The Rocky Mountaineer
"In April 2019, I was fortunate enough to travel to Canada to experience the wonders of the Rocky Mountaineer with their 'First Passage to the West' itinerary. This is a fantastic train experience from Vancouver that is often partnered with an Alaskan cruise.
Upon arrival in Vancouver, we were met and transferred to our luxury accommodation for the night. Rocky uses only the best hotels, and I was not disappointed. Even the ‘Silver leaf’ level were 4-star along the lines of Sheratons, but I was lucky enough to stay at the fabulously elegant Sutton Place Hotel, right in the heart of Vancouver. After a short walk down to the harbour to watch the sea planes landing, it was an early night to catch up on a little jet lag.
My first full day in Canada began with an included coach ride, stopping initially in Stanley Park to regard the totems created by the First Nations people before continuing to the Capilano Suspension Bridge National Park. Whilst not advisable for people with a fear of height I had the best of times traversing across bridges and walkways, through the treetops, and over rivers and gorges! The scenery was beautiful on a warm spring day! Later in the afternoon we were then taken for a few hours to Granville Island to experience the hustle and bustle of the vibrant market, selling wares such as arts and crafts as well as fabulous street foods from all over the world!
Before my 6am alarm was ready to wake me, I was up with the excitement of my first full day on the Rocky Mountaineer train itself! As this was an educational trip, today would be in Silverleaf, and the next day Goldleaf. A bagpiper was there to greet up as is customary as we took our seats. I could best describe these as like a premium economy seat on a long-haul flight. As the train departed a row of twenty or so Mountaineers waved us off on the start of what I now know to be the most spectacular train journey I have experienced.
The concept of nine full hours on a train in theory did not sound completely thrilling, however my initial doubts were more than proved wrong as we travelled through ever changing scenery of all different colours whilst being entertained by our incredibly informative intelligent and entertaining hosts. They regaled us with stories about history, culture, and geography of the regions we traversed whilst also ensuring our every need was met. Sightings of golden eagles and bears were passed down from coach to coach with the train slowing down at for photo opportunities. I could wax lyrical for days about the vistas from my window, but I was blown away and the nine hours simply flew by – too fast if anything! The food served on board was phenomenal, we had a variety of options for breakfast and lunch, and cookies just before disembarking in Kamloops, there was certainly no need for dinner that evening! All meals were served at seat by the hosts, with a selection of offerings including vegan and vegetarian. Our train was met in style by yet more Mounties, and we were given the option to coach or walk to our hotel, I chose the latter, but it was only a short walk. What I will say is that the accommodation in Kamloops was certainly more basic. This is due to Kamloops being a small town only offering 3* hotels. With that being said the hotel was clean and had all the requirements needed for a short overnight stay.
My second day on the train I would be departing Kamloops for Banff, this time in Goldleaf! With a taller carriage, this class has split level with the seating area upstairs and dining below. The seats in Gold leaf class were also a lot more luxurious with added lumbar support and more leg room. There was also an open air viewing platform at the back to get up close with nature. As we travelled more inland spring stepped back to winter as snow covered mountains came into view. Both breakfast and lunch were sumptuous affairs with a 4 course breakfast and five course lunch paired with local wines. The arrival in picture postcard Banff was a emotional affair as I was sad to be leaving the most amazing train experience of my life, but also excited to see what Banff had to offer. The hotel I was staying in was the Caribou lodge and spa, a homely authentic style hotel, which was quaint with delightful staff.
Upon awakening in Banff I took myself off for a run through the picture postcard snow covered town, and to the frozen waterfalls near the base of the mountain range. The group activities began with a trip to the completely frozen Lake Louise, and the stunning Fairmont hotel there. We were able to walk across the lake and take part in a snowball fight with people visiting from all corners of the globe. If you are able I would certainly recommend staying at this hotel, and I would not be put off by the early season as I felt extremely lucky to see the lake in her frozen form. Next we were transferred to the Ice explorer for a trip to the Athabasca glacier, a remarkable experience to walk on the ice field, for as far as the eye could see there was only snow and ice. We then returned to Banff for a second night and I chose to dine out with friends at one of the many great restaurants on offer in this compact town.
Our second day Banff began with a trip to take the gondola ride up the mountain, the coach driver on the way regaled us with local stories, and briefly paused at the Hoodoos, a rock formation for a photographic pit stop. The gondola itself took us on a gentle journey to the top of Sulphur mountain to take in the sweeping mountain views of the Rockies. On the summit as well as a restaurant there is a museum where you can learn about the local history of the area. Finally, after our return ride back down we were taken by coach to our final destination of the tour Calgary. Enroute to the hotel was one of the attractions I had most looked forward to – a helicopter ride over the Rockies! It was one of the most exhilarating 15 minutes I can remember, with stunning landscapes and a knowledgeable pilot.
The final day was spent exploring downtown Calgary, a cosmopolitan energetic city, with many fantastic bars and restaurants. I visited the Sky tower and also walked to the showground to see how centrally placed that would be when the event occurred, as well as partaking in a bit of retail therapy. The journey would not be complete without a trip to a cowboy bar in the evening to dance the night away to country music.
To summarise Canada was not somewhere I had ever placed that high on my ‘to visit’ list, it was there no doubt, but not at the top. However the variety of cultures, landscapes, stunning scenery and delicious cuisine changed my mind completely. The Rocky Mountaineer tour is one trip all great travellers should experience made this trip one of my greatest journeys to date."
Thank you to Caroline for contributing this article to the Panache Cruises blog!
If the Rocky Mountaineer is an experience you want to add onto your cruise holiday, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to helping you plan your bucket list adventure!
Want to experience this? Give the Panache Cruises team a call on 0161 513 8200 and they'd be happy to help!
