Rocky Mountaineer!

So – we set off to see the Canadian Rockies by train, traveling from Lake Louise, Alberta to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Rocky Mountaineer boasts of world-class service, superior

food, and stunning scenery! I’ll tell you that it met all three!

Incredible Service: Beginning with our check-in at the Fairmont Lake Louise, we experienced wonderful, proactive customer service! I thought, in our post-Covid world, that customer service was dying a slow death until I got to the RM! Our hostess at our check-in was charming, well-informed, and gave wonderful instructions and guidance to facilitate our actual boarding of the train! The logistics of getting 22 rail cars boarded in a timely manner was fluid and seamless – and our train hosts acted like they had been waiting all their lives to meet us!

We took a bus to the Lake Louise train station, which was antiquated but lovely in its way. We had time to look around the station before our train pulled in – very exciting to see the locomotives come in, chugging steam, and finding the right car! With red carpets laid out for our boarding, we were welcomed on board with a quick, non-intrusive safety briefing, and the rules of the road for our double-decker train car! Our wide, heated, adjustable seats were located on the 2nd floor, the dining room, restrooms, and open viewing platform were on the first!

At the end of each RM Day, we experienced the super logistics of unloading 22 train cars to busses to head to our hotels. I can’t believe how well-organized the process was, and how quickly we moved from the train station to our rooms. The RM service includes pre-check-in at the hotel, so you don’t have to wait in line to get your room key! And – our luggage was already in our rooms when we opened the door – so it was a very easy transition to prepare the night, and the next morning’s early departure!

Dining: To create a wonderful dining experience, the group in our car was divided in half. We rotated meals between groups on the train; our meals included breakfast, dinner, and lots of snacks! We were so well-fed we didn’t feel the need for dinner when we arrived in Kamloops for our overnight stay!

The meals were top-notch. The four of us sampled just about everything on the menu, and didn’t find anything we didn’t think was great – well cooked, plated beautifully, and served at the right pace! We particularly liked the desserts – and here are some pics and the menus, which were the same for both days, but there was also a special – a chicken dish on our first day, and Alaskan char (fish) on

the 2nd. Here are a few pics and the menus to tempt you!

In addition to the fine food, the dining room staff was great! They even invited me to tour the kitchen, and I was impressed with what they could do with such a small kitchen, and complex entrée’s to deliver! They were super – even baking cookies for us on our last night to tide us over to the hotel!

World-Class Scenery: Riding in the 2nd story of the train, with it’s “dome” enables lots of easy viewing of the scenery! Took tons of pictures – the challenge was being on the “right” side of the train for better pics! My traveling friends and I made sure we didn’t miss anything! We were a bit disappointed on the wildlife viewing – only saw glimpses of deer, elk, eagles, and possibly a bear! I was also a bit disappointed that we didn’t see more fall foliage, but the RM hosts told me it was a bit early! Better planning next time. In addition to viewing through the dome, I also visited the viewing platform several times! It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air, watching the landscape unfold – but a bit chilly as well!

Day 2 of our RM experience was, in most respects, a repeat of Day 1 – lots of good food, lovely scenery, and good company to enjoy the ride! We did experience some train delays as we approached Vancouver, BC, as we were required to move through the Thornton Train Yard, which is reported to be the 2nd largest train yard in North America, with over 2,500 train cars moving through each day! Even during this delay, our RM hosts took wonderful care of us, serving drinks, sharing stories, and ensuring each of us was fine while waiting for our train to move!

Overall, our experience on the Rocky Mountaineer was unforgettable – and something I would happily recommend to others! We are now headed home, flying from Vancouver BC to Portland for a good night’s rest in our own beds! More soon!