John,
I travelled to Skagway on the Princess cruise line from Vancouver in June of 2002 and rode the White Pass as a port of call option. This ride is something I had wanted to do since I was very young, and it was spectacular. I highly recommend it.
In our case the train actually backed down the dock almost down to where our ship was berthed, and it was a short walk to board.
Be sure to take some extra shore time to explore the other railroad sites in Skagway, and now that both #73 and #69 are running, you may get to see them in action as well.
I don't think you will be dissapointed.
Norm