You guys deserve a "Best of" Port Guides Award!!! You are so thorough, informative and cover a good variety of options for those of us with all levels of activity abilities - THANKS!
Eight years a go my now ex-wife and I did an 8 day Alaska Carnival cruse and did the White Pass Yukon Rail Road. Last month I took my mom and 5 year old daughter on a 8 day Alaska Carnival cruise and rode the Skagway train again, everyone loved it. Skagway's a fun port, lots to do on your own or you can join the excursions. A travel tip: One of the Skagway railroad excursions Carnival offers is free for five year old and and below kids, so a great way to save a few bucks on a great family excursion!
You guys are freaking AWESOME!!! I came upon your Alaska videos after hours of searching TH-cam for this exact information. Thank you for putting this all together. I really wanted to see how to book independently and save some money and you did all the research for me and found the links! I love you guys and am now a subscriber! ❤❤❤
Thanks so much! After picking apart frugal fun in our favorite Caribbean ports, we figured we would give the same treatment to six Alaska ports, ha ha... glad they were able to help with your planning!! :D
in Skagway June of 2023 we took a bus to the Yukon Suspension Bridge and then got on the train to ride it back to town. this was an excursion on NCL and we really enjoyed that. we have another Alaskan cruise coming up in September of 2025 and we're going to try to do more stuff on our own where last time we did an excursion in almost every port but missed out on some of the cool stuff you can do just wandering around town. i already have on my "to do" list for Skagway next time to check out the Alaskan Fry Bread place as we love indian fry bread so will be checking that out. thanks for the port guides to help us plan.
We did the street car tour last year with Princess, several times to choose from, had a great time. The driver told stories abt Skagway, we went to the cemetery, Lower Reed Falls, showed buildings of interest and we went out of town to a lookout so you could see back into town and area around.
Thank you for all the information you provide. I watched your port guides and used the "Alaska shore excursions" link you provided in the description. I booked excursions in Skagway and Juneau. I have never booked outside of the ship but decided to give it a try. Thank you for doing all the "leg work "! I truly love your channel and you both are a pleasure to watch! ❤
We used Chilkoot Charters and Tours. They are fantastic! We went on the Yukon Rail and Bus excursion. You can do the train first or bus first. Small buses with very informative drivers. They have a train car reserved for their groups. I think we had two groups on our train car with plenty of empty seats.
We prefer the left side going up, since it gets all the good views. The right side gets them on the way down, but by then everyone is usually being lulled to sleep by the motion of the train, ha ha... :P
You can rent bikes or even an electric Mustang car from Klondike Electric Bicycles in Skagway. They will give you some ideas as to trails and longer rides you can do around Skagway or just putter around town. They were sold out the day we were there so book in advance!
We did the tour which flys you up to the glacier and did the dog sled tour which was the BEST tour ever. We had a guide who was an actual participant in the Iditarod. He was so very informative and professional. We did this tour in Skagway because the same tour in Juneau gets canceled more often due to inclement weather.
Hiked up to Lower Dewey Lake many times. A little bit of a workout but not too bad. Only continued on to Upper Dewey once, because it gets much harder! And I was in great shape! The air gets much thinner. Great video.
We took the shuttle from port to lower Reid area. IIRC, it was $10 each for the day. We were given a phone number to call for pick up from a woman named Mo. She was great!
I have to put a shout out to my friends Nicole and George Goodman who own Klondike Electric Bicycles. They rent e-bikes and we had a fantastic day!! We rode up Dyea Road to the viewpoint. Even with the mobility problems I had last year, I was still able to do it.
We've only personally been up there twice, both times in May, and it was super snowy! We imagine August might have *some* snow still, but you'll probably mostly be seeing green. The temperatures last time we were in Skagway in late summer were somewhere in the 80s, so that takes its toll on the snow!! :P
Love It!! I am sharing not only this port guide but the channel with everyone that we have invited on our group cruise in 2024!! People asked us what was available to do so I just pointed them to you guys!!
Thanks guys and hello from Canada 🇨🇦, My husband and I are finally going to Alaska next year and visiting Skagway. The train is certainly on are list. Thanks for the tips.
Love Skagway, Alaska in May with the snow capped mountain views! The train ride is so beautiful and it really feels like you are in Alaska with the deep snow and icy flowing waters. Love it!!
Good morning Dee & Jay! Such a cute town & your're right , lot's of things to do here on your own... Another place to visit when open is Jewell Gardens, they also do glassblowing, which I want to do, but last season they were closed due to staffing issues...maybe this year..
