When can I book Alaska rail for 2023?

[Yesimapirate]

Doing a one way Van-Seward cruise next May and adding on a self booked land tour.

 

Looking to book the Alaska Railway to Denali amd Fairbanks.   I've searched the railroad site and the internet but can't find the date 2023 will become bookable.   O e YouTube video says Oct 1sr, 2022 but I haven't found any other confirmation. 

 

Does anyone happen to know?

 

Tyia

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, Yesimapirate said:

Looking to book the Alaska Railway to Denali amd Fairbanks. I've searched the railroad site and the internet but can't find the date 2023 will become bookable. O e YouTube video says Oct 1sr, 2022 but I haven't found any other confirmation.

A few observations on this subject. There are three distinct passenger trains serving Denali National Park, one of which also operates passenger service north of the park to and from Fairbanks. All of the trains are operated by the Alaska Railroad (the word "Railway" as part of the company's name is not quite right), but there are multiple services offered, each of which has their tickets marketed differently. What is common among all the services is that tickets for an upcoming season are generally not made available until the conclusion of the current season. (I should note that while there is year-round passenger service to and from both Denali National Park and Fairbanks, there are distinct trains--though using many of the same cars--for the summer season and for the winter season, and so here I mean the conclusion of the summer season.) The seasonal changeover this year is September 18, 2022. I will expect that you will be frustrated searching for 2023 tickets prior to this date. Even after this date it may take some time for inventory of the upcoming season to be fully displayed and available for purchase. Thus, the October 1, 2022, date that you have found is a good estimate, but you might availability a bit earlier or later in fact. It is unlikely that any travel dates will be immediately "sold out" right away, so you probably should not be overly concerned with being first in line when inventory becomes available for sale.

 

A few more words on the passenger trains available. All of these trains generally operated from mid-May through mid-September.

 

The earliest train of the day, the "Denali Star," generally operates daily. It departs Anchorage at 8:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park and Fairbanks. It carries Alaska Railroad cars marketed by the Alaska Railroad. It also carries private cars owned and marketed by, Wilderness Express, more formally known as Premier Alaska Tours. Thus, even if Alaska Railroad were to "sell out" of its inventory, there may be seats available from Wilderness Express . . . and vice versa. On the return, this is the last train of the day, departing Fairbanks at 8:15 a.m., and departing Denali National Park at 12:30 p.m. The second train of the day, the "McKinley Explorer," generally operates daily. It departs Anchorage at 9:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). It carries private cars owned and marketed by Princess Rail, more formally known as HAP Alaska, the land tour company jointly controlled by Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. On the return, this is the second train of the day, departing Denali National Park at 9:15 a.m. The last train of the day, the "Denali Express," generally operates Saturdays, Sundays, and alternating Wednesdays. It departs Whittier at 8:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). The "Denali Express" passes through Anchorage at 10:30 a.m., but not taking on additional passengers in Anchorage as it passes through (it may stop in Anchorage for crew or other related purposes). It carries cars owned and marketed by Princess Rail. On the return, this is the first train of the day, departing Denali National Park at 8:00 a.m.

 

Tickets for the Denali Star may be reserved and purchased from the Alaska Railroad for the Alaska Railroad cars, and from Wilderness Express for the private cars. Tickets for the McKinley Explorer may be purchased from HAP Alaska, whether in connection with a cruise or not. Tickets for the Denali Express may be purchased only from Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, and then only in connection with a cruise with one of those lines. Helpful is that the third party travel agency, Alaska Tour & Travel, sells tickets for all of these trains, other than the Denali Express, with a very good website search and sales feature, and which allows for the easiest comparison of available options.

 

Some additional travel options.

