Rocky Mountaineer

Finally got round to having a look at the website and embarrassingly I have to admit to not realising how many different tours were available.:o

With a 5/6 day trip probably the way we would go which would you suggest? Would be beginning of June. Standard trip Vancouver to Calgary or something different?

So you are cruising from Vancouver, then wanting to take the train to a place from where you can fly home?

Just in case you haven't read the website carefully enough yet, be aware that any tour visiting Calgary involves a bus. RM trains don't actually leave the Rockies on the east side - they only go into them from the west side and terminate at Jasper or Banff. To me, even if you feel the very high pricing of their tours compared to a self-drive or bus tour is worthwhile, that value is 100% predicated on the luxuriousness of the train's facilities in comparison to the alternatives - which you get lose as soon as they board you onto a bus... the longest all-RM-train-based trip is 3 days/2 nights, North Vancouver to Jasper, with all the other routes 2 days/1 night only in terms of actual train travel.

I attended an Xmas party on RM, so I can confirm the trains are much nicer than VIA (the Canadian national carrier which also runs through the rockies), but the above factors have ensured that I personally don't feel RM's service is worth paying what they charge compared to booking your own hotels and renting a car or taking a bus tour. If you're inherently fans of trains though, and want to see as much of the mountains as possible in daylight then they are unfortunately the ONLY option - VIA trains run 24 hours so while you will see the scenery for some of the trip, it's nowhere near as much as with RM. Even then, stick to booking the 'rail only' tours - none of the packages with 'free days in Vancouver' etc. are remotely good value compared to simply booking even the exact same hotels yourself.

Personally I'd recommend flying into Calgary if you're doing a rockies trip pre-cruise, or flying out of Calgary for a post-cruise trip, so you are not doubling-back on yourself. Rent a car for at least a couple of days - it's the only sensible way to get into the Badlands from Calgary, and a trip to Calgary without visiting the Badlands is a wasted trip IMO. Unless you all hate dinosaurs, museums etc. the Royal Tyrrell should be top of your list for sightseeing. If you're set on using RM, use the car to get to or from Banff/Jasper depending which rail trip you settle on.

A little pricey but FIRST CLASS ALL THE WAY !!!!!

Finally got round to having a look at the website and embarrassingly I have to admit to not realising how many different tours were available.:o

 

With a 5/6 day trip probably the way we would go which would you suggest? Would be beginning of June. Standard trip Vancouver to Calgary or something different?

If you got 5/6 days. Why take the Rocky Mountaineer from Whistler to Jasper. Then catch the southbound Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver.

Thanks for the replies. All very useful and lots to think about. Trip I'm looking at is not until 2019 so I have plenty of time to do research. Would be a post-cruise extra. At the moment the cruiseline is not offering the train in conjunction with this particular voyage although things could change.

Years ago we did a Brewster tour (the local tour company). We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and the Jasper Park Lodge. The only way we could get into these hotels was with a tour. There wasn't room in the Chateau Lake Louise even with the tour. The tour we chose include the RM from Jasper to Vancouver.

I hate to report this, but it was very pricey and we thought not worth the money.

We had a private room. Still it was an upper and a lower bed.

We couldn't sleep. The train stopped and started every time there was a freight train (which had priority) This went on for most of the night.

The best part was the observation car. But that was good for a short while.

I personally wouldn't recommend this experience.

But the national parks in Alberta are magnificent. A bucket list trip without a doubt.

If you have 5-6 days and are comfortable with driving, then I would agree with some of the above posters -- fly to Calgary and rent a car, and make your way up to Jasper via Banff. It's really not that far, the scenery is spectacular (I never get tired of it), and you can do the trip at your own pace. The money you save on the Rocky Mountaineer or other tour company can be used to book lodging (well in advance) at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge :D

Visit Lake Louise, but I would not recommend the Chateau there; unless things have changed it's one of the poorer-managed Fairmont properties IMO.

From Jasper, you can either re-trace your tracks back to Calgary, or take the shorter (but infinitely more boring) drive to Edmonton.

As a resident of BC that lives near the Rocky Mountains. I won’t re or mend driving. The person driving really won’t see a lot. Hotels in Banff and Jasper National Parks are very pricey. The train is the best option because they have person onboard that points out the points of interest.

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Years ago we did a Brewster tour (the local tour company). We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and the Jasper Park Lodge. The only way we could get into these hotels was with a tour. There wasn't room in the Chateau Lake Louise even with the tour. The tour we chose include the RM from Jasper to Vancouver.

 

I hate to report this' date=' but it was very pricey and we thought not worth the money.

 

We had a private room. Still it was an upper and a lower bed.

We couldn't sleep. The train stopped and started every time there was a freight train (which had priority) This went on for most of the night.

 

The best part was the observation car. But that was good for a short while.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend this experience.

 

But the national parks in Alberta are magnificent. A bucket list trip without a doubt.[/quote']

I didn't think the Rocky Mountaineer had Sleeper Cars ? We did Calgary to Vancouver and we spent the night in a hotel in Kamloops.

