Rocky Mountaineer Trip

jstraw124 posted:
After 4 days in Banff, getting on the train this morning for a trip that has been on my bucket list.
Other train related experiences included a spotting of the Canadian Pacific executive train and a visit to the spiral tunnels. Hard to get a good pic of the executive train without breaking CP trespassing laws.
I also saw the area where the train derailment this past winter killed the crew. Roads had to be built to get it cleaned up. I didn’t see any cars waiting removal.

You'll love it! My wife and I rode it from Vancouver to Jasper in 2016. A wonderful trip. But you will be going the opposite direction and a different route through Lake Louise and the spiral tunnels to Kamloops and an overnight stay. Kamloops is an interesting railroad town with a steam-powered train ride.

Bill

It's been a busy month and finally have time to recap our trip. Well, you wanted a detail recap of the trip:

Visiting Banff has been on my bucket list for 30 years, along with a train ride across Canada. When I learned about Rocky Mountaineer, we decided it would be a perfect 30th anniversary trip.

You can utilize Rocky Mountaineer in planning just part or all of your trip, Their model is similar to a cruise line. They have partnered with high quality tour agencies, hotels, attractions and even cruise lines to make your trip complete. You can utilize their help in planning anything from just a two day train ride to a two week complete vacation. We planned through them a 7 night, 8 day trip, which included only two days on the train, with stays in Calgary, Banff, and Vancouver.

The first itenary presented by Rocky Mountaineer consisted of flying into Vancouver, train ride on Silver Leaf to Banff, transfer to Calgary, and a flight back home. In searching reviews, we decided we wanted to upgrade to Gold Leaf. The big difference is Silver Leaf is a singly level car where you eat your meals at your seat. The Gold leaf is a bi-level dome car with dining down and seats up, and an outdoor vestibule where you can go stand. With the upgrade, we ended up having to flip our trip and start in Calgary and ending in Vancouver. That route is less utilized than starting in Vancouver. We had several cars empty on our trip to Vancouver that are full on the trip from Vancouver. In hindsight, that was a good change. While Calgary was nice, Vancouver is such an interesting city, it was a great place to end our vacation. Also, we were in Banff for our anniversary day instead of on the train. That made the wife happy.

We went with a complete package through Rocky Mountaineer. It included accomodations at the Fairmont in Calgary and Vancouver, and several nights at the Lake and Avenue in Banff. Excursions in the package included tickets for the towers in Calgary and Vancouver, a tour to Grouse Mountain gondola ride and other attractions in Vancouver, such as a stop at Capilano suspension foot bridge. In Banff, the excursions included a helicopter ride, a gondola ride to Sulfur Mountain, a wildlife tour in Banff National Park, a day trip to Lake Louise, including multiple stops at other beautiful lakes and a visit to the spiral tunnels. Also took a day trip through the icefields and a visit to a glacier near Jasper. Because of the timing of our trip, we were able to qualify for a bonus of stay and play credits that we used for one of the excursions and several breakfasts and meals in Banff and Vancouver.

The disadvantage of having a full itinerary through Rocky Mountaineer is you have a schedule to adhere to. Several morning we needed to be in the hotel lobby at a specified time, ready to be picked up for the next tour. We did have a free afternoon in Banff that was nice. The big advantage in allowing them to plan your trip is ease of access to the attractions. We went at the start of their busy tourist season. Many of the attractions are heavily visited and access is often limited. On your own, you have to arrive early and buy your tickets that is often scheduled hours later, or you show up and they're sold out for the day. With Rocky Mountaineer, you have priority and do not have to worry about buying tickets and waiting in long lines, As a result, you're able to fit in several attractions in one day. By having them plan it all also meant it was hassle free in transfers between locations. We flew into Calgary and had to deal with getting our luggage from the airport to the hotel. Once at the hotel, we never carried our bags again until we left the hotel in Vancouver for the airport. On transfer days, we just had to have the luggage located in the middle of our room. They handle getting the luggage from your old room to your new room in the next city or hotel. Every location we stayed at, a Rocky Mountaineer representative available to help with any issues or questions. Their service is first class, both on and off the train, They have representatives living in each town or city to make sure your vacation off the train is just as nice as your time on the train.

Now to the train trip itself. Our trip consisted of a two day trip from Banff to Vancouver with a night stay in Kamloops. Rocky Mountaineer picked us up early in Banff and took us down to the train station. Our luggage made a separate trip by tractor trailer to Kamloops and finally Vancouver. There are no baggage cars on the train. On day one, our train consisted of three GP40-2 engines and 21 cars. On day two, they reduce it down to two engines. The extreme grades are between Kamloops and Banff. Less power is needed between Kamloops and Vancouver. The consist included two generator cars, two crew cars, 8 Silver Leaf cars and 9 Gold Leaf cars. The Gold Leaf service included a crew ranging from 7 to 9 per car. Our car had a chef and a couple of assistants, two servers, and two hosts upstairs. Your service includes meals, snacks, and unlimited drinks. They're all about service and they try to accommodate any requests. The seats are first class with fully electronic adjustments for headrest, lumbar, reclining, and footrest. The newest cars have swiveling seats that make it easy to talk to your neighbors. The hosts speak multiple languages, but they try to book you with other passengers that can speak similar languages. You have plenty of opportunity to talk and visit with fellow passengers. Our car consisted of a blend of Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and English.

Your trip starts with a toast to the trip with a glass of orange juice. Your car is divided into two groups and dine in shifts for breakfast and lunch. If you dine first in day one, you dine second on day two. Food is top of the line and prepared to order with multiple choices for each meal. Lunch includes a salad, entree, and desert. Various snacks are provided between meals. It becomes a challenge to not overeat on the trip. We had a medical emergency in one of the cars, early on day one. The one hour delay resulted in us being at the mercy of the many freight trains that take the same route through the Rockies. We ended up being 3 hours late getting to Kamloops. Rocky Mountaineer realized it would be difficult for everyone to find food at 9:30pm in Kamloops. So, they prepared a bonus dining on the train to insure we were taken care of.

The scenery is worth the trip. I took a book to read, just in case, and never opened it. There is something to see around every turn. Highlights include a trip through the spiral tunnels, along with about 20 other tunnels, beautiful mountains, lakes, deserts, rain forests, and many, many trains. If you like to see trains, you share the rails with about 20 freight trains along the trip. Day one took us along the Bow River, past the Castle Mountains. We soon arrive at Lake Louise, with hanging glaciers surrounding us. Next were the spiral tunnels that caused us to make two 360 degree turns within two different mountains as we worked towards Kicking Horse River. Before arriving in Kamloops, we followed along the banks of Kinbasket lake and pass through Craigellachie, location of the "last spike" of the Trans-Canada Railway. Before arriving in Kamloops, the host gave us our room key for the hotel. No checking-in required.

Next day the ride took us along the banks of Kamloops lake and Thompson river. the scenery is dry and arid countryside that provides numerous tunnels and rock shelters. You have plenty of opportunity to take pictures of the train as it curves along the mountains. One side of the river has the CP line, while the other side has the busy CN line. Closer to Vancouver, you travel through beautiful forests and lakes, finally passing by a large railyard before entering Vancouver.

Overall, it's a trip of a lifetime. I highly recommend it, not just for the train, but for the beautiful scenery you travels through.