Grand Canyon Railroad — Attraction in Williams

I took a day trip from Williams AZ to the Grand Canyon on the Grand Canyon Railroad. On the northbound train, I rode in the luxury dome (chosen when purchasing tickets online). When you check in at the train depot, which is to the right of the restaurant and behind the hotel, you will be given your tickets and assigned a seat number. You then head to go watch a quick live Wild West show before the train departs.

The train cars were very clean and the seats were comfortable. While the windows could have been a bit cleaner, they weren't terrible and wouldn't have prevented me from choosing the option in the future. Every staff member I interacted with was very nice, helpful and genuinely interested in making sure all occupants had a great time. The only downside for me personally, was the pushing of buying alcoholic beverages while riding in the car approximately every thirty minutes or so. This was a bit much for me but others may find the server check ins helpful. The morning snacks appeared to be supermarket deli mini muffins and donuts, the train should seek to partner with local bakers to provide something more unique and authentic to small town Williams or a surrounding town. Sodas, juice and coffee provided as well. There were various characters who show up in the train and provide story telling, sing songs or just walk around to introduce themselves and find out more about the passengers. A fun experience.

Once at the Grand Canyon, I paid for a shuttle tour (Grand Tour) which included lunch. The lunch was not worth it in my opinion, seemed like basic cafeteria food and could be skipped. The guide for the Grand Tour was very nice and had lots of knowledge to share. The shuttles gave quick access to areas on the south rim of the Grand Canyon that had cars waiting to see.

On my southbound journey, I rode in a first class car that included an assigned seat, snacks (veggie tray, crackers and sodas). The staff were prepared for the journey back with live music, joke telling and characters from the Wild West show performing a "train robbery". This was fun to see all the kids participating and have a great time.

Overall this was a great way to see the Grand Canyon and the surrounding scenery on the way, aside from driving the highway and would recommend to those looking for a fun option to take their kids or family. If you're on the fence on whether to spend the money on the "luxury" experience or riding in the first class cars, go with the first class. I'd also assume the coach trains would be fine too (no snacks, but again, the snacks were not local or significant). If I come back to the area, I would do...

UPDATE 09/04/2024 We were back in the area with some friends, from Massachusetts, and took another train ride to the Grand Canyon. This time we had MaryEllen as our "PSA" and she was wonderful. She, as well, provided us with a bountiful amounts of information of the area and about herself, which was very interesting. We have not been disappointed on either of our trips and if back in the area, we will sure take another ride and enjoy all the wonderful information each can provide.

March 18, 2022 Several of us spent a few days in the Williams area boondocking in our Rv's and decided to take the train up to the Grand Canyon and what a great way to go. It was a BLAST! Brigid, our PSA, Public Service Assistant, was a delight for the whole journey. She kept us informed as what to do and suggestions of what NOT to do while at the Canyon. She was very entertaining and even had a few "Dad" jokes to provide some humor along the way. Thanks for a wonderful experience! Along the trip up, we spotted some Prairie Dogs, Antelope, Wild Horses and Elk to help keep the cameras a clicking!! The terrain was very diverse going from a Ponderosa Pine Forest to dry desert conditions back into a heavily rock and treed area of pine and cedar near the Grand Canyon National Park. The time seemed to fly by as you made the 2hr 15 min, one way, journey with all the onboard entertainment, wildlife spotting and just gazing at the beautiful landscape. It is a definite do again if we are back in the area and for those deciding to do or not to do..... it's positively a DO! There are many options of "seating cars" for the trip, so depending on what you want to pay, there is room for everyone! To me, they're all great seats and views are plenty. Enjoy your trip, I...

TLDR; Manage expectations as there are 0 Grand Canyon views (only desert). There is some entertainment, but really not much other than some singers and on the return voyage a continuation of the cowboy show during the last 20-30m of the ride. While all of the staff and the entertainers were extremely nice, I would not book 1st class again as it is very expensive. Unsure what the other train car options are like, but even then, would rather still just drive to the park and explore that way.

Booked round-trip first class tickets in the 1st class Bright Angel car tickets for Wife(44), Daughter(8), Father(70), and myself(40). (Adding ages for everybody for context as I feel it was beneficial reading reviews prior to when I booked.)

The ride was very enjoyable, it was super easy to board and seats had plenty of room in their normal position. They can turn the seats so that you have 4 of them facing each other, however, there is very limited leg room in that configuration. My father and I are both over 6'4" and had plenty of leg room in the normal position, but would not fit in the rotated position.

There is a cowboy show 15m prior to boarding. Our train's departure was at 10:30a, boarding at 10:15a, and the cowboy show was at 10a. The cowboy show is pretty entertaining for all and especially the kids.

You are provided a buffet of pastries(small muffins, danishes, ...) for the morning train to the canyon and a meat/cheese/veggtable buffet for the ride back. The buffets are arranged at the front of the train car you are in and everybody swarms down the aisle to get to them. This leaves the folks in the back of the train left with picking through the remainder of the goodwill of others (they tell folks to leave stuff for others, but people...