NCL chartered train to Seward - only available 50 days before sailing?!

[DiscoPapa]

Appreciate the brain trust’s help here… we interested in booking the NCL chartered train with Alaska Railroad from the Anchorage airport directly to the ship in Seward. Have called the shore excursions decks a few times, and they have said “it’s not available yet as they are finalizing details with the vendor… keep checking back every few days.”  Then I called this morning and the lady said any debarkation tour is not available until 50 days before sailing!!

 

Seems like a short time to book it, as I imagine the normal 6:45am Alaska RR train will be full by then.  Any guidance or is she right at needing to wait until 50 days out?

 

Thanks!

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

It would appear that that is the situation these days; 50 days out for debarkation tours.

[zqvol]

There will be plenty of space.. no worries waiting. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

54 minutes ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

It would appear that that is the situation these days; 50 days out for debarkation tours.

But the OP is speaking about embarking...not debarking.

[laudergayle]

When I inquired several months ago, I was told 90 days before our mid-May disembarkation.  If at 90 days it’s not available …I guess I’ll wait for 50.  What is your sailing date?

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@DiscoPapa

 

NCL chartered train

 

Where is there any information about an NCL chartered train for either debarking or embarking passengers please?

[Middleager]

Doubt NCL will chart a train.  If anything, NCL buys seats on some cars of train to sell to you (and adds their own cut in the price).

 

People can buy tickets for those trains themselves (we did). 

[zqvol]

9 minutes ago, Middleager said:

Doubt NCL will chart a train.  If anything, NCL buys seats on some cars of train to sell to you (and adds their own cut in the price).

 

People can buy tickets for those trains themselves (we did). 

They do charter a train that runs apart from the scheduled trains. It is limited to ships passengers. If there are multiple ships in port they combine excursions. 

[bluesea777]

NCL does charter a train that departs from Seward at 6:something in the morning on disembarkation morning and the train goes from next to the ship to Anchorage airport only. 
 
Then the same train departs from Anchorage airport at 13:something on embarkation day and returns to Seward. 
 

These are the two trains that NCL charters on ships turnaround days. 
 

Regular Alaska Railroad trains leave from Anchorage downtown train depot at 6:40 am every morning for Seward, and leave from Seward every evening at 6:something pm to return to Anchorage.

 

The latter offer two options: regular seating and GoldStar Dome service. We did the latter when we took the train down to Seward two days before our cruise in end of May 2023, and it was fantastic. 
 

 

[Middleager]

Ok, I was wrong, NCL did charter trains.

When we disembarked in Seward, we took an excursion that returned in time for the 6pm train to Anchorage.  The timing worked out quite well for us.

[TQuila]

In 2019, we booked directly through Alaskatrain.com almost a year in advance, and we were able to put our NCL tags on our bags in Anchorage, and they were checked straight through to the ship while we took an independent excursion in Seward (Major Marine Tours - highly recommended!). I would suggest reaching out to the Alaska Train and ask them to confirm, but I'd be surprised if this has changed.

Edited December 17, 2023 by TQuila

[olemissreb]

Since we had done our own land based tour for a week before the cruise, we booked Gold Dome service on the Alaska RR to Seward the day before embarkation. The railroad sent our bags to our hotel so we could do the Major Marine Kenai Fjords tour (highly recommend as someone else also said).  The next day, the hotel held our luggage for us while we toured the Sea Life Center (also recommend with a behind the scenes tour). 

 

The train ride was phenomenal...assigned seats in domed car with bar service and food service below, both for nominal costs.