Oosterdam Aug 10th followed by Canadian Rockies

We are sailing out of Seward on the Oosterdam for the first week - after docking in Vancouver we are booked on a 6 day Canadian Rockies tour with Holland. Has anyone else done this package? Would love to hear how your trip was in the Rockies and is there anything special we should watch for. This will be our second time in Alaska - 6 years ago we did a week on land starting in Fairbanks and then the cruise from Seward to Vancouver on the Zaandam and loved the whole trip so we were looking for something different for this trip. I'd love to hear any comments from past cruisers as we know - the more informed you are - the better the trip and not getting home and thinking I wished I'd done this or that. Thanks in advance to any responses.

Is that the Rocky Mountaineer to Calgary and back? I know when we did it we just went from Vancouver to Calgary and then flew back, so it was two days, I think, and one night in a hotel in Kamloops. We loved it - fabulous food and scenery - hope you are in the "Gold" class and will have the dome car.

I'm interested to hear about this. I did not realize HAL toured the Canadian Rockies and could not find any info on their site. I look forward to reading about it.

It must not be a big seller because they do not advertise it. We found it listed on page 65 of Holland Alaska Yukon Land and Sea book. Looking at my paperwork now I see that is is 5 days. It is by motor coach and leaves from Vancouver and first night is spent in Kelowna after sightseeing along the way. You spend time at Banff National Park - Lake Louise. Two nights are spent at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - which if you look it up on the internet looks absolutely gorgeous (especially for us who are used to staying in Super 8's and hotels like that). We are going up thru the Icefields Parkway to Columbia Icefields located in Jasper. Included is a trip on an Ice Explorer in the Athabasca Glacier. Also included in this trip is the Tunnel Mountain Drive to Bow Falls, the Hoodoos, and Lake Minnewanka. We will also get a ride on the Banff Gondola. Trip ends in Calgary and we fly home the next day from there. It was an added $1999 to our cruise but with all the sightseeing we decided it was worth the extra expense. Plus we get to see another part of Canada that we've never traveled to. I will come back on here and post my views on this part of the trip when we get back. With trying to keep costs down I won't be on the internet while we are gone. Hope this answers some of your questions....

Sounds very interesting. Make sure you have some insect repellent!

It must not be a big seller because they do not advertise it. We found it listed on page 65 of Holland Alaska Yukon Land and Sea book. Looking at my paperwork now I see that is is 5 days. It is by motor coach and leaves from Vancouver and first night is spent in Kelowna after sightseeing along the way. You spend time at Banff National Park - Lake Louise. Two nights are spent at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - which if you look it up on the internet looks absolutely gorgeous (especially for us who are used to staying in Super 8's and hotels like that). We are going up thru the Icefields Parkway to Columbia Icefields located in Jasper. Included is a trip on an Ice Explorer in the Athabasca Glacier. Also included in this trip is the Tunnel Mountain Drive to Bow Falls, the Hoodoos, and Lake Minnewanka. We will also get a ride on the Banff Gondola. Trip ends in Calgary and we fly home the next day from there. It was an added $1999 to our cruise but with all the sightseeing we decided it was worth the extra expense. Plus we get to see another part of Canada that we've never traveled to. I will come back on here and post my views on this part of the trip when we get back. With trying to keep costs down I won't be on the internet while we are gone. Hope this answers some of your questions....

FYI at The Columbia Icefields (Athabasca Glacier), there is a new viewpoint that just opened this year. It is the Glacier Skywalk. It's similar to the skywalk over the Grand Canyon in that it juts out over the valley. I've only seen commercials so far but it looks really cool, if you can handle being on a glass or plexiglass walkway a few hundred metres in the air!:D. If you get the opportunity, you should check it out.

Kelowna is in the middle of the Okanagan Valley of BC. The area is well known for the fruit grown there, and wine. There are many vineyards and wineries in the area.

