direct to wilderness train

[klheckman]

We are going on the direct to wilderness Princess train from Denali to Whittier. Has anyone been on this? I am concerned about assigned seating. It is only two of us and I would like just forward facing seats, but I've seen photos of two seats facing each other with a table inbetween. Any idea how seating works?

[azbirdmom]

55 minutes ago, klheckman said:

We are going on the direct to wilderness Princess train from Denali to Whittier. Has anyone been on this? I am concerned about assigned seating. It is only two of us and I would like just forward facing seats, but I've seen photos of two seats facing each other with a table inbetween. Any idea how seating works?

 

Princess train cars have all been reconfigured to two seats facing forward.  They are more comfortable than the old table seating so no reason for concern!

[hpeabody]

I very recently did this train.  The train was nice, the weather not so nice.  There was 1 table with facing seats in my train car with the rest of the seats forward facing.   But, be prepared for Whittier arrival (I wasn't).  I've never experienced anything like it.  A thousand or more people trying to get on board all at the same in one humongous line.

[card61]

We went on the train May 25th we had a rear facing seat and it is about like a small restaurant booth. I will be honest it was my least favorite part of the trip. They do assign seats. The food was good and staff was very helpful. 

I would have upgraded had I known the size of the seats. 

 

[Coral]

27 minutes ago, card61 said:

We went on the train May 25th we had a rear facing seat and it is about like a small restaurant booth. I will be honest it was my least favorite part of the trip. They do assign seats. The food was good and staff was very helpful. 

I would have upgraded had I known the size of the seats. 

 

Uggh! I wondered if every train had been modified. They started a few years ago retrofitting.

[azbirdmom]

2 hours ago, card61 said:

We went on the train May 25th we had a rear facing seat and it is about like a small restaurant booth. I will be honest it was my least favorite part of the trip. They do assign seats. The food was good and staff was very helpful. 

I would have upgraded had I known the size of the seats. 

 

 

Was this on a Princess car?  Or one booked through the Alaska Railroad?  Both Alaska Railroad and Princess had confirmed to me that all Princess cars had been reconfigured on time for this season.

[card61]

We booked through Princess, there were several different train cars. I assumed they were all the same, but I talked to a few people that were in comfortable seating. They said their travel agents upgraded them to gold. 

[azbirdmom]

56 minutes ago, card61 said:

We booked through Princess, there were several different train cars. I assumed they were all the same, but I talked to a few people that were in comfortable seating. They said their travel agents upgraded them to gold. 

 

Goldstar is sold by the Alaska Railroad direct.  We booked that for this summer since we put together our own precruise tour this year.  The Princess train cars which are used for their cruise tours are all one class.  Could your TA have put together an independent tour for you?

[klheckman]

thanks for all of the information. I called Princess and the agent honestly wasn't sure how to try and get a forward facing seat. She suggested talking to a rep once we get to our first hotel. I was excited to hear that all trains had been reconfigured, but now seeing some other posts it looks like that isn't the case. Maybe we will get lucky and get a forward facing seat. I might try calling again to see if another agent knows more about the train situation and if I can upgrade.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, klheckman said:

 I might try calling again to see if another agent knows more about the train situation and if I can upgrade.

I don't think this will help. Sorry.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Coral

[card61]

We booked directly through Princess, we had a Cruisetour prior to our cruise. 

[mrell345]

here is a video posted 8 months ago, it has the forward facing seats

 

 

 

 

 

[hpeabody]

15 hours ago, Coral said:

I don't think this will help. Sorry.

 

I agree with Coral. I did like the OP and called Princess, I even asked at the Princess Lodge.  No one had any clue about the seat configuration on the train.  All these parts of "Princess" are each their own little world and do not seem associated or even interact.  For me it all did work out fine except for the weather, Blah!!!  BTW, they had to borrow cars from Holland America, and they are potentially different than the Princess cars.

Edited June 12, 2019 by hpeabody

[land lover]

On 6/10/2019 at 4:09 PM, azbirdmom said:

 

Princess train cars have all been reconfigured to two seats facing forward.  They are more comfortable than the old table seating so no reason for concern!

 Well that is interesting because we just experienced the 4 configuration, we were not on a "Princess" train car. But we were on a Princess land tour...northbound.

 

On 6/10/2019 at 7:27 PM, azbirdmom said:

 

Was this on a Princess car?  Or one booked through the Alaska Railroad?  Both Alaska Railroad and Princess had confirmed to me that all Princess cars had been reconfigured on time for this season.

 Just rode on the Alaska railroad May 22nd with Princess  to Talkeena tables for us and no second story.

