‘Living In Luxury’ – Traveling With Leigh Via The Rocky Mountaineer

Rocky Mountaineer offers unparalleled daytime views, by rail, through the Canadian Rockies and across Western Canada. Rocky Mountaineer recently provided Avondale Travel Travel Advisor, Leigh Elizabeth Israel, a “familiarization trip" which is the opportunity to experience firsthand everything that Rocky Mountaineer has to offer.

Traveling with Rocky Mountaineer is a unique and marvelous experience. It’s the best of both worlds: train by day and 5-star luxury hotels by night. That’s right... you don’t sleep on the train! This puts some people’s minds at ease when they learn they are only on the train during the day and relax in a hotel at night.

It's a very unique and marvelous experience. There's nothing like it. It's truly a unique product. 

From start to finish the entire process is extremely seamless. Everyone is incredible and friendly. There’s even a red carpet to give arrival that extra flair. Overall, you’re on the train from around 9 am to 5 pm. Mostly everything was "sight worthy". Even the "boring" parts were made fun by the crew, the passengers, the food and the excitement to spot wildlife. The train even slows down for animals or special sites to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Rocky Mountaineer offers two incredible ways to travel: Gold Leaf Service and Silver Leaf Service. The Gold Leaf Service provides full-dome windows enabling you an uninterrupted full view of the countryside. Gold Leaf Service also provides an open air observation platform truly enabling you to immerse yourself in the experience. 

On top of the incredible views, the food was exquisite. A separate dining carriage is provided for Gold Leaf Service which serves three-course meals. Silver Leaf Service enjoys their meals from their seats. The kitchen produces everything from scratch. I couldn’t help but take a picture of the menu every day. These extra amenities truly help you feel like you’re living in luxury. 

Rocky Mountaineer provides the perfect balance between a unique experience and a train ride. Plus it’s so smooth, there’s no motion sickness and no claustrophobia. Train cars are not packed. The seating is luxurious and each seat comes with its own outlets. Plus, Rocky Mountaineer goes the extra mile to learn about your personal background so they can pair you with someone with similar interests. I was seated with two younger gentlemen from the United Kingdom. We all quickly became friends and we still keep in touch four years later! 

For our experience, we did Calgary from Vancouver. The best part of the whole experience for me was standing on the observation platform. Going through the tunnels, you get a remaining view of the train as it exits the tunnel surrounded by all the landscape. I truly felt like a kid again getting excited for a train! We also enjoyed high tea in April at Lake Louise, and still saw snow and ice on the lake. It was breathtaking.

Another unique feature that Rocky Mountaineer offers is the opportunity to totally customize your cost. For example for the budget conscience, you can pair a Gold Leaf Service train with a Silver Leaf Service hotel. 

You won't take a trip like this anywhere else. Period. I've traveled the world, and this is unique in it's own way. There's something magical about it. It's incredibly hard to describe, so unfortunately (or fortunately), it's something you just have to experience.