Leisure Rides Rule the Rails in 2014

PHOTO: Amtrak Vacations is putting independent travelers and families on the rails this year. (Courtesy of Amtrak)

The growing popularity of touring by rail is adding new routes to leisure rail operators Amtrak Vacations, Uncommon Journeys and the Royal Scotsman. Uncommon Journeys, a company that specializes in both cruising and rail touring, is adding six new itineraries to the Canadian Rockies and exploring National Parks in the U.S. The Canadian itineraries combine a luxury train experience with stays in resort locales. Each journey features a classic Canadian train; either the Great Western Limited, a private train operated by the company with authentic Pullman sleeping car accommodations; Via Rail’s vista-dome streamliner train Canadian; or the Rocky Mountaineer.

The 13-day Canadian Panorama: A Journey Across Canada, for instance, uses Via Rail’s Vista-Dome Train in a first class sleeping car with all meals. The trip runs May 8 to 20 with fares starting at $4,295, per person. It includes stays in Niagara Falls at the Sheraton on the Falls; in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel; four nights at the Banff Hot Springs and a night at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency as well as a sightseeing tour with gondola ride, a visit to Banff Hot Springs and Columbia Icefield Sno-Coach tour atop Athabasca Glacier. The tour of Lake Louise includes lunch at Chateau Lake Louise.

Great Western Limited will also explore the National Parks of the American West in a series of journeys in its 2014 season. Among the journeys are the 13-day Glories of the West, from $3,995 per person double, visiting five National Parks including Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National.

The 17-day Yosemite National Park to Denali National Park, from $3,995, begins in San Francisco with a two-night stay at the Hilton at Fisherman’s Wharf complete with a sightseeing tour and welcome dinner. Guests then journey by train to Yosemite National Park and board the Great Western Limited vintage streamliner train for Seattle for a two-night stay and a seven-night inside passage cruise from Vancouver to Seward aboard a Holland America Line cruise ship, complete with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and the gorgeous Glacier Bay. The private McKinley Explorer Train takes travelers from Denali to Anchorage before a final two-night stop in Denali National Park.

Amtrak Vacations Adds Family and Independent Programs

Amtrak Vacations is offering 18 new rail journeys this year that emphasize both independent and family tours to such American destinations as Glacier National Park, New York City, New Orleans, and Washington, DC to name a few. The tours operate in both directions to accommodate travelers from varied markets. The family-oriented nine-day Atlantic Coast Discovery Rail Journey goes from New York City to Washington, DC to Orlando aboard Amtrak’s Silver Meteor / Silver Star and features tours in both New York City and Washington, DC, a visit to the historic Kennedy Space Center and two full days in Orlando’s Universal Studios.

The six-day Windy City to the Big Apple Rail Journey features Chicago and New York City in a package that would work well for a couple. Highlights include a hop-on/hop-off tour in Chicago and a New York City tour with a choice of three options including a city sightseeing cruise, the Museum of Modern Art, Top of the Rock Observation Deck, Rockefeller Center Tour, Radio City Stage Door Tour, lunch at Planet Hollywood and many more options to choose from. Dinner at a popular New York City restaurant is also included.

Taking the High Rail Through Scotland

The luxury Royal Scotsman is adding two new itineraries: London to Edinburgh and the Classic Scottish Golf Tour and Gleneagles. It’s the first time the train will travel from London to Edinburgh, a route that passes through Alnmouth, Berwick, Peterborough, Newcastle, Darlington, Hertfordshire, and York. Along the way it will pass such sites as the medieval castle Alnwick Hall which had a starring role as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films. The Classic Scottish Golf Tour offers the chance to play Gleneagles, the site of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The 2014 season begins on April 21 and ends on Oct. 19.

The two-day/one-night London to Edinburgh, for example, includes such excursions as Alnwick Hall, York, the Queen’s private residence at Sandringham and Cambridge University. The package is priced from $1,350 per person and departs Aug. 11 and Sept. 12.

The six-day/five-night Classic Scottish Golf Tour and Gleneagles, priced from $8,810, includes the chance to play four of Scotland’s most prestigious courses: the PGA Centenary Course, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, the Castle Stuart Golf Links, and the Cruden Bay Golf Club. An optional stay at The Gleneagles Hotel is also available to begin the journey. Non-golfers will also have their share of fun with visits to historic landmarks such as Dunrobin Castle, Dalmore Distillery, and Johnston’s Cashmere.