Edited June 12, 2019 by land lover

[land lover]

3 hours ago, hpeabody said:

 

I agree with Coral. I did like the OP and called Princess, I even asked at the Princess Lodge.  No one had any clue about the seat configuration on the train.  All these parts of "Princess" are each their own little world and do not seem associated or even interact.  For me it all did work out fine except for the weather, Blah!!!  BTW, they had to borrow cars from Holland America, and they are potentially different than the Princess cars.

 A Princess train coming the opposite direction of ours broke down...our train pulled it to a side track and left it there for a new  engine to show up...they were gng to the ship.

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by land lover

[land lover]

19 hours ago, Coral said:

I don't think this will help. Sorry.

 Agree, the guide in your car is the one to inform about your concern.

  In our car there were about 4 extra "booths" I do not know if this is typical. But the larger people and people who could not ride backwards were reassigned. We were seat A&B and we faced forward, our booth mates moved to an empty one and we got one to ourselves.

Edited June 12, 2019 by land lover

[azbirdmom]

8 hours ago, land lover said:

 Well that is interesting because we just experienced the 4 configuration, we were not on a "Princess" train car. But we were on a Princess land tour...northbound.

 

 Just rode on the Alaska railroad May 22nd with Princess  to Talkeena tables for us and no second story.

 

Those seats look much nicer than the old 4 seater booths on Princess so I'm thinking that they borrowed that car.  If that is the case, it solves the mystery of why at least two people reported booking with Princess and being seated in that configuration.

 

With respect to what I was told, the person I talked to at Princess did in fact seem very familiar with the train cars.  Late last year I was researching a standalone tour to pair with the "free" moveover cruise that we (and our friends) had booked.  I had looked at the Princess Lodge direct tours first.  Having traveled in both the old 4 seat and the new 2 seat Princess cars, I was curious if they had remodeled all cars by now as indicated by this old article:  https://www.anchorage.net/articles/post/princess-embarks-on-rail-car-remodels/?fbclid=IwAR0_AupAwisYfgMzK36w5cdbatZRai-lxJ49zwLxG8ggkt_1daGLUccaoEg .  I contacted the source of the article and they stated that to their knowledge all Princess cars had been remodeled.  But they provided phone numbers for the Alaska Railroad who manages the trains (still have that number 800.266.8625 ) and also someone at Princess (do not have that number but it wasn't the main number) and both confirmed that the work was complete.

 

Although all sources confirmed that Princess trains were all the new configuration, what they didn't say (or what I didn't think about, or both) was that it may be possible for them to use other train cars as needed.  So to the OP, I am hoping that you will be seated in one of the Princess cars, but from what others with recent experience have found, there's a chance you could be in a 4 seat booth.

 

As for our trip, we chose another vendor which is why I'm familiar with the different classes offered directly by the Alaska railroad.  We're doing a mix of Gold Star and Adventure Class, both of which appear to be in two seat configurations.  We shall see!

 

[KG2019]

We are also booked on the Direct to Wilderness as part of our Princess cruisetour……..So do you stay at your table for the whole trip?  Is this where you eat lunch or is there a separate space for dining?  Also can you use a credit/debit card on the train or do you need cash?   Thanks

Edited June 12, 2019 by KG2019

[azbirdmom]

15 minutes ago, KG2019 said:

We are also booked on the Direct to Wilderness as part of our Princess cruisetour……..So do you stay at your table for the whole trip?  Is this where you eat lunch or is there a separate space for dining?  Also can you use a credit/debit card on the train or do you need cash?   Thanks

 

No you can get up and walk around.  There's also small viewing area outside between cars.  Both the 2 seat (with airline type tray) and 4 seaters have service at your seat from a limited menu and you can order beverages from your seat as well.  There's also a dining car with hot selections too.  They take credit and debit cards and will give you a bill toward the end of your journey.

[land lover]

Our tour was Northbound with the Direct to Wilderness train..to Talkeenta our train guide made a comment about us not being on a "princess train" but she though we were better off...she was a great "guide" named Ester... so I might agree with her comment in regards to a guide. She said she preferred the cars that did not have an upper deck. First time doing land with Princess in Alaska so I have no reference point.

 

I found the set up on our train to be very nice except there was no way to access the outside....like I read about and noticed on passing in Princess coaches and the one that was filling up as we were leaving the train station.

 

Credit card only for food purchase, there were 7 cars on our train which included a "dining car:|" which you could sit and buy snacks we had a bar tender who took food orders and a cook who brought them..it was very fast and organized service, our car was right next to the Snack car which was in the center of the 7 cars/coaches.  

[land lover]

Food was priced fairly, just like it was at the Lodges....I do have some menus but to lazy to photo and post.

[land lover]

2 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Those seats look much nicer than the old 4 seater booths on Princess so I'm thinking that they borrowed that car.  If that is the case, it solves the mystery of why at least two people reported booking with Princess and being seated in that configuration.

