July 9, 2007 - Don’t let summer fuel prices keep you from a memorable summer vacation
WILLIAMS, AZ. - Not only was Grand Canyon Railway recently honored by AAA Travel for its exceptional service and value, but its vacation packages are again below the national average cost of a family vacation.
The AAA auto and travel association’s annual vacation costs survey – released May 30, 2007 – found that a family of four (two adults and two children) would pay an average of $270 per day for food and lodging (not including beverages, taxes or tips).
At Grand Canyon Railway, a family of four pays just $389 for a two-day, one-night vacation package, including hotel, coach class train travel and meals at Max & Thelma’s Restaurant (not including tax or national park entrance fee). That’s more than $150 below the national average and includes a full day of entertainment, a vacation element not included in the AAA survey.
The Family Getaway Plus – a three-day, two-night vacation package – offers even greater savings at only $592 – an astonishing $218 below the national average.
These tremendous savings make it possible for families visiting the region to turn their summer getaway into a dream vacation with memories that will last a lifetime.
Consumers worried about the cost of fuel can factor that into the Grand Canyon Railway vacation by visiting www.fuelcostcalculator.com. This AAA feature allows consumers to enter their start and destination cities as well as vehicle make, model and year. The fuel calculator then estimates the cost of fuel based on averages in the regions traveled.
“The results of the fuel cost calculator are surprising – even to me,” said Angela Berrigan, vice president of sales and marketing for Grand Canyon Railway. “It shattered the illusion of drive vacations being too expensive and showcases how Grand Canyon Railway’s value vacation packages more than make up for the increased cost of fuel.”
If driving from Phoenix to Williams, Ariz. (approximately 180 miles) at 20 miles per gallon, the one-way trip will consume about 10 gallons of gas. At $3.50 per gallon, that’s $35. At $2.50 per gallon, it’s $25 – a difference of only $20 roundtrip.
If driving from Los Angeles to Williams, Ariz. (approximately 440 miles) at 20 miles per gallon, the one-way trip will consume about 22 gallons of gas. At $3.50 per gallon, that’s $77. At $2.50 per gallon, its $55 – a $40 difference roundtrip.
The increased cost for gas is well below the savings provided by Grand Canyon Railway’s value vacation packages and more affordable than a family of four traveling by air.
Grand Canyon Railway operates daily train service between Williams, Ariz., and the Grand Canyon. The Railway offers five distinct classes of service, as well as money-saving packages featuring the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams. Overnight stays at the Grand Canyon also can be included in the packages. Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, visit www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).
The Grand Canyon Railway is operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc., Grand Canyon Railway, L.L.C., Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, L.L.C., and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country's largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra’s Grand Canyon Railway affiliates own and operate the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel in Williams, Ariz.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts' environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts
6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 600 North
Greenwood Village, Co 80111
