Grand Canyon Railroad train or drive up to GC South?

[observer53]

First class is worth it. Overnight in Williams is nice, with the packages. I would not do up and back in one day myself, I'd stay at the Canyon or at Williams.

[rambrush]

Great glad you liked it..

I am partial to the NORTH Rim and would suggest giving it a shot next time. If the rooms are booked there are rooms at Jacob lake to stay at.

Originally Posted by ILikeEveryone

Update: We did the overnight package staying at the GC Railway hotel in Williams and taking the train into the canyon in the first class car the next morning. We are glad we did this as we enjoyed it very much. It was worth the extra money to go first class as it was quieter. They served fruit, danishes, coffee, soda on the way to the GC. On the way back they also had cheese, crackers, fruit, beverages which were complimentary. Alcoholic beverages were also available but not complimentary. The staff at the hotel as well as those on the train were very helpful and went out of their way to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. And the GC South was just awesome. No photos can capture the beauty. You have to see it for yourself in person.

However, if we go back to the GC South Rim by ourselves again, we will get up very early morning and drive to the canyon. The only downside to taking the train into the GC is that your time is limited to about 3 hours before you have to go back. Next time we visit I would like to spend the entire day at the GC.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by ILikeEveryone

Update: We did the overnight package staying at the GC Railway hotel in Williams and taking the train into the canyon in the first class car the next morning. We are glad we did this as we enjoyed it very much. It was worth the extra money to go first class as it was quieter. They served fruit, danishes, coffee, soda on the way to the GC. On the way back they also had cheese, crackers, fruit, beverages which were complimentary. Alcoholic beverages were also available but not complimentary. The staff at the hotel as well as those on the train were very helpful and went out of their way to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. And the GC South was just awesome. No photos can capture the beauty. You have to see it for yourself in person.

However, if we go back to the GC South Rim by ourselves again, we will get up very early morning and drive to the canyon. The only downside to taking the train into the GC is that your time is limited to about 3 hours before you have to go back. Next time we visit I would like to spend the entire day at the GC.

Last time I went, we did the package with the overnight in Williams AND the overnight at the Canyon, then the train back to Williams late AM or early PM, then drove back to Phx. A nice amount of time to explore and see a lot of the Rim area.

I agree that the North Rim is well worth a trip.

[motormaker]

^^ Yep, thats what we did. AAA has some good packaging and pricing on the trip.