Canadian Railroads > Tips for 1st time riders on The Canadian?

My wife and I are thinking of riding in April, Toronto to Vancouver. Thinking of Prestige Class. Would very much appreciate any tips from you folks who know that train. Any particular car we should try for? Any particular room? Hoping for a smooth, quiet ride. Is April a good time or would May be better? We know nothing, so any bit of advice will be helpful. Thanks very much!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/17 07:21 by Streamliner.

You will get a smooth and quiet ride regardless of which car you're in. It is a solid train of Budd passenger cars. Doesn't get smoother or quieter than that.

As for the sleeper accommodations, any bedroom in any car will be just fine. If you want to spend extra for a fancier accommodation, feel free. But in the long run, you will have access to the bar in the Skyline dome and the Park car. Dinner may be slightly better in the premium section, but for the most part, it will be just as excellent as standard first class.

Have a great trip. Don't be in any kind of hurry or depend on any close connections to other trains. Relax and enjoy the ride!

I can't wait for the next opportunity to ride the Canadian!

Its a nice ride, as stated prior the food is excellent no matter what! I had a single room for one, quite comfortable and private. One tip...... make sure you have at least a days grace prior to any flights/plans at your final destination.... CN freight trains have priority and odds of being late are quite high!!! I went from Edmonton to Vancouver, I was 9 hours late. Recently its not abnormal for 12hours late upon arrival. But, hey take in the scenery, its why we take the train!

A good room in sleeper class is Room F. It is slightly larger as it used to be sold as a compartment. I always go for the furthest back available sleeping car such as the 12 car or the 13 car if available. That way you are closer to the diner and Park car. I believe cars further back are safer in the unlikely event the train hits something--never happened in my travels! And for dining, I usually take first sitting because when second sitting is called, the dome in the Park usually empties out. And if you take second sitting going east, dinner can be late as you are also turning your watch ahead as you go through time zones. April or May? I would prefer April, perhaps less crowded and more local Canadians on board with whom to visit. Also, sometime in May, peak fares (higher) kick in so beware of that if cost is a concern. If cost is not a concern, go for Prestige, ultra deluxe. I do not, however, as I do not spend much time in my room except to sleep. My fav locations during day: Park car dome and diner!

And room F is right next to shower as is section 3 if you decide on an upper/lower berth. And section 3 allows a little more privacy.

Enjoy your trip on the best regularly scheduled passenger train in North America even in spite of CN caused tardiness!

We are in our late 70's and have been taking the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver (we like that direction & take Amtrak routes back) annually for about a dozen years. We always take berths which may sound as though we are just looking for the lowest fare but, we really enjoy the novelty of it all, remember those old movies with the berth curtains, the ladder to the upper, etc.? We also enjoy the wide berth and the fact that you are sleeping parallel to the train's direction which gives a very nice motion. Plus, we have all the same access as the rooms. The VIA roomettes are available but look too small and we just have to put up with the Amtrak Superliner roomettes for our return trip. Since we spend so much time in the dome car or down below in the lounge, having a room just does not seem that important to us. Enjoy one of the great rail trips on the planet!

I'm another frequent rider and in thinking of what is important to me the one thing that jumps out is I like the small winter trains, they provide a much more relaxed experience. The big summer trains are crowded and it can be a long way to a dome, the diner, or the Park car, and good places to sit are often hard to find. And the winter train give Sleeper Plus passengers unrestricted access to the Park car. On my trip last week one of the most enjoyable aspects was seeing the same folks over and over in the diner or the Park car, and getting to know some really interesting folks from all over the world. And it was never crowded so sitting in the Park car was more like sitting in your living room. Your mileage may very, but that is what seems to work best for me. Of course if your are riding Prestige the trade-offs might change a bit.

In defense of the roomettes on the Canadian, let me say they are my favorite accommodation. They are way more comfortable than the Amtrak so-called roomettes which are designed for two people, making them very cramped and uncomfortable for one. The VIA roomettes are designed for one person. I actually prefer the VIA roomettes to a bedroom for single travel, because the seat in the roomette is more comfortable for reading during the day; I find the folding seats in the bedrooms very uncomfortable. The roomettes have a lot of useful storage space, including the ability to put a small suitcase under the seat.

