Princess cars in Alaska train

[Sea Hag]

Hi all,

 

I saw several times on this board that, although the seating is in fours like a restaurant booth resulting in two people riding backwards, nobody gets stuck doing that the whole trip since they ask people to rotate halfway. This wasn't our experience on the train last week. Nobody ever asked anybody to switch, and nobody in our car did. Anybody else have this experience? Curious about this.

[milolii]

We never were asked to change in July. On the trip up a couple changed with us but on the way back the couple oppossite us did not offer.

[Happyladi]

There were 4 of us so it was fine but no one said anything about changing half way. Of course, the car wasn't full and we could spread out. I wouldn't have liked riding backwards the whole way sitting accross from strangers. Of course, they wouldn't have been strangers for long, but I could see it being uncomfortable if the people weren't friendly.

[Great Sky Girl]

We noticed a passenger with the same car and table number as ours while waiting for the train in Denali. We edged up, and because the lady had some other issues, we were able to get to the table before them. No one in our car switched places during the ride, and although I felt a little bad, we did not offer to switch as I became very motion sick. Everyone did, however, move around and went downstairs and to the different cars during the trip, so you are not "stuck". I spent a good deal of time in a dining car that wasn't being used, just so I could be alone with my misery and not cause anyone else concern.

[fti]

I am not familiar with the Princess cars but the regular AKRR train had two dome cars when I took it last month. It never got full the entire trip and I stayed up there almost the entire time.

 

As was said, there are other places on the train one can go besides the assigned seats.

[coffee39]

Can anyone tell me how expensive the meals are on the Princess train (between Denali and Whittier) if that makes a difference and what do they serve? Should we eat breakfast before we board the train or wait and eat on the train? 9 - 10 hour ride so should we carry some snacks with us or just rely on train food?

 

Thanks for any help.

[Happyladi]

We ate breakfast on the train. I was expecting the food to be more expensive then it was, probably because of what I read here. The meals ranged from about $6 to $12. I had 2 scrambled eggs, fruit, potatoes, bacon, biscuit, juice and coffee for either $8.95 or $9.95. We got free refills on the juice and coffee and got a second biscuit when we asked. It was pleasant to eat on the train and watch the scenery go by. It's a long trip and it's nice to break it up some.

 

We also had lunch on the train, also. My daughter and I split a sandwich that came with a pickle and chips. It was about $8.00 again. they brought it on 2 plates with a pickle and chips on both plates. I was a little peeved when I got the check and saw they charged me $2.50 for the second plate. It was not written on the menu nor was I told when I asked if we could split a lunch. The dining room was half empty at the time. I just think I should have been told. I thought about saying something but I blew it off.

 

My son got some fancy milkshake upstairs in our seat and that was $4, I think. We got coffee upstairs when we asked and weren't charged extra. We did bring some snacks, too.

[Corby44]

Too bad you can't sneak into the RCI cars, all the seats face forward and are very comfy.

[ptbooth]

Indeed, this was one definite plus for the RCI cruisetour. All seats faced forward in the dome car. We only had the facing seats in the dining area downstairs. I would have gotten motion sick if I had to ride backwards the entire way (I would have probably stood on the outside platform most of the time).

[caneable]

My cruise review gets on to the train fully in a couple of posts! However, to the point. We were pleased with our set up with Princess. Yes the seats are restaurant booth style, but we travelled with two couples and on each occasion we swapped around half way. However, it was down to us, as i don't recall the guide saying anything. Regarding the food, we had a lunch and a dinner and found both to be very good and very reasonably priced. Like another poster, this surprised me from what I'd read previously.

[LisaH]

We never switched either - no problem for us. I think we discussed it once but no one really cared about switching. And you are not stuck as you can get up and move/walk around whenever you want. The platform between cars was a popular spot.

[Sea Hag]

DH and I had agreed that we'd offer to switch if we were sitting the right way (even though I tend to get motion sick riding that way), but the other couple brought on board a large suitcase that they jammed part way under their seat. They had the heck of a time getting in there and I for one thought they'd probably never get it back out. It stuck out into their foot-space, and after he saw that, DH said to me privately, " We are NOT offering to switch." I felt a bit bad about it, but all things considered, I thought it was for the best.

 

The food was definitely better than I expected, and since we're from California, it didn't seem all that expensive to us. We had Jambayala and fruit pie. Cost about $60 including tip. I wouldn't have thought Jambalaya would be a good bet on a train in Alaska, but the waitress recommended it, and she was right. Pretty good!