How does seating on RC Anchorage to Seward Train work?

[CluckFam7]

We will be on a southbound one way cruise out of Seward on Royal.

I see there is a bus or a train option offered through Royal.  For the train option, Royal’s website says the seating is two benches facing each other with a table in between.  On the pictures, it looks like a dome car but it looks like the tables seat four.

Has anyone done this with a party of 5?  Would we have two tables to ourselves (group of 3 and group of 2), or would we get paired with strangers on one of the tables?

Anyone have direct experience doing this vs the bus, or vs booking direct through Alaska Rail?  Is the bus just as scenic (it sure seems faster)?

Would love to do the train but two concerns are (1) seating arrangement, and (2) a five hour train ride with kids.

 

[twangster]

Royal charters a train from the Alaskan Railroad. Sometimes it has a dome car section, sometimes it does not.  You would need to call Royal to book it and inquire if there is that option for your date. It does sell out both through Royal and direct so don't put it off too long.

This is the seating in the dome car, aka Goldstar service.

This is a regular car:

It's been a few years since I took it and I haven't looked at the current times but historically the Royal charter train left from the airport station while the train booked direct left from the downtown train station.

The Royal train has traditionally left later in the day so that fly in guests arriving that morning could be accommodated while the train booked directly left early in the morning.  Given the duration of the ride this impacted when you arrived to the ship, around lunch or late afternoon for the charter.

In both cases once you drop off your luggage it goes straight onto the ship and outside your cabin.  Neither train has a luggage car so in both cases luggage is sent by box truck to Seward.

I've done it twice, once in standard service, once in Goldstar, both booked direct.

When booked direct the train arrives to the public train station in Seward which is a 10 minute walk to the ship or you can jump on a complimentary motorcoach to reach the ship.  

When you book it through Royal, their charter train goes right to the terminal.

Here is an older photo of the Seward terminal with the chater train near the terminal building:

The ride is very pretty. My first time was in standard service.

Early in the season the mountains are still snow capped.

The public train station in Seward:

Many chose to walk but there was free motorcoach service.

 

My second time was in Goldstar service.

The Goldstar coach has a large outdoor viewing platform.

This time was in August so the snow in the mountains had long since melted off.

The lower level of the Goldstar coach is where meals are served:

They usually call out wildlife sightings.

I often said I need to go back to Alaska just to ride the train around different parts of the state.  So in 2026 I booked a cruise tour that includes several days before the cruise.  The version I booked includes a number of trips on different trains over several days eventually ending up in Seward.

Royal is building a new terminal in Seward so it should look very different next year.  

I can't speak for a party of five but as a solo guest I had both seats to myself.  I don't know if i lucked out or they didn't sell out that trip.

[Ditchdoc]

Its been a long time but the above pictures are much as I remember it. The dome car sat 60 people. The lower level was divided into a kitchen and seating for 30. A meal was served on longer trips.

The distance between Anchorage and Seward is not that far. I would be surprised if the train ride lasted for much more than an hour.

 

[steverk]

I took the train from Seward to Anchorage in gold class. This was booked directly with the railroad. Most cruise lines, and I think this includes Royal, charter their own exclusive train, so the service might be different on those trips.

Gold class was fantastic and I recommend it for everyone. As mentioned earlier, the upper deck is a 60 passenger dome car. It has a bar and an outdoor viewing area. It was magnificent!

Downstairs is the eating area. We ate in 2 shifts with 30 people in each. As I recall dinner was good, but not overwhelming. The views were great though.

The scheduled time for this trip was 3.5 hours. Since the chartered trains wouldn't stop in Girdwood, you can expect it to be a little bit less, but we didn't stop in Girdwood for very long.

[CluckFam7]

Thanks for the replies. 
 

It looks like the Royal charter train must be a bit different.  In the pictures, they show a domed car like the Goldstar class, but the tables are arranged like a restaurant booth that seats four with a table between the booth seats.  This is also how they describe the seating in the description.

They very clearly seat up to 4.  It would be great if we got two tables for our party of 5.   But if we got paired with another party it would be extremely awkward given the seating arrangement.

 

[wstephensi]

Took the RCCL charter train from Sewerd to Anchorage in Sept 2025.  The seating was facing with a table in the center.  A large window for looking at the scenery.  Food was severed but cost extra.  There is also a club car.  Service was good and food was okay.  Think lunch counter type food, but prepared fresh.  Nothing as good as Gold Class.  Cost was $256 per person.  The train went direct to the airport, and a bus was included to take us downtown.

[JasonHoward]

On 12/27/2025 at 3:52 PM, twangster said:

Royal charters a train from the Alaskan Railroad. Sometimes it has a dome car section, sometimes it does not.  You would need to call Royal to book it and inquire if there is that option for your date. It does sell out both through Royal and direct so don't put it off too long.

This is the seating in the dome car, aka Goldstar service.

This is a regular car:

It's been a few years since I took it and I haven't looked at the current times but historically the Royal charter train left from the airport station while the train booked direct left from the downtown train station.

The Royal train has traditionally left later in the day so that fly in guests arriving that morning could be accommodated while the train booked directly left early in the morning.  Given the duration of the ride this impacted when you arrived to the ship, around lunch or late afternoon for the charter.
A RC Anchorage Seward vonat ülőhelyeinek rendszere egyszerű, de érdemes előre foglalni. Hasonlóan, ahogy a játékosok az online casino platformokon is előre tervezik a stratégiáikat a jobb eredmény érdekében.

In both cases once you drop off your luggage it goes straight onto the ship and outside your cabin.  Neither train has a luggage car so in both cases luggage is sent by box truck to Seward.

I've done it twice, once in standard service, once in Goldstar, both booked direct.

When booked direct the train arrives to the public train station in Seward which is a 10 minute walk to the ship or you can jump on a complimentary motorcoach to reach the ship.  

When you book it through Royal, their charter train goes right to the terminal.

Here is an older photo of the Seward terminal with the chater train near the terminal building:

The ride is very pretty. My first time was in standard service.

Early in the season the mountains are still snow capped.

The public train station in Seward:

Many chose to walk but there was free motorcoach service.

 

My second time was in Goldstar service.

The Goldstar coach has a large outdoor viewing platform.

This time was in August so the snow in the mountains had long since melted off.

The lower level of the Goldstar coach is where meals are served:

They usually call out wildlife sightings.

I often said I need to go back to Alaska just to ride the train around different parts of the state.  So in 2026 I booked a cruise tour that includes several days before the cruise.  The version I booked includes a number of trips on different trains over several days eventually ending up in Seward.

Royal is building a new terminal in Seward so it should look very different next year.  

I can't speak for a party of five but as a solo guest I had both seats to myself.  I don't know if i lucked out or they didn't sell out that trip.

Wow, thanks for sharing it.