Canadian Rockies Blog

Rocky Mountain Holidays now have all 2012 Rocky Mountaineer packages available for download. We are glad to see they have kept most of the packages the same with some of the popular packages having additional cruise ship departures added. One new route we are excited about is the “Coastal Passage” route which connects Seattle and Vancouver with the Rocky Mountaineer Train. The Whistler Mountaineer will no longer have dome service available for 2012. The dome trains used on the Vancouver to Whistler route will now be used for the new SilverLeaf service in 2012 which was introduced this year. For your convenience, we have provided links to all of the packages below. Alternatively, you can visit Rocky Mountain Holidays direct for their Rocky Mountaineer package download page.

2012 Rocky Mountaineer Circle Packages	Start	End	Duration
Classic Rail Circle	Vancouver	Vancouver	8 nights
Classic Rail Circle with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	14 nights
Classic Rail Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	14 nights
Classic Rail Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Seattle	16 nights
Canadian Rockies Getaway	Vancouver	Vancouver	8 nights
Canadian Rockies Getaway with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	17 nights
Canadian Rockies Getaway with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	16 nights
Canadian Rockies Getaway with Pre Cruise	Seattle	Vancouver	16 nights
Canadian Rockies Circle	Vancouver	Vancouver	9 nights
Canadian Rockies Circle with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	17 nights
Canadian Rockies Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	16 nights
Canadian Rockies Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Seattle	17 nights
Grand Rail Circle	Vancouver	Vancouver	11 nights
Grand Rail Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	16 nights
Golden Circle via Whistler	Vancouver	Vancouver	10 nights
Golden Circle via Whistler with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	17 nights
Sea to Summit Glacier Circle with Post Cruise	Vancouver	Vancouver	18 nights

2012 Rocky Mountaineer One-Way Packages	Start	End	Duration
Classic First Passage to the West	Vancouver	Banff	3 nights
Classic First Passage to the West	Banff	Vancouver	3 nights
Classic First Passage to West with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Banff	11 nights
Classic First Passage to West with Post Cruise	Banff	Vancouver	11 nights
Classic First Passage to the West	Vancouver	Calgary	3 nights
Classic First Passage to the West	Calgary	Vancouver	3 nights
Classic Journey through the Clouds	Vancouver	Jasper	3 nights
Classic Journey through the Clouds	Jasper	Vancouver	3 nights
Classic Journey with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Jasper	12 nights
Classic Journey with Post Cruise	Jasper	Vancouver	10 nights
Classic Journey with Pre Cruise	Seattle	Jasper	11 nights
Classic Journey with Post Cruise	Jasper	Seattle	11 nights
Canadian Rockies Excursion (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	4 nights
Canadian Rockies Excursion (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	4 nights
Canadian Rockies Excursion with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	12 nights
Canadian Rockies Excursion with Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	12 nights
Canadian Rockies and Whistler (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Jasper	4 nights
Canadian Rockies and Whistler (Westbound)	Jasper	Vancouver	4 nights
Canadian Rockies and Whistler, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Jasper	11 nights
Canadian Rockies and Whistler, Post Cruise	Jasper	Vancouver	11 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights – 5 nights	Vancouver	Calgary	5 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights – 5 nights	Calgary	Vancouver	5 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights – 6 nights	Vancouver	Calgary	6 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights – 6 nights	Calgary	Vancouver	6 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	13 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights with Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	13 nights
Canadian Rockies Adventures (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	7 nights
Canadian Rockies Adventures (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	7 nights
Canadian Rockies Adventures, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	15 nights
Canadian Rockies Adventures, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	15 nights
Western Explorer (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	7 nights
Western Explorer (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	7 nights
Western Explorer with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	16 nights
Western Explorer with Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	14 nights
Western Explorer with Pre Cruise	Seattle	Calgary	15 nights
Western Explorer with Post Cruise	Calgary	Seattle	15 nights
Northern Explorer (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	8 nights
Northern Explorer (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	8 nights
Northern Explorer with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	15 nights
Northern Explorer with Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	15 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	9 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	9 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	18 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	16 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Calgary	17 nights
Canadian Rockies at Leisure, Post Cruise	Calgary	Seattle	17 nights
Northern Rockies at Leisure (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Calgary	10 nights
Northern Rockies at Leisure (Westbound)	Calgary	Vancouver	10 nights
Northern Rockies at Leisure, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	17 nights
Northern Rockies at Leisure, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	17 nights

