The Denali Star train is a not to be missed Alaskan experience. We boarded the train in Anchorage; ushered aboard by a guard in a uniform reflecting the golden age of train travel. As we planned to alight in Talkeetna for a 2 night stopover, and it is only 3 hours along the route, we booked a regular carriage. It was clean and comfortable with big windows to take in the scenery. For our next leg, from Talkeetna to Fairbanks, we booked the gold star carriage. These carriages are spacious, have large windows that wrap around the edge of the roof and include your meals in the dining car below. They also include two beverages from the bar, we took these out onto the open viewing platform at the rear - a fantastic, albeit chillier option. Commentary is available for the whole trip and is relaxed enough to include moose and other wildlife sightings. We were surprised to discover that the scenery wasn't just around the Denali area, but most of the trip was incredibly scenic making it a very special journey.