When you get into Alberta - Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, it's all about the scenery and the wildlife. It's quite different from Alaska but beautiful nonetheless. Watch for bears, moose, elk, Rocky Mountain big horn sheep, and mountain goats. If you have some free time in Banff, walking along Banff Avenue and poking in the shops is one of my favourite pastimes. There are some very good restaurants there, too. You don't say if you're staying in Lake Louise. If you do, the Post Hotel has a very nice, but pricey, restaurant with an extensive wine list.

Where will you be staying in Calgary? And what plans do you have there? Make sure to have some good Alberta beef on your tour.

I hope you will enjoy your stay in my neck of the woods!

This is the response I was looking for - someone that knows the area. I know we are making stops around Lake Louise but are not staying in that area. Funny thing about this being wine country - neither my sister or I are wine drinkers......we're more the down home country "beer" drinker. I looked up our trip notes and see included in our trip is the Glacier Skywalk so I'm really looking forward to this. We've been to the Grand Canyon but not to the part of the park that had the new glass walkway. One of the things we enjoyed most on our vacations is the scenery and all the wildlife......Moose has been my favorite animal for years and I hate to admit it but I collected moose items for a while now and probably had at one time over 500 stuffed moose. Lots from garage sales and some from destinations where we were travelling. We grew up on a farm in Ohio so wildlife has always been part of our lives. Last year on a trip out to Yellowstone we were driving down one side of the road and the buffalo were walking down the other side. It was awesome.

As far a Calgary - not sure what time we will arrive there on our last day - I know that it says we are on our own until the next morning when our flight leaves. We are staying at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel. We are hoping to find reasonable places to eat as we try to keep our meals on a limited budget to have money to spend on the destinations. We think that we should be able to find plenty of places to eat within walking distance of our hotel.

To make this trip even more memorable....when we did our 1st Holland Alaska Cruisetour of 13 days back in June of 2008 - we did the land tour first. We were lucky enough to meet some great people - 2 couples that we have kept in touch with since then. The one couple we've actually been able to connect with on 2 different times and have become great friends. This couple lives in Wisconsin and are also going to meet us in Anchorage and do the whole tour with us. When you do this trip with more than just your family I think it makes it even more enjoyable. Doing the landtour first I've read is the best since it's more intense where as the cruise ship seems to be more laid back and you can relax more the second week.....to me the landtour also gives you more opportunity to meet other people and get to know them before you do the cruise.

Thanks everyone for listening and giving your insights on this......I hope all that are travelling enjoy and have safe trips.....

You are seeing some places I've never seen. I'd love to see that skywalk. I've only seen one commercial for it. Don't eat in the palliser. I'm sure it's lovely but it will be expensive. Prices tend to be a little high in Calgary but you should be able to find some reasonable places around the palliser. I hope you enjoy my home. We are having a pretty nice summer so hopefully it will stick around.

Thanks for the info about eating at the hotel where we are staying....I'm hoping to talk to locals and thinking they can point us in the right direction for a reasonable meal. I know that vacation to some is the fancy sit down meals and being waited on....but for me I'd rather take that extra time and spend seeing whatever sights I might see. I hope you can keep that nice weather there until the 22nd of August when we fly home. Lots of people worry about the weather on vacation....we feel - it is what it is and we will do whatever we have to and make the best of it because who knows if we'll ever get the chance to return to that location.

Hopefully it won't snow by then:D;). Im trying to think of some places but I'm drawing a blank. Truth be told I'm more likely to go to a food kiosk than a restaurant downtown.

Keep a decently warm jacket or sweater/fleecy/jacket combo of some sort with you for evenings in the mountains. It gets c-h-i-l-l-y out here!

You are right -- the Banff Springs is gorgeous. If you can, grab a seat in the Rundle Lounge by the window for the price of an adult beverage or fancy coffee, and enjoy the views of the valley and the surrounding mountains. As cruz chic mentioned re the Fairmont Palliser, the Banff Springs food is also expensive.

Wow, this post cruise tour is interesting. I was looking at the Princess Heart of The Rockies cruise tour just a couple days ago. Theirs start in Calgary, then cruise from Vancouver to either Seward or Whittier. Also have the Denali tour and end in Fairbanks. Have to look into this. Thanks maryandmarge for the thread.