NEW! 2012 Coastal Passage Tours	Start	End	Duration
Canadian Rockies Highlights + Coastal Passage	Seattle	Calgary	7 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights + Coastal Passage	Calgary	Seattle	7 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights + Coastal Passage, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Calgary	12 nights
Canadian Rockies Highlights + Coastal Passage, Post Cruise	Calgary	Seattle	14 nights
Western Explorer + Coastal Passage	Seattle	Calgary	9 nights
Western Explorer + Coastal Passage	Calgary	Seattle	9 nights
Western Explorer + Coastal Passage, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Calgary	15 nights
Western Explorer + Coastal Passage, Post Cruise	Calgary	Seattle	15 nights
Classic Coastal Passage, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Jasper	11 nights
Classic Coastal Passage, Post Cruise	Jasper	Seattle	11 nights
Classic Coastal Passage, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Banff	10 nights
Classic Coastal Passage, Post Cruise	Banff	Seattle	12 nights

2012 Trans-Canada Packages	Start	End	Duration
Trans-Canada Rail Adventure (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Toronto	11 nights
Trans-Canada Rail Adventure (Westbound)	Toronto	Vancouver	12 nights
Trans-Canada Rail Adventure with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Toronto	19 nights
Trans-Canada Rail Adventure with Post Cruise	Toronto	Vancouver	20 nights
Coast to Coast by Rail (Eastbound)	Vancouver	Halifax	15 nights
Coast to Coast by Rail (Westbound)	Halifax	Vancouver	16 nights
Coast to Coast by Rail with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Halifax	23 nights
Coast to Coast by Rail with Post Cruise	Halifax	Vancouver	24 nights

2012 Rail and Self-Drive Packages	Start	End	Duration
Banff the Beautiful Rail and Drive	Vancouver	Calgary	5 nights
Banff the Beautiful Rail and Drive	Calgary	Vancouver	5 nights
Banff the Beautiful with Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	13 nights
Banff the Beautiful with Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	13 nights
First Passage to the West Discovery	Vancouver	Calgary	7 nights
First Passage to the West Discovery	Calgary	Vancouver	7 nights
First Passage to the West, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	15 nights
First Passage to the West, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	15 nights
Journey through the Clouds Discovery	Vancouver	Calgary	7 nights
Journey through the Clouds Discovery	Calgary	Vancouver	7 nights
Journey through the Clouds, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	16 nights
Journey through the Clouds, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	14 nights
Journey through the Clouds, Pre Cruise	Seattle	Calgary	15 nights
Journey through the Clouds, Post Cruise	Calgary	Seattle	15 nights
Rainforest to Gold Rush Discovery Drive	Vancouver	Calgary	8 nights
Rainforest to Gold Rush Discovery Drive	Calgary	Vancouver	8 nights
Rainforest to Gold Rush Drive, Pre Cruise	Vancouver	Calgary	15 nights
Rainforest to Gold Rush Drive, Post Cruise	Calgary	Vancouver	15 nights

