Recently my husband and I returned from a fantastic trip which included some fine rail travel. The tour started with a two day stay at the Royal York in Toronto which truly made us feel like royalty!! Shortly after leaving Toronto on VIA in Silver and Blue Class we were served complimentary champagne and later, tasty canapes. Some of you forewarned me about eating in the dining/lounge/dome car and this turned out to be the case - one dome car per three sleeping cars. Perhaps the dining car is more picturesque but our food and service were excellent as were the car attendants. Showers in each car were spacious enough and well supplied. We traveled as far as Jasper, Alberta through varied countryside and saw quite a bit of wildlife. At Jasper, before starting the bus portion of the trip, we spotted the American Oriental Express waiting at the station for its passengers to reboard. Weren't allowed on for a peek but what we saw was tantalizing. Won't detail the bus tour except to say it was top-notch and highly recommended. We were lucky enough to stay at two other former Canadian Pacific Hotels, The Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise as well as the Royal York. These legendary hotels are both elegant and warm - service is great and food outstanding. Must mention the awesome scenery and magnificent mountains. One incredible view after another. The tour ended in Seattle and we boarded the Empire Builder to Chicago. As usual the western trains are good, car attendant excellent but both food and dining car personnel seem to have slipped since our last trip. Arrived in Chicago right on time, but the Lake Shore Limited was held for the Zephyr - once again car attendant was helpful and courteous but meal service not as pleasant as it used to be. It's a tough job but what gives? The Viewliner gave us the best nights sleep of all the trains even though the bunks seem more narrow - the "upstairs" window was a big hit. We saw several new Surfliners on a siding at Albany-Rensselaer station. Are they manufactured in Schnectady? They sure look nice. Since we missed our connection in Albany, the LSL made local stops for those of getting off along the Hudson instead of going express to NYC. Amtrak took care of us - no champagne though!!! This wasn't a trip for the purists and we're comparative novices but complete fans of train travel. Thanks to all of you for the good advice and information. If there are any questions about this particular itinerary or for more details, feel free to email me. rhyngr@catskill.net
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Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
Sounds like you had a great trip. I wish I could have gone. My next trip is in Oct. & I'll be traveling from Bakersfield to Wash. D.C. & then on to Miami. After my cruise on RCCL's Voyager of the Seas, I'll be returning to California on Silver Service to Orlando for 1 night, Sunset to N.O. for 2 nights, then back on the Sunset to LAX. Although I expect to have a great trip I know it will pale in comparison to your trip across Canada. I'm real glad you enjoyed it so much. Yours Reggie
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Posted by David (Member # 3) on :
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip on the "Canadian." My experience in the "Skyline" diner-lounge-dome cars has been the same: the food and service quite good, but nothing can beat the real dining car. For example, some of the Skyline car's windows do not match the tables as the dining section was originally a coach section. Also, the pantry is out in the open.
By the way, the hotels to which you referred are still Canadian Pacific Hotels. CP formed a new management company with Fairmont Hotels and have reduced the C.P. name to small print.