This is not going to change your life, but was a great way to spend the day. The train leaves exactly on time in the morning, takes 2h 15m to get to the South Rim; You have 3 hours on your own to view the canyon, visit the exhibits and shop. It was pricey ($350 for 2 adults & a 13-y-old), but way better than driving to the same location. I’m jealous of the reviewers who had folks giving them history or folklore or pointing things out or making any other interesting contribution to the experience. We did not get that. The staff was very nice and helpful, though. The observation car was great, but only needed to be done one way. Save a buck and take a cheaper seat going the other way. Seeing the thrill of small children just being on a train, and getting “robbed” (a fun way to tip the staff!), was delightful.
One unresolved problem: My credit card was overcharged. When I made the reservation & authorized the charge, I was told $301; My card was charged $350.00. There is no itemization anywhere of what each ticket cost or what tax there was, so I do not know what the line-item error was. I immediately emailed the contact address when the charge showed up on my online account view, but a day later, there’s no response.