Yesssss, we were going to include them in this video because it looked super unique, but Google said they were permanently closed and their website didn’t seem to indicate a reopening. Hopefully they can come back for future seasons!!
I did the dog sled one when I was in Skagway. They take you up to where you took this crazy vehicle to go up the steep hill. They take you on a sled ride which is doggy sunner camp. Then you get to play with puppies (Dee would love). Also the Red Onion Saloon has a brothel tour upstairs. I sadly got there too late in the day.
Thanks for the info, i am doing my 1st Alaska cruise in 3 months. I am doing the im town dog sledding with gold panning. Its good to know I can wander around the port afterwards
The ranking is just for how “free and frugal” a port is, not our overall enjoyment of the area. Private islands score highest because of the free food and beaches/pools. Places with virtually no port area like Belize tend to be on the low end, and might be our lowest. I’d have to check the ol’ spreadsheet!! :P
I've really enjoyed watching all of your Alaska content! We are going on an Alaskan Cruise this summer and in Skagway we are renting a car and driving to the Yukon! And if we have time when we get back we want to go to Lower Reid Falls and Yakutania Point.
how was it? i've seen several videos, but they all look like the "stops" are a bit corny. I'm split between the car rental or the train/bus or just going on our own hiking.
I love your port guides but would like for you to add a section for those with a wheel chair or scooter. Which excursions accept wheel chairs and what ports are easy for wheelchair
Did the walk to the cemetery twice. It's an easy walk, no hills to climb....if you have kids and they have a lot of energy to burn, then this 40 minute walk (each way) might do the trick. If you're lucky, you might see one of the tour guide show up and you can listen in, make sure the tour guide knows your not part of the group....otherwise, they will wait for you to board the bus (it happened to me). The best part about the long walk is seeing the waterfall.
That quilt store is fabulous! Lots of kits and wildlife themed fabrics, etc. Next door to the Klondike Doughboy - so my husband and son didn't mind that I was deep in fabric for a while!
You mentioned going thru Carnival for Train excursion to get picked up 1st, what if we are going to walk around town 1st? Would we then go back to dock to get picked up? Would that be difficult with a person using a Scooter? Thx We are going 1st week in August
Yes, you would go back to the dock to meet the train excursion group, as we showed in our 2022 Radiance Of The Seas series. The sidewalks and roads in Skagway seem pretty friendly last we were there, so I’d think you would be fine!! :D
I saw a video where someone rented an electric mustang from the ebike place and they drove up to the border and a little into Canada. About the railroad, does it take up your whole day in Skagway?
I read that the Ore and Broadway docks might close, later this month, and because of the landslide, Skagway might be a tender only port, this year. Has anyone heard more info on that??? I have a cruise booked for this fall. We already were notified that our stop in Sitka was cancelled for some unknown reason.
The Broadway dock and Ore dock are completely unaffected by the rockslide and completely open. The Railroad dock has either a tender or bus ride from the ship to the dock. All are open and have been all summer season so far. 👍😀
You guys deserve a "Best of" Port Guides Award!!! You are so thorough, informative and cover a good variety of options for those of us with all levels of activity abilities - THANKS!
Eight years a go my now ex-wife and I did an 8 day Alaska Carnival cruse and did the White Pass Yukon Rail Road. Last month I took my mom and 5 year old daughter on a 8 day Alaska Carnival cruise and rode the Skagway train again, everyone loved it. Skagway's a fun port, lots to do on your own or you can join the excursions. A travel tip: One of the Skagway railroad excursions Carnival offers is free for five year old and and below kids, so a great way to save a few bucks on a great family excursion!
You guys are freaking AWESOME!!! I came upon your Alaska videos after hours of searching TH-cam for this exact information. Thank you for putting this all together. I really wanted to see how to book independently and save some money and you did all the research for me and found the links! I love you guys and am now a subscriber! ❤❤❤
Thanks so much! After picking apart frugal fun in our favorite Caribbean ports, we figured we would give the same treatment to six Alaska ports, ha ha... glad they were able to help with your planning!! :D
in Skagway June of 2023 we took a bus to the Yukon Suspension Bridge and then got on the train to ride it back to town. this was an excursion on NCL and we really enjoyed that. we have another Alaskan cruise coming up in September of 2025 and we're going to try to do more stuff on our own where last time we did an excursion in almost every port but missed out on some of the cool stuff you can do just wandering around town. i already have on my "to do" list for Skagway next time to check out the Alaskan Fry Bread place as we love indian fry bread so will be checking that out. thanks for the port guides to help us plan.