Years ago we did a Brewster tour (the local tour company). We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and the Jasper Park Lodge. The only way we could get into these hotels was with a tour. There wasn't room in the Chateau Lake Louise even with the tour. The tour we chose include the RM from Jasper to Vancouver.

 

I hate to report this' date=' but it was very pricey and we thought not worth the money.

 

We had a private room. Still it was an upper and a lower bed.

We couldn't sleep. The train stopped and started every time there was a freight train (which had priority) This went on for most of the night.

 

The best part was the observation car. But that was good for a short while.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend this experience.

 

But the national parks in Alberta are magnificent. A bucket list trip without a doubt.[/quote']

 

The Rocky Mountaineer doesn't run overnight . Between Vancouver and jasper it stops in Kamloops . If you do the one from Whistler to Jasper it stops in Quesnel. You can combine the Vancouver to Jasper with Jasper to Vancouver (via Whistler) into a 4 , 5 or 6 day package. They also have an option of a cruise before or after the train.

Years ago we did a Brewster tour (the local tour company). We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and the Jasper Park Lodge. The only way we could get into these hotels was with a tour. There wasn't room in the Chateau Lake Louise even with the tour. The tour we chose include the RM from Jasper to Vancouver.

 

I hate to report this' date=' but it was very pricey and we thought not worth the money.

 

We had a private room. Still it was an upper and a lower bed.

We couldn't sleep. The train stopped and started every time there was a freight train (which had priority) This went on for most of the night.

 

The best part was the observation car. But that was good for a short while.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend this experience.

 

But the national parks in Alberta are magnificent. A bucket list trip without a doubt.[/quote']

This was almost certainly a VIA rail train - RM don't use sleepers and their entire business model revolves around daytime travel only with hotels overnight.

 

OP - 2019 means even the train tours could be different than what you see at this time. RM don't just keep upping their prices, they have changed up their offerings several times in the past too. e.g. after demanding that Whistler build a new shiny station for them they stopped offering trains to or from Whistler (their most popular route) ~5 years ago as they couldn't gouge enough profits out of pax who would book their own hotels pre- and post-train when Whistler was a terminus station. Now it's only available as an overnight stop on one of the two Jasper routes - and I know several very peeved Whistlerites whose tax dollars built the almost-unused station, but the folks who stay there never extend their time any more (they cannot as they have to back on the train next morning) and don't even go out to eat in the village as RM include meals already!

 

While I agree with K50 that anyone driving shouldn't be seeing much scenery while doing so - it's a very windy road so responsible driving dictates not staring at the pretty mountains - there are enough scenic viewpoints scattered around on all the highway options that even the driver doesn't miss out on much of the scenery, and photo opportunities are even better than the train which involves movement and shooting through glass rather than being able to get out of your car at a scenic viewpoint, frame shots better, use a tripod etc. I know that even on my first drive through the Rockies without a clue as to the likely best spots to stop I didn't feel I missed out on the views.

Our trip was about 25 years ago!

It was a part of the tour and I think it was called the RM.

If today it is only a day trip, then I would do it. But sleeping on the train was not fun.

Also include Key West in your research....

• http://keywesttravelandtours.com/bus-tours/
  
• http://keywesttravelandtours.com/canadian-rockies-train
  

Our trip was about 25 years ago!

 

It was a part of the tour and I think it was called the RM.

 

If today it is only a day trip' date=' then I would do it. But sleeping on the train was not fun.[/quote']

Just double-checked - it was not RM. Although they began in 1990 and used VIA rolling stock until 1995, so the date range works, literally every trip from the very first one was an all-daylight run - it was on the very first business proposal.

 

Even now a lot of packaged tours including rail heavily push the Rockies in their marketing but stick you on the VIA Canadian which means you sleep through much of it - I'm not surprised that 25 years ago Brewster was selling VIA services with sufficient weasel words to make you think you were on RM, but it's absolutely impossible that you were if the train was moving at night...

Just double-checked - it was not RM. Although they began in 1990 and used VIA rolling stock until 1995, so the date range works, literally every trip from the very first one was an all-daylight run - it was on the very first business proposal.

 

Even now a lot of packaged tours including rail heavily push the Rockies in their marketing but stick you on the VIA Canadian which means you sleep through much of it - I'm not surprised that 25 years ago Brewster was selling VIA services with sufficient weasel words to make you think you were on RM, but it's absolutely impossible that you were if the train was moving at night...

Very interesting. It was a total waste (well, 90%!)

Just double-checked - it was not RM. Although they began in 1990 and used VIA rolling stock until 1995, so the date range works, literally every trip from the very first one was an all-daylight run - it was on the very first business proposal.

 

Even now a lot of packaged tours including rail heavily push the Rockies in their marketing but stick you on the VIA Canadian which means you sleep through much of it - I'm not surprised that 25 years ago Brewster was selling VIA services with sufficient weasel words to make you think you were on RM, but it's absolutely impossible that you were if the train was moving at night...

Brewster still uses VIA rail for their tours. Cruise lines use the Rocky Mountaineer for most of their rail tours in Canada.

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