Grand Canyon Railway, Williams

the only thing really bad was the amtrak part of the trip i know hours r bad for the trains so not either's fault. , But we had a nice driver both way from hotel to station to mee the train. The sat i left we had to go twice the amtrak was late so went back an hotel made coffee for us, that was nice. I do think having only 2 stops on the tour ias not a good thing but i understand with having lunch an the return time back to canyon railway make's it hard . I think if i did it again id opt for one nite at the hotel an then use the park shuttles to get around. But the driver of the tour bus was good we had fun ,and i think he did too

First -Night Dinner at the Depot cafe was terrible. Second- Morning of First Train Ride to Canyon NOT I repeat NOT a Scenic landscape. Third- Hotel in Canton Was Not lighted at all,had to walk in the dark.( Bad) Fourth- Didn't know Dinner or Breakfast was NOT included at the Canyon Hotel package (Bad) Bus Tour took us to Only 2 Canyon Spots,said because Gift Shop complains tour too long and people don't buy gifts.Very Bad Took "FREE" Shuttles They were the "BEST" Fifth -And last Dinner back at the Hotel In Williams Again BAD,ran out of Salmon took forever to serve more so left. This was my Husbands First Trip to the canyon and I planned this for Him,what a DIsapointment. I went through AAA but will NEVER rely on their ratings again.We also had other People on the Train and the Hotel that agreed with all of this I have said. So I will tell the Truth to my Friends and to my Friends on FaceBook. Your Brochure is NOT what it really is about and looks like! Very Very Disappointed Customer Kay Rhudy

I thought the experience was delightful and a very good value - accommodations and food for the three day package - really exceptional. However, as "domeys", we were held captive (other riders may also have had this experience) to endless, lame, tip-seeking cowboy schtick looking for tips. Worst of all was the "lady" who came in and pressured everyone to have their picture taken. (We refused). On the return trip, she came in with a box of photos, stuck it in your face and sold her wares for $35.00 a picture. Only one couple had the nerve to refuse as others looked on. I signed on as a passenger, not a captive audience. If we didn't have to deal with these jokers, the trained could have traveled at a reasonable speed as opposed to a crawl, giving us more time at the canyon.

(The Good)The Hotel in Williams was clean, the staff was helpful. The Train was fun, and we were well cared for by the staff. The entertainment on the train was, well old style western/country, still entertaining. The lodge at the Grand Canyon was also clean and the service of getting our bags from one hotel to the other went flawless, with our bags waiting for us in the room when we arrived (in both directions). The included bus tour of the South Rim was a nice way to see the Canyon when you first arrive. (The Bad) The Grand Depot Cafe - Not bad food for breakfast, except one day they had run out of eggs and could not keep up with demand of the paying customers, they seemed confused. For dinner, it was obvious it was a cheap selection of buffet food! "I was thinking about the scene in Vegas Vacation; Do I want the yellow stuff or the green stuff? Xanterra - This is the one area that really needs major improvement! (The Ugly) Nothing really stood out as ugly, but I booked a Maverick helicopter tour through thetrain reservations, and received no confirmation email or paperwork, little to no communication on where to be and at what time, and that I should have my train tickets on me to re enter the park, or it would be a taxi picking us up and not the Maverick Aviation tour bus that went by three times. All in all a memorable experience, taking the train helps eliminate traffic into and around the Grand Canyon National Park, and adds to the experience of the trip, especially if you have kids. For romance book the dome car, as kids are not allowed up there and the views of the Arizona country side are the best.

We bought first class tickets for the train ride to the Grand Canyon, and when we were seated we were shocked that we were in first class, so we were invited up to the "dome," which looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. The tickets cost nearly $300 for the two of us, and even with the upgrade, the two and half hour ride up the mountain was tedious, slow and boring. We had to endure some of the worst singing that we have heard in our lives by some guy with a guitar who claimed to be a professional western singer, although we had never heard of him before! We felt trapped and cheated quite frankly. The servers were friendly and seemed to be genuinely caring people, but overall this railway is charging too much buck for the bang!

`Never take the Grand Canyon Railroad train!! What a nightmare! Screaming/bratty kids that kick your seat and never shut up; stupid cowboy/train robbers that do the same act over and over again ad nauseam; stupid/loud/annoying grandparents never shut the f**k up!! It's like being in hell, because you can't escape! Total rip-off, too! I wasted $70 on this crappy ride! I would rather walk than do that again. OMG! WTF! HORRIBLE!

To celebrate our 30th anniversary - we took the Grand Canyon Railway - The cowboy show before the train ride was very entertaining and the and the cowboys were funny and entertaining. My husband at the age of 50 had never been on a train. It was clean, comfortable, cool and the employees would do everything possible for you to enjoy the trip. I have to agree - no view of the canyon - just AZ terrain and not much of that everything dry and burnt looking. We took the bus tour (this is not included in your train ride, unless you purchase it) and the lunch meal that is included in this was good and plenty of food - have to admit - if you don't sign up for the bus tour - unless you walk you would not see the canyon. By looking at the photos of the hotel online - you can see it is a dive and overpriced....Stayed in Williams, AZ - We stayed at the Fairfield Inn - room $78.00 a night and the restaurants in Williams serve delicious food - specially the Country Pine - recommend this place, is on the town square, excellent for the old and young and everything you can think of on the menu, especially big huge and I mean huge pieces of pie. I truly urge the people with health issues and or breathing problems to rent a car for you have to walk and you have to walk sometimes to get to your appropriate train car and with being in high altitudes, I became more concerned with people not being able to catch their breath - rather than the canyon - if you have a portable oxygen tank - you should take this especially if you are driving - for you are not allowed portable air tanks on a plane. Met some great people and great conversation, but they need to think of games to play on the train - like Southwest Airlines for some people fell asleep. Photos taken - extremely to overpriced - $25.00 and you will fill applicated to tip your servers, entertainers and your train robbers. It was a vacation - you will spend money - did it once - probably will not pay to ride the Grand Canyon Train again

Oh God, the worst. Plea to other reviewers, please be honest because a lot of people get fooled, one of them me. I took the package tour (hotel and train). Hotel was bad, they weren't honest enough to tell us there were only 2 channels working. Considering the price of the tour ( $390+ for 2 adults 2 kids) it was pricy, breakfast buffet wasn't even included. The train tour was horrible, boring 2 hours were you see the usual terrain of AZ not a glimpse of Grand Canyon along the way. Trust me you'd be better off renting a car going there and just taking the tour buses on the different points of Grand Canyon. Thank God for our other companions who rented a car and did not go to the train, we enjoyed the rest f our visit doing just that, hopping from one bus shuttle to the other.

The rooms were clean, but the TVs only had 5 channels. Kind of pricey for what it was. My biggest concern, in retrospect, is the indoor pool: The only one of us to swim in it (my 12 year old) became violently ill within 24 hours. It was the only thing he did/ate, that no one else did.

yes, you can drive to the grand canyon in about an hour from WIlliams, Az, but the train ride is just good clean fun for kids. It's 2 hrs 15 minutes each way (departing at 9:30 am and leaving the canyon at 3:30), but my son had a blast. It's relaxing for everyone and you can enjoy the vie. The fake train robbery was hilarious. reccomend if you are in need of a slow paced family fun afternoon; kind of pricey, though.