A trip on the Rocky Mountaineer

Travel and Leisure

Back in 2018, I was lucky enough to book a gig on Canada's Rocky Mountaineer train. That's right - I got paid to go on the two-day rail trip from Vancouver to Jasper! It was recently rated by Travel & Leisure Readers as the #1 rail journey! With things so slow in TV and film, especially now that the SAG-AFTRA union is also on strike, I thought I'd waste more time this morning describing this wonderful experience.

The "talent" in a domed Gold Leaf car

Ok, so let me start off by saying that my experience wasn't exactly the same as a paying guest, as we were working during the trip, but I was able to experience what it was like in both classes of service, Silver and Gold Leaf. Click on any picture to see the photos in gallery view.

Pre- and Post-rail extensions

Fairmont Banff Springs

Just like a European river cruise, Rocky Mountaineer offers their guests options for staying in the cities at the start and end of the rail trip, at of course, exorbitant rates. Even their transfers are ridiculously priced, but when you see the overall cost of these trips, I guess they are in line with the relative wealth of their travellers. In Vancouver, options are great, and for folks who can afford it, staying at the luxurious Fairmont hotel chain is excellent - there are three properties to choose from here. There are also Fairmonts in both Jasper and Banff, so you have that option with either of the Canadian Rockies destinations. You're not going to arrive in either place and then head home, so you might as well have a luxury experience while you're there. We've not stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, but she had a business trip once that took us to the Fairmont Banff Springs, pictured here.

Embarkation day

But for us lowly "talent" (I have always hated when the crew use that term), since we were all Vancouver-based, we simply showed up at the Rocky Mountaineer rail terminal for a 5:30 am call time! This was because the wardrobe team would not be travelling with us, and so we had to show and get approval for two days' worth of outfits before shooting started. I can't remember when paying guests started checking in, but it was probably around 7:00 am.

It can be a long walk from the terminal

Note: you do/should not eat breakfast at your hotel - I will describe more later. Just grab a cup of coffee and muffin to hold you over until breakfast service starts. Check-in for guests is a very simple affair; there isn't much to do other than wander up to a kiosk and wait for boarding to begin. But here's a strange thing: you do not have access to your luggage during the time you are on the train! You can bring a day bag, but the rest of your luggage gets put on a shuttle that drives to your destination. Since the Rocky Mountaineer only travels during the daylight hours, you do not sleep on the train, and really should not need anything from you suitcase.

Silver or Gold Leaf service?

Shooting in a Silver Leaf coach

There are two types of cars and service levels on the Rocky Mountaineer. Silver Leaf carriages are single-level, with ample 2-2 seating, and panorama windows. All seats face forward, and are very large and comfortable; spacing is like what the old business class seats used to be like on airplanes, but more supple and... cushy. Meals are served to you in your seats, so there is no interruption of your viewing experience.

Crew at the bar area on the upper deck

The Gold Leaf carriages are bi-level, and glass domed; upper level is 2-2 seating and below is set up as restaurant seating. For breakfast and lunch, guests go downstairs in two shifts (more on that later), where dining is set up in 4-person booths. Your field of vision is slightly obscured in the dining area, as the bulkhead for the washroom and a private table setup limits field of vision, as well as the lack of curved windows, due to the seating level above. We experienced both coaches, and in my opinion, the Silver Leaf is almost as good as the Gold Leaf; the panorama windows aren't as expansive as the Gold Leaf domed ones, but you still get pretty good views.

Dining on board

Crew breakfast was still amazing

While we were too busy to have the same meals as the paying guests, we were able to see the amazing dishes that the executive chefs were preparing. They still served us amazing food, but in a buffet style, vs. the served breakfast and lunches for actual travellers. As discussed, Silver Leaf folks will be served their menu selections at their seats (sample menus are on the website), but Gold Leaf passengers dine in two shifts, as there isn't enough table space for everyone to seat at once.

Dining table in Gold Leaf

But in the morning, if you are not in the first breakfast seating, they come by upstairs with coffee/tea and a light snack to make sure you don't starve while you wait your turn. On the next day, guests in Gold Leaf swap shifts, so everyone experiences both breakfast seating scenarios. We ate all our meals in the dining area, and it was not uncomfortable eating while facing backwards. I can't remember what time alcohol service (included) started, but there is a welcome aboard "Cheers" greeting, with orange juice - mimosa optional.

Some of the meal options

As working talent, we were not allowed to drink alcohol; they actually did have the talent drink on the previous year's shoot, and ended up having an incident. But as I understand it, paying guests get unlimited alcoholic beverage service. While we did not sample the food created by the master chefs onboard, they would often bring their prepared dishes to shoot the scenes, and they looked and smelled amazing! Working in TV and film, I've come to appreciate the fantastic food we get served, but even our buffet lunch was over the top! Later that afternoon, they serve a snack of some sort; we shot a scene where the host serves us warmed scones, which we actually go to eat! There is no dinner onboard, as you will have arrived at your hotel by then; dinner at your stop or final destination is not included in your fare.