2012 Rocky Mountaineer City Stop Add-Ons	Start	End	Duration
Explore Vancouver	Vancouver	Vancouver	1 night
Explore Victoria from Vancouver – Pre-Tour	Vancouver	Vancouver	2 nights
Explore Victoria from Vancouver – Post-Tour	Vancouver	Vancouver	2 nights
Explore Whistler from Vancouver – Pre-Tour	Vancouver	Vancouver	2 nights
Explore Whistler from Vancouver – Post-Tour	Vancouver	Vancouver	2 nights
Explore Victoria and Seattle (Northbound)	Seattle	Vancouver	2 nights
Explore Victoria and Seattle (Southbound)	Vancouver	Seattle	2 nights
Whales and Bears of Tofino	Vancouver	Vancouver	3 nights

Source

Posted in 2012, available, banff, banff national park, british columbia, brochure downloads, calgary, Canada, canadian rockies, download-brochure, early-booking, eastern canada, free-vancouver-tour, halifax, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, information, itinerary, jasper, jasper national park, lake louise, links, one-way, package, packages, prices, rail, rates, reference, resource, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, round-trip, schedule, sea to sky, seattle, self-drive, summer, summer vacations, things-to-do, toronto, tourism, tours, train, travel, update, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, victoria, western-canada, whistler, whistler-mountaineer | No Comments »

What a great start we have had to 2011 with about a metre of snow received by the ski resorts across Western Canada over the past week! Now that we are into 2011, the busy summer season does not seem so far away. With the early-bird deals starting to “fizzle” out or become less attractive for the summer, especially with the Rocky Mountaineer train packages, now is a good time to get a good deal on a 2011 spring, summer or autumn/fall package. Rocky Mountain Holidays have brochure downloads in PDF (Portable Document Format) and as always, we have provided the links below for easy reference. These packages can be easily customised based on your preferences (as long as the changes fit in with the rail or cruise schedule). Be sure to take advantage of specials such as free nights and activities in Vancouver – value added rather than discounts are the way to go.

Self-drive holidays are becoming increasingly popular in the Canadian Rockies as it gives you the independence but you also have full support when you are out here and the peace of mind that you won’t struggle to find accommodation during the peak season months in the Canadian Rockies. When booking a self-drive package, check to see if you have Loss Damage Waiver insurance coverage with your credit card provider as this can save you about $30 per day. Also, check out what the one way drop-off fees are from Vancouver to Calgary for example. When you book independently they can be as much as several hundred dollars whereas through a tour operator, typically the rates are about $75-$100.

Other things to look out for if you are shopping around are hidden fees such as “credit card surcharges”. This is a common technique used by some companies to squeeze some extra cash out of you after you have already agreed to the booking. It is also good to ask the straight question – “what extra costs will I have to pay in additional to the package price?”. Any good tour operator will be able to list these for you immediately so you know where you stand with the total of your holiday cost.

Here are the holiday brochures for 2011 – available for download through RockyMountainHolidays.com.

• Rocky Mountaineer Train Holidays 2011
• Alberta Holidays (5 pages) 2011
• British Columbia Holidays (3 pages) 2011
• Coach Holidays in Canada (4 pages) 2011
• Train Holidays in Canada (7 pages) 2011
• Holidays in Eastern Canada (3 pages) 2011
• Holidays in Canada (23 pages) 2011

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2011.

Posted in 2011, accommodation, advice, alberta, august, autumn, banff, banff national park, blackcomb, british columbia, brochure downloads, calgary, Canada, canadian rockies, canmore, coach holidays, deal, discount, discounted-package, download-brochure, early-bird-discount, early-booking, eastern canada, fairmont-package, fall, Fernie, free-vancouver-tour, heavy snowfall, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, hotel, information, itinerary, jasper, July, kicking horse, kicking_horse, kimberley, lake louise, links, may, new year, north america, october, package, packages, panorama, powder, preparation, prices, rail, rates, reference, resorts of the canadian rockies, resource, rocky-mountain, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, round-trip, Sale, self-drive, snow, snowfall, special, spring, storm, summer, summer vacations, summer-holiday, things-to-do, things-to-remember, tips, tourism, tours, train, travel, update, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, victoria, western-canada, whistler, whistler blackcomb, whistler-mountaineer | No Comments »

The summer seems to have flown by this year.

