Deborah Fleming

This was the only port where I booked a shore excursion. Someone I work with highly recommended the trip from Skagway into British Columbia on the White Pass Scenic Railroad. It cost $99, so this was my one big splurge. I am so glad I decided to do it and it was worth every penny. I’ve seen some incredible sites and scenery in my travels, including the Palace of Versailles, Devil’s Tower, the Badlands, etc., but this topped them all. The vistas are breathtaking as you make your way up the pass, following along side the path taken by the prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush.

I booked the shore excursion online at the HAL website, and was billed immediately. It was nice having the trip paid for before I even left home.

Once the train got back into Skagway, I took the obligatory tourist walk down Broadway, including a stop at The Red Onion Saloon. A man and a woman dressed in 1890s garb stood outside and shouted to people passing by “Come on in and see where Frank Reid was shot in the groin by Soapy Smith and died an agonizing death 12 days later…the kids will love it”!

In Skagway, some of the passengers who were taking a land tour of the interior (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali, etc.) disembarked the ship. Another group who had just completed the same land tour took their places. I knew about taking a land tour in conjunction with a cruise, but I wasn’t aware that you could take half a cruise. This is an interesting concept, and one I may pursue in the future.

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Shore Excursions in Skagway

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