We spent the day roaming the streets of Skagway. We had no purpose other than to enjoy walking on the land and getting some lunch. The sun was shining, it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and there were two other cruise ships in port. It was the beginning of tourist season in Alaska and there was a vitality in the air.

We came alongside at the Skagway Cruise Terminal, which is actually the farthest berth for cruise ships. It’s a bit of a pain because you used to be able to walk into town from there but several years ago, a landslide next to the berth cause the entire pier to be fenced off. You must take a 2-minute shuttle off of the pier, to a spot where you can either walk into town, or take the $5 roundtrip town-provided shuttle. We opted for the latter and soon we were in town and walking around.

Most of the Alaskan towns that are frequented by cruise ships have lots of shops and restaurants. Today, as it is still early in the season, many were still closed. A shop manager told us it’s mostly because the seasonal workers have not yet arrived, coming from ski resorts in the US and Canada. Those shops that were open were eager to get our business.

Skagway has a population of 1250, though it doubles in size with summer seasonal workers. It is the home of the famous White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, a Canadian and U.S. Class III 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the Port of Skagway, and via road through a few of the stops along its route. We learned that a landslide had blocked a portion of the upper railway tracks, the day before, stranding passengers, whom had to be rescued and shuttled by bus back to the port. We’ve taken the White Pass twice before, and it was not lost on us how challenging that would be.

We walked to nearly the end of the main street, Broadway, and then came back to the Skagway Brewing Company for lunch. Our wait was one hour, so pro tip: get your name on the waiting list early. They take your phone number and send you a text when your table is ready. In the meantime, you can continue to browse or sit outside and stare at the mountains.

After lunch, we had something sweet at the famous Alaska Fry Bread shop, which earlier in the day had a line of about 50 people. By late afternoon, it was a much smaller line and we were in and out in 5 minutes. Another pro tip: ask for your bread in a bag (instead of on a piece of paper). Then when you’re tearing off pieces, they will drop into the bag and you don’t lose anything! So good!

After taking the shuttles back to the ship, we settled into our cabin to enjoy the sail away. Each of the other ships departed, and then we shoved off, at 8pm. It was still light out and we had a great ride going out of Chilkoot Inlet.

Tomorrow: Juneau, Alaska