Vacations By Rail Offers 20 Rail-Cruise Combination Packages

Travelers in search of their next unique vacation experience need not look further than a rail-cruise vacation, says specialty travel company Vacations By Rail. Vacations By Rail reports offering more than 20 independent and escorted combination packages throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe that pair iconic train journeys with idyllic ocean and river cruises.

Rail-cruise vacations marry not only unique travel components but complementary destinations to create a seamless travel experience,  Vacations By Rail says.

For instance, cruises through Alaska’s Inside Passage are joined with a choice of three historic long-distance rail routes: along the  Pacific coast aboard Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, across the Northern Prairies to Seattle aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder, and through the Canadian Rockies aboard VIA Rail’s Canadian.

In addition to rail and ocean cruise vacations to Alaska, Vacations By Rail offers combination packages that include cruises through eastern Canada, New England, and the Western Caribbean.

Todd Powell, president of Vacations By Rail, says the popularity of rail-cruise vacations is seen in the addition of new rail-river cruise packages in the U.S. and Europe to the company’s 2012 product line.

Vacations By Rail’s new rail and river cruise itineraries in the U.S. celebrate seasonal events like fall foliage and the Christmas season with a scenic rail journey through America’s heartland and a journey along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers by vintage steamboat.

“Rail-river cruise packages throughout the U.S. are wrapped in Americana, hearkening back to a time when travel was about the journey itself,” Powell said.

The company’s rail-river cruise vacations in Europe combine city stays in Paris and travel aboard the high-speed TGV train with river cruises that meander along the Rhine, Moselle, and Main Rivers.

Rail-cruise combination packages start at $1,995 land-only, per person based on double occupancy. Packages include rail transportation and onboard sleeping accommodations where applicable, cruise accommodations, select meals, city stays, and sightseeing per itinerary.

Complete itineraries, vacation inclusions and additional details for the company’s rail-cruise packages as well as Vacations By Rail’s complete product line can be found at www.vacationsbyrail.com.