It’s September 30 2010 and less than 2 weeks ago, the ski resorts in the Canadian Rockies received 20cm of fresh snow and we experienced way below average temperatures. The Canada Ski Blog posted some photos of this September snow. This last week, we have experienced above average temperatures (in the 20s°C) with sunny skies giving us another opportunity to take advantage of the many summer activities in the Canadian Rockies. This is typical of the Canadian Rockies as we are in the mountains at higher elevations.

Just check out the colours in the recent pictures taken in the Canadian Rockies. This is what we love about the autumn.

The Rocky Mountaineer train departing tomorrow from Vancouver, October 1st 2010, is the company’s largest departure in their history, and will set a record for largest passenger rail train in North American history – a total of 1331 guests! This is one of the last Rocky Mountaineer train departures for 2010, but we already have 2011 packages in place with early-bird savings of up to $1,400 per couple.

50%OFF Panorama Lodging early-bird deal ended today but we have many early-bird deals for the 2010-2011 winter season, some of which are soon to expire. We are seeing some of the best ski accommodation deals in Banff this year with free nights accommodation and free ski deals for stays of 7 or more nights.

The early-birds will definitely be getting the best deals on ski packages and summer packages.

We hope you had a great summer and we thank you for reading our blog. We always love to hear from our readers so please feel free to post any relevant comments you may have.  Wishing you safe and happy travels.

Posted in 2010, 2011, 50% off, accommodation, autumn, banff, banff national park, Canada, canadian rockies, canmore, deal, discount, early-bird-discount, fall, ha-ling peak, heavy snowfall, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, information, october, package, packages, panorama, panorama-mountain-village, photo, photos, promotion, rail, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, ski, ski banff, ski holidays, ski holidays canada, ski-holiday, snow, snowfall, special, summer, summer-2010, train, update, western-canada, winter | No Comments »

We are not even into August 2010 yet and the rates have been released for all Rocky Mountaineer Train and Cruise Holiday packages for 2011. They have kept most of the packages the same as 2010 but have added an Alaska cruise from Seattle onboard Holland America’s ms Oosterdam to seven of their existing popular 2010 train holiday packages. Alaska cruises from Vancouver for 2011 are still onboard the Holland America’s ms Zuiderdam, which, in our opinion, has to be one of, if not, the best cruise ship sailing up to Alaska from Vancouver, Canada.

Below are the new 2011 Rocky Mountaineer train holiday packages with the Seattle cruise add-on. The links are to PDF documents on RockyMountainHolidays.com.

Rocky Mountaineer with Cruise to Alaska from Seattle

• Classic Rail Circle with Cruise from Seattle – 16 nights / 17 days
• Canadian Rockies Getaway with Cruise from Seattle – 16 nights / 17 days
• Canadian Rockies Circle with Cruise from Seattle – 17 nights / 18 days
• Classic Journey through the Clouds, Vancouver to Jasper with Cruise from Seattle – 11 nights / 12 days
• Western Explorer with Cruise from Seattle – 15 nights / 16 days
• Canadian Rockies at Leisure with Cruise from Seattle – 17 nights / 18 days
• Journey through the Clouds Discovery Drive with Cruise from Seattle – 15 nights / 16 days

New Rocky Mountaineer Holiday Products for 2011

• Explore Victoria and Seattle – 2 nights / 3 days
• Golden Circle via Whistler with Cruise – 17 nights / 18 days

There have not been any major changes to the 2010 Rocky Mountaineer packages for 2011. Any changes are “tweaks” to already very popular and exciting train holiday packages.

