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2008 CANADIAN ROCKIES/BRITISH COLUMBIA RAIL TOUR Tours depart: May 13, 18, 27; June 1, 10, 15, 24, 29; July 8, 13, 22, 27; August 5, 10, 19, 24; September 2, 7, 16, 21, 30; October 5 Land tour from $1899.00 All Prices Are in US Dollars SPECIAL SALE PRICES ON THIS TOUR! Book any departure leaving by August 31, 2008 and save $200 per person in Popular Priced Hotels, $250 per person in Deluxe Hotels.
One of the most beautiful train routes in the world, the incomparable former British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) from Vancouver to Prince George, was unavailable to passengers for four years, from the autumn of 2001 to the spring of 2006. These 500 miles encompass an amazing variety of landscapes ranging from 8,000-foot peaks lining the Howe Sound Fjord to the thundering waters of the Cheakamus and Fraser Canyons and the crystalline lakes of the Cariboo country. After the provincially-owned BC Rail ended regular passenger service in 2001, the line was sold to the Canadian National Railway. A seasonal luxury passenger service has been resumed on the BC Rail route in cooperation with Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. This new tour highlights the matchless scenery of this line on the new FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER trains. Our new Canadian Rockies/British Columbia Rail Tour includes a multi-day journey round-trip from Vancouver to Jasper, Quesnel, Whistler and back to Vancouver. For 2008 we have redesigned our tour over this route to feature both the great trains of VIA Rail Canada and of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. The tour begins with independent arrivals into Vancouver for an early evening connection to the legendary VIA Rail Canada CANADIAN domeliner. This great train takes us overnight from Vancouver to Jasper. We travel over the full length of the Canadian National Railway’s breath-taking mainline. As evening falls, we roll up the 4,000-foot deep Fraser and Thompson River Canyons. The first morning of the tour is enjoyed from vista-dome cars as we cross over the Continental Divide through the Canadian Rockies. Participants enjoy a free afternoon and overnight hotel accommodations in Jasper National Park.
The five night/six day tour includes five days of train travel. One night is spent in the comfort of VIA Rail Canada Pullman sleepers. The other nights are spent in fine hotels with all transfers included. Two breakfasts and two lunches are included at-seat on the FRASER DISCOVERY train and an afternoon “high tea” on the WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER. On the VIA Rail CANADIAN domeliner we enjoy an elegant dinner in the diner and a full breakfast as the train crosses the Canadian Rockies. The program offers a choice of comfortable “Popular” hotels or luxurious “Deluxe” hotels at rates noted below. The basic tour price includes Section berths on VIA Rail Canada and comfortable “Red Leaf” service on the FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER trains, with spacious leg-rest reclining seats. For the additional costs noted below, you can upgrade to Roomette or Bedroom space on VIA Rail Canada or to the elegant “Gold Leaf Dome” class on the FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER trains. Complete details follow. All aboard! Day One (D) Independent arrivals into Vancouver; board VIA Rail’s CANADIAN. Upon arrival in Vancouver, transfers are included from the Vancouver Airport to Pacific Central Station for the 5:30 p.m. departure of the flagship of Canadian passenger trains, the legendary VIA Rail Canada CANADIAN domeliner. Dinner in the diner is served on departure. You can enjoy views of the stunning abyss formed by the Fraser and Thompson Canyons this evening from the mid-train Skyline dome cars or the unique “Park” car, a vista-dome observation lounge. Accommodations are included in “Silver and Blue Class” Pullman sleepers as noted above. Day Two (B) CANADIAN through Canadian Rockies to Jasper.
