- Last summer, I cruised in the Caribbean. This summer, I took a two-day train ride in the US.
- I thought aspects of the trips were similar, like the warm hospitality and ability to disconnect.
- Ultimately, I'd rather ride a train for its lower carbon emissions and to see diverse landscapes.
In May, a red carpet and smiling host welcomed me aboard the luxury Rocky Mountaineer train for my first major train ride as an adult.
With a red carpet rolled out and American and Colorado flags stationed at each train car, a beaming host welcomed me onboard the Rocky Mountaineer.
The luxury train company specializes in trips in Canada and the US and I was onboard for a two-day trip on the Canadian train company's first US route. We departed from Denver, Colorado, and ended in Moab, Utah, with an overnight stop in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
My ticket, which I purchased on sale for $1,052 (it typically costs $1,465) included meals, alcohol, a hotel in Glenwood Springs, and the experience of admiring the West's landscapes through glass-dome windows.
As I boarded the Rocky Mountaineer by myself, I reflected on my last big solo trip — an eight-day cruise across the Caribbean in July 2021.
The train ride was my first big solo trip this year. And while I had traveled around Colorado to places like the ritzy ski town Aspen and the quaint mountain town of Estes Park with friends, boarding the train reminded me of a year earlier, when I traded my land legs for sea legs and embarked on another popular mode of travel, cruising. I sailed on the Carnival Vista, the first Carnival cruise to set sail after the pandemic.
The seven-night cruise stopped in Mahogany Bay, Honduras; Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. It cost $1,288 including gratuities and vacation protection.
By the end of the second day on the train, I thought certain elements of the trip felt surprisingly similar to my cruise. Ultimately, I left realizing that I much prefer trains.
I wasn't expecting to find similarities between a train and a cruise since the vacations seemed drastically different. One was all about water, relaxing, and soaking up the sun. The other was focused on luxury and dramatic landscapes.
However, they were more alike than I expected. From the ability to disconnect to an environment catered to socializing, I was shocked to find so many similarities between the two vacation styles.
But by the end of the train trip, I was eager to hop back on and head to my next destination. The same wasn't so true for cruising, as I previously wrote.
Here's how they each stacked up, and why ultimately, you're more likely to find me on the rails than the sea.
Both the cruise and train felt like natural environments to meet strangers and make friends, which made them ideal trips for solo travelers like myself.
I've spent nights sitting alone in bars, hiking through national parks by myself, and staying in tiny homes without interacting with another human.
Throughout my years of solo traveling, I've learned that some trips and activities cater to making friends more easily. Trains and cruises top that list.
Between an endless flow of drinks and the natural shared environment of the Rocky Mountaineer's train car, it was almost impossible not to chat with the people seated next to me. Quite quickly, I made friends with all the nearby passengers. I was alone on the Rocky Mountaineer, but I never felt lonely.
The same was true for the cruise. On a cruise, there are activities every hour — you can dance to live music, compete in trivia, or laugh with strangers at a comedy show. If I wasn't singing karaoke with strangers on the Carnival Vista, I was relaxing in the hot tubs and bonding with other cruisers. Everywhere I looked on the cruise was an opportunity to make friends.
My train had an overnight stop, which I thought felt similar to port stops on a cruise.
Cruise stops are a large part of most sailings and for my cruise, I explored Mohogany Bay by kayak, spent an afternoon in Belize, and went scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel.
Each cruise stop was short, which provided me with enough time for an excursion or an afternoon shopping spree.
While less tropical, my overnight stop in Glenwood Springs felt similar to the cruise stops. We disembarked the train around 6 p.m. There, I swapped my train attire for a bathing suit and took a dip in the town's natural hot springs. After that, I popped into shops before the mountain town closed for the evening.
I left the stops on both the cruise and train feeling similar — there was enough time to get a taste of the destination, but I wasn't there nearly long enough to feel like I could check it off my bucket list.
Both trips offered me an endless flow of drinks and food.
Food and drinks were bountiful on both my train ride and cruise.
From classic cruise buffets to Guy Fieri inspired barbeque, there were more than a dozen eateries on the Carnival Vista ship, which meant nonstop eating. I didn't opt-in for the drink package, but it seemed like most of the passengers around me were enjoying piña coladas, daiquiris, and tropical drinks.
While the Rocky Mountaineer didn't have as many dining options as a cruise, the passengers around me all agreed that there was never a moment when we were hungry. Our meals came with multiple courses and when we weren't being served food, our train host was pouring unlimited soft drinks, beer, or wine, which were included in the ticket price.