Changes to Existing 2010 Products for 2011

• All tours that overnight in Vancouver now include admission to the Vancouver Lookout
• All tours that overnight in Calgary now include admission to the Calgary Tower
• RedLeaf Service pre- or post-cruise tour packages now utilize Ocean- View Staterooms (Category D).
• GoldLeaf Service pre- or post-cruise tour packages continue to use Deluxe Verandah Ocean-View Staterooms (Category VC).
• Classic Rail Circle now has an additional pre-night in Vancouver plus a six hour sightseeing tour of Vancouver’s spectacular North Shore.
• Grand Rail Circle now has an additional pre-night in Vancouver plus a six hour sightseeing tour of Vancouver’s spectacular North Shore
• Canadian Rockies Highlights now has an additional pre-night in Vancouver plus a six hour sightseeing tour of Vancouver’s spectacular North Shore.
• Canadian Rockies Highlights – 5 nights is also available; this is the same as the 2010 Canadian Rockies Highlights.
• Canadian Rockies Circle is now 9 nights in duration instead of 12 nights.
• The westbound itineraries of Trans-Canada Rail Adventure, Canada’s Coast to Coast by Rail, and the post-tour cruise options of these packages now include 2 nights in Jasper plus a Jasper highlights motorcoach tour, but only one night in Lake Louise.
• City Stop add-on products are able to be sold independently, with rail-only, or in conjunction with any Rocky Mountaineer packages. Please note that transportation to/from the station or airport is not included in any City Stop packages.
• Taxi transfers to/from cruise terminals in Vancouver are no longer included.
• Travel documentation will advise of estimated taxi transfer rates, and limousine transfers available for purchase.

Discontinued 2010 Rocky Mountaineer Holiday Products

• The Exclusive Attraction Pass will no longer be offered, and has been removed from all 2011 packages
• 2010 Classic Rail Holiday – Whistler to Jasper (3 nights / 4 days) Holiday has been replaced by Canadian Rockies and Whistler which is 4 nights / 5 days (includes a night in Vancouver and the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb).
• 2010 Canadian Rockies and Vancouver has been discontinued.

New for 2011 – Child and Youth Rates

New for 2011, Rocky Mountaineer holiday packages now include rates for youths (ages 12-18) and children (ages 2-11) when travelling with at least one single adult guest.

The published child and youth prices will apply for a maximum of 1 child or youth sharing with 1 adult. Parties of 1 adult and 2 or more children/youths will have to be booked with a minimum of 2 adults. It is not possible to book a single room with more than 2 persons sharing.

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These are all the changes to the Rocky Mountaineer Holiday packages for 2011. Rocky Mountaineer package information which include cruises up to Alaska from Vancouver or Seattle can be all found at RockyMountainHolidays.com. You can view all the latest Rocky Mountaineer early-bird deals there too.

Tags: Alaska, alaska cruise, banff train, calgary train, changes, cruise, Holland America, jasper train, Oosterdam, train holidays, vancouver train, Zuiderdam
Posted in 2010, 2011, available, calgary, Canada, canadian rockies, change, download-brochure, early-bird-discount, early-booking, fairmont-package, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, hotel, information, itinerary, jasper, package, packages, preparation, prices, rail, rates, resource, rocky-mountain, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, schedule, seattle, summer, summer vacations, summer-holiday, tourism, tours, train, travel, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, western-canada, whistler, whistler-mountaineer | No Comments »

Book a Rocky Mountaineer rail tour package of 3 nights or more on GoldLeaf Service or 5 nights or more on RedLeaf Service between June 7 and August 31, 2010 and receive a FREE additional night at a Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver. Some conditions apply.

Book by August 31, 2010 to take advantage of this special offer!

Download the packages below or visit Rocky Mountain Holidays.

