We just experienced our second journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, which is hailed as one of the best luxury train travel experiences in the world.

In fact, the World Travel Awards, akin to the Oscars in the travel industry, have made Rocky Mountaineer’s Gold Leaf Service a seven-time winner of its prestigious annual World’s Leading Travel Experiences by Train Award.

Before the airplane and the automobile, luxury travelers explored the world aboard steamships and railroads.

In the late-1800s, the Pullman Car Company introduced what it called its “Hotel Cars”, offering luxury travelers the comfort of a hotel on wheels.  For the first time in history, railroads offered luxury travelers overnight luxury accommodations, fine dining, and within the confines of the train, the ability to move about.

However, as we all know, the automobile gave us the independence to go where we wanted to go, and the airplane gave us the ability to explore the far reaches of the world far faster than the steamships of old.  Therefore, the luxury travelers quickly moved to airplanes and automobiles for their travel experiences.

Notwithstanding these benefits, luxury travelers became weary of the hassle of airline travel, busy highways, and longed for a more relaxed luxury travel experience.  And thankfully, the world’s luxury train companies are seeing a renaissance of sorts as they reimagine themselves to meet the relaxed desires of today’s modern luxury traveler. Luxury rail travel is not just about the destination, but very much about the journey!

Scroll down for complimentary VIP Perks for your booking!

As I mentioned above, this was our second journey with Rocky Mountaineer.  We were again excited for the journey, and this time brought friends with us.  Only this time, instead of traveling from Vancouver to Jasper, we made our journey from Vancouver to Lake Louise.

Rocky Mountaineer Routes

To understand Rocky Mountaineer’s various routes, take a peek at the map below…

Rocky Mountaineer Service Levels

Rocky Mountaineer has three different railcars and levels of service for passengers to enjoy: Goldleaf, Silverleaf, and Redleaf.

Goldleaf (pictured to the right) offers a two-level, glass-domed coach with an exclusive dining room on the lower level that serves gourmet cuisine. Further, this level offers complimentary beverages and snacks, and deluxe accommodations during the overnight stay in Kamloops.

Silverleaf offers a single-level glass-domed coach with breakfast and lunch served at your seat; complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, a glass of beer or wine with lunch, and popular hotels for the overnight in Kamloops.

Redleaf offers a large picture window with chilled breakfasts and lunches served at your seat; complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, a glass of beer or wine with lunch, and popular hotels for the overnight in Kamloops.

If your wallet allows, we recommend the Goldleaf Service.  This is the level that has won all the awards and we found it absolutely luxurious in every way.

Our staff were very attentive, we were routinely offered complimentary beverages, snacks, and even the occasional fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie! Plus, as we passed by sights of interest, the train slowed, and our hosts provided us with an informative description of the site over the intercom system. Even further, the gourmet cuisine was outstanding.  5-star service in every way!

To give you a good overview of the entire experience, take a look at this video we produced on our first Rocky Mountaineer journey back in 2011…

Editing note: my lovely bride got all tongue-tied when she was pronouncing Kamloops, and called it Kamfloops.  And sadly, I didn’t notice it until we got home.  :O  Sorry about that!

2014 Rocky Mountaineer Trip Photos

We passed by these river rafters having a blast in the fast running snow melt.

For our 2014 journey, we found that the staff onboard were still very attentive, the cuisine was still outstanding, but because on this trip we enjoyed a little nicer weather when we got into the Rocky Mountains, the scenery seemed more majestic. Plus, as you can see in our first two photos above, the rivers were all flowing fast with snowmelt.

You know, I don’t know of a better way to experience the stunningly beautiful scenery between Vancouver and Lake Louise.

As one who is also a big fan of road trips, it was nice to be able to relax, enjoy the passing scenery, enjoy the pampering of the attentive and caring staff, visit with our friends and make new ones, get up and stretch my legs, and perhaps best of all, not arriving at my destination exhausted from the long drive.  A fabulous experience, indeed!

Let us Book Your Rocky Mountaineer Experience

One big change since our last Rocky Mountaineer experience is that we have since opened our own travel agency, and affiliated with Virtuoso®, the world’s leading international luxury travel agency network.

Complimentary VIP Perks!

Therefore, not only can we bring you our hands-on experience in planning a Rocky Mountaineer experience, but we have some complimentary VIP amenities available for you when you book with us.

Plus, when you book your Rocky Mountaineer experience with us, you won’t pay a penny more for the trip than if you book it yourself online!

So here’s the $64,000 question: if you aren’t paying anything more for your travel experience than booking on your own, and we bring you our expertise and complimentary VIP amenities, why on earth would you consider trying to book this experience on your own?

To book your Rocky Mountaineer luxury train experience, or to get your questions answered, call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request by clicking the red button below.

Note: as of this writing, prices for this two-day Rocky Mountaineer journey begin at $1019/person for the Redleaf Service. Disclosure: our experience was provided by the kind folks at Rocky Mountaineer.  Thanks!

 
 
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