 

There is another train that is sometimes confused with the three trains above, as all of the trains have very similar names. But if you're destined solely to Denali National Park or Fairbanks, this train will not be useful. This is the "McKinley Express." It generally operates Saturdays, Sundays, and alternating Wednesdays. It departs Whittier at 7:15 a.m., destined for McKinley station, located near the community of Talkeetna, where many Denali National Park visitors stay during their travels. The "McKinley Express" passes through Anchorage at 9:30 a.m., but not taking on additional passengers in Anchorage as it passes through (it may stop in Anchorage for crew or other related purposes). It carries cars owned by the Alaska Railroad but marketed by Princess Rail. On the return, the train departs McKinley station at 1:30 p.m. There is also parallel motorcoach service. This is the "Park Connection" (named for highway honoring former Alaska Governor George Parks, not named for Denali National Park), and it generally operates twice daily. It departs Anchorage at 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). It is operated by Premier Alaska Tours but marketed by Alaska Tour & Travel. On the return, coaches depart Denali National Park at 7:00 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

 

Tickets for the McKinley Express may be purchased only from Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, and then only in connection with a cruise with one of those lines. Tickets for the Park Connection may be purchased from Alaska Tour & Travel.

 

The above information is more comprehensive than requested, but hopefully it is helpful.

[LB_NJ]

You could make a phone call to the railroad and ask.

 

Every time I have called, they seemed to have friendly knowledgeable people answer the phone.

[TT81]

A few weeks ago I actually emailed and asked when the 2023 train schedule for the train to Seward  would be released and was told August or September, I assume all the 2023 schedules will be released together so it should be any time now.

 

[Kate-in-Canada]

No answer to question, but I just finished a van-Seward cruise and took train from Seward to anchorage.  I would def recommend splurging for the gold star class if it’s in Your budget.  So worth it. 

[don't-use-real-name]

The schedule of the Alaska RR has not changed much over the years - only the fares

Call Alaska RR to verify this and to find out the earliest opportunity to purchase tickets

Cruise line tours will book their own cars on scheduled Alaska RR trips

The Gold Star class accommodations usually sell out fast - especially the Coastal Classic

[ragajada]

On 8/14/2022 at 12:13 PM, Yesimapirate said:

Doing a one way Van-Seward cruise next May and adding on a self booked land tour.

 

Looking to book the Alaska Railway to Denali amd Fairbanks.   I've searched the railroad site and the internet but can't find the date 2023 will become bookable.   O e YouTube video says Oct 1sr, 2022 but I haven't found any other confirmation. 

 

Does anyone happen to know?

 

Tyia

I called the other day.  Booking agent gave vague reference to October.  

 

[GTJ]

On 8/19/2022 at 7:38 PM, don't-use-real-name said:

The schedule of the Alaska RR has not changed much over the years - only the fares

There is little reason to believe that schedules will be adjusted much, if at all, for 2023. It is a near certainty that a train will depart downtown Anchorage in the morning destined for Seward, and from Seward in the evening destined for Anchorage. Additional trains will depart Seward in the morning, destined for the Anchorage airport, on days that Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line vessels are in port, and from the Anchorage airport in the afternoon destined for Seward on those same days.

 

Alaska Railroad, and other ticket sellers, generally desire to avoid confusion by selling tickets for only one season at a time. The season runs from mid-May to mid-September. Once the current season ends, then they will open up ticket sales for the next season.

[vacation44]

Very helpful topic.   

 

We are looking to purchase Anchorage to Seward for August 2023.    Am I correct that the train goes directly to the cruise terminal?  We will be on the NCL Jewel and are flying into Anchorage two days before our sailing.   

 

First time Alaska cruises so I have so much research to do.

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Very helpful topic.   

 

We are looking to purchase Anchorage to Seward for August 2023.    Am I correct that the train goes directly to the cruise terminal?  We will be on the NCL Jewel and are flying into Anchorage two days before our sailing.   

 

First time Alaska cruises so I have so much research to do.

 

The cruise line chartered trains go from the Anchorage International airport to the Seward cruise terminal on embarkation days and the reverse on disembarkation days.  Tickets for the cruise line chartered rail runs are purchased directly from the cruise line.  They are not purchased directly from the Alaska Railroad.

 

The Alaska Railroad offers daily service during the summer between the downtown Anchorage rail station to the Seward train station.  This service does not stop at the Anchorage airport.  The Seward rail station is close to the cruise terminal, but not actually at the terminal. 

[disneyochem]

5 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Very helpful topic.   

 

We are looking to purchase Anchorage to Seward for August 2023.    Am I correct that the train goes directly to the cruise terminal?  We will be on the NCL Jewel and are flying into Anchorage two days before our sailing.   

 

First time Alaska cruises so I have so much research to do.