Onboard experience day 1

Crossing the Fraser leaving Vancouver

Leaving Vancouver itself is not too exciting, as the train leaves a somewhat industrial-looking railyard, and then passes through some uninspiring neighbourhoods. Make sure you do your Vancouver sightseeing before, as you don't see much of "Vancouver" from the train. But since you're having breakfast as you leave, you're going to be excited and hungry, so you'll likely not be disappointed for the first couple of hours.

Curving our way up the canyon

Then you start winding up the a narrow canyon, carved by the mighty Fraser River, leading you into the semi-arid area of British Columbia. Most Americans are surprised to hear that we have a desert-like region of our province where summertime temperatures regularly reach 40º C, with a record set only two years ago in Lytton at 49.6º C! I remember stepping out onto the viewing platform to shoot a sequence as we were curving through the Fraser Canyon, and it was like a blast furnace!

Hell's Gate

At points where the train passes by something significant, the train slows down and your host or hostess will describe what you are looking at, like Hell's Gate. There's not a lot of wildlife that you might see in this area; perhaps some bighorn sheep scaling the rocky terrain. Any sightings are called out by staff or guests, and the train hosts will try to alert the guests in the following cars of any photo opportunities. Leaving the Fraser Canyon, and the Coast Mountains, the terrain smooths out somewhat, as you enter Kamloops for the evening.

Overnight stop in Kamloops

Crossing the Thompson River

Late on your first afternoon, travellers to both Banff and Jasper will overnight in my hometown of Kamloops (although there is a Whistler to Jasper option). It's not a terribly picturesque city, but is set at the junction of the North and South Thompson Rivers. We all disembarked and were transferred to the nearby Sandman Signature Hotel by coach (we could have walked); I think all guests stay here regardless of whether they are Silver or Gold Leaf service.

Locals relax in the nearby park

Unfortunately, Kamloops doesn't have a 5-star hotel like the Fairmont, but it's a nice hotel, somewhat akin or slightly better than say, a Hilton Garden Inn, or Courtyard by Marriott. There is minimal hotel check-in procedure, as all guests will be handed their room key and their luggage will be waiting in their room. The Sandman is situated in the old Kamloops downtown area; not exactly known as the nicest neighbourhood, but there are some good restaurant options nearby (we like Mittz Kitchen) and you can go for a stroll to the nearby Riverside Park. 

Day 2 onboard

Outside on the viewing platform

In the morning, leave your bags outside your room and check out from the hotel (again, don't eat breakfast), then you'll re-board your coach on the Rocky Mountaineer and enjoy your first meal as you leave Kamloops. Within an hour, you'll have left the semi-arid, sparse-vegetation area, and the trees will thicken; this isn't necessarily a good thing, as no one manicures the trees that are close to the rail line. Quite often, the beautiful view you are trying to looking at is filtered by the trees that are whizzing by.

Pyramid Falls

You're entering bear country, but I think the odds of seeing one are extremely slim. But you will get some spectacular scenery, with major landscape elements narrated by your onboard host or hostess. The train is quite slow; this is a shared-rail system with other freight and VIA rail's passenger trains. By comparison, you can drive Vancouver to Kamloops in 3.5 hours, whereas the Rocky Mountaineer takes closer to 10 hours!

We headed North paralleling Highway 5 towards Jasper, which takes in impressive views of Mount Robson. Leaving British Columbia and entering Alberta, the landscape changes to wide, glacier-hewn valleys and sweeping mountain vistas. Of course, along the way, you'll be well fed and drinks will be free flowing, until your arrival in Jasper early evening. Everyone will disembark and be shuttled off to their respective hotels (I think Gold Leaf stays at the Fairmont).

Unfortunately for the twelve of us, the shooting crew and other team members, we didn't get to stay in Jasper. We all hopped on a luxury shuttle bus, and they carted us off to Hinton (a nearby blue collar town), where we overnighted at the Holiday Inn Express, before heading to Edmonton to fly home. 

Conclusion

While we didn't get the true Rocky Mountaineer experience, I can safely say that we experienced 90% of it, really only missing out on the gourmet à la carte dining experience. Is it worth the extremely high cost? Hard for me to justify, but if you're the kind of folks that regularly fly in business class, then the ~$1,000 per day pricetag may not be an issue. It does take a lot of time, but that's the idea, right? Why fly there in 2 hours, when you can take a leisurely two days getting there instead? Some make it the trip-of-a-lifetime, by flying to Calgary, doing a pre-train extension in Banff, doing the Banff-Kamloops-Vancouver route; spend a few days here with perhaps a visit to Victoria, then take an Alaskan cruise. For me of course, the experience was fantastic, not to mention getting paid to do what others have to pay thousands for. To this day, it remains one of my most memorable travel experiences, even if it was in my own backyard.

I'll leave you with a little tidbit of the content we created over those two days.