Category Archives: promotion

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations in 2018

Canadian travel companies, including ours, have been very busy over the past few months. With Canada celebrating its 150th birthday this year, resulting in free entry into all National Parks here, combined with the weak Canadian dollar as well as Canada being seen as a safe country to visit, we are seeing record visitors in 2017. There is no better time to come and visit our magnificent country and join in with the 150th birthday celebrations. However, due to the popularity we are seeing some hotels and rail dates now completely sold out which, if you have set dates in mind, is proving to be quite disappointing, as not all the guests booking this late into the season will be able to secure rooms in the best hotels. If there is availability, then you will receive a FREE hotel night when you book a 2017 Rocky Mountaineer package of 4 of more nights, but this offer does not hold a candle to those who are now booking their 2018 vacation this far in advance. If there is one thing our guests have learned from the 2017 season, it is that booking far in advance gets you the best rates and deals, as well as availability at the best hotels. For a deposit, you can lock in the 2018 dates you want, at the best hotels and receive the best deals.

Rocky Mountain Holidays have just updated their website to include all of the 2018 Rocky Mountaineer Vacation packages. We are very excited about the addition of the “Culinary and Adventure Packages“. These packages have been introduced based on customer feedback and are to appeal to foodies and the more adventurous types – we think they will be very popular indeed!

Rocky Mountaineer have also renamed some of their popular packages to avoid confusion and to allow you to know for sure, you are booking a genuine Rocky Mountaineer vacation package. Look out for following trade-marked route names in the packages:

Rocky Mountaineer Rail Routes – 2018
  • Journey through the Clouds™
    Means the package incorporates Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver 2-day train route (or reverse)
  • First Passage to the West™
    Means the package incorporates Banff-Kamloops-Vancouver 2-day train route (or reverse)
  • Rainforest to Gold Rush™
    Means the package incorporates Jasper-Quesnel-Whistler-Vancouver 3-day train route (or reverse)
  • Coastal Passage®
    Means the package incorporates the newest Seattle-Vancouver 5 hour train route (or reverse)

Any operators trying to mimic a Rocky Mountaineer package can no longer do this as they can not use the above trade-marked terms in their package names. We welcome this change as it ensures guests know that they are booking a genuine Rocky Mountaineer package, and not a trimmed down inferior product.

With our Canadian dollar so weak, you can now book your trip of a lifetime for less than you think. With a weak dollar, travelling outside of Canada is expensive for us Canadians, so we are finding many Canadians are now exploring their own country with a good old “staycation”. It is a great time to travel in Canada, no matter where you are from.

Right now, Rocky Mountain Holidays are offering their best rates and deals for 2018. You will also be able to get locked into their private tours while availability is still good. Be sure to contact them directly to ensure you receive the absolute best service: RockyMountainHolidays.com

Have you travelled with Rocky Mountain Holidays or onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train? Share your experiences with us below!

WestJet announces year-round service: London U.K. to Canada

Non-stop service to London to operate year-round from Calgary and Toronto

WestJet announces year-round service to Europe

WestJet today announced it is extending two of its new non-stop transatlantic services to London (Gatwick) from seasonal to year-round. Flights from Calgary and Toronto to London will now operate on a year-round basis, three times weekly and daily respectively through the winter, while service from Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and St. John’s will operate seasonally as announced in September 2015.

“Today’s announcement is another important step in the international expansion of WestJet,” said Chris Avery, WestJet Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “Year-round service to and from Europe on board our fleet of Boeing 767-300 extended-range aircraft offers our business and leisure guests the opportunity to take advantage of our low fares, high value and remarkable guest experience on both sides of the Atlantic whenever it suits their schedule.”

