There is a world renowned luxury Canadian experience that many Canadians themselves are not even aware of. This is the rail journey through the Canadian Rockies, called the Rocky Mountaineer. Rocky Mountaineer has been awarded the prestigious World Travel Award as the "World's Leading Travel Experience by Train" multiple times. This is an honour that recognizes Rocky Mountaineer as not only a train, but also as a spectacular experience showcasing the scenery, history and people along its Canadian route.
I've always been curious about this trip so I set out recently to see what makes this rail journey so spectacular. Follow me along my journey on Rocky Mountaineer's flagship route "First Passage to the West" Banff to Vancouver along with my family.
We opted for Rocky Mountaineer's Gold Leaf Service which meant our journey began on Day 1 at the 5* Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff. After a day exploring this beautiful mountain town, we returned to the hotel for a delicious dinner and a good nights rest.
In the morning we were picked up and transferred to the Banff train station where our Rocky Mountaineer hosts were waiting to welcome us on board the Rocky Mountaineer. As we pulled out of the station, we began the first day of our journey to Vancouver in the upper level of the beautiful dome car. We settled into the most comfortable heated seats with controls to position our seats for our comfort during our journey.
We were immediately served coffee and pastries while we settled in and the onboard chefs prepared our breakfast. Once breakfast was ready we were invited downstairs to the dining room to enjoy our choice from a breakfast menu prepared fresh onboard the train.
After breakfast we returned upstairs to our assigned seats to enjoy the scenery and learn about the history that shaped this land. Our onboard hosts were not only waiting to serve our choice of beverages and snacks but they also explained the areas that we were passing through and alerted us to wildlife that we were approaching and explained the history that shaped this land.
This route retraces the historic Canadian Pacific Railway, famous for uniting the country and connecting British Columbia to Canada over 125 years ago. Along your journey your onboard hosts share the history behind the journey you are taking. As you pass through the Spiral Tunnels and Stoney Creek Bridge, you come to understand more about the significance of these engineering masterpieces.
One reason that this journey is so unique is that you only travel on the train by day. This means that you can view the magnificent Rockies fully by daylight. As evening approached we pulled into Kamloops and were transferred to our hotel for a good nights rest. In the morning we were picked up and given a tour of the area on the way to our waiting staff on the train and Day 3 began on our journey to Vancouver. Each member of the Guest Experience Team is specially trained to ensure that we had a truly comfortable and enjoyable journey.
I have been through this area many times in the past, but I can truly say that this has been one of the most luxurious, relaxing, enjoyable journeys, helping me to appreciate this area of Canada as I never have before.
As we pulled into the Rocky Mountaineer station in Vancouver and were transferred to our last night stay at the beautiful Fairmont, Vancouver, we were grateful for this time we spent together as a family to slow down, reconnect and appreciate each other and the beautiful earth that is our home.
I have so much more to share from this wonderful experience contact me to begin planning your journey onboard the Rocky Mountaineer.