The Wilderness Express
The glass-domed railcars on every Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Alaska cruisetour. Here’s what the ride is like, what’s included and how to enjoy every mile.
Celebrity and Royal’s dome cars
If you’re on a Celebrity or Royal Caribbean cruisetour, your rail day is on the Wilderness Express. These are four custom-built Ultra Dome railcars, owned and run by Premier Alaska Tours of Anchorage, the local company that handles the land portion of both lines’ cruisetours. The cars ride at the back of the Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star train with their own crew, so your group has the car to itself.
Upstairs, a curved glass dome runs the full length of the car over forward-facing leather seats set in pairs. A guide narrates the history, wildlife and views, and drinks come to your seat. Downstairs there’s a dining room with an onboard chef and an open-air platform for photos. Some tours ride once, from Anchorage to Talkeetna or Denali to Fairbanks; the longer tours ride two or three times.
Inside the train
Upstairs in the dome
Every seat faces forward under the glass, two on each side of a center aisle, so everyone gets the view up, ahead and to the side. The reclining leather seats are among the widest on the Alaska rails and have power outlets, which helps on a long day of photos. Your onboard guide points out moose, rivers and, on a clear day, Denali, and the dome bar brings Alaska beer, wine, cocktails and espresso to your seat for a charge.
The dining room
The lower level of each car has a full kitchen and a sit-down dining room. Depending on the time of your ride, the chef serves breakfast, lunch or dinner cooked to order with Alaska touches like reindeer sausage, wild salmon and blueberry pancakes. Meals on board are at your own expense unless your itinerary says a meal is included, and some Royal Caribbean tours do include one. Your advisor can tell you which applies to your tour.
The open-air platform
Head downstairs and out to the platform for fresh air and photos with no glass in the way. It’s the best spot when the train crosses Hurricane Gulch or runs along a river. Bring a warm layer: it’s breezy out there, even in July.
The route & scenery
Heading north from Anchorage, the train follows the Knik and Susitna rivers to Talkeetna, where many tours step off to meet their motorcoach. North of Talkeetna the rails leave the road system behind: Hurricane Gulch, crossed nearly 300 feet up, then Broad Pass and Summit Lake, the highest point on the Alaska Railroad, before following the Nenana River into Denali. Tours that continue to Fairbanks ride through the Nenana River canyon and rolling interior forest. Denali shows itself on clear days south of Talkeetna and near Hurricane Gulch.
Before you go
- Pack a small day bag. Your main bags travel separately with your tour. Keep a small bag with medications, documents, layers and binoculars at your seat, since dome cars don’t have overhead bins.
- Ship packages stay on the ship. Ship dining and beverage packages don’t apply on the land portion of any cruisetour, for any line. Meals and drinks on the train are paid as you go unless your itinerary includes them.
- Your rail day varies by tour. Some Celebrity and Royal Caribbean tours ride the Wilderness Express once, and the longer ones ride two or three times. Your advisor can show you exactly which stretches your tour covers.
- Tipping on land. Gratuities aren’t included on the land portion, including your rail guide and dining servers. Budget a little for them.
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