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Circle Tour Holiday Packages (Start and finish in Vancouver):

• Classic Rail Circle | 7 nights / 8 days
• Classic Rail Circle with Cruise | 14 nights / 15 days
• Canadian Rockies Getaway | 8 nights / 9 days
• Canadian Rockies Getaway with Cruise | 17 nights / 18 days
• Grand Rail Circle | 10 nights / 11 days
• Grand Rail Circle with Cruise | 16 nights / 17 days
• Golden Circle via Whistler | 10 nights / 11 days
• Canadian Rockies Circle | 12 nights / 13 days

One-Way Tour Holiday Packages (Can be taken in either direction):

• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Banff | 3 nights / 4 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Banff with Cruise | 11 nights / 12 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Jasper | 3 nights / 4 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Jasper with Cruise | 12 nights / 13 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Calgary | 3 nights / 4 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Vancouver to Calgary with Cruise | 11 nights / 12 days
• Classic Rail Holiday – Whistler to Jasper | 3 nights / 4 days
• Canadian Rockies and Whistler | 4 nights / 5 days
• Canadian Rockies and Whistler with Cruise | 11 nights / 12 days
• Canadian Rockies Excursion | 4 nights / 5 days
• Canadian Rockies Excursion with Cruise | 12 nights / 13 days
• Canadian Rockies Highlights | 5 nights / 6 days
• Canadian Rockies Highlights with Cruise | 13 nights / 14 days
• Canadian Rockies and Vancouver | 6 nights / 7 days
• Canadian Rockies and Vancouver with Cruise | 15 nights / 16 days
• Canadian Rockies Adventures | 7 nights / 8 days
• Canadian Rockies Adventures with Cruise | 15 nights / 16 days
• Western Explorer | 7 nights / 8 days
• Western Explorer with Cruise | 16 nights / 17 days
• Northern Explorer | 8 nights / 9 days
• Northern Explorer with Cruise | 15 nights / 16 days
• Canadian Rockies at Leisure | 9 nights / 10 days
• Canadian Rockies at Leisure with Cruise | 18 nights / 19 days
• Northern Rockies at Leisure | 10 nights / 11 days
• Northern Rockies at Leisure with Cruise | 17 nights / 18 days

Trans-Canada Rail Tour Holiday Packages (Can be taken in either direction):

• Trans-Canada Rail Adventure | 11 nights / 12 days or 12 nights / 13 days
• Trans-Canada Rail Adventure with Cruise | 19 nights / 20 days
• Canada’s Coast to Coast by Rail | 15 nights / 16 days or 16 nights / 17 days
• Coast to Coast by Rail with Cruise | 23 nights / 24 days

Rail and Self-Drive Holiday Packages (Can be taken in either direction):

• Banff the Beautiful | 5 nights / 6 days
• Banff the Beautiful with Cruise | 13 nights / 14 days
• First Passage to the West Discovery Drive | 7 nights / 8 days
• First Passage to the West with Cruise | 15 nights / 16 days
• Journey through the Clouds Discovery Drive | 7 nights / 8 days
• Journey through the Clouds Discovery Drive with Cruise | 16 nights / 17 days
• Rainforest to Gold Rush Discovery Drive | 8 nights / 9 days
• Rainforest to Gold Rush Discovery Drive with Cruise | 15 nights / 16 days

City Stop Add-Ons (To be added to any of our packages or purchased separately):

• Explore Vancouver | 1 night / 2 days
• Explore Victoria from Vancouver | 2 nights / 3 days
• Explore Whistler from Vancouver | 2 nights / 3 days
• Whales and Bears of Tofino | 3 nights / 4 days

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Alternatively you can call 0800-567-7542 (freephone) from the U.K. or 1-888-747-6259 (freephone) from within North America.

Tags: fairmont
Posted in 2010, accommodation, august, Canada, canadian rockies, deal, discount, discounted-package, fairmont-package, free, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, information, itinerary, July, last minute, luxury, package, packages, prices, promotion, rail, rates, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, Sale, schedule, special, summer, summer vacations, summer-2010, summer-holiday, tourism, tours, train, travel, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, western-canada, YVR | No Comments »

Posted in 2010, accommodation, advice, alberta, banff, banff national park, calgary, Canada, canadian rockies, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, hotel, information, jasper, lake louise, package, packages, preparation, rail, resource, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, schedule, self-drive, summer, summer vacations, summer-2010, summer-holiday, things-to-do, tips, tourism, tours, train, travel, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, victoria, western-canada, whistler | No Comments »

With the introduction of the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in British Columbia, Rocky Mountaineer Holiday packages will increase by up to 7%.