As part of a major system-wide seat sale, one-way fares to London (Gatwick) are available starting from:

Departing Arriving Air transportation charges (ATC) One-way taxes, fees and charges Total one-way price from
One-way base fare from One-way other ATC
Toronto London Gatwick $209 $7.50 $54.50 $271 CAD*
Vancouver London Gatwick $269 $7.50 $46.50 $323 CAD*
Calgary London Gatwick $284 $7.50 $57.50 $349 CAD*
Edmonton London Gatwick $284 $7.50 $57.50 $349 CAD*
Winnipeg London Gatwick $258 $7.50 $52.50 $318 CAD*
St. John’s London Gatwick $181 $7.50 $59.50 $248 CAD*

*Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com/londongatwick for details. Advertised taxes and fees may fluctuate without notice.

One-way fares from London (Gatwick) are available starting from:

Departing Arriving Air transportation charges (ATC) One-way taxes, fees and charges Total one-way price from
One-way base fare from One-way other ATC
London Gatwick Toronto £100.00 £4.00 £86.00 £190 GBP*
London Gatwick Vancouver £128.00 £4.00 £86.00 £218 GBP*
London Gatwick Calgary £146.00 £4.00 £86.00 £236 GBP*
London Gatwick Edmonton £146.00 £4.00 £86.00 £236 GBP*
London Gatwick Winnipeg £140.00 £4.00 £86.00 £230 GBP*
London Gatwick St. John’s £87.00 £4.00 £86.00 £177 GBP*

*Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com/londongatwick for details. Advertised taxes and fees may fluctuate without notice.

Service dates for WestJet’s non-stop flights to London are:

  • Vancouver – seasonal May 6-October 21, 2016
  • Calgary – year-round from May 6, 2016
  • Edmonton – seasonal May 7-October 22, 2016
  • Winnipeg – seasonal May 7-October 1, 2016
  • Toronto – year-round from May 6, 2016
  • St. John’s – May 7-October 22, 2016

Source: WestJet

WestJet offers non-stop service to London (Gatwick) from six Canadian cities

WestJet today announced it will launch new non-stop service next spring to London (Gatwick) a total of four times daily from six Canadian cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and St. John’s. These new routes represent WestJet’s first non-stop service to London, and the only non-stop service from Winnipeg to the United Kingdom.

“Canadians have been paying far too much to fly to Europe for far too long and today, as we have throughout our history, we’re going to fix that,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. “We are offering non-stop flights at very low prices and we’re proud to once again lower airfares and make travel more affordable.”

One-way fares between Canadian cities and London (Gatwick) are available starting at:

Departing Arriving Air transportation charges (ATC) Taxes, fees and charges Total one-way price from
Base fare from Other ATC
Toronto London $187 $7.50 $54.50 $249.00*CAD
Vancouver London $244 $7.50 $47.50 $299.00*CAD
Calgary London $234 $7.50 $57.50 $299.00*CAD
Edmonton London $234 $7.50 $57.50 $299.00*CAD
Winnipeg London $219 $7.50 $52.50 $279.00*CAD
St. John’s London $131 $7.50 $60.50 $199.00*CAD

*Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com for details. Advertised taxes and fees for European destinations may fluctuate based on exchange rate.

During peak periods from early May to early October, Vancouver service will operate six times weekly, Edmonton will operate twice weekly, Calgary five times weekly and Winnipeg once weekly. Flights from Toronto and St. John’s will operate once daily. For details, please visit westjet.com/londongatwick.

WestJet’s non-stop flights from Canada to London all operate as overnight flights leaving late afternoon or evening, which is ideal for travellers connecting to all six airports from other regions in Canada. Some 45 airlines operate from Gatwick airport, offering WestJet guests low fares and easy connections to and from approximately 200 destinations in 90 countries, more destinations than from any other airport in the UK. Located just 30 minutes from all of Central London’s many attractions, Gatwick is also one of the easiest London airports to navigate, with a monorail connecting its two terminals.

“Non-stop service between Canadian cities and London is a natural next step in the evolution of WestJet and for our transatlantic service in particular,” said Bob Cummings. “With the addition of our 767 aircraft, we will now bring our low fares and fun, friendly, people-driven service to England where we know many Canadians have relatives. This new service will also help connect family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic.”

