White Pass Scenic Railway - 8AM

Did you make the train? Were you cutting it close or did you have some time to spare? How early did you get in line to disembark? We are thinking of doing the train as well and the only slot available is the 8am slot - so looking for some advice.

Generally speaking, pax with ship booked excursions are given priority getting off over those w/o, so you would be behind them and as others have said, GS can't/won't "put you" somewhere to help you get off ahead of those 100+ new BFFs, but if you and your group strategically locate yourselves, you should be able to get off and be fine.

It is an amazingly beautiful trio, so congrats in selecting the train!!

After having "the boss" refresh my memory, we indeed had the early trip on the railroad, and walked off the ship thru the terminal to the "depot"...neither of us remember the exact boarding procedure other than she got a seat and basically thats the last I saw of her since I rode "between the cars" taking a million pics...which is perfectly acceptable. There were at least 2 other ships in port at the time, so how they accommodated all those people is beyond me, since that "railroad" is the premier attraction in SKAGWAY. Don't remember how long the walk took but since neither of us particularly remember it couldn't have been very long at all. I would take that tour again in a heartbeat. Even as short as it is "now"....

By "front desk" i assume you mean Guest Services. They have nothing to do with tour info, you have to go to the so-called "Excursion Desk", where they might know, but I wouldn't mention you bought the tix elsewhere...just on general principles.........

Further, "priority" boarding, or disembarkation for tours etc is done by rank on most cruiselines...no Guest Services person can "put" you anywhere...Its been my observation that the only way to be at the front of the line, any line, is to get your buns up and out even before they announce it. If you're not sure where to go, one of your party can be delegated to go "exploring" BEFORE that port day. Leisurely breakfasts or family committee meetings can wait. Those lines can degenerate into a mini zoo easily enough...the crew wants you off with as few bottlenecks as possible. At least you don't have to tender to get into Skagway. GOOD LUCK!!!

i would get advice from the front desk where the excursions are. they may be able to put you in the front of the line to get you off the ship or give you some helpful tips on how to make it. Best of luck!

I appreciate the honest feedback. I'm hoping for the best, but might be writing it all off as a loss if we don't make it off in time. We're all early risers, so hopefully we'll get off the ship in time.

We're on Ovation of the Seas with RCL. I would have rather bought through the cruise line so that we would get priority debarkation for it, but my father-in-law really wanted to save them dollars. We just booked directly with the Railway. No particular tour package. It's a savings of $150 for our group of 6. Hopefully we make it to the train on time.

OK. Weird. My reply did not show. I was ticked !!! Refreshed page, and my reply (one minute ago) is posted BEFORE Yankee47's post, posted 48-minutes ago.

Unless cruiseline.com is now doing a 'seniority' thing - I DO NOT understand this !!!!

IMO - no way possible (unless you have perfection conditions). The ship docks at 0700 (ideally). Customs clearance needed. Passengers depart. Are you top tier to depart first ??? Are you willing to get in line by 0600, or 0630 latest ????? If the 0800 excursion meets ON THE PIER at 0800, NOT AT THE RAILWAY, you may be OK. So many things have to happen right for you/your group. You know the details, I do not. I NEVER try to be in the first or second tour group after docking. Too many negative possibilities. Summation - 0800 excursion. Possibility =yes. Probability = No. Best wishes. Good luck.

Been on it several times prior to its closing. Spectacular trip. Would do it again and again. Rode betweeen the cars (they didn't care) and took more pics of the scenery there than anyplace else in ALASKA, and that includes the glaciers.....Now its reopened, and theres a bunch of different trips available. It leaves from the cruise terminal, so assuming you're not late docking, just don't dawdle. You and about 1000 of your newest closest friends will all probably be heading there anyway...Bit of a walk to the train area if memory serves..Its the same train whether you bought a ticket from the cruise line or not. You should be fine. Just out of curiousity, which cruise line are you on, (some skip SKAGWAY) and specifically which tour did you book, theres a selection... and what did it cost compared to the ones offered by your line?