Northern Aurora gave you great information about where the trains debark in Seward.   I just wanted to chime in  and suggest you take the train (book through Alaska Rail) to Seward in the morning.  You'll arrive around 11 a.m., in time for a Major Marine or Kenai Fjords tour.  Your luggage will be tagged in Anchorage for the cruise ship--the next time you'll see it will be in your stateroom.

 

Both Major Marine and Kenai Fjords will have shuttles to their boats but you can just walk to the harbor.  Take the longest cruise you can to see glaciers and wildlife--the six hour works well with your schedule!  After the wildlife cruise, you can walk to the cruise terminal (about 10-15 minutes) to board your ship.  It's a great way to spend the day in Seward before getting on the Jewel.  We like Major Marine: https://majormarine.com/full-day-tours/  Both companies usually have Black Friday deals so you can snag a discounted price on the cruises!  

 

Or, if you don't want to take a wildlife/glacier cruise, visit the Sealife Center or take an Uber/shuttle to the Exit Glacier.  The Jewel will be leaving pretty late in the day (we left about 7 p.m. this past July) so you will have plenty of time to explore and enjoy Seward

 

 

[Denise&Paul STL]

On 8/14/2022 at 3:14 PM, GTJ said:

A few observations on this subject. There are three distinct passenger trains serving Denali National Park, one of which also operates passenger service north of the park to and from Fairbanks. All of the trains are operated by the Alaska Railroad (the word "Railway" as part of the company's name is not quite right), but there are multiple services offered, each of which has their tickets marketed differently. What is common among all the services is that tickets for an upcoming season are generally not made available until the conclusion of the current season. (I should note that while there is year-round passenger service to and from both Denali National Park and Fairbanks, there are distinct trains--though using many of the same cars--for the summer season and for the winter season, and so here I mean the conclusion of the summer season.) The seasonal changeover this year is September 18, 2022. I will expect that you will be frustrated searching for 2023 tickets prior to this date. Even after this date it may take some time for inventory of the upcoming season to be fully displayed and available for purchase. Thus, the October 1, 2022, date that you have found is a good estimate, but you might availability a bit earlier or later in fact. It is unlikely that any travel dates will be immediately "sold out" right away, so you probably should not be overly concerned with being first in line when inventory becomes available for sale.

 

A few more words on the passenger trains available. All of these trains generally operated from mid-May through mid-September.

 

The earliest train of the day, the "Denali Star," generally operates daily. It departs Anchorage at 8:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park and Fairbanks. It carries Alaska Railroad cars marketed by the Alaska Railroad. It also carries private cars owned and marketed by, Wilderness Express, more formally known as Premier Alaska Tours. Thus, even if Alaska Railroad were to "sell out" of its inventory, there may be seats available from Wilderness Express . . . and vice versa. On the return, this is the last train of the day, departing Fairbanks at 8:15 a.m., and departing Denali National Park at 12:30 p.m. The second train of the day, the "McKinley Explorer," generally operates daily. It departs Anchorage at 9:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). It carries private cars owned and marketed by Princess Rail, more formally known as HAP Alaska, the land tour company jointly controlled by Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. On the return, this is the second train of the day, departing Denali National Park at 9:15 a.m. The last train of the day, the "Denali Express," generally operates Saturdays, Sundays, and alternating Wednesdays. It departs Whittier at 8:15 a.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). The "Denali Express" passes through Anchorage at 10:30 a.m., but not taking on additional passengers in Anchorage as it passes through (it may stop in Anchorage for crew or other related purposes). It carries cars owned and marketed by Princess Rail. On the return, this is the first train of the day, departing Denali National Park at 8:00 a.m.

 

Tickets for the Denali Star may be reserved and purchased from the Alaska Railroad for the Alaska Railroad cars, and from Wilderness Express for the private cars. Tickets for the McKinley Explorer may be purchased from HAP Alaska, whether in connection with a cruise or not. Tickets for the Denali Express may be purchased only from Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, and then only in connection with a cruise with one of those lines. Helpful is that the third party travel agency, Alaska Tour & Travel, sells tickets for all of these trains, other than the Denali Express, with a very good website search and sales feature, and which allows for the easiest comparison of available options.

 

Some additional travel options.

