We spent almost 8 days on a tour arranged by Alaska Railway. Overall it was an excellent…read moreexperience, a great introduction to Alaska for our first visit, and a reminder that rail service need not be as bad as AmTrak makes it. We have traveled a lot and been to most of the lower 48 states, and almost all the major national parks. This trip was a great one for us. Our tour included all transportation and hotels, most meals, and several side tours. We never traveled in one big group, as people have different routes an days and locations. We went from Anchorage to Girdwood to Seward to Denali, with a couple of turnarounds in Anchorage. The trains ran on time. The crews were helpful and knowledgeable and ever-present. The meals were adequate (not fancy) and the seats comfortable. We opted for Gold Star Service, which costs more but means we traveled in domed cars meals and drinks pre-paid. The rail company has excellent connections with tour people. For example, our nature center tour leader took us to lunch and handed us off to the river rafting crew. They led us back to the train for a brief trip to a dropoff point, and stayed with us down the river to a bank-side pickup point. They dealt with our luggage. But remember that on a tour like this, connections are everything. Hotel clerks were not always as trained on shuttles and departure times so be sure and check everything every day along the way. On our tour we saw everything we expected, and more. Wildlife outside the train windows: Glaciers from small and large boats; Whales; moose and more scenery than you will believe. Note: we don't care for Cruise ships and crowds, and found this a great alternative. And probably less expensive than a cruise. We loved it. It was for us the trip of a lifetime.

We rode the Denali Star from Anchorage to Denali gold star service with breakfast/lunch, and then…read moreDenali to Anchorage adventure class. Everyone loads the train at the same time. They open the door, and everyone walks through. I recommend sticking with the gold star service. The view is better from higher above (it's the pic with the shaded glass on top, which seems to defeat the purpose), the seats have a tray and a foot rest, and are more comfortable/larger. No carry-on; you need to check all luggage. The food is pretty good and it includes two drinks. They didn't say anything about breakfast until we'd been on the train for 45 min. We had to sit with another couple which was odd but okay. Adventure class is down below. It's like riding a bus or a plane. There's a rack above for a carry-on. The window is large (it's' the pic without the shaded glass on top). It's kind of noisy. There are families, kids, crying babies, etc. The seats have no food trays or foot rests, and don't lean as far back. The cafe is lack luster, with pretty lousy food choices. You might not be willing to eat any of it. You can bring your own food but you cannot bring alcohol. The cocktail drinks are $14 each and it's not easy to get one in Adventure class because there isn't much service there. There are a few eating tables next to the cafe. There is a person narrating what you see the entire time but sometimes only the people in gold star service can see an animal or whatever is spotted. We saw moose, swans, caribou, etc. We did not see Denali mountain because of the clouds. The first 2-3 hrs going from Anchorage to Denali is only birch trees, quarries, and run down houses. I suggest bringing a book for that part, but don't worry the views get much better after that.

We had a great experience with Red Eye Rides and would highly recommend. We flew into Anchorage and…read moreneeded to get to Seward for a cruise. After looking at several options, we decided to go with Red Eye Rides. Communication was awesome the entire time and Paul, our driver, was fantastic. The trip down to Seward felt like a sightseeing tour at times because Paul pointed out different things along the way, including a huge bald eagle nest and historical information about the road and our trip down. Again, if you need to get to Seward from the Anchorage airport, Red Eye Rides is top notch.

Helpful and courteous and very convenient when Ravn canceled the flight home. Took Red Eye Rides…read morefrom Anchorage to Homer.