NCL Alaska Railroad Excursion (Post Covid)

[greatestvalue]

Has anyone experienced the chartered Alaska Railroad excursion provided by NCL to get from Anchorage to Seward?

 

With NCL can you secure seats in the Gold Dome section of the train, or is their train ride in the coach section of the train? 

 

If you wouldnt mind sharing your experience?

 

[don't-use-real-name]

NCL configuration of those charter trains is set up between NCL and the AKRR.

The Gold Star (DOME) cars would be a premium ride $$$ perhaps with meals/beverages ???

Alaska RR will only direct your inquiries to NCL -

SO !

Contact NCL until you get the answer.

Find out about specific seat selection - keeping traveling parties together -

I believe that I have read that coach seating is first come first serve upon boarding -

Plan to be in line first - - -

 

 

 

When booking Alaska RR trips on their equipment when you complete the reservation

have the agent make a specific seat selection in the car - if you don't do this then make

a note when checking in at the Depot to get an assigned seat - MOST IMPORTANT

if traveling with partners.

If booking ONLINE without further to do seats maybe automatically assigned ?

 

Not that it makes a big difference - the entire DOME car is under a glass roof !

 

Find out more about this - the front of the car has less traffic - the rear has the

wet bar and the outdoor observation platform.

 

 

[greatestvalue]

1 hour ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Contact NCL until you get the answer.

When I contacted NCL the agent said it doesnt usually identify the DOME seating but let me read and see what it says this year. 

On the excursion description and what she read, she believes it is seating in the DOME car as it mentioned the Glass Dome. 

 

 But as you indicated I can see the price difference in the NCL excursion (which doesnt include a meal) approx $119 pp vs the Alaska RR pricing $213 pp (which does include a meal).   Im hesitant to assume a meal is whats making up the almost $100 Plus difference in price.  

 

The Adventure class at Alaska RR is $105.00 one way.  That seems more like what NCL is offering with a few dollar upcharge. 

[GTJ]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:19 PM, greatestvalue said:

Has anyone experienced the chartered Alaska Railroad excursion provided by NCL to get from Anchorage to Seward? With NCL can you secure seats in the Gold Dome section of the train, or is their train ride in the coach section of the train?

For these charters, the Alaska Railroad utilizes single level Panorama Dome cars. All one class, everyone travels in "coach," no GoldStar Service. This train departs from the Anchorage airport, not downtown Anchorage.

 

Alternatively, you could travel on the regularly-scheduled train that departs early in the morning from downtown Anchorage, not the Anchorage airport. This train is called the "Coastal Classic," and it offers two classes of service, both coach ("Adventure Class") and first class ("GoldStar Service"). Coach service includes reserved seats in ordinary chair cars plus unreserved seats in the Vista-Dome car that all passengers may use plus a café car serving meals; first class service is comprised of Ultra Dome cars with reserved seats under a full-length dome on the upper level and a lower level dining room.