 

There is another train that is sometimes confused with the three trains above, as all of the trains have very similar names. But if you're destined solely to Denali National Park or Fairbanks, this train will not be useful. This is the "McKinley Express." It generally operates Saturdays, Sundays, and alternating Wednesdays. It departs Whittier at 7:15 a.m., destined for McKinley station, located near the community of Talkeetna, where many Denali National Park visitors stay during their travels. The "McKinley Express" passes through Anchorage at 9:30 a.m., but not taking on additional passengers in Anchorage as it passes through (it may stop in Anchorage for crew or other related purposes). It carries cars owned by the Alaska Railroad but marketed by Princess Rail. On the return, the train departs McKinley station at 1:30 p.m. There is also parallel motorcoach service. This is the "Park Connection" (named for highway honoring former Alaska Governor George Parks, not named for Denali National Park), and it generally operates twice daily. It departs Anchorage at 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., destined for Denali National Park (but not Fairbanks). It is operated by Premier Alaska Tours but marketed by Alaska Tour & Travel. On the return, coaches depart Denali National Park at 7:00 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

 

Tickets for the McKinley Express may be purchased only from Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, and then only in connection with a cruise with one of those lines. Tickets for the Park Connection may be purchased from Alaska Tour & Travel.

 

The above information is more comprehensive than requested, but hopefully it is helpful.

If I read this right, of which I am unsure, we cannot book the "Direct to the Wilderness" dome trained with 360 degree views without booking direct with the cruise line.  People with us really wanted to do that train.  So, if they do that, they have to stay at the Princess Lodge doing one of the cruisetours, and that is the only way they can ride that train?  Please confirm or tell me who I can talk to about it.  I've tried calling both, but nothing was clear.  

[GTJ]

3 hours ago, Denise&Paul STL said:

If I read this right, of which I am unsure, we cannot book the "Direct to the Wilderness" dome trained with 360 degree views without booking direct with the cruise line.

It is easy to understand confusion because there are multiple trains each with names that have similarities. I will try to go through what might be among the possible intended choices, and hopefully any confusion can be reduced, if not eliminated completely.

 

The term "Direct to the Wilderness" is a marketing term used by Princess Cruises to describe two distinct trains, each of which operate to and from Whittier, timed to meet the cruises operated by Princess Cruises. These two trains are the "McKinley Express," operating between Whittier and McKinley stations (the latter station being referred to by Princess as Talkeetna station); and the "Denali Express," operating between Whittier and Denali stations. Both of these trains are operated by the Alaska Railroad, but ticketing for both trains is handled by Princess Cruises in connection with cruises operated by Princess Cruises; and ticketing for the "Denali Express" is handled by Holland America Line in connection with cruises operated by Holland America Line.

 

Now as to types of equipment, there are three distinct types of railcars that are generically referred to as dome cars with 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape. The oldest of these cars, built in the 1950s, are "Vista-Dome" cars. These single level cars have an elevated dome section in which seating is not assigned to passengers for the duration of the journey but shared among all rail passengers. (Many, myself included, consider these to be the only "true" dome cars, and they are our preference.) The second type are newer single level cars known as "Panorama Dome" cars. These cars have a glass ceiling that give the illusion of being in a dome. The third type are new double deck cars known as "Ultra Dome" cars. These cars also have a glass ceiling that give the illusion of being in a dome.

 

The "McKinley Express" uses Panorama Dome cars. The "Denali Express" used Ultra Dome cars. There are other trains that also use dome cars. Vista-Dome cars are used on "Coastal Classic" (between downtown Anchorage and Seward), "Denali Star" (between downtown Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks), and "Hurricane Turn" (between Talkeetna and Hurricane), all of which have tickets available from the Alaska Railroad and travel agencies. Panorama Dome cars are used on cruise trains (between downtown Anchorage or Anchorage airport and Seward) in connection with cruises operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Holland America Line, with tickets available only from the respective cruise lines. Ultra Dome cars are used on "Coastal Classic" (between downtown Anchorage and Seward), "Denali Star" (between downtown Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks), "Wilderness Express" (between downtown Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks), and "McKinley Explorer" (between downtown Anchorage, McKinley, and Denali). Tickets for "Coastal Classic," "Denali Star," and "Hurricane Turn" are available from Alaska Railroad and travel agencies, tickets for "Wilderness Express" are available from Premier Alaska Tours through its Wilderness Express website and travel agencies, and tickets for "McKinley Explorer" are available from Princess Cruises and travel agencies. As to "travel agencies," the most comprehensive and competent agency is Alaska Travel and Tour.

