Royal Gorge Route Railroad — Attraction in Cañon City

My husband and I chose to celebrate our 5 year anniversary with the Vista Dome first class dinner and the laser light show. We spent $500 for the two of us which included the tickets, dinner, light show, and we added on their celebration package (bottle of prosecco, flowers, and a dessert).

The biggest issue we had was that we could not see anything outside during the ride unless you went to the open air cars. While the website does say the train departes 6:30pm, we expected to be able to see the gorge while seated in the vista dome (with lights on the train car or something). It was pitch black and since the car had their lights on full brightness inside, there was a glare on the windows so you just saw your reflection on the windows. The vista dome was a total rip off for the evening ride.

The other issue was with seating. We were sat at the front of the train (yes it was first class but there were other vista dome cars further back). I mention this because the first open air car (the quiet one) was 5 cars behind us and then you had to walk back another 4 cars to get to the 2nd open air car (where the laser light show was with music). It was SUPER inconvenient for everyone on our side of the train. You had to walk through other cars (the kitchen, coach, and another vista dome car) to get to the laser show. This was not fun to do in heels. I'm not sure who is in charge of where people get sat but if you have a bunch of people pay for a vista dome car for the light show train, put them in the vista dome car that is 2 away from the open air car, not 5.

The food was okay- not bad but certainly not $500 worth. The free drink was welcome but it was definitely cheap sparkling wine.

There where significant pacing issues for the dinner portion. We sat at our table for 30 minutes before anyone came to offer a drink. It took another 15 to get the drinks after that. Luckily, our table already had the bottle of prosecco from our package, so we opened that ourselves to have something to drink.

The courses came out super slow. The bread (on our table when we were seated) was meant to be eaten before the amuse bouche which was strange. The amuse bouche showed up well before we were offered drinks. The salad came 20 minutes after that, and then we sat for 30 more minutes just waiting. We got our entrees 15 minutes before the laser show started which was awkward because we had to rush the main course just to see the show (also since the open air cars were so far away from us it took a good 5-10 minutes just to get to the show).

The light show (9 cars away) started without us because of our delayed entrees. The show itself was honestly really lame. It felt like a middle school dance with the music and subpar laser shapes. While it was Halloween themed, it was not really adult related like the website suggested besides the ability to have a drink outside. This made the night a total waste. We already had so many issues but this laser show was the reason we chose the 6:30 train.

The absolute best part of the entire ride was as the train went under the royal gorge bridge. The bridge high up had lights and the night was chilly so it was a nice 5 minute experience with nature.

When we walked 9 cars back to our seats, the dessert included in the dinner was waiting at our table. Our server asked what kind of dessert we wanted from our added package and put the order in. We arrived back at the station a few minutes later. I had to flag down the server to ask them to box that dessert up for us and we were told it was already being boxed up. We also got the check with the suggested tip being for the total amount for the whole experience (plus anything we ordered on board). Figuring out how much the meal was to tip appropriately was a struggle since the meal was included with the tickets and light show.

Overall, I wouldn't do this again, nor would I suggest it to others. It felt like a tourist trap and was a waste of $500. We did get to keep the flowers with a souvenir glass and took our extra...

This is what we'd like to have known before booking.

The whole thing was fantastic, definitely worth doing. The train doesn't go very fast. It was 1 hour going up, we stayed stopped for 5-10 minutes and 1 hour back. It doesn't turn around. It goes forward out and backwards on the return trip. There was ample parking close to the station for our mid week trip. The gift shop was nice, there were clean bathrooms and they even gave you water before you boarded.

We booked online and saw the different options for seating/cars. We chose "Deluxe Class". It was very nice. The only real difference between Coach and Deluxe is the tables. The windows look to be the same size on each car but Deluxe has a fixed table with chairs that are not bolted down and Coach has fixed chairs (pairs that face each other front to back) with no tables. If you are planning on eating, that will make a difference. You will be sharing the table with 2 strangers if you only buy 2 tickets. Vista Dome seemed nice and has tables too but it looked a little more cramped than Deluxe. It is in one of those cars that, inside, you take a couple of steps up to get to it because there is a kitchen below. You do get more of an upward view because of the domed windows but looking up the canyon walls is the same after a while. You do get to see the suspension bridge, the zipline and the gondola lines that cross the top of the canyon about half way through the trip.