We were surprised that more people aren't aware of this option..especially for travelers like us that have done the Fairbanks to Seward land tour already....it just seemed like something different.

to cruz chic - if it snows I'll feel like I'm back in Ohio and it's already winter...we are packing for layers since you never know what kind of weather we'll have. When we did the Alaska trip in June of 2008 - I actually wore shorts and t shirt a couple days. We were just amazed by how nice it was. But we were also happy to have our 180's and gloves and warmer clothes when we took the helicopter ride and landed on the glacier....

In my searches for information I found information on Nestors Grocery store near the Banff Springs Hotel that we can walk to - it said pick up deli sandwiches and walk down to Bow River to eat. If we have plenty of time (and energy after a day of sightseeing) we might opt to do something like this. We had also saw an advertisement for Spirit of Christmas Store about a mile from the same hotel that said it was the largest Xmas store in Canada. That might be a good place to pick up ornaments to remind us of this trip. Maybe one of you has been to the store and can tell me if it is worth our walk.

In my search I also saw that Calgary has 39 McDonalds so maybe one close to the Fairmont Palliser where we are staying. I hate to pay a ton for breakfast if I can get it at McD's.

Thanks again for everyone's input....that's what cruise critic is all about....

Here are a couple of websites for Calgary that provide info on dining.

http://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/restaurants-dining/downtown-calgary?page=5

http://www.calgarydowntown.com/dining.html

Cruz Chic is right about dining at the Palliser; it is expensive. Like her I was having trouble trying to think of places for you to eat at near the Palliser. That's where those websites above come in handy. I'm just not sure how comprehensive they are. If you like pubs, there are two that I can think of on 8th Avenue (Stephen Avenue Walk), the James Joyce and the Unicorn.

The hotel is close by the Calgary Tower which is worth a visit. It might be included in your tour. The Glenbow Museum is also close by.

Just saw your post about McDonalds; there is one on 8th Avenue, between 2nd and 3rd street SW. The hotel is on 9th Ave at 1st St SW so it's not far. Another unique spot is above the McDonalds, in Scotia Centre. There is a culinary arts training facility where they sell meals. Not necessarily cheap but it's always crowded when I've seen it.

If you want a better breakfast than McDonalds, there is Cora's in Bow Valley Square (an office complex) that is between 5th & 6th avenues and 1st and 2nd streets SW.

If you want to walk in the park, there is Prince's Island Park. It would be a bit of a walk from the hotel, up 3rd Street, past 2nd avenue, past the Sheraton Hotel. The island was severely damaged in last year's flood but the City has been rehabilitating it. Some areas are still closed off but it is still lovely to walk around.

As you're in Calgary during the week, the restaurants and the park (if it's nice out) will be busy during the morning and lunch rush - just so you're warned.

If there is anything else that you would like to know, just ask!

This land portion sounds very interesting.

I can't wait to read your review -- and hopefully see some pictures.

I agree -- take some DEET.

Great info Alberta quilter.

Agree with KK, I hope you'll do a review.

Here are a couple of websites for Calgary that provide info on dining.

 

http://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/restaurants-dining/downtown-calgary?page=5

http://www.calgarydowntown.com/dining.html

 

Cruz Chic is right about dining at the Palliser; it is expensive. Like her I was having trouble trying to think of places for you to eat at near the Palliser. That's where those websites above come in handy. I'm just not sure how comprehensive they are. If you like pubs, there are two that I can think of on 8th Avenue (Stephen Avenue Walk), the James Joyce and the Unicorn.

 

The hotel is close by the Calgary Tower which is worth a visit. It might be included in your tour. The Glenbow Museum is also close by.

 

Just saw your post about McDonalds; there is one on 8th Avenue, between 2nd and 3rd street SW. The hotel is on 9th Ave at 1st St SW so it's not far. Another unique spot is above the McDonalds, in Scotia Centre. There is a culinary arts training facility where they sell meals. Not necessarily cheap but it's always crowded when I've seen it.

 

If you want a better breakfast than McDonalds, there is Cora's in Bow Valley Square (an office complex) that is between 5th & 6th avenues and 1st and 2nd streets SW.

