kathleen

We plan to take the Indian Pacific train (Red Kangaroo service) from Perth to Adelaide at the end of January or early February 2007. How far in advance do you think we should book this train—1 week, 2 weeks, 2 months? We understand that the train departs from Perth twice a week and we can be somewhat flexible with our departure date. Thanks. Kathy

wlzmatilida

Hi Kathy,

As you know what you want to do, why wait to book it?

If this is a "must do" on your itinerary, then book it after getting information the cancellation policies (and travel insurance) just in case anything unforeseen would come up.

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

downunder05

We did the Indian Pacific in the other direction last November, from Adelaide to Perth, in Gold Kangaroo. Since this was an important part of our trip, we made our reservations ourselves about 6 months ahead via their internet site. No problems to report other than the fact that they never sent an email confirmation. We were a bit worried until we emailed and received a response stating that the confirmation that you get at the end of the process is the only thing that you need. No separate confirmation or tickets are issued so for your own piece of mind, be sure to print the last bit with your booking number. Another thing to keep in mind is that they require payment in full at the time of booking although they do offer a sliding scale for refund until right before you travel. We didn't have travel insurance but you might want to consider it. All in all, we really enjoyed the IP and I'm sure you'll have a great time!

kathleen

Melodie,
It is a "must do" for us, but we'd like to keep the exact train date flexible, if possible. For example, if we stay longer in the east or add Darwin to the itinerary at the last minute, then we'd be cutting our time short in the west-- if we set a departure date too soon.

But since we really want to do this train, I'm asking (your best guess) the last possible date to book the ticket. Does it sometimes fill, usually fill, or always fill to capacity? Being aware of this might help us plan when to book.

downunder, Thanks for the heads up about the confirmation. I'm glad to read that the trip met your expectations. We are looking forward to it, too.
Kathy

kathleen

topping...
Does anyone know if the Red Kangaroo service on the Indian Pacific train, from Perth to Adelaide, is likely to fill to capacity during the late January early February time frame? It would be a quess, I'm sure, but maybe there's a familiar pattern to it. We're trying to determine when to buy tickets. We want to wait as late as possible to keep our itinerary flexible. Thanks Kathy