Originally posted by Dave Beers:
Welcome to cruise-chat, sunset68.
When we did the train last June, I saved $45 over the Royal Caribbean price by buying the tickets myself, online, at the railroad website. It is true that if you buy the tour from the ship the train will load you up at the pier. But the train depot is around a quarter mile away and for $45 I'll take a short walk. What they did was load up the cruise ship tour and then the train came back to the depot for everyone else.
The train website urges people on a cruise to book with the cruise line, but I am sure they have to do that as part of their contract. They really don't care.
It was $309 for three of us for the round-trip train ride. Perhaps the best tour we took in Alaska. You can see the prices and make reservations
here. You should check with your particular cruise line to see what their pricing is first.