With the exception of flights from St. John’s, which will operate on one of the airline’s Boeing Next-Generation 737s, all London flights will be operated by one of WestJet’s four 767-300ERW extended range aircraft. Featuring a new teal and blue maple leaf-themed logo, which will eventually appear on all WestJet aircraft, each 767 seats 262 guests and has a range of approximately 11 hours. The aircraft will include a Plus cabin with 24 premium seats in a two-by-two configuration, hot meals and all other amenities associated with Plus. The main cabin has 238 seats, with two seats on either side of the aircraft and three in the middle. By next spring all four 767s will be equipped with WestJet Connect, the airline’s new inflight entertainment and wireless connectivity system.

 

Free Skiing and Riding Christmas Day at Mt Norquay

Banff National Park,  AB – Mt. Norquay’s third annual Santa Shreds for Free takes place Christmas Day, 2014 offering a free day pass to those that arrive fully dressed as Jolly St. Nick, Mrs. Claus, an Elf or even a Reindeer.

“It’s less expensive to go buy a cheap Santa Suit than to pay for a lift pass, and you get to keep the suit”

“It’s less expensive to go buy a cheap Santa Suit than to pay for a lift pass, and you get to keep the suit,” said a Norquay guest taking advantage of the offer in 2013.

High Alpine Dining – The newly renovated Cliffhouse Bistro, will be open daily throughout the holiday season starting December 27th to January 4th. Norquay guests are invited to ride the historic North American Chair and take in legendary views of Banff whilst savoring the inspired flavors of new Executive Chef Morne Burger.

Experience winter in Banff from a whole new perspective. No longer exclusive to skiers and snowboarders, winter sightseeing from the North American Chairlift is available all season long, offering foot passengers the option of taking the chairlift up and down the mountain.

It’s going to be a great winter at Mt. Norquay – discover all that Banff’s closest resort has to offer.

Win 2 tickets onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train

To celebrate Canada’s upcoming birthday, Rocky Mountain Holidays and Rocky Mountaineer are giving away 2 FREE dome service tickets onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train, return, between Vancouver and Whistler. Currently at time of this post, the odds of winning are 1 in 22!

Entering is easy as 1, 2, 3!

1) Follow @HolidaysCanada on Twitter

2) Retweet (RT) this tweet by June 30th 2013 to enter

3) Winner randomly selected and announced on Canada’s Birthday, July 1st 2013

This is Rocky Mountain Holiday’s second Rocky Mountaineer giveaway over the past couple of months.

Good luck 🙂

Upgrade for FREE onboard the Rocky Mountaineer Train

For a limited time, book a qualifying Rocky Mountaineer holiday package of four nights or more through Rocky Mountain Holidays and receive a free rail seat upgrade on select dates in 2013. Space is limited and availability changes daily.

RedLeaf Service:
Guests receive a free rail seat upgrade to SilverLeaf Service

SilverLeaf Service:
Guests receive a free rail seat upgrade to GoldLeaf Service

GoldLeaf Service:
Guests receive a $400 credit towards the package price


Offer expected to end sometime next month (June 2013). Remember to mention the discount / promotion / coupon code: FREEUPGRADE when calling 1-888-PH-ROCKY (74-76259)

For more information on this Rocky Mountaineer Deal – visit Rocky Mountain Holidays.

All ski resorts in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies will be open this weekend and to celebrate, we are offering a FREE 3-day Tri-Area ski pass to one lucky Twitter follower (CA$279.09 value with tax). The Tri-Area ski pass covers Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise ski resorts as well as the ski shuttles from Banff. Banff Norquay celebrated it’s earliest opening ever and is currently open weekends until November 30 2012. Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are set to open for the season this Friday, November 9 2012.