Today is spent on the magnificently scenic mainline of the Canadian
National Railway (CNR) through the
Day Three (CB, L in “Red Leaf”; B,L,D in “Gold Leaf”) FRASER DISCOVERY train over Yellowhead Pass from Jasper to Quesnel. This morning we board the new FRASER DISCOVERY train and roll west over Yellowhead Pass. We follow the route of the early “voyageurs”, the trappers who blazed the trails through the Canadian west. At Red Pass Junction we leave the CNR mainline and travel west onto a line built as the Grand Trunk Pacific. The tracks follow a roadless gorge along the Fraser River to the outskirts of Prince George. Here we turn south onto the former BC Rail mainline to the Cariboo gold-rush village of Quesnel. Transfers and hotel accommodations selected by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations are included. All Quesnel hotels are Popular class. Day Four (CB, L in “Red Leaf”; B,L in “Gold Leaf”)
Day Five, (Afternoon tea) Free time at Whistler Resort; WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER train to Vancouver.
The morning is free to enjoy beautiful Whistler Resort. Many streets here are completely car-free. On clear days the Whistler Tram climbs nearly 4,000 vertical feet into a mountain-top world with sweeping vistas of glaciers and snowy peaks. (Tram fare is not included in the tour, as this activity is weather-dependent). At 2:30 p.m. the WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER train departs. An afternoon “high tea” is included on the train. The route crests the Coast Range and begins an amazing descent through the narrow gorge of the Cheakamus River. The tracks cross over the crest of thundering cascades as the railway descends to Squamish and the Howe Sound Fjord, which is lined by 8,000-foot peaks rising from the water’s edge. Nearing Vancouver we see the islands of the Inside Passage before an early evening arrival in North Vancouver. We transfer over soaring Lion’s Gate Bridge to downtown Vancouver for a final night’s stay. Popular hotels include the Pacific Palisades or similar, while Deluxe hotels include the Sheraton Wall Centre or similar.
Day Six Tour ends with independent departures from Vancouver today. A hotel/airport transfer is included. TOUR PRICES include all rail fares, hotels, transfers, sightseeing noted as included above, meals noted as included above, and baggage handling. There are two tour price categories based on your choice of either Popular or Deluxe hotels. All hotel rooms have private baths. On VIA Rail, Popular priced train accommodations are in Sections with upper and lower berth. These are the largest beds in any traditional Pullman accommodation and provide a very spacious daytime feeling, as there is no wall closing you off from the aisle. A very heavy secured curtain encloses the area for nighttime privacy. The three Sections in the car share two dressing rooms with toilet, one for men and one for women. Deluxe accommodations on VIA Rail are in single occupancy Roomettes or double occupancy Bedrooms with upper and lower berth. These have a toilet and sink in the room. For all passengers, each VIA sleeping car contains a locking single-occupancy shower room with towels and soap provided on-board. Please note only one night is spent on this train. All other nights are in hotels. For an additional cost, those with Popular accommodations can upgrade to single occupancy Roomettes or double occupancy Bedrooms on VIA.
On the FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER trains, participants travel in “Red Leaf” Class at the basic tour price. This service provides spacious leg-rest coach seats with at-seat service of cold meals such as poached salmon or Alberta beef. A limited number of “Gold Leaf Dome” class seats are offered on these trains at the surcharge noted below. On the WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER, this upgrade includes seating in a new glass-topped single level vista car with an upgraded light meal. On the FRASER DISCOVERY train, “Gold Leaf” passengers enjoy a double-decker dome car with a dining room serving full hot cooked-on-board breakfasts and lunches daily. Wine, cocktails, soft drinks, snacks and dinner in Quesnel also are included; and “Gold Leaf” passengers have access to an open-platform observation space for photography. This is a “Hosted Tour”. Although fully narrated sightseeing, lodging, transportation and transfers are included, you will not necessarily have the same host/driver/narrator each day. All arrangements are fully prebooked/prepaid. You enjoy significant price savings on a Hosted Tour in contrast with a Fully Escorted trip, since you are not paying the travel cost of the same escort throughout. SPECIAL SALE PRICES ON THIS TOUR! Book any departure leaving by August 31, 2008 and save $200 per person in Popular Priced Hotels, $250 per person in Deluxe Hotels. These discounts are subtracted from the rates below. All Prices Are in US Dollars POPULAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS Spring Season Departures May 13 and 18 $1899.00 per person, double occupancy in Sections on VIA $2299.00 single occupancy in a Section berth on VIA $2051.