For those of you who are planning to book your holiday in Canada, or are about to book your holiday, be sure to read the following as you could save up to 7%. If you book and pay in full by the end of this month (April 2010), then you will only have to pay the standard Federal goods and services tax (GST) of 5%.

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IMPORTANT ADVISORY – CHANGE IN CANADIAN SALES TAXES

The Province of British Columbia, Canada, has tabled legislation to introduce a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on goods and services, effective July 1, 2010. This tax will merge federal (GST) and provincial taxes (PST) into one single amount, the HST and will, unfortunately, increase the cost of your Rocky Mountaineer® Holiday by up to 7%.

The HST applies to all Rocky Mountaineer bookings with travel dates beginning in Canada after July 1, 2010.

Below summarises three options for consideration in the implementation of HST:

1. Bookings received prior to May 1, 2010 with a payment due date by April 30, 2010

Transitional rules allow bookings made prior to May 1, 2010 to be taxed under the old GST rules if the payment is due and paid for by April 30, 2010.

2. Bookings made after April 30th, for travel before July 1, 2010

Transitional rules allow bookings made prior as of May 1, 2010, for travel before July 1, 2010 to be taxed under the old GST rules.

3. Tax rate increases for bookings made after April 30th, for travel after July 1, 2010

The changes required to comply with the new HST will result in tax increases to an effective rate of 8% – 11% for Rocky Mountaineer bookings. Please note the following exceptions: Whistler Sea to Sky bookings all have a 12% tax rate, bookings with a cruise or VIA Rail component will have a tax rate determined by the originating province of the trip.

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Please visit RockyMountainHolidays.com for more Rocky Mountaineer Tax Information.

Posted in 2010, accommodation, adjustment, advice, April, Canada, canadian rockies, change, early-bird-discount, early-booking, holiday, holiday-package, holidays, hotel, information, package, packages, prevention, rocky-mountain, rocky-mountain-holidays, rocky-mountaineer, rocky-mountaineer-holiday, sea to sky, summer-2010, tips, train, update, vacation, vancouver, vancouver-whistler-train, victoria, warning, western-canada, whistler, whistler-mountaineer | No Comments »

The Rocky Mountaineer train is one of the most famous and spectacular train journeys in the world and as a result attracts famous people and celebrities. Below is a list of famous people and celebrities who have been on this spectacular rail journey (that we know of!).

When you go on a Rocky Mountaineer Holiday – you never know who you may see!

