26 replies to this topic

[JoanieBlon]

I have a question for anyone who has had bedroom accomodations on Via Rail from Toronto to Vancouver. Is the storage space for your carry-on located above the toilet door/sink area? I've been looking at the 360 degree photos on the Via website, and there appears to be a space up there ~ different from the shelf that's in Amtrak bedooms. Also, is there any sort of small closet like in the Amtrak bedrooms?

Is there any storage space in the individual cars for luggage like there is "downstairs" on Amtrak train bedroom cars?

I can hardly wait until our trip!

Edited by JoanieBlon, 27 December 2010 - 02:14 PM.

[pennyk]

I do not have an answer to your question, but I have a question for you. I notice that you are traveling westbound from Toronto to Vancouver. Was that decision based on convenience or for the scenery? Do you know if the westbound Canadian is a better trip than the eastbound Canadian - or is the pretty much the same?

[caravanman]

Hi Joanie,

Likewise I can't answer your question, but MrFss has taken that train in sleeper, so it might be worth giving him a PM. He also has excellent pics on his photo pages.

I see that you are a fan of Cajun music, that is one of my favourite styles. I enjoyed a caravan trip to France last year to a Cajun festival, and had a great time. There were several acts from the states there too.
I will try to post a link, there are several "Salieu Festival" short videos too.
Cajun music Fest Salieu 2009
Cajun Salieu festival 2009 you tube

You have stolen my motto, but I say "you can't have too many train holidays"!

Bon Voyage,

Ed

Edited by caravanman, 27 December 2010 - 04:21 PM.

[JoanieBlon]

I do not have an answer to your question, but I have a question for you. I notice that you are traveling westbound from Toronto to Vancouver. Was that decision based on convenience or for the scenery? Do you know if the westbound Canadian is a better trip than the eastbound Canadian - or is the pretty much the same?

I basically selected the East to West route because it was convenient for us. We will fly up to Montreal from Tampa on Sunday May 29th. Our connections get us into Montreal before noon, so we'll have almost all day Sunday, all day Monday, and most of Tuesday to explore the city. Our train departs Montreal for Toronto at 3:30pm on Tuesday, May 31st. We have booked Business Class for that segment, so our dinner is included.

Our train for Vancouver departs from Toronto at 10:00pm Beginning our travel on May 31st allowed us to take advantage of the "off-season" fares which end that day. High season fares go into effect on June 1st. I booked our bedroom accomodations as early as is allowed by the system. That way I was able to get the lowest fares and I also had my choice of bedrooms. I initially was inclined to select a bedroom in the Park Car ~ the last car on the train ~



but ultimately decided on Bedroom D in the car immediately before that one, as this room is slightly larger than other 2 person bedrooms, and it's right next to the shower. Passengers in the Park Car have to go back one car for the shower.



We'll be able to see quite a bit in route, I believe, as daylight hours this time of year are long. For instance, on June 2nd in Winnepeg, the sun rises at 5:25am and sets at 9:29pm. We will have 4 free hours for sightseeing in Winnepeg ~ 8am to 12 noon. Also, our train arrives in Jasper at about 1pm on Friday afternoon. We were allowed a "free" stopover there, so we are staying from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon (the train leaves at 2:30pm) so we can explore the area and visit the glacier before heading on to our final destination of Vancouver. The train arrives in Vancouver at 9:42am on Monday. We plan on spending 2 days in Vancouver before flying home to Tampa.

I'm hoping that the majority of the scenic areas will be traveled during daylight hours.

[JoanieBlon]

Yes there is a closet in the bedrooms on the Canadian, and yes there is a luggage storage space located above the tiolet annex. It will hold two small suitcases.

Thanks so much for the information! Do you also happen to know if there is accessible luggage storage on the train ~ similar to the "downstairs" luggage rack areas on the Amtrak Superliners?

[AlanB]

Joanie,

No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.

When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!

[Rail Freak]

Is VIA (TOR-VAN) comparable to Amtrak(SEA-WAS) overall or is one that much better than the other????
THANX

[MrFSS]

Joanie,

No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.

When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typically matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!

I second Alan's thoughts here. The last time I rode my wife and I were with a tour group and we were specifically instructed to only take one small carry on for the two of us - everything else had to be checked. Also, the bedroom we had contained two folding chairs - no couch as Superliner bedrooms have. Other than sleep in the room, we were always in the lounge, the dome, the Park Car, or the dining car. You have no reason and don't want to stay in the bedrooms except to sleep.

[JoanieBlon]

Joanie,

No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.

When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!

Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck our carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!



My husband wants a totally fresh change of clothes every day, so I need to pack enough in our carry-ons for that. One thing that will also help us out is that we're getting off in Jasper for a couple of days, so I'll be able to access our larger suitcases at that time. We typically bring just one carry-on, plus a couple of bottles of wine, and our laptop computer. I think we'll be fine.

Thanks again for the information! I always feel much better when I know what we'll encounter ~ instead of having surprises.

Edited by JoanieBlon, 29 December 2010 - 12:31 PM.

[AlanB]

Is VIA (TOR-VAN) comparable to Amtrak(SEA-WAS) overall or is one that much better than the other????
THANX

Comparable in what sense? Service? No! Scenery? Probably slightly better, IMHO. Or something else?

[AlanB]

Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck out carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!

I won't swear to it, but I don't think that the D room is any larger than the other rooms. I'm pretty sure that it's just the way that diagram is drawn that makes it look larger. You don't have the bathroom from the opposing room in the picture, instead the hall curves back to the center of the car there. But again, from what I recall when I walked by, it's no larger than any other double bedroom.

[JoanieBlon]

Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck out carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!

I won't swear to it, but I don't think that the D room is any larger than the other rooms. I'm pretty sure that it's just the way that diagram is drawn that makes it look larger. You don't have the bathroom from the opposing room in the picture, instead the hall curves back to the center of the car there. But again, from what I recall when I walked by, it's no larger than any other double bedroom.

I was told by the Via Rail agent I spoke with that the D Bedrooms are several feet larger than the other double bedrooms, due to how the original trains were refitted when they were remodeled.

BTW ~ Thanx for your input!!

[JoanieBlon]

Joanie,

No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.

When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typically matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!

I second Alan's thoughts here. The last time I rode my wife and I were with a tour group and we were specifically instructed to only take one small carry on for the two of us - everything else had to be checked. Also, the bedroom we had contained two folding chairs - no couch as Superliner bedrooms have. Other than sleep in the room, we were always in the lounge, the dome, the Park Car, or the dining car. You have no reason and don't want to stay in the bedrooms except to sleep.

Thanks for your advice on this. I'm certain that we'll spend most of our time in the Park Car. I REALLY enjoyed looking at the photos you took during your 2005 Via Rail trip. The dining room is beautiful. It's interesting that the food appears to be prepared from scratch in the kitchens.

[JoanieBlon]

Hi Joanie,

Likewise I can't answer your question, but MrFss has taken that train in sleeper, so it might be worth giving him a PM. He also has excellent pics on his photo pages.

I see that you are a fan of Cajun music, that is one of my favourite styles. I enjoyed a caravan trip to France last year to a Cajun festival, and had a great time. There were several acts from the states there too.
I will try to post a link, there are several "Salieu Festival" short videos too.
Cajun music Fest Salieu 2009
Cajun Salieu festival 2009 you tube

You have stolen my motto, but I say "you can't have too many train holidays"!

Bon Voyage,

Ed

I used to host a Cajun accordion website, but finally gave it to somebody else to manage. I couldn't deal with all the male egos!

I undoubtedly know some of the folks from the states who were at the Salieu Festival!

[JoanieBlon]

Joanie:

I do not think that Bedroom D in the Chateau cars (which is the diagram you posted) is any larger than the other rooms. However, Bedroom F in the Manor cars is a full 18" wider. It was designated as a compartment (a premium space) when the cars were built, but has been sold as a bedroom since VIA began running the trains.


PS I have ridden the Canadian 14 times since 1960, in both its CPR and VIA versions.

I stand corrected! Our reservations ARE for Bedroom F in Car 122, NOT Bedroom D. Had to go pull out our information to check! Manor Car diagram below....

Edited by JoanieBlon, 28 December 2010 - 09:00 PM.

[rrdude]

Thanks for your advice on this. I'm certain that we'll spend most of our time in the Park Car. I REALLY enjoyed looking at the photos you took during your 2005 Via Rail trip. The dining room is beautiful. It's interesting that the food appears to be prepared from scratch in the kitchens.

I don't know about "from scratch" - I assume the prime rib (best I've ever tasted, btw) is roasted elsewhere and loaded aboard at a stop, for example, but the Salmon en Croûte must surely have been baked on board. And breakfast is cooked completely 'to order'.

The Park Car is the quietest place on the train, and the best place for conversation.
Here are some Photos from last July.

I could be wrong, but on the dinner trains we used to operate in Maryland, we did three or four prime ribs each trip. No biggie at all to do on the train, just have to start them early enuff.