BEWARE!!!! Do NOT use gray line for bookings. They are a 3rd party booking site and you will go through hell to get any help and refunds for cancelled excursions.

We traveled three days on the gray line rail cars. Reese was an awesome bartender definitely the best out of the three. He was friendly and attentive. Alec was a great conductor. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. Accommodations at McKinley Chalet and the McKinley Princess Lodge were clean and comfortable. We highly recommend traveling by Gray line and would definitely do it again.

My senior parents are coming back from Talkeetna as I write this via a Gray Line Alaska train. They have been on the 4-day trip. They had a pretty nice time overall, until their ride home tonight. They were forced to check out of their room over a hour before the shuttle to the train depot left. When they arrived at the depot, they were told their train would be delayed because a landslide was blocking the track. Awful and frustrating, but an “Act of God”. However, all of the guests had to wait OUTSIDE at the small depot for over 3 hours at the small depot while the train line remedied the issue on the track. Gray Line Alaska did not make arrangements for guests to wait somewhere warm and did NOT provide coffee or other warming drinks. Once on board, the train had to stop mid-way to switch the engineers and conductor because of the time delay and worker restrictions. That took ANOTHER 45 minutes. All in total, the train is arriving back in Anchorage 4 hours late (after 9:15 pm). Yet the company could not be bothered to comp all guests with dinner in their dining cart. This business is owned by Princess Cruise Line, which makes billions each year, and they cannot provide small accommodations for paying guests inconvenienced on their watch?! As it is, my parents won’t get settled into their hotel until around 10 pm, and they’ll be up at 5:30 am for their flight home. What a sad way to end their 2-week Alaska adventure. Shame on you Gray Line Alaska/Princess Cruise Line.

Background: The Gray Line and the hotels associated are part of Holland America/Princess Cruise Line.We were on a different cruise line and disembarked at Seward and took the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage (owned by the state). We wanted to add a short introduction to Denali (1-night trip via rail), since it was so close - expecting only 1-2 short hikes. To take the Gray Line, we needed to stay overnight in Anchorage; however, the next day was booked full (only one fully booked within a 2-week span), so we stayed a second night in Anchorage (overpriced $250/night hotel that needed major renovations - another story, another time). The second day we got to the depot plenty early (~20 minutes). The ticket counter said for Denali we needed to go outside to a podium station where a representative would be to get us on the train. It was empty and no one was around except a bag handler on the street for the line. When asked, he walked around in circles for 10 minutes saying he didn't know what to do. Finally, he used his phone and called his manager. He said he still didn't know what to do but he said our train is over there - pointing behind an unmarked building across the street. We walked as fast as we could with this guy and once across the street and parking lot we saw the train. We were 100 yards from it waving our hands while the other workers just looked at us and the train took off. Once to the other workers, the supervisor asked our names and said, Oh, there were two missing. We had to wait for the second train, which was a little more than 1.5 hours after. The estimated trip time of 5.5 hours was incorrect, which it took 6.5 hours. Also, I noticed that the departure time was changed (1.5 hours earlier) the next day, which gave us ZERO time in Denali. I asked the front desk if we could be put back on the later train, since we got in late. She checked and said that the later train was full. I then asked where is the shuttle to the park so we could at least go on the first (easiest) hike at mile-marker 1 (Horseshoe Lake Trail). She said that the busses had stopped for the night (which takes you from the hotel to Denali). She was genuinely sorry for our predicament but she couldn't do anything. The bags were on the back of the truck (together), but one didn't get put outside the room until 3 hours later. The next morning we were instructed to put the bags outside our room 1.5 hours before the buses were supposed to take us to the train. 1 hour later they weren't touched. They were there when we arrived in Anchorage.So, we wasted well over a thousand dollars and two days for nothing. We are so disgusted and disappointed. We can't recommend this 1-night trip for anyone - it shouldn't exist.

They ruined our entire trip. All of our hotels and excursions had no proof of our reservation and we had to fight with them each time we came up on something. We wasted so many hours of our trip trying to get in contact with someone to help us. At one point, we drove hours out of the way for an excursions to find out it was closed and they were suppose to contact us to let us know. So many times they told us everything was fine and ready, then we got to our reservation and again - nothing was ready/we couldn’t go on it. Do yourself a favor and do NOT book with them.