I was just researching that trip yesterday. Couple of questions: bus ride said it was 4.25 hours- is that time with stops included? Not sure my boys can sit on a bus that long. Where did you get to stop and get out and explore? Was enough time spent at dog camp? That was a must-do on our list but didn't want to spend $500/person on that excursion. Thanks in advanceI'm going to not answer the question you are asking, but instead offer an alternative excursion recommendation (that still involves the train). I'm not trying to be annoying or contrary, so if you don't want this unsolicited bit of advice, move along.
Still here? Awesome!!! I would highly recommend doing a bus up/train down or train up/bus down excursion. The views are completely different and with the bus, you get to stop and really see the sights and explore a bit. I would have been really bummed to be on the train the whole time.
We booked privately with Chilkoot Charters (due to recommendations on the DIS here). We were picked up at 8:15 on a bus, taken to numerous sights along the way by an incredible tour guide and then we enjoyed lunch at a summer dog sled camp (where there was an option to ride for an additional charge - which we did). Then we were taken to the train and enjoyed the ride on the way back down where we saw completely different sights (and some of the same but from a different vantage point) which we loved. We arrived back mid-afternoon, explored the town and did a little shopping before racing back to the ship just before it started raining and a cold wind blew in.
I'm going to not answer the question you are asking, but instead offer an alternative excursion recommendation (that still involves the train). I'm not trying to be annoying or contrary, so if you don't want this unsolicited bit of advice, move along.
Still here? Awesome!!! I would highly recommend doing a bus up/train down or train up/bus down excursion. The views are completely different and with the bus, you get to stop and really see the sights and explore a bit. I would have been really bummed to be on the train the whole time.
We booked privately with Chilkoot Charters (due to recommendations on the DIS here). We were picked up at 8:15 on a bus, taken to numerous sights along the way by an incredible tour guide and then we enjoyed lunch at a summer dog sled camp (where there was an option to ride for an additional charge - which we did). Then we were taken to the train and enjoyed the ride on the way back down where we saw completely different sights (and some of the same but from a different vantage point) which we loved. We arrived back mid-afternoon, explored the town and did a little shopping before racing back to the ship just before it started raining and a cold wind blew in.
and we did go to the Emerald Lake, even if it was just a 5 minute stop. In my experience not all tours go there and that was important to me. The bus wasn't really a bus but it was more like a 20 seater - wouldn't you say @anricat? Our guide was amazing and stopped often and took pictures and was so genuine. We had a nice lunch at Caribou Crossing and also went to the Carcross desert. Everyone, but us, on the bus was dropped off at the train for the journey back to Skagway and we had the entire bus to ourselves. We also got lucky and our driver stopped at the Alaska sign and he explained most cruise ship tours will no longer stop there as it's just too dangerous to cross the road and for our day he was right - at the peak it was very very foggy and crossing over to the left side of the road in that would have been dangerous. Since it was on the right side coming back, he just pulled off for us. I mention this in case it matters 
How did like the train/gold mining trip? Our daughters 7 and 14 want to pan for gold and I want to do the train.
I was on the same Chilkoot Charters Tour with 'anricat and 'ibelieveinthemagic'. We did the 8:30AM excursion with the bus up, train back. We had to meet off the boat by 8:15AM. We decided to do room service breakfast that morning. We hung our order outside our door the night before, asked for it to be delivered between 6:30-7AM. They came right at 6:30AM. It was good as a wake up call, as well as a great idea for 4 of us to eat and get ready in the room.
The 4.25 hr bus ride includes all the stops. Our guide made sure to stop and let us out at least every 1/2 hr. Each scenic stop was maybe 10-15 minutes long, except for longer stops in the town of Carcross (1/2 hr to visit the couple shops in town), and at Caribou Crossing Trading Post (no idea how long we were there...we had the bbq lunch, did the dogcart ride, held puppies, pet goats, and shopped...maybe 1 1/2 hrs?) We did a couple of scenic stops after the Trading Post--the Carcross Desert, Yukon Sign, and a viewpoint where we could see the train coming into the depot--before he dropped us off at the train.
We chose the bus up on the theory that if it was foggy in the morning, maybe it would clear up by afternoon so you'd be able to see more on the train ride back. Well...we still had some fog at the higher elevations, but I 'think' it was less than if we'd gone in the morning, considering how foggy it was in port that morning:
I signed up for the DCL trip. The excursion does end early enough to explore the town and check out the Red Onion across the station for a few hours of lip service.