• Peter Jennings, ABC News Anchor
• Sam Sullivan, Former Mayor of Vancouver
• Kevin Falcon, Minister of Transportation
• Stephane Dion, Former Leader of the Liberal Party
• Joe Clark, Former Prime Minister of Canada
• John Reynolds, MP/MLA and Speaker of the House of Commons
• Chaim Herzog, Former Israeli President
• Molly Sugdeon, TV Actor – played the role of Mrs. Slocum on the British comedy “Are you being served?”
• Carroll Spinney, TV Actor – played the role of Big Bird on “Sesame Street”
• The great-great-grandson of Simon Fraser – he proposed to his fiancée on the Fraser River between Lytton and Vancouver on the westbound leg of the journey in the dome car
• The great-great-granddaughter of Billy Barker (Onboard in 2008)
• Andrew Jergens, Inheritance magnate of Jergen Soap Products – one of the family members with him is the inventor of Crocs (shoes)
• Dal Richards, Musician, Dal Richards Orchesta (Vancouver)
• Carlo Rota, TV Actor, host of “Great Canadian Cooking Show” and now starring on “Little Mosque on the Prairie”
• Charlotte Gray, Host of CBC’s “The Greatest Canadian”
• Morgan Freeman, Film Actor
• Ken Dodd, British Comedian – he resembles a real life Austin Powers.
• Dr. Heimlich, Inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver
• Thaksin Shinawata, Former Prime Minister of Thailand (Onboard in 2003)
• Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft – he bought out an entire RM GLS dome coach for him and his family and asked to stop the train for a photoutside. This was allowed for him, of course. (Onboard in 2003)
• Patrick Stewart, TV Actor – Jean Luc Picard, “Star Trek Next Generation” (Onboard in 2006)
• Hans Blix, Swedish Diplomat – served as the United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector (he was the one who told George Bush there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, although Bush invaded anyway). (Onboard in 2006)
• Anna Faris, Film/TV Actress – Scary Movie, Entourage, The House Bunny, etc. With a group of friends onboard RM winter train. (Onboard in 2007)
• John Bishop, Chef of Bishops Restaurant in Vancouver, BC

The Whistler Mountaineer

• Rajan Datar, Host of BBC TV “Fast Tracks” – he is a very well known British Television personality with program aired internationally. (Onboard in 2006)
• Alan Thicke, TV/Film Actor, “Growing Pains”. (Onboard in 2007)
• John Curly, Host of “Evening Magazine” (Seattle). (Onboard in 2007)
• Johanna Ward, Host of Shaw Cable’s “The Express”. (Onboard in 2007)
• Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes, Hosts of Shaw Cable’s “Urban Rush” (Onboard in 2007)

To obtain Rocky Mountaineer prices please visit Rocky Mountain Holidays for a full list of downloadable PDF brochures.

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ROCKY MOUNTAINEER WINS A PRESTIGIOUS WORLD TRAVEL AWARD FOR THE FOURTH TIME

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (November 9, 2009) – Rocky Mountaineer, Canada’s internationally renowned rail experience, has been honoured with a World Travel Award in the category of “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” for the fourth year. The World Travel Awards are highly regarded in the global travel network and have been described by the Wall Street Journal as the ‘Oscars’ of the tourism industry. Every year, hundreds of thousands of travel professionals from across the globe cast their votes to determine the winners. Rocky Mountaineer representatives attended this year’s 16th annual World Travel Awards gala event in London, England on November 8, 2009 along with over a thousand international travel and tourism officials.

“Our organization is delighted to be the recipient of this distinguished award for the fourth time,” says Randy Powell, President & Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountaineer. “For 20 years, we have provided the most spectacular travel experiences in the world and it is truly an honour to be recognized amongst so many internationally renowned and iconic trains.”

Fellow nominees for the “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” award included: The Blue Train (South Africa), Rovos Rail (South Africa), The Royal Scotsman (Scotland), Venice-Simplon Orient Express (Europe), Eastern & Oriental Express (South East Asia), The Ghan (Australia), Hiram-Bingham Express (Peru), The Golden Chariot Train (India) and The Indian Maharaja (India).

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 16th anniversary, the awards are considered the very highest achievement that a travel provider could ever hope to receive. Votes are cast globally by fellow industry professionals in 919 different categories with 3600 nominees. This year’s winners were determined by thousands of travel professionals from 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries.

Rocky Mountaineer offers unique Canadian vacation packages and four spectacular rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta. Best known for the internationally-acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train, a two-day, all daylight rail journey through Canada’s West and the Canadian Rockies, the company also offers a three-hour experience between North Vancouver and Whistler, BC. Since its inception in 1990, Rocky Mountaineer has grown to become the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America and welcomed its one millionth guest in 2008. In 2009, Rocky Mountaineer was named one of the “World’s Greatest Trips” by National Geographic and ranked as the number one train experience in the world by The Society of American Travel Writers.

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