Day 1 - Arrive Vancouver
Upon arrival at the Vancouver International Airport you will be transferred by private sedan to your downtown hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.
OPTIONAL TOUR:
Sunset Dinner Cruise (May 1 – Oct 15) - This evening enjoy a sunset dinner cruise, a truly Vancouver dining experience. Cruise past the magnificent Vancouver skyline, around Stanley Park, past the beaches of English Bay and into the lights, sights and sounds of False Creek. While onboard, enjoy live musical entertainment and a West Coast-themed buffet. It's like dining in all of Vancouver's finest waterfront restaurants in one evening! Transfer (on own) to the harbour 30 minutes prior to departure with boarding commencing at 6:30 PM.
Moderate: Overnight Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown Vancouver (includes buffet breakfast)
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - Fairmont room
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - Fairmont Gold (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 2 - Rocky Mountaineer® - Vancouver to Kamloops
Early today, a private sedan will transfer you from your hotel to the Rocky Mountaineer® station. For the next two days, you will be experiencing the 'Most Spectacular Train Trip in the World!'® aboard Rocky Mountaineer®. The trip today will take you through the fertile fields of the Fraser Valley, then up the rugged Fraser Canyon. Once you reach Lytton, the train will follow the stark, arid beauty of the Thompson River where whitewater rafters challenge the rapids as they navigate the river. Your journey today ends in Kamloops. You will be transferred to a comfortable hotel. Hotel selection will be made by the train company.
Choice of Kamloops Evening Entertainment
A choice of evening entertainment will be offered in the new River Roundhouse venue featuring two dinner theatre. Select between two entertainment choices during your overnight stay in Kamloops:
Two River Junction Dinner and Musical Revue (Begins late April) - A classic dinner and musical revue offering a fun-filled look at Canadian rail history. Enjoy the historic tale of infamous bandit Billy Miner's botched train robbery. Watch the fun as local reporter Mary Spencer tries to capture this exciting story, only to find instead that Billy has captured her heart. The minute the show starts; you will sing along to old favourites and laugh at "Tales from the Rails" woven around the notorious train robber, Billy Miner.
The Great Canadian Lumberjack Show (Begins early May) - A wild and entertaining evening show featuring an icon of Canada's West 'the lumberjack. This comedic story features two world-class lumberjacks competing to be the best in town. Recreating the historic world of a logging camp, the local lumberjacks will dazzle and amaze the audience with their skills, tricks and showmanship. Among the challenges are a 50-foot tree climb, an axe-throwing competition, and an entertaining log-rolling competition.
Note: Kamloops Evening Entertainment does not begin until the end of April, if not operating the dinner will be removed from your package.
Moderate: RedLeaf Service®
Superior: RedLeaf Service®
Deluxe: GoldLeaf Service®
Overnight in Kamloops (Hotel to be advised)
Day 3 - Rocky Mountaineer® - Kamloops to Banff
You will depart early this morning for your second day aboard Rocky Mountaineer®. Soon after departing Kamloops, you will pass the Shuswap Lakes area, Revelstoke and then on to Rogers Pass and Glacier National Park. As you approach the Alberta border and the Canadian Rockies, the train will enter the unique Spiral Tunnels that climb through Cathedral Mountain and Mount Ogden. Your journey ends in the mountain resort town of Banff. Upon arrival, you will transfer by private sedan to your hotel.
Moderate: Overnight Charlton Cedar Court
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - Fairmont room
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - Junior Suite
Day 4 - Discover Banff Tour
Build a connection to this World Heritage Site on this trademark sightseeing tour as you visit Banff's landmarks and historic places - Hear how the 11,000 year old human history of the Bow Valley changed when three railway workers rediscovered the Cave & Basin, now a National Historic Site - Your time will be spent enjoying the sights, taking photos, and participating in short walks to view points, on the many stops of the tour.
Remainder of the day is at leisure to explore the town site and visit the many museums, art galleries, & boutiques. Visit the Banff Gondola, where you will take a spectacular 8-minute gondola ride (included) to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. From this vantage point at the summit, you will enjoy amazing panoramic views of Banff town site and the surrounding peaks of the Bow Valley.
Note: Discover Banff Tour operates from April 16 – October 15. When this tour is not operating, it will be removed from your package.
Moderate: Overnight Charlton Cedar Court
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - Fairmont room
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - Junior Suite
Day 5 - Mountain, Lakes, & Waterfalls Tour
This morning you will pack your bags and take them with you, after the tour your driver will transfer you to your new hotel in Lake Louise. This is a great tour for anyone who loves to hike or just enjoys the scenery. Journey along the Bow Valley Parkway to Johnston Canyon where you are given time for a short nature walk. Learn about Castle Mountain while on your way to lunch (included). At Lake Louise, the 'Jewel of the Canadian Rockies’ you'll have time to stroll the shores and photograph the famous Victoria Glacier. In the afternoon see the incredibly blue Moraine Lake before crossing the Great Divide for a stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint, where three lines of railway are laid at different elevations to cross the Kicking Horse River on four bridges. Marvel at Emerald Lake and then relax and wander around the trails at Takakkaw Falls, the highest waterfall in Canada. Arrive at your hotel in Lake Louise in the mid afternoon.
