This was the worst experience I have ever had. We booked our vacation through the railroad and we were so excited. We were trained to Talkeetna, then just abandoned. There was a fire in Denali and the park and hotels were closed. Of course there was nothing the railroad could do about the fire, but they literally abandoned us and a train full of people. Because there were so many people, the hotels in Talkeetna quickly sold out. There was one 25 person bus the railroad arranged to take people back to Anchorage but since there were hundreds of people trying to get back, it was impossible. The railroad site was (and still is) down. We called and spent hours on the phone with the railroad representative telling us there was nothing they could do. We called four different times. We went to the train depot in Talkeetna and again we're told there was nothing they could do.
They should have never taken us out of Anchorage. Knowing there was a fire they cancelled the train to Denali but still busses hundreds of people in with no hotel for them to go to. They should have left the train in Talkeetna and offered to take people back to Anchorage. They should have sent another train to pick us all up. They should have arranged busses to pick us up and take us to Anchorage. They should have stayed in contact with us offering to help find lodging and transportation. This was an absolute nightmare.
Also because the railroad booked our trip, we were unable to get refunds for the excursions and hotels that were closed. As of this review, the railroad has refused any refund of our 10 thousand dollar vacation booking. I would absolutely never use Alaska railroad for anything... Ever....ever .... Ever again.