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $2451.00 single using a Roomette on VIA Main Season Departures May 27-September 21$2509.00 per person, double occupancy in Sections on VIA $2999.00 single occupancy in a Section berth on VIA $2758.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $3248.00 single using a Roomette on VIA Autumn Season Departures September 30-October 5 $2249.00 per person, double occupancy in Sections on VIA $2649.00 single occupancy in a Section berth on VIA $2498.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $2898.00 single occupancy using a Roomette on VIA DELUXE ACCOMMODATIONSSpring Season Departures May 13 and 18 $2299.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $2929.00 single using a Roomette on VIA Main Season Departures May 27-September 21$3049.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $3799.00 single using a Roomette on VIA Autumn Season Departures September 30-October 5 $2849.00 per person, double occupancy using two Roomettes or a Bedroom on VIA $3599.00 single occupancy using a Roomette on VIA Optional Gold Leaf Dome upgrade on the FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER $915.00 per person, single or double occupancy, for all departures
MANDATORY CANADIAN GOODS AND SERVICES TAX A 2.5% Canadian Goods and Services Tax must be added to all rates above and is not subject to rebate under Canadian law. A LONGER VERSION OF THIS TOUR INCLUDING BANFF AND LAKE LOUISE IS AVAILABLE. This version adds visits to Banff, Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefields to the basic itinerary above and includes multi-night stays at the resorts, for a more leisurely pace. The tour begins with an overnight in Vancouver, then rides the ROCKY MOUNTAINEER from Vancouver to Kamloops before continuing on the Canadian Pacific Ry route to Banff for a two-night stay. From Banff, participants travel by motorcoach to Lake Louise and overnight at the Chateau Lake Louise. We continue by motorcoach over the incomparable Columbia Icefields Parkway to Jasper, with an enroute stop for the unique Snocoach drive onto the face of the Athabasca Glacier. From Jasper to Vancouver, this longer program includes the new FRASER DISCOVERY and WHISTLER MOUNTAINEER trains over the British Columbia Railway route from Jasper to Quesnel, Whistler and Vancouver as outlined above; but it adds an extra night at the glamorous Whistler resort for a more relaxed pace. In total, this longer tour is 10 nights/11 days, with prices beginning as low as $2799 per person, double occupancy. Call us for full details. Conditions and Booking Information (the fine print)
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Last modified: May 27, 2008 |
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Our
tour continues from Jasper back to Vancouver by way of Prince George,
Quesnel, and Whistler. We cross the Rockies over Yellowhead Pass on the
Canadian National’s magnificent former Grand Trunk Pacific route, then
turn south on the former British Columbia Railway mainline. Participants
experience the amazing 3,000-foot descent into the Fraser River Canyon,
pass roadless Seton and Anderson Lakes, view the awesome abyss of the
Cheakamus Canyon, and see the mountain and fjord grandeur of
Rockies.
We make a long ascent to cross the Continental Divide in the shadow of
FRASER DISCOVERY train to Cariboo, Fraser Canyon and
Coast Range. The mountain grandeur heightens today as we travel south
on the former BC Rail mainline. High viaducts are crossed enroute through
Williams Lake into the forested lake and range country known in British
Columbia as the Cariboo. In early afternoon we reach Pavilion and marvel
at the vista that stretches before us. In the distance are the soaring
peaks of the Coast Range, while in the foreground the world drops away
3,000 feet to the distant waters of the Fraser River far below. In the
next 26 miles the tracks descend to the river’s edge in a canyon of
astounding grandeur! Leaving Lillooet we follow the roadless shores of
Anderson and Seton Lakes, then ascend to the legendary resort of Whistler,
where transfers and hotel accommodations are included. Popular hotels
include the Delta Whistler Village Suites or similar. Deluxe: Westin
Whistler Resort or the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. 
