Train in Skagway

[yesmylove]

I forgot which side up, which side down for the best views. Thanks. Leaving for the port soon for the first Alaskan cruise.

 

[mylael]

Left side up, right side down is what I've heard. We're doing the train later this year. Excited! Have fun.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I forgot which side up, which side down for the best views. Thanks. Leaving for the port soon for the first Alaskan cruise.

Left side up, right side down. But don't discount the "other" side. There's some nice things to look at there, also.

 

[yesmylove]

Thank you, can always count on the Dis.

 

[xlxo]

The better side lets you see the 12 inch wide White Pass trail below the windows. The other side has a rock face for 95% of the journey. You can't see the White Pass trail as it's is BELOW the window.

 

[remlap]

We did this 3rd party for much less than the cost of Disney. We rode a mini bus up, stopping several times, and then rode the train down. Afterwards, our van met us again and drove us to both the town overlook and then cemetery. They then either would drop us off in town (what we did) and or back at the ship. We walked the town, back to the ship. (Yes, Diamonds International, and Del Sol stores are at every cruise port in the world) Train ride time is slightly faster going back down hill vs the uphill.

One other FYI, if taking doing a one way tours, you WILL NEED your passport, as we traveled beyond the border to Emerald Lake as the turn around. Assuming the train is the must do in Skagway (it was for us), the one way option worked well for us.

 

[fredandkell]

The left side has better views going up. Also, if you are reasonably athletic, I highly recommend biking back down. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

[Aby]

If you take the All Aboard Steam Train excursion with Disney, either side you sit on will be ok. The train goes all the way up to the Fraser loop, where it turns around. So if you are on the good (left) side going up, then you will be on the opposite side going down - so eveyone gets to see the views. I highly recommend this tour as I've taken it twice. Going on the authentic steam engine makes it extra special vs the Diesel engines and stopping at the top of the loop is amazing.

Aby

 

[skinnyv]

Our train was not full so we sat on both sides and walked out quite often as it was snowing and snowing really hard. It was by far some of the best memories I have with my sons.

Have fun

 

[phinz]

We did a VIP train car ride up and down. Leather seats. Huge verandah/porch/whatever area. Last car on the train as we headed back down, so unimpeded views. Free beer, wine and champagne, as well as gourmet snacks. It was worth every dime.

 

[heapies926]

We booked a tour through chilkoot charters - out car was maybe a fourth way full so people moved back and forth.
You are also allowed to be out on the platforms for a lot of the trip - I spent almost the entire ride outside on a platform. It was a little chilly but the experience felt much more epic out there!

 

[sharksfinatic17]

We did Chilkoot two years ago. We trained up and drove back. One of the points our guide made was that sometimes training back is delayed due to other trains on the tracks. The day we went, that happened to those that trained back.

 

[Quellman]

While it is true that you get to experience both sides, the reason most people prefer left on the way up is that the train tour guide is exaplining more things in detail on the way up, less so on the way down.

I too have been on the half full train car (we booked at the station day of) and had left up and down, it was great!

 

[Shanti]

We did a VIP train car ride up and down. Leather seats. Huge verandah/porch/whatever area. Last car on the train as we headed back down, so unimpeded views. Free beer, wine and champagne, as well as gourmet snacks. It was worth every dime.

Who did you book that through?

 

[phinz]

Who did you book that through?

Princess Cruise Lines. I'm not sure if they do it as a stand-alone non-cruiseline option, but I would imagine they do.

 

[dcassetta]

We did this 3rd party for much less than the cost of Disney. We rode a mini bus up, stopping several times, and then rode the train down. Afterwards, our van met us again and drove us to both the town overlook and then cemetery. They then either would drop us off in town (what we did) and or back at the ship. We walked the town, back to the ship. (Yes, Diamonds International, and Del Sol stores are at every cruise port in the world) Train ride time is slightly faster going back down hill vs the uphill.

One other FYI, if taking doing a one way tours, you WILL NEED your passport, as we traveled beyond the border to Emerald Lake as the turn around. Assuming the train is the must do in Skagway (it was for us), the one way option worked well for us.

This is a little OT, but our tour driver in Juneau told an interesting story about diamonds international. They had a relatively small store in Juneau for a couple of years and were considering closing it because it wasn't seen as very successful. But then, they sold the most expensive diamond they had sold in any of their stores up until that time at the store in Juneau. That settled things, they stayed and built a big new store in Juneau, and expanded to the other towns in Alaska.