I thought that both trips had some of the most welcoming, friendly staff I've encountered during my travels.
The staff on cruises and trains have strenuous jobs. They're away from home and working more than eight-hour days.
But even with their tough gigs, everyone I encountered on both the cruise and train was eager to make sure guests felt welcomed and comfortable.
On the Rocky Mountaineer, the chef and train host, who served passengers meals and functioned as a tour guide, were constantly chatting with guests, offering advice, and sharing insights into the region.
Every morning on my Carnival cruise, I knew I'd step out of my 185-square-foot stateroom and bump into Komang, my stateroom steward, who'd wish me a good morning and ask me about my plans for the day. In the evening, I'd go to the main dining room for dinner where I'd be greeted by familiar faces, who were also eager to engage in conversation.
I left both the train and cruise impressed by how welcomed the staff made me feel.
I was able to disconnect on both trips thanks to a lack of cell service.
I was surprised that guests on the Rocky Mountaineer didn't have Wi-Fi or cell service for the majority of the ride, but it turned out to be a silver lining of the train experience. It allowed me to disconnect from my news feed and social media and placed my focus on the vast landscapes that were passing by.
And when I spoke with seasoned cruise superfans on the Carnival Vista, most shared one common thing they all loved about cruises — the ability to disconnect. Cruising often places you in the middle of the ocean with no cell service. Guests can buy Wi-Fi, but from my experience, it was often slow and spotty.
I thought the lack of cell service and Wi-Fi also helped contribute to the ship and train's friendly environments. Since no one could scroll, we were forced to chat with one another.
Even though parts of the experiences were similar, I thought my train ride had more diverse views of nature in two days than my cruise did in eight days.
One of the Rocky Mountaineer's main appeals to me is the views. Through the glass-dome windows, I watched Denver's cityscape transform into towering Rocky Mountains. Once we crossed the border into Utah, the grey rock turned into rusty red sandstone, and the lush mountain environment was swapped for desert scenery.
For me, there wasn't a moment throughout the whole trip where I was sick of peering out into the horizon in search of the next landscape we'd pass.
On the other hand, the cruise's main appeal was the lengthy list of scheduled activities and the port stops. For the vast majority of the cruise, all I could see was 360-degree views of blue water.
Belize, Honduras, and Cozumel have a diverse range of ecosystems, historical landmarks, and scenery, but unfortunately, I couldn't admire most of those views from the cruise deck.
As someone who loves nature, I thought the Rocky Mountaineer offered a better viewing experience.
My environmental impact was also much lower on the train than on the cruise.
To me, exploring the world also means taking care of it. That involves booking trips with lower carbon emissions and participating in carbon-offset programs.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, cruises are one of the most carbon-intensive ways to travel. Trains, are the opposite and are some of the lowest emitters.
When comparing the two trips by day, I found that my environmental impact was much higher on the cruise than on the train. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, the "world's largest and most efficient cruise ships" produce 250 grams of CO2 per passenger per kilometer. That's compared to rail travel, which emits 14 grams per passenger per kilometer, according to estimates from the European Environment Agency.
When I arrived in Moab, which is home to otherworldly landscapes that I hope future generations can experience, I felt better knowing that I had traveled in a less carbon-intensive manner.
I learned more about the destination I was traveling through on the train than on my cruise.
On the Rocky Mountaineer, the train staff fills gaps between meals with history, facts, and knowledge about the local region.
As we traveled through the Moffat tunnel, for instance, I learned from my train host about its history and its builder, David Moffat, who spent his entire fortune on the 6-mile tunnel. When we arrived in Utah and passed the ghost town of Cisco, we had another history lesson on the fascinating destination.
Meanwhile, the only time I learned about history, culture, and facts on the cruise was at the ports where I paid for excursions. While some of the excursions I chose highlighted facts about the area, others did not.
Since learning about a region and its history is my main motivator for traveling, I preferred the Rocky Mountaineer where I learned much more about America's West than I did about the Caribbean on my seven-night cruise.
I'd happily board another train in the future. For future cruises, I'll be pickier about which ones I book.
I likely won't ever board a massive cruise ship again, but I haven't completely given up on traveling by ship. For future sailings, I'm dreaming about Alaskan cruises with just a few dozen people instead of a few thousand. No matter the ships I embark on in the future, I plan to be more selective about the size and destination.
As for trains, I'm looking forward to exploring more of the world from the window seat of a train car.
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