Amtrak has three train/cruise package trips that include a visit to Alaska. Travelers take a train to Seattle or Vancouver and then board a cruise ship for Alaska. These are packages available through Amtrak.
The Empire Builder is a three-day train trip from Chicago to Seattle followed by a seven-day cruise that includes Alaskan cities and sites such as Juneau and Glacier Bay National Park.
The Coast Starlight is a three-day train trip from Los Angeles to Seattle and a subsequent seven-day cruise to Alaska.
The third option is the Great Alaska Adventure, which includes a six-day train trip from San Francisco to Vancouver, Canada, followed by an 11-day cruise of Alaska's Inside Passage and the Pacific, with disembarkation in San Diego.
Prices vary by time of year, level of service and type of cruise accommodation, but they start at around $4,000 per person (as of August 2010).
The Rocky Mountaineer train line has several trips that include train trips in the Canadian Rockies and subsequent Alaska cruises. All the train trips start in Calgary and end in Vancouver, where the cruise to Alaska begins and ends. There are 13- day through 17-day trips, with each trip including a seven-day cruise to Alaska. The length varies according to how long stops are in Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Kamloops. Prices for the Rocky Mountaineer/cruise packages start at $3,299 per person as of August 2010.
Alaska Railroad offers many vacation packages, ranging from five to 12 nights. They can be paired with cruises that disembark at Whittier or Seward and often include hotel stays, such as the National Parks by Rail trip, which includes a night at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. There are train rides through Denali National Park, from Anchorage to Fairbanks and between Seward and Anchorage. Prices range from $1,799 to $5,439 per person as of August 2010.
Many cruises have optional train trips for those visiting Alaska. Ships travelling to Skagway offer trips on the White Pass and Yukon railway line, a loop that travels to Lake Bennett in Canada and back down to Skagway. Visitors on Princess, Royal Carribbean and Carnival Cruises can have shore train excursions during their trips or can add train trips to the beginning or ending of their cruises. Prices can range of $89 for a shore excursion to $5,000 for an added on trip (as of August 2010).