Note: Mountain, Lakes, & Waterfalls Tour operates from June 15 - September 30. When this tour is not operating, it will be substituted with a 4 hour Discover Lake Louise Tour. IF no tour is operating, you will take regular scheduled coach transfer to Lake Louise.
Discover Lake Louise Tour - Lake Louise, formed from the melt waters of six glaciers, is the highlight of this excursion. Journey past the waters of Vermilion Lakes to Johnston Canyon. Stroll through the lush trail along the canyon, relax by the lower falls or visit their quaint gift shop. As you pass by Castle Mountain you travel across a dividing point between the younger front ranges and the old main ranges of the Canadian Rockies. This excursion ends in Lake Louise.
Moderate: Overnight Lake Louise Inn - Executive Queen
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - Fairmont Lake view
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise – Fairmont Gold Lake view (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 6 - Lake Louise to Calgary Airport
Today you will depart Lake Louise and transfer by regular scheduled airporter to the Calgary International Airport in time for your flight departure home.
Note: Airporter schedule is limited between Lake Louise & Calgary Airport. There are two departures year-round with an arrival at the Calgary Airport at 10:30am OR 2:30pm (May 1 - Oct 15 there are two extra departures arriving at Calgary Airport at 4:45 pm and 9:30pm).
OPTIONAL TRANSPORTATION:
If the Airporter schedule from Lake Louise does not meet with your flight departure, you can upgrade to a transfer by private sedan to the Calgary International Airport for your flight departure home.
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- 5 nights accommodation, including any mandatory service charges and room tax
- Rocky Mountaineer® 2 day rail tour including 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches & snacks (Deluxe: GoldLeaf Service® includes dinner in Kamloops)
- Choice of Kamloops Evening Entertainment: Two River Junction Dinner & Musical Review OR Great Canadian Lumberjack Show (SUBSTITUTION: If dinner theatre is not operating, it will be removed from your package)
- Transfer by private sedan between Vancouver Airport & hotel, Vancouver hotel & train station and Banff Train Station & hotel including gratuities
- Discover Banff Tour including admission to Cave & Basin (SUBSTITUTION: If tour is not operating, it will be removed from your package)
- Mountain, Lakes, & Waterfalls Tour including lunch (SUBSTITUTIONS: April Departures: Transfer to Lake Louise ONLY / May, Early June & October Departures: Discover Lake Louise tour)
- Sulphur Mountain Gondola admission
- Coach Transfer from Lake Louise to Calgary Airport
- Moderate package also includes round-trip taxi voucher from Lake Louise village to the lake (Superior & Deluxe accommodation located at the lake)
- National Park Entrance Fee
- Hotel transfers in Kamloops
- Personalized documentation package
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Meals not listed as included
- Activities not listed as included
- Transfer not listed as included
- Gratuities not listed as included
- Optional Activities
- Goods and Services tax (GST)
- Trip Cancellation Insurance (Insurance can be purchased from your Vacation Specialist, ask for more details)
Brent:
The train trip was just spectacular, and rivals any that I have taken in Switzerland, which until the Rocky Mountaineer was my favorite spot for train travel. I do think the trip should be 3 days instead of 2 - it gets a little tedious at times. However, I understand why it is 2, given that Kamloops is the only significant town between Vancouver and Banff.
Thanks for all the help, and I am recommending you to anyone here interested in a trip to BC.
Regards,
- B. Cooper
Chris,
We had a great vacation! Probably our best!
Thank you for a job well done.
Lorraine and I appreciated the anniversary upgrades.
Regards,
- R. Halwachs
Jennifer,
We would like to provide you with feedback on the Majestic Rocky mountain rail trip we went on from 7/28-8/04.
All aspects of the trip worked great. All of the transportation services were on time or early. The train trip itself was great even on the Redline. We had a good time looking at all the scenery. We saw black bears with their cubs and many bald eagles. We liked going in-between cars and looking out allot. I recommend that most of the tourist should stay in Vancouver for a few days. The Coast hotel is in a great location and is a good hotel. We were all upgraded to suites with no extra charge since they had availability. Vancouver is a fun city. I wish I could have stopped in for a visit with you.
Banff was a fun city and we enjoyed the accommodations. The gondola ride was exciting. The Banff tour was good. The tour guide shared a tremendous amount of interesting information.
