The Canadian

1. "Life Changing Experience - Not really relevant as trip not recent"

Robyn
(Brighton, VIC)

Recommend:
Overall rating:

Value for money: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Suitability: 5/5

In over 30 years in the travel industry I have had many memorable trips, but the one which stands out in my memory is a train trip I made 44 years ago when I was only thirteen. Now I've already revealed more than I should. My father was in the Australian Air Force and was given a two year posting to Prince Edward Island in Canada. We were currently living in Townsville and I was absolutely devastated at leaving my friends and "missing out on the best years of my life" or something to that effect. We went by sea from Sydney to Vancouver and on arriving there took the Canadian Pacific Rail from Vancouver to Montreal, if I remember correctly, a four day trip at the time. This trip was made in the middle of winter and to this day I have never seen anything more impressive than the Rocky Mountains in winter. The snow was deep and marked only by the occasional tracks of wild animals, the waterfalls were frozen against the cliffs as blue ice and the small huts we passed had metre thick icing of snow on their roofs and icicles. One morning I woke early to find that the sun had painted everything a beautiful shade of pink. It is a memory that has stayed with me over the years and will remain with me always. I credit that experience for my decision to seek a career in the travel industry in order to see more of the world. I have certainly done that but I don't think any experience will ever surpass that magnificent rail journey across Canada.

2. "Across Canada by Train - one way ticket economy sleeper"

dianne
(West Lakes Mall, SA)

Recommend:
Overall rating:

Value for money: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Suitability: 5/5

Several years ago I was travelling in Canada and decided to take the Via rail train from Vancouver to Toronto. All was going fabulously when the train stopped at Jasper. I decided to alight and take a look at the town, I stopped at the ice creamery and bought a monstrous purple ice cream, then I stopped at the jewelers for a momento from Canada, I made my purchase and left the shop to find that the train was no longer at the station. I ran as fast as my little legs would take me and my purchases to find the train about 1km away in the shunting yard and my conductor hanging out of the back door looking for me, (cause he had told me the wrong time to be back at the station). Thank god that the drivers for the next shift had not joined the train yet and gave me a lift to the train. I had to walk through the whole train with my purple ice cream and much embassment as the head conductor announced that the train could now leave Jasper as the last passenger had re-joined the train. The irony of the situation was that at the time I was an employee of Australian National who used to run the trains here in SA. I am pleased to report that the rest of the journey went without incident and I enjoyed my holiday...

3. "Via Rail (Canada) - Via Rail"

Maureen
(QLD)

Recommend:
Overall rating:

Value for money: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Suitability: 5/5

I was lucky enough to be one of the agents on a Scenic Tours famil 2 years ago, doing the Winter Wonderland tour of Western Canada. Part of the trip was travelling on the Via Rail Snow Train from Vancouver overnight to Jasper. We boarded the train late in the afternoon, and after settling in our room, we all met for drinks and then a delicious first class meal. After dinner we 'retired' to the entertainment carriage, where an crew member from Via Rail organised a game of "name that tune". He played a song for 30 seconds and we had to guess the tune. They were all 'golden oldies' songs, that are fun to sing along to, and the first group to guess the song won a point. After passing around and sharing several bottles of spirits, our spirits were all riding high, and we all ended up singing and dancing in the aisles of the carriage until the wee hours of the morning. When I awoke early the next morning, I peeked out the window to discover we were deep into the rocky mountains and the train was travelling through pure white snow, dripping off the forest trees, with occasional sightings of Canadian wildlife. It the was most memorable and beautiful sight of my life. I was only on the Via Train for 15 hours, but that trip provided me with memories and experiences that will be with me a lifetime.

4. "Rockies - seater"

Susan
(Castlemaine, VIC)

Recommend:
Overall rating:

Value for money: 3/5
Ease of use: 3/5
Suitability: 5/5

Always trying to travel on a budget and especially when you are older can sometimes be false economy, and this train experience helps me encourage my clients to always look for the best they can afford. We just finished 6 gruelling full days competing in the masters games, receiving a silver medal for our efforts, sleeping in student accommodation and so looked forward to enjoying the rest of our first trip through the west regions of Canada. The day started early, had limited food left and no Maccas around so quite hungry, taxi was late so a little anxious and stressed from packing over full bags. Arrived at the station and to our astonishment our cases that had passed the 20kg airlines scales, and we hadnÂ?t yet been shopping!! broke the limit of the train ones who are apparently much more stringent. WeÂ?d already been in the queue for quite a while but we were sent off to rid ourselves of some excess items. Finally managed to check in our luggage and thought we were ready to board the train when Shayne remembered heÂ?d left his beloved akubra hat in the taxi, never to be seen again. We had chosen a seat rather than a bed; to save money and that proved to be another regret, old tired bodies donÂ?t do well in noisy cramped uncomfortable seats. We did enjoy the scenery especially the remarkably rugged Canadian Rockies and stops in the various small towns along the way but was rather disappointed to note that what I believe is the best scenery was all during the night so impossible to see. Despite all this, the service was brilliant, the food wonderful and beautifully presented so no worries considering sending anyone else to do this trip and I now know the pitfalls to avoid can ensure all my clients have a trip much more positively rememberable than mine.

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