 

If you want to walk in the park, there is Prince's Island Park. It would be a bit of a walk from the hotel, up 3rd Street, past 2nd avenue, past the Sheraton Hotel. The island was severely damaged in last year's flood but the City has been rehabilitating it. Some areas are still closed off but it is still lovely to walk around.

 

As you're in Calgary during the week, the restaurants and the park (if it's nice out) will be busy during the morning and lunch rush - just so you're warned.

 

If there is anything else that you would like to know, just ask!

Oops - gave some incorrect info above. The McDonalds is between 1st & 2nd Streets on 8th Avenue between Scotia Centre and The Bay (department store). And, to get to the culinary arts centre in Scotia Centre, go into the building off of 8th Ave (towards 2nd street) and walk to the escalator. Take it up one floor and turn left. The culinary arts place is on the left.

I just wanted to say hi to maryandmarge. My husband and I will be on the same cruise. We also would be going to BANFF but we will be going with our own vehicle and looking forward to the long and scenic road trip. We are both very excited as this is our second cruise and first time on HAL.

Oops - gave some incorrect info above. The McDonalds is between 1st & 2nd Streets on 8th Avenue between Scotia Centre and The Bay (department store). And, to get to the culinary arts centre in Scotia Centre, go into the building off of 8th Ave (towards 2nd street) and walk to the escalator. Take it up one floor and turn left. The culinary arts place is on the left.

I read it and didn't even notice that the streets were wrong.

Thanks for the websites and updates on the McD's address in Calgary. All this info really helps. I probably over-research when we go away...but don't want to go home and wish we'd done something that we knew nothing about until it was too late. As for the post trip review - I plan to come back on this website when we get back and tell everyone what the highlights were....as for pictures....I'm not sure how people manage to do that....I can't even figure out how to get the posting off the bottom of my chats that show we cruised back in 2010 to on NCL. I've looked all over and couldn't find a place to take it off....then again when we went to Quebec in 2012 and I wanted to add that on our signature - couldn't figure out how to do that. Let's just say I'm computer challenged...can just do enough to get me in trouble....

To StrawberryShake - this is our second trip to Alaska - both on Holland so I'm hoping that this ship is as nice as the Zaandam when we took it back in 2008. I have to say that when I read some of the different ships reviews and realize that stuff that is an issue to someone else - we don't even see. I always say when we travel to different places - if our hotel room is clean and the showers works great...the bed is comfortable....then I'm happy. And I am thankful that I have a job that allows me to save money to go and see the countryside. I hope you have some fun excursions planned in the ports and that you enjoy your trip as much as we hope to...

OP, I just wanted to let you know that you have inspired me to go to the glacier skywalk. I'm going next weekend:D. It's about time I traveled Alberta. I hope you enjoy my neck of the woods.

OP, I just wanted to let you know that you have inspired me to go to the glacier skywalk. I'm going next weekend:D. It's about time I traveled Alberta. I hope you enjoy my neck of the woods.

Good for you! I think everyone should take the time to travel in their own neck of the woods at some point. I came home from one trip some years ago and said that I wanted to travel in my own province. We did most of it the following year. Just have to see southeast Alberta. (And, have to go back to Jasper area to see the Glacier Skywalk.)

Enjoy your trip! Come back and tell us how it was!

Good for you! I think everyone should take the time to travel in their own neck of the woods at some point. I came home from one trip some years ago and said that I wanted to travel in my own province. We did most of it the following year. Just have to see southeast Alberta. (And, have to go back to Jasper area to see the Glacier Skywalk.)

 

Enjoy your trip! Come back and tell us how it was!

I will.

OP, I just wanted to let you know that you have inspired me to go to the glacier skywalk. I'm going next weekend:D. It's about time I traveled Alberta. I hope you enjoy my neck of the woods.

Have a great time! Take lots of pictures please.

Have a great time! Take lots of pictures please.

I will do that. I hope after that long bus ride I won't be too scared to get out there. I'm afraid if heights but I'm usually ok if I'm closed in. It will be nice to get away for the weekend.