Liarsville Gold Rush Excursion

We couldn’t go all the way to Alaska without getting caught up in the fever of the gold rush. Our fever led us to book an excursion through Disney Cruise Line that gave us a real “Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp” experience with a salmon bake and a special visit from a few of our Disney friends.

Our tour started with a brief check-in process at the Walt Disney Theatre at 8:45am, then it was off to board the bright yellow school buses that would take us to Liarsville. Our approximate 15 minute ride through town to Liarsville was narrated by our knowledgeable driver; who as it turns out, works for Disney transportation in Orlando during the winter months (I guess it is a small world after all!)

We were given a general overview of the town of Skagway and a bit of historical information about the gold rush as well. The scenery is beautiful and the ride was nice; if not a little uncomfortable (what can I say, we’ve been spoiled by the Magical Express buses so boarding a school bus with tiny bench seats was a rude awakening).

We were personally greeted by Liarsville locals, dressed in period attire who led us into camp and into the Hippodrome, a covered pavilion with log style seating. Our hosts then performed a bit, telling the tale of how Liarsville got its name, what the gold rush was really like and some historic information about the area we were in. We then nestled in for some storytelling, complete with an accompanying puppet show.


*Note: There were about 120 people on this excursion so if you have little one’s make sure to get a seat up front or stand on the outside of the pavilion so you can stand and have a clear view. The show was half way over before my step-son realized there was a puppet show happening on stage!

The show was cute but it did seem to go a bit long. The smaller one’s in the group were getting restless and rowdy which made the show really drag on for the rest of us who were struggling to hear. There are no amplifying devices used as it’s a “historic” gold rush experience. The biggest draw for the little one’s was the real life entertainment from Dolly, the 7-month old Alaskan Malamute puppy that calls Liarsville home. This big furry baby acts like all puppy even though she’s enormous. When she’s full grown they expect her to be around 185 lbs. She is very friendly and the staff watches over her carefully but if you have people in your party who are afraid of dogs you’ll want to be aware that their are dogs on property.

 When the show ended another member of the Liarsville came on stage to perform a demonstration of gold panning. She was full of sass and one liner jokes but offered useful information for our gold panning experience. As the show dismissed we were turned over to our various “handlers” and given pencils made of trees and piece of gold colored parchment with a little puzzle on it. You are led around to the different “camps” (which are all centrally located in the same small area you entered in) and you solve the puzzle then set off to pan for gold.

The pans are already prepared and are handed out as you approach the troughs. A scoop, swirl and spill later and you’re panning for gold. Liarsville experts were on hand to help out which was nice because it’s not quite as easy as it seems. We had great success in our gold panning with the help of our Liarsville expert. There was indeed gold in every pan, as guaranteed, but it won’t make you rich overnight or even help you pay off your stateroom balance.

Chip and Dale popped in to say hello and to try and steal our gold and we had a great photo opportunity with them. We were also greeted by Donald Duck in his Alaska attire.

When we were finished with our panning there was a campfire set up to roast marshmallows on sticks...the good old fashioned way. But no Disney excursion would be complete without a big pack of sanitizing wipes, which came in handy before and after the marshmallow roasting.


Tip: This is the only time to roast marshmallows, there is no roasting after the salmon bake as the next tours will be arriving so if you want a marshmallow, don’t delay!

When your panning is done you head across the camp to the salmon bake where a buffet awaits. There are two sides set up with the same food so it moves pretty quickly. The fact that people trickle over to the food line when their gold panning is done also helps with crowd control.

There was rotisserie chicken, baked beans, rice pilaf, coleslaw, pasta salad and “Alaskan caesar salad” (which I believe had salmon in it). There was also a huge pan of bread and blueberry cake which was to die for. At the end of the line as you start walking toward the seating area you come across the open air grill with the wild caught salmon. The salmon, which is served with an optional “sweet sauce” was the supposed draw of the whole “salmon bake”. My father and husband, who are huge fans of salmon, were a bit disappointed at the amount of bones that were still in the fish. The worry of choking and ingesting fish bones had them uneasy and took away from the salmon feast experience a bit. If you are not into “fishy” tasting fish, then skip the salmon as this is fresh wild caught salmon-not pre-packaged like in your local grocery store. Our bus driver let us in on the secret of the sweet sauce, which was butter, brown sugar and lemon.

 There is a small gift shop and also a candy store (complete with a dentist chair outside) that you can grab some souveniers and sweets from after lunch before it’s time to head back.

Liarsville turned out to be quite a little scenic hideaway nestled at the foot of the White Pass and complete with a waterfall. The area is very wooded, which makes it very shady. The waterfall and streams flowing through give it a nice atmosphere but it’s also very cold. I can imagine this is a mosquito heaven during the warmer months but I certainly recommend layers and rain gear for the earlier season cruises. Hats with ear flaps were a lifesaver and we felt warm with our layers on and our heads covered. The ponchos went over all the layers to keep the intermittent rain from soaking us through.

The Liarsville gold panning was fun, it was a cheesy tourist attraction but we enjoyed it. That being said, we don’t feel the need to do it again and feel the price could have been a bit more affordable, the show a bit shorter and the gold panning a bit longer and more involved.

If you book this shore excursion you’ll be finished around 11:30 ish which leaves plenty of time for shopping and exploring Skagway. There are two stops on the return from Liarsville. The first stop is “in town” at Broadway and 7th street, which is the start of the shopping. The second stop is all the way back at the ship. If you want to shop, I recommend jumping off the bus as you’re exactly where you need to be for a stroll through town.

    Tip: Accept the Alaska savers coupon book that is being handed out at the cruise port. There are many coupons, maps and information inside and you can redeem coupons and free gifts with your booklet. Be sure to bring it with you into port as it’s required for the redemption. We are in the process of collecting 9 gold coins that have Alaska commemorative insignia on them, there are 3 at each port.

We shopped for quite a bit as this port has the longest all ashore time (all aboard is at 7:30pm). The shops were a mix of cheesy souveniers, handmade Alaskan goods and your typical cruise line jewelry chains (Effy, Diamonds International, etc.) there are also local/historical sites such as the Alaska Brewery, which serves up it’s own local brews as well as the Red Onion Saloon, the famous bar and brothel from days gone by. While the bar is still active, these days the brothel is only giving tours; which are $5 per person.

There are a few options for lunch and/or a drink before you head back to the ship so if you’re craving real fish and chips or a local brew, plan to stop into one of the restaurants along the way back.