I have done a ton of research on our upcoming trip and I can promise. Your videos are the best out there.
I love it, I worked seasonal in Skagway walk to have the places. I love Skagway, took Ferris to Haines and Juneau. Went to M. glaciers in Juneau
We did the street car tour last year with Princess, several times to choose from, had a great time. The driver told stories abt Skagway, we went to the cemetery, Lower Reed Falls, showed buildings of interest and we went out of town to a lookout so you could see back into town and area around.
Thank you for all the information you provide. I watched your port guides and used the "Alaska shore excursions" link you provided in the description. I booked excursions in Skagway and Juneau. I have never booked outside of the ship but decided to give it a try. Thank you for doing all the "leg work "! I truly love your channel and you both are a pleasure to watch! ❤
We used Chilkoot Charters and Tours. They are fantastic! We went on the Yukon Rail and Bus excursion. You can do the train first or bus first. Small buses with very informative drivers. They have a train car reserved for their groups. I think we had two groups on our train car with plenty of empty seats.
This is the company we used too and loved them!
On the train which side of the train should one sit going up?? Thank you.
We prefer the left side going up, since it gets all the good views. The right side gets them on the way down, but by then everyone is usually being lulled to sleep by the motion of the train, ha ha... :P
@@parodeejay Thank you! We are going up by train and down by bus.
So timely! I am researching excursions for our September cruise right now!
You can rent bikes or even an electric Mustang car from Klondike Electric Bicycles in Skagway. They will give you some ideas as to trails and longer rides you can do around Skagway or just putter around town. They were sold out the day we were there so book in advance!
We did the tour which flys you up to the glacier and did the dog sled tour which was the BEST tour ever. We had a guide who was an actual participant in the Iditarod. He was so very informative and professional. We did this tour in Skagway because the same tour in Juneau gets canceled more often due to inclement weather.
Yay. We have one booked thru royal. Cant wait🎉🎉
@@andreatamayo7215 same!!
Hiked up to Lower Dewey Lake many times. A little bit of a workout but not too bad. Only continued on to Upper Dewey once, because it gets much harder! And I was in great shape! The air gets much thinner. Great video.
Some of my favorite video series you all have done. So enjoyable and helpful!! We love your channel!! Thank you!!
We took the shuttle from port to lower Reid area. IIRC, it was $10 each for the day. We were given a phone number to call for pick up from a woman named Mo. She was great!
Looking forward to visiting Skagway next month. "Soapy" Smith's Great Grandson is a friend of mine. Need to pay my respects at the cemetery.
I have to put a shout out to my friends Nicole and George Goodman who own Klondike Electric Bicycles. They rent e-bikes and we had a fantastic day!! We rode up Dyea Road to the viewpoint. Even with the mobility problems I had last year, I was still able to do it.
Awesome port guide. Something for everyone.
Again, I want to say Thank You for this series. I am getting very excited for my Alaska cruise thanks to you.
Love your port guides! They're really helpful! Do you guys know if there'll still be snow on the white pass summit excursion in mid-end august :)
We've only personally been up there twice, both times in May, and it was super snowy! We imagine August might have *some* snow still, but you'll probably mostly be seeing green. The temperatures last time we were in Skagway in late summer were somewhere in the 80s, so that takes its toll on the snow!! :P
Love It!! I am sharing not only this port guide but the channel with everyone that we have invited on our group cruise in 2024!! People asked us what was available to do so I just pointed them to you guys!!
Thanks guys and hello from Canada 🇨🇦, My husband and I are finally going to Alaska next year and visiting Skagway. The train is certainly on are list. Thanks for the tips.
Love the vlog! It took me right back to the time my Wife and I were exploring those same streets. GREAT memories!
Just the video I was looking for, thank you! 🥰 Earned a new subscriber!
Love Skagway, Alaska in May with the snow capped mountain views! The train ride is so beautiful and it really feels like you are in Alaska with the deep snow and icy flowing waters. Love it!!
Alaska Shore Excursions very good; Klondike Bike also rents an electric Mustang with info about the highway into the Yukon
Good morning Dee & Jay! Such a cute town & your're right , lot's of things to do here on your own... Another place to visit when open is Jewell Gardens, they also do glassblowing, which I want to do, but last season they were closed due to staffing issues...maybe this year..