The lake Louise tour was great. It was a shame we didn’t stay another day in Lake Louise. We wanted to canoe in Lake Louise, but didn’t have a chance.
Thank you for your professional setup of our vacation experience. Your planning was executed flawlessly and we all had a great time.
Regards,
- C. Moors
Heather ===
We had a blast!! You did a great job, everything ran smooth, weather was great (a little warm on your side of the Rockies...) and coming home was a hard adjustment...we will be back... I will probably send you some referrals, others I know are very much interested..
- P. Arthur
Hello Chris,
Sorry for the delay in response to your email.
We had a wonderful trip! The Rocky Mountaineer was the highlight of the vacation! The Canadian rail experience through the Rockies was comparable to our trip on the Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps a couple of years ago. The Rimrock Hotel in Banff was great and we were not disappointed at all with not being able to get into the Fairmont. The Château Lake Louise was wonderful and vistas from our room were simply magnificent. I believe the view of Lake Louise and the mountain backdrops are one of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen. All the restaurants were great and the dining at the Rimrock being our favorite.
So Chris, great job with our Canadian Rocky vacation and thanks for making our Anniversary Trip truly a “once in a lifetime” experience.
- C. Ernst
Chris,
Thank you for a wonderful vacation!!
All the accommodations were spectacular and the coordination between stops was perfect both in terms of timing and quality of service. The tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly. We were particularly impressed with the Griffin people. Holland America was a great choice for the cruise. Each part of the trip was spectacular and not one glitch in the entire trip.
Thanks again from all of us for a truly memorable vacation.
- K. MacFadden
Hello Brent,
Jennifer and I wanted you to know that our trip was fantastic. From the time we got off the Alaskan cruise to the point when we arrived at the airport in Calgary the job you did for us was outstanding. You provided us with first class treatment all the way. The Fairmont Hotels were great, the tours were very good, and the train and other transportation were top notch. The courtesy extended by you and every one of the tour guides, waiters, train personnel,etc. was beyond the call of duty.
We do want to give you one instance that exhibits the service you arranged. The train was delayed for several hours due to work on the tracks which put us behind schedule ( didn't matter to us as we were being fed well and had our choice of free drinks and cocktails). Because of this delay we were later off loaded prior to our arrival in Banff and placed on motorcoaches for the last hour. Upon our arrival in Banff, Jennifer and I had a long white limo waiting for us whereas everyone else had to board another bus. They all wondered why we got such exceptional treatment and they didn't. We knew why- it was because you were our agent.
We will always make any arrangements in that area through you and will send our friends your direction should they want to travel in BC.
Thanks again,
PS. We loved Vancouver and would like to move there.
- D. Haney
Dear Harmony,
What a pretty name! Thank you SO MUCH for all the helpful information. It's like having my own personal travel agent in Vancouver. I really appreciate it.
Please don't worry about the hotel in Kamloops. No problem. I'll trust the Rocky Mountaineer... and this way, it will be a nice surprise, an adventure so to speak. Plus we're leaving for Sacramento tomorrow morning.
My husband has never flown before, which will be exciting for him, and the only place we've been to in Canada is Toronto and Niagara Falls. (I think he's been to Ottawa though, before me.) And the only place we ever really go to is Maine, along the south eastern cost (Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, etc.) I miss going to the ocean this year, so it will be nice to see the sea from the other side, which I have heard is gorgeous.
By the way, do you people ever see the Northern Lights ~ or do you think we'd have a chance along the way some evening? I'd love to see something like that.
Have a good rest of the week. And thank you again. You're so sweet.
Warm regards,
- C. McCabe
Hello Chris!
I wanted to take a minute and thank-you for providing us with a wonderfully executed vacation. The train was fabulous and every tour, hotel and driver exceeded our expectations. We have done alot of taveling and this was by far one of our favorite trips. We canoed on Lake Louise and I think I could have stayed there forever! Hard to get back to work. I only wish we had time to explore Victoria and Whistler but nonetheless, a reason to return and we definately call on you for your help again in the future.
Thanks again for sharing in the experience of your beautiful treasure...Canada!!!
Sincerely,
- P. Buche
Hi Jennifer
We have nothing but great things to report! Thank you so much for all the work you did in putting our trip together. We had a fabulous vacation, there was not one hiccup. Deer Lodge was indeed one of our more memorable stays, we loved it. The train portion again was great and our attendant was superb! Yes we saw wildlife! My cousin and her husband being from England don't see bears as they don't exist in England. However, the gods were with us, we saw a black bear with her two cubs from the train, what a treat! We saw the salmon jumping, the eagles flying and sitting on their perches, mountain sheep you name it we saw it.
Thanks for the late arrangement from Vancouver to the Island and Buchart Gardens, again great! The weather held for us for our entire trip.
From Karen(my partner), my cousin Sandra, her husband Clive and myself thanks for the superb job in arranging this unforgettable vacation. Without doubt, we would use Exclusively Canada again.