 

With respect to what I was told, the person I talked to at Princess did in fact seem very familiar with the train cars.  Late last year I was researching a standalone tour to pair with the "free" moveover cruise that we (and our friends) had booked.  I had looked at the Princess Lodge direct tours first.  Having traveled in both the old 4 seat and the new 2 seat Princess cars, I was curious if they had remodeled all cars by now as indicated by this old article:  https://www.anchorage.net/articles/post/princess-embarks-on-rail-car-remodels/?fbclid=IwAR0_AupAwisYfgMzK36w5cdbatZRai-lxJ49zwLxG8ggkt_1daGLUccaoEg .  I contacted the source of the article and they stated that to their knowledge all Princess cars had been remodeled.  But they provided phone numbers for the Alaska Railroad who manages the trains (still have that number 800.266.8625 ) and also someone at Princess (do not have that number but it wasn't the main number) and both confirmed that the work was complete.

 

Although all sources confirmed that Princess trains were all the new configuration, what they didn't say (or what I didn't think about, or both) was that it may be possible for them to use other train cars as needed.  So to the OP, I am hoping that you will be seated in one of the Princess cars, but from what others with recent experience have found, there's a chance you could be in a 4 seat booth.

 

As for our trip, we chose another vendor which is why I'm familiar with the different classes offered directly by the Alaska railroad.  We're doing a mix of Gold Star and Adventure Class, both of which appear to be in two seat configurations.  We shall see!

 

 Being my first time on a land tour in Alaska with Princess..I was very pleased....Our train ride was shorter than others so maybe that is why we used the "alaska" cars but as you can see from the one photo showing the sign in the Bistro, looks to me like this car might be used for the season.... 

 

We all know from travel even our best research leaves us with unexpected surprises....I actually picked up a brochure about the Alaska railroad and their services for 2019. Just found it and looking now and Photos above descriptions of  Goldstar & Adventure class show the 2 seat cong...

 

Have a wonderful time...we did the 4 night land and saw Denali on 2 days, this really wasn't important to me before going, but when we viewed the Alaska mountain range so clearly, Denali was a sight to behold.

Edited June 12, 2019 by land lover

[KG2019]

Thanks everyone for the replies.....you answered my questions!

[lstone19]

From my experience last year and talking to the people on the train, there are two distinctly different trains used for the Direct to the Wilderness trains. If you're going to or from Talkeetna, they use the Alaska RR cruise train that is based in Seward. When it runs out of Seward (for the lines that dock in Seward), it just runs Seward to Anchorage and back. But on Saturdays and Wednesdays for Princess, it deadheads from Seward to Whittier, then runs up to Talkeetna and back to Whittier, then deadheads back to Seward. There are no facilities to turn the train in Talkeetna so it reverses there (there are locomotives on both end) and with fixed seats, what's forward one direction is faces backwards the other direction.

 

If you're going to or from Denali, Princess and/or Holland America owned cars are used. These trains only operate one-way in a day and I was told they overnight just north of Denali in Healy where the train can be turned which makes seats that face only one way usable.

 

From what I learned, in addition to the Sat/Wed Whittier-Denali trains, Princess/HAL also runs a daily Anchorage-Talkeetna-Denali train used to move people on cruise tours when not going to/from a ship that day. And of course there is also the daily Alaska RR Anchorage-Fairbanks train.

 

Putting together the schedules for all took some effort but I believe it to be (24-hour clock):

Northbound:

Anchorage (0815) - Talkeetna (1120) - Denali (1600) - Fairbanks (2000) - Alaska RR public train

Anchorage (0915) - Talkeetna (1215) - Denali (1640)

Whittier (0715) - Talkeetna (1245) - W/Sa only
Whittier (0815) - Denali (1745) - W/Sa only

Trains from Whittier pass through Anchorage 2:30 after leaving Whittier

 

Southbound:

Denali (0800) - Whittier (1730) - W/Sa only

Talkeetna (1345) - Whittier (1845) - W/Sa only - waits at Talkeetna until Whittier-Denali train passes northbound

Denali (0915) - Talkeetna (1355) - Anchorage (1700)

Fairbanks (0815) - Denali (1230) - Talkeetna (1700) - Anchorage (2000) - Alaska RR public train

Trains to Whittier pass through Anchorage 2:15 before arriving Whittier

[Thrak]

We've done two connoisseur cruise tours to Alaska. On one we had the Talkeetna to Whittier run. That was in a car with the tables where two couples faced each other. It was "different" but not at all weird or uncomfortable. After all, we were all part of the same cruise tour and had been together for the entire thing. On the second one (just finished) we had a Goldstar car (even got a Goldstar pin -ohh, ohh... ) and the seats all faced forward. It was more comfortable and quite nice.