 

Hopefully this information clears up at least some of the confusion.

[Denise&Paul STL]

Wow thanks GTJ!

[AKStafford]

You can book tickets on Princess's rail cars without being a part of the their tours: 

https://www.princesslodges.com/alaska-rail-tours/rail-transportation/

[GTJ]

11 minutes ago, AKStafford said:

You can book tickets on Princess's rail cars without being a part of the their tours

Only some of the trains using Princess rail cars have been made available for transportation in the absence of booking in connection with a cruise operated by Princess Cruises. All of the rail cars owned by Princess are Ultra Dome cars, and these cars are used on both the "Denali Express," operating between Whittier and Denali, and the "McKinley Explorer," operating between downtown Anchorage, Talkeetna, and Denali. Tickets for the "Denali Express" and sold by Princess only in connection with their cruises, but tickets for the "McKinley Explorer" are available and sold by Princess (and travel agents) separate and apart from any other travel arrangements.

 

The primary open question here is ascertaining why a train trip is desired. Is it that there is a need to travel between particular points within Alaska, and travel by train is a desired means to that end? If so, that the points between which transportation is needed will largely dictate which trains are appropriate. Or is there simply a desire to take a train ride, without regard to where the train might happen to go? Many railroad enthusiasts are in this category . . . for them (and I would include myself in this category as well), if there exists a train then it should be traveled upon. In this case, the appropriate trains to be used will be largely dictated by the specific type of equipment being used and/or (in the case of mileage collectors) the particular tracks traversed by the train. Without knowing the purpose of the train trip, it is difficult to make any recommendation about the trains most appropriate, and those that would be impracticable.

[vacation44]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:13 PM, disneyochem said:

Northern Aurora gave you great information about where the trains debark in Seward.   I just wanted to chime in  and suggest you take the train (book through Alaska Rail) to Seward in the morning.  You'll arrive around 11 a.m., in time for a Major Marine or Kenai Fjords tour.  Your luggage will be tagged in Anchorage for the cruise ship--the next time you'll see it will be in your stateroom.

 

Both Major Marine and Kenai Fjords will have shuttles to their boats but you can just walk to the harbor.  Take the longest cruise you can to see glaciers and wildlife--the six hour works well with your schedule!  After the wildlife cruise, you can walk to the cruise terminal (about 10-15 minutes) to board your ship.  It's a great way to spend the day in Seward before getting on the Jewel.  We like Major Marine: https://majormarine.com/full-day-tours/  Both companies usually have Black Friday deals so you can snag a discounted price on the cruises!  

 

Or, if you don't want to take a wildlife/glacier cruise, visit the Sealife Center or take an Uber/shuttle to the Exit Glacier.  The Jewel will be leaving pretty late in the day (we left about 7 p.m. this past July) so you will have plenty of time to explore and enjoy Seward

 

 

Thank you for suggesting the earlier train.

On 9/8/2022 at 7:13 PM, disneyochem said:

Northern Aurora gave you great information about where the trains debark in Seward.   I just wanted to chime in  and suggest you take the train (book through Alaska Rail) to Seward in the morning.  You'll arrive around 11 a.m., in time for a Major Marine or Kenai Fjords tour.  Your luggage will be tagged in Anchorage for the cruise ship--the next time you'll see it will be in your stateroom.

 

Both Major Marine and Kenai Fjords will have shuttles to their boats but you can just walk to the harbor.  Take the longest cruise you can to see glaciers and wildlife--the six hour works well with your schedule!  After the wildlife cruise, you can walk to the cruise terminal (about 10-15 minutes) to board your ship.  It's a great way to spend the day in Seward before getting on the Jewel.  We like Major Marine: https://majormarine.com/full-day-tours/  Both companies usually have Black Friday deals so you can snag a discounted price on the cruises!  

 

Or, if you don't want to take a wildlife/glacier cruise, visit the Sealife Center or take an Uber/shuttle to the Exit Glacier.  The Jewel will be leaving pretty late in the day (we left about 7 p.m. this past July) so you will have plenty of time to explore and 

Thank you for suggesting the earlier train which we are going to do.