JBWX

Sign up to be a VIA Preference member. It's like an airline loyalty program. One trip on the Canadian in Prestige should be enough points to get a partial free trip next time! I agree with everything VIAtrainrider said. Go for Bedroom F if available. That extra two feet width makes all the difference. I don't feel Prestige is necessary. Meals are exactly the same although you do get first choice of sittings. While Park Car access is somewhat restricted during peak travel times, you will find a newly refurbished dome directly ahead of the rear diner open to all sleeping car passengers. I spent most of my time there last trip.

I highly recommend planning to take the trip eastbound. Leaving from Toronto you really have no idea what time the train will depart. It can range from on-time to 9am the next morning. Departure from Vancouver is virtually always on time. Once you are onboard you'll hope the train losses of tons of time because you won't want to get off.

RRBadTrack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You will get a smooth and quiet ride regardless of
> which car you're in. It is a solid train of Budd
> passenger cars. Doesn't get smoother or quieter
> than that.
>
> As for the sleeper accommodations, any bedroom in
> any car will be just fine. If you want to spend
> extra for a fancier accommodation, feel free. But
> in the long run, you will have access to the bar
> in the Skyline dome and the Park car. Dinner may
> be slightly better in the premium section, but for
> the most part, it will be just as excellent as
> standard first class.
>
> Have a great trip. Don't be in any kind of hurry
> or depend on any close connections to other
> trains. Relax and enjoy the ride!
>
> I can't wait for the next opportunity to ride the
> Canadian!

There is much good advice given and it mostly matches my experience. But I can't agree with the first sentence in this reply. Depending on accommodation, the noise can be incredible and the riding quality not for the faint-hearted. The equipment is 63 years old. Except for the eight Prestige Château sleepers and the forward half of the four Prestige Park cars, the equipment has never been gutted during a refit. So the walls, ceilings, doors and berths are original and they can squeak and rattle something fierce. VIA has resumed providing ear-plugs, but they are cheap and I recommend you bring your own of better quality. I was too cheap to pay for a double bedroom (cabin for 2) so I was in a very noisy and bouncing roomette (cabin for 1).

I have never travelled in Prestige (and likely never will) but I have viewed the accommodation several times. Indeed it looks lovely, but potential passengers should not think it is even close in size to even the tiniest ship's cabin. The promised "double bed" is not really a double - it is more like a wide single bed. I suspected the room A in the Château sleeper might not ride well as it is partly over the wheels and the crew conceded that point. In fact, they have had many complaints and have had to move the passengers to another room when available. I have my suspicions of room F as well, but it appears to be in a slightly better location. As with all train accommodations, the closer to the centre of the car is the best. The one Prestige room in the Park car is B and it is close to the centre. Room A in the Park car is near the vestibule; it is the "accessible suite" and is not part of the Prestige service although the décor is similar.

In the winter season the Canadian can still be surprisingly long. I have just come off the e/b train which had six Manor sleepers and a Skyline car ahead of the dining car. A tour group detrained in Jasper and another in Edmonton. The passenger load was much lower east of Edmonton. My "group" of five wanted to be in the same sleeper so we were in car 210, the first sleeper. It was seven cars to the diner and 10 to the Park car. When the train was moving at track speed this was not an easy walk. My two oldest friends, despite their experience, found this uncomfortable.

The meal service continues to be of excellent quality. The only downgrading in recent years is the jam and marmalade. The small jars of a quality product have been replaced by some dreadful coloured gelatine in plastic containers. On my previous trip I was told this change was to reduce the waste caused by all those tiny jars. So instead of creating waste of small glass jars there is now waste of plastic. Other than that minor complaint, the dining car experience is as good as it has ever been since VIA took over from the CPR. Considering how VIA has reduced the quality of the meals in Business Class, I am grateful for this.

As an aside, our arrival in Toronto yesterday was a mere seven hours and 13 minutes late, which is not bad. I would have preferred to arrive before or after the rush hour as dealing with the GO train or Toronto subway with luggage is not very pleasant at the time we arrived.