My dear mom and I decided to do the touristy thing and take a ride on the Grand Canyon Railroad.
But, the day starts with a cowboy skit. And then the train arrives.
We booked round trip tickets in the Luxury Class Car, the ‘Chief.’
Couple of notes to Luxury and First Class passenger cars:
No children under 16.
It’s a little more expensive than all the tickets- can make it over $400 for two of you.
Special exclusive perks- allow the passengers to stand on the outside back platform of the last train car. First class has an enclosed ‘Dome’ car and Luxury passengers are also allowed to visit and sit (in an open seat) in the First class seats in the Dome Car. (Also, First class can go to the back platform.)
Luxury passengers can go anywhere in the cars, except the engine- :-)
Sparking wine toast on the way back from the Grand Canyon is included in the price.
There’s a private cash bar. Bloody Mary’s were $6.00 and delicious. Sparking wine for purchase was $6.00 and it was a healthy pour. (Think 16 oz solo cup to rim-well worth it.)
Included in First and Lux class was something close to buffet continental breakfast. All you can eat yogurt, fresh fruit, granola, danishes, donuts, coffee, tea, OJ, water, canned soda and hot chocolate were all included in the price. Replenished when low.
Our barmaid was Carol, and she was fantastic. Made sure everything was clean and we could want for nothing.
Private car bathroom.
Air-conditioned but bring a sweater, it can be chilly.
Seats are plush tapestry fabric couches and single seaters. Table in the middle. Pillows on couches. Very comfy. People stretched out and slept on the way back. Three to a couch, and opposite train side, one puffy bench seat facing each other. (Couples) Table in the middle.
All seats are assigned, but since our part of the car was almost empty, we had full run of the place. :-) (Lux carriage was broken in 2, bathroom and bar in the middle.)
Wandering musician sing songs in each of the carriages to and from the Grand Canyon. Tipping is encouraged, but not necessary.
Carol gave us history along the way and enjoyed the gentle swaying of the car, our cocktails and looking for animals. Since it was between 9-11 am, we didn’t see much activity. On the way back 2:30 to 5 pm, it was gently raining, and it seems as if every elk and dear were enjoying it as much as the passengers did (who like warm rain anyway.)
Also, one question I had was, are there lockers, can we leave stuff on the train, or can we store it somewhere? I know the weather changes on a dime at the Grand Canyon, but I didn’t want to have to lug around a suitcase of stuff either: sunscreen, umbrellas, water, bug spray, purse, and layered clothing, etc.
Answer: if you have a round trip ticket in the same car and same seats, yes, leave it. No one else accessed the cars except the same passengers on our way back. Yay! If not, they suggest you take it with you.
My dear mom is 74. We did not buy bus tickets to the hour long tour they offered. (You get off the bus at multiple spots along the Canyon for views and photos.)
I knew it would be too much: climbing and walking, and stairs in the bus, and being she being slower, she would be exhausted. So we opted to walk along the rim from visitor center to Look Out Studio, and have lunch at El Tovar. We had 2.5 hours to do this and it was more than enough time to enjoy the park, eat leisurely, and gift shop at our own pace. If you took the tour, it was 1 hour and lunch was 1 hour with leaving one half hour’s time to get on and off the train, and maybe a gift shop.
The train will leave without you, so be back on time.
On the way back the same cowboys in the skit come back to ‘rob’ you, by way of tips from their earlier skit. They will pose for pictures, etc. Since we are older folks, we didn’t care much, but tipped them anyway.
On the way back, a crudités tray was set up with small rolls, petit fours, soda, coffee, tea, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, brownies, and fresh fruit included in our ticket price.
We looked for this trip to be relaxing way to not drive and take in the scenery. People with children will love the Wild West ways, and it gives them something to do on the way back. It was in good clean fun.
I would do it again, maybe in the first class done car, but it’s a pricy special occasion kind of a thing.
Ask me questions if needed. I couldn’t find a lot of my answers anywhere on website, or on TripAdvisor forums, like, for example, storage/lockers. BTW: The railway or Grand Canyon Park do not have any.
Enjoy!