 

I just want to make sure I am using the right booking site, Alaskarail.com.  I see that there are another sites Alaskatrain.com, Alaskarailroad.com or Alaskatours.com. but I believe they are vendors.  

 

 

 

Also, if we take the earlier train, the luggage will definitely be tagged for our cruise as I see NCL offers the later train.

[disneyochem]

59 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you for suggesting the earlier train.

Thank you for suggesting the earlier train which we are going to do.

 

I just want to make sure I am using the right booking site, Alaskarail.com.  I see that there are another sites Alaskatrain.com, Alaskarailroad.com or Alaskatours.com. but I believe they are vendors.  

 

 

 

Also, if we take the earlier train, the luggage will definitely be tagged for our cruise as I see NCL offers the later train.

This is the official Alaska Railroad site:  https://www.alaskarailroad.com/.  If it’s in your budget, try to travel Goldstar.  You get to travel in the domed car, an outside viewing platform, and breakfast and drinks included in your fare.  The Adventure class is nice as well—the cars have big windows for viewing but you can’t go outside.

 

At the Anchorage terminal (you check bags outside before going inside to checkin for the train), you can either put NCL luggage tags on your luggage or they will have tags for you to use.   You won’t see the bags until you get on the ship so be sure to carry anything you need for the day.

 

Taking a Kenai Fjord wildlife tour is one of our favorite things to do in Alaska—fantastic scenery (glacier viewing, fjords), whales, seals, and birds!  Enjoy!
 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by disneyochem

[vacation44]

46 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

This is the official Alaska Railroad site:  https://www.alaskarailroad.com/.  If it’s in your budget, try to travel Goldstar.  You get to travel in the domed car, an outside viewing platform, and breakfast and drinks included in your fare.  The Adventure class is nice as well—the cars have big windows for viewing but you can’t go outside.

 

At the Anchorage terminal (you check bags outside before going inside to checkin for the train), you can either put NCL luggage tags on your luggage or they will have tags for you to use.   You won’t see the bags until you get on the ship so be sure to carry anything you need for the day.

 

Taking a Kenai Fjord wildlife tour is one of our favorite things to do in Alaska—fantastic scenery (glacier viewing, fjords), whales, seals, and birds!  Enjoy!
 

 

Thank you!     All of the websites were getting me confused as I am always leery of fake websites. 

We will definitely spring for Goldstar and I will look into the Kenai Fjord wildlife tour.

[GTJ]

6 hours ago, vacation44 said:

I just want to make sure I am using the right booking site, Alaskarail.com.  I see that there are another sites Alaskatrain.com, Alaskarailroad.com or Alaskatours.com. but I believe they are vendors.

Of the four enumerated URLs, Alaskarailroad.com is the website for the Alaska Railroad, which itself operates the passenger trains. The other three websites are all travel agents that sell tickets for the Alaska Railroad. The URL Alaskatrain.com is linked to the Alaska Tour and Travel, which is, in my  subjective opinion, the best travel agency for the purchase of railroad and motorcoach tickets by themselves. This travel agency not only sells railroad tickets that could purchased directly from the Alaska Railroad but also sells railroad tickets for one of the trains for which Princess Cruises supplies private railcars (the "McKinley Explorer") and for the private railcars used for the "Wilderness Express," the tickets for these latter two options not being available from the Alaska Railroad itself. Thus, at least for research purposes, the Alaska Tour and Travel website is a good starting point. The other two URLs are travel agencies that sell inclusive tours, rather than plain railroad tickets. They're not "fake," but they may not sell what you actually want, and they might charge extra for their services.

7 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Also, if we take the earlier train, the luggage will definitely be tagged for our cruise as I see NCL offers the later train.

Both the morning and afternoon trains from Anchorage are operated by the Alaska Railroad, and both use Alaska Railroad cars. The morning train is marketed by the Alaska Railroad, which sells tickets; the afternoon train is marketed by the various cruise lines (including NCL), with those cruise lines selling tickets.

6 hours ago, disneyochem said:

If it’s in your budget, try to travel Goldstar.  You get to travel in the domed car, an outside viewing platform, and breakfast and drinks included in your fare. The Adventure class is nice as well—the cars have big windows for viewing but you can’t go outside.

