Train Tours in Alaska

[Leslaf]

Hi there. I'm new to this Forum. My question isn't cruise related (but I'm sure I'll have some questions more on topic soon)!! ''

 

We are planning an Alaska cruise this summer and we also want to do a week long train trip of the area. There are so many companies offering these trips. I was wondering if anyone here has done one of these 7-day train trips and which company do you recommend? We would like to definitely visit Denali National Park. Thanks in advance for your help. :)

[Clarea]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Another forum with a huge amount of info is the port of call forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[Sharkb8]

We did a Royal Cruisetour for our first trip and decided to book our own land for our second trip. We used Alaskatravel . com for our land tour. They will book all your hotels and train travel for you (highly customizable) and they don't mark up their prices.

 

We flew into Fairbanks and stayed at one of the hotels that RCI uses, then did an arctic circle plane ride with an excursion to the place where they view the Northern Lights in the winter (I forget the name). After that, we gradually moved down to Seward using the train. Keep in mind that the train is for early risers, so you will also arrive to your next hotel early. Normally not an issue except at the Denali Princess where, apparently, everyone is moved out of their room early so that they end up camped in the lobby. And .. if you arrive early, you end up camped in the same lobby. Disney would put them to shame.

 

I would recommend spending a night inside Denali at one of their lodges or cabins. The trip in is a day trip (early off the train, hop on a bus to interior Denali) and the drivers are encouraged to stop if someone sees a bear, etc. Coming out is a little bit shorter, but it means that you spend that night in a local hotel (no train that late). Good luck and have fun! Visit the Alaska forum here too.

 

 

Hi there. I'm new to this Forum. My question isn't cruise related (but I'm sure I'll have some questions more on topic soon)!! ''

 

We are planning an Alaska cruise this summer and we also want to do a week long train trip of the area. There are so many companies offering these trips. I was wondering if anyone here has done one of these 7-day train trips and which company do you recommend? We would like to definitely visit Denali National Park. Thanks in advance for your help. :)

[Leslaf]

Thanks so much Sharkb8!!

[mapleleaves]

You don't need a 'company' to book a train trip. You can book directly thru the Alaska Railroad web site. This enables you to choose which locations to visit, and for whatever length of time you want to stay at each one. You can overnight at cruisetour hotels, like Princess Lodges, or you can do a little research and book your own lodging. (If you book your own hotels, be mindful of the distance between the depot and the lodging, as it may require a shuttle/taxi or a long walk.)

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/

 

OR you can book a package deal thru the Alaska Railroad to include lodging and transfers. They offer several different itineraries.

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel-planning/packages/summer-packages

[Cruise_More_Often]

I agree with mapleleaves' post, above, about Alaska Railroad's splendid tour offerings. Since Alaska Railroad is the only rail provider in Alaska, why not go to the source? Just take a look at their Summer Packages link. There is bound to be something there that catches your eye.

[Leslaf]

I agree with mapleleaves' post, above, about Alaska Railroad's splendid tour offerings. Since Alaska Railroad is the only rail provider in Alaska, why not go to the source? Just take a look at their Summer Packages link. There is bound to be something there that catches your eye.

 

Thanks Mapleleaves and Cruise More Often! I should have clarified. That's actually what I meant was which train company should I use? So Alaska Railroad is the only provider so for sure, I may as well go right to them to book something. I didn't realize they were the only providers. I have other websites bookmarked but those would be tour companies that use Alaska Railroad.

 

I just booked our cruise with RCI for August so now have to get my planning done for this train trip. We are leaving from Seward and are going to do the train (land trip) prior to the cruise as suggested in other posts I have seen.

 

Luckily I have until May 6 to cancel the cruise without penalty if for some reason I can't get the train/land trip booked for the week prior to the cruise.

 

I still have to research but it looks like we would fly into Anchorage, then take the train up to Denali and then end up back in Anchorage eventually. I'm going to see if we can even get the train from Anchorage to Seward to avoid the 2 1/2 bus ride once our land trip is done and then jump on the cruise.

 

Lots of great info here on this huge website. I have to get researching now! Keep it coming if anyone else has suggestions on train trips from Anchorage. Thanks in advance!

[mapleleaves]

Glad to hear you plan to spend time in Alaska before your cruise. Definitely a different perspective to the coastal views you will see during the cruise.

I always drive ( car or RV) but from what I've read and seen in hundreds of trip reports, the train between Seward and Anchorage is the most scenic leg in Alaska. For some of the trip it parallels the hwy but south of Girdwood it gets close to the mountains and you have awesome glacier views. You'll find video on youtube.com if you search for 'train to seward' or something similar.

 

It's an easy drive between Anchorage and Denali ... 5 or 6 hrs on a 2 lane hwy. You might want to consider a rental car for that portion. Then you would have the ability to stop for other points of interests, and wildlife along the way. Probably cheaper and you could have the best of both worlds .... the scenic train ride plus independent road travel. Have a look thru past trip reports. This one includes lots of photos of the RCL cruise, train from Seward to Anchorage then drive to Denali. At the end are lots of thumbnail photos you can enlarge to view.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2227152&page=2

[AKStafford]

I agree with Mapleleaves. Use a rental car for the Denali portion of your trip. It's an easy, straight forward drive. I'm not the best atitineraries, but let me suggest something like this (assuming 7 days):

Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage. Get rental car.

Day 2: Drive to Talkeetna. Here you can do a Denali flightseeing trip, or if the train is still a priority, do the Hurricane Turn: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/hurricane-turn Overnight in Talkeetna.

Day 3: Continue on to Denali National Park. Drive the first 15 miles of the park road and check out the entrance area. Overnight Healy. Lodging options: http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

Day 4: Shuttle bus into the park to the Eielson Visitor Center or Wonder Lake. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm Bring your own lunch. Overnight Healy.

Day 5: Back to Anchorage. You should have time to detour over to the Matanuska Glacier. Overnight Anchorage.

Day 6: Drive to Whittier for a Prince William Sound glacier cruise. Stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. You could also do this via train. But the drive down to along the Turnagain Arm is very scenic and the train doesn't allow you to stop as you please. But either way is a winner.

Day 7: Train to Seward. You'll get there in time for a Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise.

If you have more days, there's plenty more that could be added in.

[Budget Queen]

Some things to consider, taking the train to Seward then (jumping on the ship) is totally missing out on the gems that Seward offers. In fact a couple overnights are worthwhile. :) But at the least, do consider taking a look at activities. I never waste my touring Seward day, and don't board the ship until evening.

 

As for the train Anchorage/Fairbanks. It is very limiting. The route is within sight of the Parks Highway most of the trip. You are missing multiple stops. Significant you are limited at Denali, with activities, lodging and meals. It makes a lot better use of time to have your own transportation.

 

With train travel I would also suggest at least an extra day, compared to non train itineraries.

[Leslaf]

Mapleleaves, those are great pictures on the link you provided. Thanks as well for the driving info as well. I will take that into consideration.

 

AK Stafford, thanks for the itinerary. Very helpful!

 

Budget Queen, I will definitely make sure we get to Seward in good time even a day prior to the cruise to tour there. Thanks as well for your info about the train trip north. Others as well think it would a better idea to rent a car. Will definitely look into this as well.