extra $$$ 

[She Sails Away]

I would recommend, if you can find it, booking a tour to the Wolf sanctuary over in Haines. It leaves from the port of Skagway. This was an amazing place, the guy that runs it is so fascinating and eccentric and weird in the best possible way, it’s not your average tour around a concrete slab of a zoo. This is an all wild built into the side of a mountain sanctuary for animals that have been orphaned and cannot be released into the wild. You’re gonna get up close to wolves, some Caribou, a bear, lots of small animals, like minx and ferrets. So cool. Of course this is only a good choice if you’re in the mood for a 45 minute ferry ride each way, which is gorgeous, a bit of a bus ride out into the wilderness, and then about three hours on your feet shambling around the grassy side of a mountain. 
 

https://www.kroschelfilms.com

 

aside from that, Skagway is a really fun place to walk around. Very old town Gold rush kind of feel to it. You can see the whole town in an hour, easy.

[OCSC Mike]

Agree it's a nice old-timey town to walk around for a little while if you don't want to do the railway or dog sledding or anything else.

[TessFromFlorida]

I booked the train for the morning and a tour in the afternoon. For Whitepass RR, we got off and hiked for a bit then jumped back on about an hour later. In the afternoon we did a small group tour through Viator. We had plenty of time left over to explore the small town.

[Ampurp85]

Thank you all for the replies. I will look at what Viator has to offer because the non-black Friday prices for some of the excursions is waaaaay too much.

[WAYNO]

We've done this Alaska cruise a couple times, and we will do it twice more this cruise season.

A self tour in Skagway is quite okay, just wandering the streets and shops.  The "To the Summit" bus tour is a reasonably priced tour up the Klondike. and for a bit more, the basic train ride is also reasonable. 

Also, after either of these excursions, there will still be ample time to wander the streets of Skagway.

 

[SPS]

I'll give another upvote for the White Pass Railway. AMAZING views! 

FYI: It may be cheaper to book it third party. I know that I paid a good deal less by using the Alaska Shore Excursions website instead of booking through the cruise line.

The town itself is a nice visit, too. We also enjoyed a nice lunch at Skagway Brewing Company. Good food. Craft Beer and some very good House Cocktails. (I recommend the Brew Co. Bacon Bloody Mary!)

[HeWhoWaits]

You can book directly with White Pass. If you haven't pulled the trigger before arriving in Skagway, it's an easy walk to their office.

[Ampurp85]

Thank you, I actually ended up booking "Klondike Summit and Historic city tour". My brother has klondike rock climbing during a similar time, then we plan to get lunch downtown, so I will check out Skagway brewing company. 

[billdauterive]

On 6/28/2024 at 11:11 AM, Ampurp85 said:

Thank you, I actually ended up booking "Klondike Summit and Historic city tour". My brother has klondike rock climbing during a similar time, then we plan to get lunch downtown, so I will check out Skagway brewing company. 

You failed the test.  White Pass Railroad is the only correct answer for a first time visitor regardless of the price.

But your option isn't bad.  I would also recommend Klondike Brewing Company and Skagway Spirits Distillery if you like that type of thing.  Wandering around the shops in town is also an easy experience. 

There's also a few nice hikes around of varying level and length (once again if you like that type of thing).  There's one that starts by the airport that goes out to the point with a great view of the inlet and is a pretty easy mostly flat hike.

[StuckInOhio]

Hi All. I was actually just looking at our Skagway options this morning. I would like to check out the Gold Rush Cemetery and the Lower Reid Falls. This post https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/08/14/16-cheap-and-free-things-do-alaska-cruise-avoid-spending-hundreds-shore-excursions says "The cemetery is located a half hour walk from downtown Skagway". But it sure doesn't look like that on a map. I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding something, or it's just the difference between what they are calling "downtown" versus the port area.

[JFCruise]

I am going to Skagway later this year, and I got inspired by this excursion.

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/self-guided-jeep-to-the-yukon/aksgjeep

However, instead of doing this excursion, I have rented an SUV on Turo and will just drive up and down the highway and will plan a few stops. This probably isn't for everyone but I prefer taking things at my own pace and actually enjoy driving.

[HeWhoWaits]

1 hour ago, StuckInOhio said:

Hi All. I was actually just looking at our Skagway options this morning. I would like to check out the Gold Rush Cemetery and the Lower Reid Falls. This post https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/08/14/16-cheap-and-free-things-do-alaska-cruise-avoid-spending-hundreds-shore-excursions says "The cemetery is located a half hour walk from downtown Skagway". But it sure doesn't look like that on a map. I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding something, or it's just the difference between what they are calling "downtown" versus the port area.

30 minutes to walk to the cemetery would be a very brisk pace. It's about 1.7 miles from the main shopping area, which is about 0.3 from the main ship dock.

[KJones]

Looks like there's a municipal shuttle that could take you to the cemetary

https://www.skagway.com/listing/skagway-municipal-and-regional-transit-smart-bus/126/