To enter, follow all you have to do is:

  1. Follow us on Twitter @HolidaysCanada
  2. RT the tweet below

One of tweeters who RT will be chosen at random to win the 3-day Tri-Area pass. The pass must be redeemed and used this season. Good luck and happy skiing!

Rocky Mountaineer 2-day Rail Sale – 2013

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations 2013

Rocky Mountaineer 2013 packages are now available to book with Rocky Mountain Holidays.

For 2013, there are less vacation package options due to the fact that a lot of packages can easily be customised making some of the current 2012 packages redundant.

The new Rocky Mountaineer Coastal Passage Route – 2013:

Rocky Mountaineer Coastal Passage Route - 2013

The most exciting addition is the new Coastal Passage Route from Seattle which connects to Vancouver then onto Banff or Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. There is currently only one departure date set in August 2013 which means that this debut route will likely book up quite early.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Another addition for 2013 is the option to board and disembark the Rocky Mountaineer train in Lake Louise (as well as Banff as before) in Banff National Park. This provides us with more customisation options based on guest preferences.  The station is located just southwest of the Lake Louise Village, and less than 5 km northeast of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The address is: 200 Sentinel Road Lake Louise, Alberta T0L 1E0. View Map

Motorcoach transfers will be available to and from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and are included on all packages except 2 day rail-only. For guests departing from Lake Louise, please note that all check-ins will be at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and NOT on the station platform or at the station itself.

Rocky Mountaineer SilverLeaf Service - 2013

After the successful introduction of the onboard SilverLeaf service in 2012, the Rocky Mountaineer will also be offering this service on the Vancouver to Jasper two (2) day “Journey through the Clouds” route. SilverLeaf service will not be available onboard the Rocky Mountaineer route between Whistler and Jasper in 2013 and could potentially be introduced in 2014.

Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Deluxe Service - 2013

For the most luxurious accommodation option, this has been rebranded as “GoldLeaf Deluxe Service”. This allows us to book more than just Fairmont properties, such as the Four Seasons brand in this deluxe accommodation category, without conflicting with the Fairmont branding.

Cruise terminal transfers will be included with all Rocky Mountaineer rail and cruise packages in 2013.

Other than on packages connecting to Coastal Passage route, Holland America’s Oosterdam cruise from Seattle up to Alaska has been removed in 2013.

The Rocky Mountaineer city stops will not be available in 2013.

Rocky Mountain Holidays now have all of the 2013 Canada rail vacation packages for download along with early-bird pricing and promotions.

Thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to message us direct with any questions you may have. For reservations, we recommend you book direct with Rocky Mountain Holidays, an A+ rated business with the Better Business Bureau (their highest rating) and licensed with Consumer Protection BC for financial protection.

Safe travels 🙂

 

 

Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Deals – April / May 2012

The award winning Rocky Mountaineer train tour across the Canadian Rockies is on most of your bucket lists. If you are flexible on dates and are able to travel later this month or in May 2012, you must check out the following exclusive GoldLeaf offers on select dates from Rocky Mountain Holidays. The savings are significant.

Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Deal

For your convenience, I have posted the eligible dates below. These offers are strictly capacity controlled and so will not be around for long.

Eastbound Departures (3 night packages)

  • Vancouver to Banff: May 21, 28
  • Vancouver to Banff/Calgary: May 3
  • Vancouver to Jasper: May 7, 10, 14, 17, 28

Westbound Departures (3 night packages)

  • Banff to Vancouver: Apr 25; May 2, 8, 22
  • Calgary/Banff to Vancouver: May 12, 19
  • Jasper to Vancouver: Apr 25; May 2, 5, 26

For more information call freephone North America on 1-888-PH-ROCKY (74-76259) and press option 1. Outside of North America you can call freephone from the U.K. on 0800-567-7542 or long distance from all other countries +1 403-609-0286 and press option 1.

Alternatively, click on this link: http://rockymountainholidays.com/rocky-mountaineer-deals.html