Donnetta Byrd

In 2023, I took a group of 29 to Canada to ride the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Calgary. We experienced the SilverLeaf level. We had a great time, however, the viewing area was very small! Being outside on the viewing area is one of my favorite things about riding on a train.

I decided to try the GoldLeaf in September 2024. Wow, what a difference! I loved the large viewing area, the nicer seating, sitting on the top of the 2 level car, and being able to dine in the lower level. 

We started the trip in Calgary and stayed a the Fairmont Palliser. This luxury hotel was not only beautiful, it was in a great location in the city center. When you travel with Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf, you stay in nicer hotels - except in Kamloops. We loved being able to go outside the hotel and find any places to eat as well as it being walk friendly.

We then took the excursion/transfer from Calgary to Banff. On the way, we saw a lot of beautiful views. My favorite experience on this part of the trip was the Banff Gondola. It was even snowing on top!

We stayed at a nice lodge in downtown Banff. You can stay in nicer locations, however they are not as close to all of the action. The next day we went on another excursion where we saw Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake and many other amazing views.

The first day on the train is pretty long, but we were riding in comfort. Seats with footrests, as well as heated if we desired were super comfy. As mentioned before, I LOVED the large viewing area. The food and drinks as well as the service was amazing.

The overnight in Kamloops is just long enough to get some sleep. There are no fancy hotels here. The luggage was magically in our hotel rooms when we arrived. The luggage service is part of SilverLeaf or GoldLeaf.

The next morning we boarded again to head into Vancouver. We were served breakfast and lunch on the train on the lower deck of our train car. This part of the trip is when we saw a lot of bald eagles!

After a long day on the train we arrived in Vancouver and were transported to the Fairmont Palisser hotel in Vancouver. Luxury again! We needed our sleep that night as the next day was a very long day - we visited Copilano Suspension Bridge as well as Grouse Mountain on this all day tour.

We returned back home the next day. Something funning/crazy happened the morning we left. The couple with us headed ot the airport to fly home and we went to the train station to take Amtrak into Seattle where we would fly home on Southwest to utilize my points and companion pass. Except, when we got the the station and no one was waiting for the train, I realized I had booked it from Vancouver, WASHINGTON. Oops! I guess I need a travel agent!