We saw the option online to buy food ahead of time and chose not to. I'm glad we waited. We boarded early as they suggest and were offered a menu as we sat down at our table. We ordered a drink while others boarded. The people who had ordered meals online were asked for their food tickets as soon as they were seated. Their food was brought to them pretty quickly so they sat on the parked train and ate. While they dined, we got our drinks and went to the outdoor viewing car. Other than a staff member or two, we were the only ones there. I think everyone assumes you have to be seated in your car when the train pulls out but we were enjoying the outside scenery when it did. It filled up quickly once the train started moving. We spent most of the trip on this car. You can see so much more and enjoy the fresh air. After finishing our first drink, I only had to walk to the bar car to get us another then back to the open air car (I just gave the bartender my table number and they added it to our bill). We eventually went back to our seats and ordered a salad from the menu. It was very good, restaurant quality. Not cheap but not too expensive either. Because we ordered drinks and food from onboard and not online, they brought us a check toward the end of the ride and we paid just like in a restaurant. If you order online, they bring you a check with a suggested tip on it.

We sat on the wrong side of the car. All of the better views are from the windows facing south, that is the side the river is on and the train does not cross it. In our car, the tables on the north side were even numbers and the ones facing south were odd. It is still pretty on the north side but it's mostly just rocks and the tall gorge siding.

Every staff member was very friendly and very helpful. The ones that hung out on the open air car answered questions and gave us information on the history of the train and the line. We enjoyed our trip very much and would recommend it to anyone who was thinking about going. I think the Christmas rides would be amazing, especially if there was snow. Kids...

I wish I could give zero stars. We trusted you for a special birthday weekend and you dropped the ball in a big way. My wife’s birthday was supposed to be celebrated in style with your “First Class Dinner” train, wine package, and a private booth for just the two of us. We drove 4 hours, booked a hotel and planned two days around this experience in Cañon City. A week before the event we received a call: our 6:30 pm dinner departure was cancelled due to “track maintenance.” Yet we had arranged the entire weekend around that departure. The only alternatives you offered were 12:30 pm or 3:30 pm that same day. Having to change plans and and in a rush I decided I would change the other plans that day and may it work, we reluctantly took 3:30 pm. The day before our ride I called your office to confirm we were still scheduled and was told yes, everything was fine and we needed to show up 30 minutes early. The next day we arrive, get tickets, board the train, and immediately realize we’re not getting the experience we paid for. We were seated with another couple, drinks and dinner supposedly included in our “First Class” package were not honored (“we don’t have anything like that on this departure”), and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy when I pointed this out. I’d paid $495 for what appears to be the standard $250-fare, minus the wine package, booth for two, dedicated service, and premium menu we expected. We were stuck on a moving train for two hours with poor service, a sub-par menu, overpriced drinks, mediocre views, and no recognition of the “first class” promise we purchased. Multiple staff and a manager came by and asked how to make it better; we asked for a private table and our drinks comped. The answer was no. One manager said “I didn’t know you wanted that.” Then we were offered two pieces of cake, as if that was adequate compensation. Meanwhile, somebody in your office claims you left a voicemail informing us we wouldn’t get the first-class dinner and wine. We received none. The person I spoke to a day earlier didn’t mention any change. We invested over $1,500 into this trip — the hotel, food, gas, other activities — all planned around that ride. Your cancellation and failure to communicate ruined my wife’s birthday weekend. The experience was unprofessional, disappointing, and unfair. You should have refunded our entire amount. Instead, you offered a partial refund of the difference in class fare, as if that made up for the destroyed weekend. This was far from the “exceptional service,” “delicious food sourced locally,” and “private dinner in the canyon” advertised on your website. I am absolutely not recommending the Royal Gorge Route Railroad for anything other than maybe the bare minimum sightseeing ride (and even that draws complaints about value). I’m writing this so future customers understand that when you book the “premium” experience, what you hope for and what you actually get may be light-years apart. And when the company makes the change, you’re essentially stuck with the consequences while they keep the money. Final word: Avoid if you’re celebrating something important. If all you want is a train ride and basic seat, fine — but don’t pay for the “first class dinner & wine” expecting full value. A very...