Yesssss, we were going to include them in this video because it looked super unique, but Google said they were permanently closed and their website didn’t seem to indicate a reopening. Hopefully they can come back for future seasons!!
I did the dog sled one when I was in Skagway. They take you up to where you took this crazy vehicle to go up the steep hill. They take you on a sled ride which is doggy sunner camp. Then you get to play with puppies (Dee would love). Also the Red Onion Saloon has a brothel tour upstairs. I sadly got there too late in the day.
thanks for sharing and I enjoyed meeting you all on the vloggers cruise
Love Skagway, would love to live there but they've moved the rv parking area
Thanks for the info, i am doing my 1st Alaska cruise in 3 months. I am doing the im town dog sledding with gold panning. Its good to know I can wander around the port afterwards
Love these since first time cruiser in September
Thank you for sharing. We have an Alaska cruise this June scheduled. QUESTION: What is your highest rated and lowest rated ports?
The ranking is just for how “free and frugal” a port is, not our overall enjoyment of the area. Private islands score highest because of the free food and beaches/pools. Places with virtually no port area like Belize tend to be on the low end, and might be our lowest. I’d have to check the ol’ spreadsheet!! :P
I've really enjoyed watching all of your Alaska content! We are going on an Alaskan Cruise this summer and in Skagway we are renting a car and driving to the Yukon! And if we have time when we get back we want to go to Lower Reid Falls and Yakutania Point.
how was it? i've seen several videos, but they all look like the "stops" are a bit corny. I'm split between the car rental or the train/bus or just going on our own hiking.
I love your port guides but would like for you to add a section for those with a wheel chair or scooter. Which excursions accept wheel chairs and what ports are easy for wheelchair
We used Shore excursioner for Skagway.
I loved Skagway. 😊❤️
Did the walk to the cemetery twice. It's an easy walk, no hills to climb....if you have kids and they have a lot of energy to burn, then this 40 minute walk (each way) might do the trick. If you're lucky, you might see one of the tour guide show up and you can listen in, make sure the tour guide knows your not part of the group....otherwise, they will wait for you to board the bus (it happened to me). The best part about the long walk is seeing the waterfall.
they say its a great gold rush error but many people like it regardless
Love this show!
Thank you !
Are you going to do a port guide for Hanes? Going in may and just plan to get off the ship and walk around
Coming up as the sixth episode in this mini-series, yes indeed!! :D
There is a cute quilt store there with Alaska printed fabrics that is worth going in if you are a quilter. It's near Glacier Coffee.
That quilt store is fabulous! Lots of kits and wildlife themed fabrics, etc. Next door to the Klondike Doughboy - so my husband and son didn't mind that I was deep in fabric for a while!
Good morning!
We are going on Rcl in may to Skagway on the white pass scenic railway. Is a passport required?
You mentioned going thru Carnival for Train excursion to get picked up 1st, what if we are going to walk around town 1st? Would we then go back to dock to get picked up? Would that be difficult with a person using a Scooter? Thx We are going 1st week in August
Yes, you would go back to the dock to meet the train excursion group, as we showed in our 2022 Radiance Of The Seas series. The sidewalks and roads in Skagway seem pretty friendly last we were there, so I’d think you would be fine!! :D
@@parodeejay thanks!
How’s the weather during the end of June?
I saw a video where someone rented an electric mustang from the ebike place and they drove up to the border and a little into Canada. About the railroad, does it take up your whole day in Skagway?
I read that the Ore and Broadway docks might close, later this month, and because of the landslide, Skagway might be a tender only port, this year. Has anyone heard more info on that???
I have a cruise booked for this fall. We already were notified that our stop in Sitka was cancelled for some unknown reason.
The Broadway dock and Ore dock are completely unaffected by the rockslide and completely open. The Railroad dock has either a tender or bus ride from the ship to the dock. All are open and have been all summer season so far. 👍😀
Do you happen to know whats the weather like in the middle of may ?
Usually 50s for a high, and not a whole lot of rain. Other than typically not seeing as much wildlife, we love May!! :D
Free cruise from carnival regardless of wildlife i will take it lol
You’re awesome
What time of year do you usually visit Alaska?
We’ve been just about every month that cruise ships visit!! :D
@@parodeejay ok we are going in June! Good time to go I hope for weather.
On the hikes are you worried about bears?
3.3