Great visit to Skagway

7/25/06 We loved our visit to Skagway, last week, via Island Princess. By lucky chance, our White Pass train ride (which was excellent, as predicted) was stopped as we got back into town, we were able to get off on the other end of town from the ship and walk around the town, on side streets where we saw lovely Victorian homes and beautiful gardens. Skagway is not just one street full of shops and restaurants, it turns out real people live there too!!! AND they have nice homes and lots of flowers. Skagway is Alaska%26#39;s Garden City, and for good reason. You will see this when you go one or two blocks over. We also went on a walking tour by the National park service, Carisse was great, and we saw the great NPS video giving the gold mining history of the area. Also one of the first homes in the town. Then, we were very lucky and bumped into Dyea Dave (Dbigfoot here) who showed us a few sites we may not have found. Thanks Dave!! His advice is correct, you don%26#39;t need an excursion in Skagway ( or the other Alaskan towns you can visit) just get off the main street and wander... we found friendly people every where we went in Alaska. DO NOT choose cruise tour, you can do it on your own if you can drive!!!!! By the way, if you are in the market for magnetic stones, the best buys are in Skagway, on the main street, at the end away from the ships. My sweetheart is playing with his now. Love2

Great visit to Skagway

Thank you, Love too, this is what I like to see for feed back on this site, a real visitor who saw more than they expected and left happy, all without spending a fortune!?!

It was also very nice to meet someone from this site in person and banter a bit re. this little corner of the world!?! Thank you for the visit, Love 2! DD

Great visit to Skagway

Thank you, Love too, this is what I like to see for feed back on this site, a real visitor who saw more than they expected and left happy, all without spending a fortune!?!

It was also very nice to meet someone from this site in person and banter a bit re. this little corner of the world!?! Thank you for the visit, Love 2! DD

Do you have the addresss and hours of the ';National park service';? Thanks.

The National Park Service is located at the corner of Second %26amp; Broadway, which is about the first building that you will see from your ship other than the Tshirt store. from the deck of your ship look to the right of the Alaska shirt Co, and you will see the Park Service on the other side of Broadway. It is the old train depot and the new train depot is right next to it on Second. Every ship docks within five blocks or less of these places!?! The Park Service opens promptly at eight oclock every morning and closes at five or six, depending on the number of ships that are in port. You should at least try to get in to the Park Service by eight, when they open and see the video, ';Days of adventure, dreams of gold'; which plays on the hour and is probably the most enlightening half hour that you will spend in this town and certainly the least that you can spend for anything here because it is free!?!

Thanks again for the nice mention Love2! DD

Thanks.

Hi Love to travel:

I just put a deposit down for the Island Princess, Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver with 3 days before the cruise in Fairbanks, Denali %26amp; Mt. McKinley. I know you said not to do the cruise tour, but it%26#39;s a package deal. My main question is, how was the Island Princess? The land tour is from 7/27/07 to 7/30/07, and cruise from 7/30 to 8/6. We are in AB minisuite, Dolphin deck. I am travelling with my husband %26amp; 16 years old son. I appreciate any information you can give me.

Thanks in advance,

Esther

Dear Esther,

This trip to Alaska was my first cruise, so I cannot give you a comparison, but we had a great time on the Island Princess. We also had a mini-suite, but there were only 2 of us. I guess someone in your group will sleep on a loveseat type couch?

There are lots of activities for all. Your 16 year old could become a photoshop expert in classes offered probably 5 out of 7 days, or could make great friends in the teenagers area, or learn yoga, etc. I have no doubt that grownups can keep busy, of course. It was a bit cold to walk the promenade deck, but you can do it if you bundle up.

Hope you have a great time, and feel free to ask anything else. Remember to listen to dbigfoot for Skagway advice, he knows it all.

Love2

Isn%26#39;t DBigFood awesome? He%26#39;s the smartest person I%26#39;ve ever seen post on this site. Beware his spelling... them errors ain%26#39;t mistakes.

Should you get the chance, test him out by asking which bait to use for catching local shrimp. Or see if he%26#39;ll give you a lift to Whitehorse... all it should cost you is a curry dinner - he loves that drive.

We bumped into dbigfoot when he had one hour to spare. He loaded us into his van and drove us around, we ended up in the historical cemetary, where he walked us around and showed and told the history. We were a bit familiar with it, since we had done the NPS movie,and a walk, but the cemetary is not a stroll from downtown, so we were lucky to get there. We also saw a great overlook of the town, and a few other goodies most cruisers did not see.

DD, here in Florida, I mowed the lawn yesterday, wondering what life is like for you in Skagway at this time? The good news is that the days are getting longer. Would like to hear about life in winter Alaska claud_j@bellsouth.net (only Dave please)

Love2