Cheers,
- P. Pinkett
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much. I had a wonderful vacation!! The Rocky Mountaineer train trip exceeded my expectations. The weather was perfect and timing couldn't have been better...fall colors, snow capped mountain peaks and beautiful sunshine. The weather in Banff and Lake Louise was perfect - no ice yet and the rivers and lakes were a beautiful blue color. I saw one bear, one elk, and one eagle on the trip. We laughed as some of the passengers in my car mistook cows for bears!
I was quite impressed by the service you provided and I will highly recommend your company and the itinerary. As a matter of fact, I've already sent the link to a co-worker.
All in all, it was a perfect vacation. It was a great one to take travelling alone, as I was with a group of people most of the time, Canada is safe, and Canadians are oh so friendly! Everything was well organized and went very smoothly. The hotel in Vancouver was great.
Thanks so much for all your help. Again, I was very impressed with Exclusively Canada and I'll be happy to recommend it often. Looking forward to my next trip. I'm sure I will take the train again - it truly was a highlight.
Regards,
- L. Paddick
Chris,
We have just returned from our Canadian Rockies Vacation and to say the least, it was MAGNIFICENT!!!!! The hotel accommodations were most adequate, except for Lake Louise which was spectacular!!!! Each of the guides/bus drivers were very knowledgable, courteous, and had a great sense of humor. The train portion of the trip let us really feel "how the other half lives"!!!!!! Spectacular views, spectacular food, exceptional people - what else could you ask for!!!!!! Finally, the tour of Butchart Gardens was a sight to behold; beauty everywhere. Thanks for accommodating our vacation.
- E. Gauthier
Chris,
You probably have received Emmett's email by now, so I will have to say that "we second that motion." That trip was fabulous. My husband (who just retired) said that he knew the Rockies would be beautiful but it was even more beautiful than he expected. All of the Rocky Mountaineer personnel, from the bus drivers to the train attendants, were fantastic and quite humorous. I took a few pics(about 700) so I am anxious to view them tonight on the computer to see how they look full size. Victoria itself was lovely. Rob and I did the museum, had lunch at Barb's Fish & Chips on Fisherman's Wharf, did a tour of the Parliment building, walked through the Empress Hotel and then had tea at the James Bay Tea Company. A great day.
Met so many interesting individuals who were part of our various groups. There are several couples we intend to stay in touch with.
Thanks for all your help and patience with our trip. I have already informed everyone at work that they should take the trip so you may be hearing from some of our friends in the next year.
- D. Mahony
Hi Jennifer -
I just read your message and I was just talking to my parents again the other night about how great their trip was. To give you some details, they both were extremely pleased with the trip in its entirety. The level of service they received - from everyone - was more than they expected. They especially appreciated the "door-to-door" nature of the accommodations and transportation. They said that everywhere they went people were friendly and truly available to help them.
They especially loved the train trip. It was just a bit rainy, but not enough to stop visibility. The service on their car was superb and they said the food was excellent. The woman who was preparing their meals took extra time to interact with them (they both love to talk with people) and she told my dad that she was preparing "special"
things for him each meal.
A funny thing happened on the train on the second day. My dad needed to take the elevator to get up and down to the dome car. (The elevator was reached by going through the kitchen, which was why they were on a first name basis with the chef.) At one point, my dad was going down to use the restroom. He was accompanied by one of the workers on the train - a young woman - and halfway down the elevator got stuck.
Evidently they tried everything to get it going again, including calling the engineer to help, but to no avail. The elevator has no ceiling, so is open to the upper floor, so all the passengers, my mother included, were sitting there watching the two of them. At one point my mom called out "Hey, I've got my eye on you two" which cracked everyone up. Eventually, they somehow got them out, apologizing profusely, and transferred my mom and dad to the next car over which had a working elevator. It made for quite a story and they thought the whole thing was pretty fu nny. Again, they said the train employees couldn't have been more gracious and accommodating.
Their time in Banff was great. They really enjoyed the half day tour around Banff and seeing the area. The next day, they took the Columbia Icefields tour and were very happy they had a chance to see that area.
When they got up to the icefields, my dad went the whole way down to the SnoCoach then decided "I'm not getting up on that thing!" so they stayed behind in the museum - which was fine with them.
Everything else was wonderful. I know my parents tremendously appreciated the opportunity to take this trip, and also the work that you put into helping us put it together. I wouldn't be surprised if you get a thank you from them as they were asking about contacting you. I also want to thank you for all your help, prompt responses and information. Due to your efforts, I knew my mom and dad were in good hands, and I had the confidence that this trip was going to be everything they (and we) had hoped. Thanks again and you just may have some of their friends come up to tour with you as they've been talking it up back in Georgia!
Best Regards,
- T. Asher