When we booked the cruise, of course there are heaps of add ons and shore tours. It would be quite easy to double the cost of the cruise with extras! BUT since its a once in a lifetime chance, we decided to have a look at what was available. Having three kids is also rather expensive as it had to be something they could do. We found out that you can leave your kids in the kids club on port days but we do prefer their company, most of the time. (Although I would like them to sleep in their own beds, as Biz snored, H wiggles a lot and Mr R well he just has to tuck himself under you and he also kicks off the blanket)
Skagway has an old railway that is reported to be very scenic and good for kids, given we have a train mad little boy and don't mind the odd trip ourselves, this is what we decided to do, more about it here.
The White Pass and Yukon was built in 1898 to service the gold rush that was happening in the Klondike and it took just over two years to build, not too bad! It goes from Skagway, where the ships would arrive with supplies for Yukon and also take mineral concentrates out. The railway was closed in 1982 due to economics but given a new life as a tourist attraction when it reopened in 1988
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Here she is, most of the time it is pulled by diesel locos but they do have a few steam engines for special occasions. As you go past the workshops you can see them and a few others who are no longer in service or out of action for good. Each of the cars are restored and given a name from the local area.
Tickets please!
Not long after she fell asleep and didn't wake up to the halfway point!
This is how the coaches are kept warm! We picked a seat close by.
Beautiful rivers race through the landscape. The round trip takes about three hours and turned around just after the Canada-US border.
The jagged peaks show where the glaciers have been in the past. If it is jagged it stood above the ice, valleys with a rounded u shape have typically had glacial movement.
The old bridge. Didn't go on this one!
We did go on this one.
They have a special rotary snow plow that clears the tracks that looks like a massive fan. This a a great clip from you tube. It is over 100 years old!
On the way out, just as you pass through the town, there is an old steam engine rusted and worn with its snow plow still attached and beside the tracks, down a gully another lies wrecked and slowly decaying, taken over by the surrounding woods.
They were doing track maintenance near one of the smallest police stations I've ever seen
These are the Bridal Falls and the shot doesn't do it justice.
This cantilever bridge is one of the worlds engineering masterpieces along with the Eiffel Tower.
This is where the train decoupled and chuffed around to the other end to. make the return journey. We had to flip the seat backs over so we would be facing the other way
Was it worth it? Yes. Would we do it again Yes, even with the kids.
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