A caveat to this advice. GoldStar service (first class) uses Ultra Dome cars, which have glass ceilings, giving the illusion of being in a dome, and an outdoor viewing area. Adventure class (coach) uses ordinary railroad coaches, but is also scheduled to use a Vista-Dome car with unreserved classic dome car seating that is shared among all coach passengers. One can also ride the vestibules with the upper half of the dutch door opened, allowing one to lean outside. Thus, there are similar, though identical, features available to passengers in both classes of accommodations.

[GTJ]

That last line above should have read, "Thus, there are similar, though not identical, features available to passengers in both classes of accommodations."

[vacation44]

18 hours ago, GTJ said:

Of the four enumerated URLs, Alaskarailroad.com is the website for the Alaska Railroad, which itself operates the passenger trains. The other three websites are all travel agents that sell tickets for the Alaska Railroad. The URL Alaskatrain.com is linked to the Alaska Tour and Travel, which is, in my  subjective opinion, the best travel agency for the purchase of railroad and motorcoach tickets by themselves. This travel agency not only sells railroad tickets that could purchased directly from the Alaska Railroad but also sells railroad tickets for one of the trains for which Princess Cruises supplies private railcars (the "McKinley Explorer") and for the private railcars used for the "Wilderness Express," the tickets for these latter two options not being available from the Alaska Railroad itself. Thus, at least for research purposes, the Alaska Tour and Travel website is a good starting point. The other two URLs are travel agencies that sell inclusive tours, rather than plain railroad tickets. They're not "fake," but they may not sell what you actually want, and they might charge extra for their services.

Both the morning and afternoon trains from Anchorage are operated by the Alaska Railroad, and both use Alaska Railroad cars. The morning train is marketed by the Alaska Railroad, which sells tickets; the afternoon train is marketed by the various cruise lines (including NCL), with those cruise lines selling tickets.

A caveat to this advice. GoldStar service (first class) uses Ultra Dome cars, which have glass ceilings, giving the illusion of being in a dome, and an outdoor viewing area. Adventure class (coach) uses ordinary railroad coaches, but is also scheduled to use a Vista-Dome car with unreserved classic dome car seating that is shared among all coach passengers. One can also ride the vestibules with the upper half of the dutch door opened, allowing one to lean outside. Thus, there are similar, though identical, features available to passengers in both classes of accommodations.

Thank you very much for the detailed information it is very much appreciated.

 

I just want to confirm that on the morning train, our luggage would be checked in and then will end up in our cabin.

[GTJ]

7 hours ago, vacation44 said:

I just want to confirm that on the morning train, our luggage would be checked in and then will end up in our cabin.

I cannot give that confirmation, but others have reported that such is the case. The morning train is operated by, and marketed by, the Alaska Railroad, independently of the cruise lines. The railroad itself handles checked baggage on the train between the railroad stations in downtown Anchorage and Seward, but does not handle checked baggage to or from cruise vessels. It is my understanding that at least some cruise lines will dispatch a luggage truck to the downtown Anchorage railroad station, will take custody of passenger baggage there, drive the baggage to the cruise vessel in Seward, using the parallel highway, and deliver that baggage to the vessel for further delivery to passenger staterooms. Again, all of that baggage handling would be by, or on behalf of, the cruise line, not the railroad, though the taking of custody of baggage would be at the railroad station. If others can confirm my understanding, or expand upon it, then all the better.

[disneyochem]

12 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you very much for the detailed information it is very much appreciated.

 

I just want to confirm that on the morning train, our luggage would be checked in and then will end up in our cabin.

We have cruised NCL a number of times from Seward (most recently on the July 4th cruise). We have been able to check our luggage at the Anchorage train depot (we put on our cruise luggage tags), it gets thrown into a truck with other cruise luggage and it shows up in our stateroom before we do!

 

Not sure of the policy on other cruise lines .

[vacation44]

11 hours ago, disneyochem said:

We have cruised NCL a number of times from Seward (most recently on the July 4th cruise). We have been able to check our luggage at the Anchorage train depot (we put on our cruise luggage tags), it gets thrown into a truck with other cruise luggage and it shows up in our stateroom before we do!

 

Not sure of the policy on other cruise lines .

Did you take the first morning train or the later train that NCL promotes?