13 replies to this topic

[love2travel]

I am planning a trip for summer of 2013 on the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver. Really hoping there will be some express deals for next summer. I can do anytime over the summer since I am a teacher. Do you think I have a good chance of getting an express deal? I have been reading past posts and know a bit about the trip. I know there are 2 stops on the way. How long are they? I can't find that information. What hotel do you recommend in Toronto and Vancouver? Looking to spend around $150 per night. Has anybody been on the suspension bridge in Vancouver? Was it hard to get to? I will be leaving from Milwaukee. It looks like I can take Amtrak to Detroit and then take VIA to Toronto. Is that the best/cheapest way to go? After Vancouver, I will be taking the Cascades to Seattle and back to Milwaukee. Can I use AGR points for that whole leg back or will I need to pay for the Cascades portion. Any other tips? Any other things I should read ahead of time?

Thank,

Sue

[NS VIA Fan]

Hi……it's really hard to speculate if you will get an express deal in a years' time or not. You just have to keep checking and they are updated on a daily basis. If something looks good, grab it.

The Canadian makes a lot more than two stops. Timetable here:

http://www.viarail.c...r-Vancouver.pdf

I assume you mean the Capilano Suspension Bridge not the Lions Gate Highway Bridge that links Vancouver to the north shore

http://www.capbridge.com/

(Click "Directions" under "Plan" at the top of the web page. There's a shuttle from downtown and it's also on a city transit route)

Lots & lots of Hotel options. In Toronto the famous (former CPR) Royal York Hotel is right across the street from Union Station.

[pennyk]

I traveled on the Canadian last December from Toronto to Vancouver. I stayed at the Royal York in Toronto and it was very nice. Our longest stop was Winnipeg - around 4 hours. Some pax went on a pre-arranged city tour. I did not. I went out for a walk on my own in 6 below zero temperatures - just to say I did.
There was also a stop in Edmonton that was cut short for us because we were running extremely late - as was our stop in Jasper.
I look Cascades from Vac to Sea and paid for the ticket and a hotel in sea. I then used AGR points to get home to Florida from Sea. I did not spend any time in VAC, much to my disappointment.

I got an express deal on my Canadian trip - jumped on the first one that was convenient for me - the day it was posted by VIA. I assume that there will not be as many, if any, express deals during the summer - but you never know. I was not checking the rates last summer, so I have no idea if any were offered.

[Ispolkom]

It looks like I can take Amtrak to Detroit and then take VIA to Toronto. Is that the best/cheapest way to go?

Mrs. Ispolkom and I are riding the Canadian next month. Like pennyk we bought an Express deal that worked for us.

Sadly, there's no good way to get to Toronto by rail. We're traveling from St. Paul to Buffalo on an AGR award, then taking Megabus from Buffalo to Toronto. It's a few hours faster than taking the Maple Leaf, and much cheaper, since AGR doesn't cover travel in Canada (at least on the Maple Leaf). From Milwaukee, you might find it easier traveling through Detroit, but there's still the issue of crossing the border and catching Via rail from Windsor.

I went out for a walk on my own in 6 below zero temperatures - just to say I did.

And I've always wanted to ride out a hurricane, for the same reason.

[love2travel]

Thank you for your help. I will have to look into that hotel. It would be nice to take the trip in the summer, but i might have to try for the winter if there are no express deals. It looks like express deals are about a month prior to travel. Have you seen it posted earlier?

Sue

[Devil's Advocate]

It would be nice to take the trip in the summer, but i might have to try for the winter if there are no express deals. It looks like express deals are about a month prior to travel. Have you seen it posted earlier? Sue

I'm pretty sure you can get a discounted fare at some point over the summer. It might only be available as a berth or coach ticket, but there's bound to be something. The Canadian receives more customers in the summertime but they also add more cars as well. You should be able to find a discount if you keep your eyes peeled and have your money ready to go. We're talking about a train that can have up to thirty cars when things really get busy.

I went out for a walk on my own in 6 below zero temperatures - just to say I did.

And I've always wanted to ride out a hurricane, for the same reason.

I already had the below zero weather as a child, so no thrill in that for me. As for hurricanes the storm itself is just the beginning. You may have to live with service outages, contaminated water, limited emergency assistance, and trashy junk all over the place for days or even weeks later. That's going to get mighty old mighty fast.

[pennyk]

And I've always wanted to ride out a hurricane, for the same reason.

Living in Florida all my life, I have had my share of hurricanes. I would much rather spend 15 minutes outdoors in below zero temps than ride out a hurricane (and have to clean up afterwards and/or live without power and air conditioning in the summer).

Back to express deals...I believe I made my express deal reservation about 5 weeks in advance. When the "deal" that I took was posted, several weeks were posted at the same time. When I made the decision to try to get a deal, I visited the VIA website several times a day.

My original plans were to do the Canadian trip in Fall of 2012, but the express deal encouraged me to accelerate my plans. At first I was disappointed that the days would be shorter and it would be cold. I think the scenery was more magnificent in the winter and it was quite different than December in Florida. I am happy to have gone in December - especially for the price. I still might go this fall.

[the_traveler]

I think the scenery was more magnificent in the winter and it was quite different than December in Florida. I am happy to have gone in December

At least you got to see some "Canadian sand"!

[manderson]

Thank you for your help. I will have to look into that hotel. It would be nice to take the trip in the summer, but i might have to try for the winter if there are no express deals. It looks like express deals are about a month prior to travel. Have you seen it posted earlier?

Sue

I kept an eye on the Express Deals all of last year, and was surprised to find that deals were available even during the summer. Not as many as off-season, so jump on it if you see one that fits your schedule. Lead times vary -- for example, they posted a ton in late February this year for trips ranging from early March through the end of May.

I stayed in an airBNB accommodation in Toronto last month, but I did note that the Strathcona is about a block from the station. It gives a discount for VIA Preference members.

[Ispolkom]

And I've always wanted to ride out a hurricane, for the same reason.

Living in Florida all my life, I have had my share of hurricanes. I would much rather spend 15 minutes outdoors in below zero temps than ride out a hurricane (and have to clean up afterwards and/or live without power and air conditioning in the summer).

It's all what you're used to. I've lived in Minnesota and North Dakota most of my life (with a year in Russia thrown in), so -6 F. seems hardly worth mentioning, although I'm sure it feels cold to a Floridian. Even the sort of major blizzard that cripples transportation, kills people trapped in their cars, and leaves 6-10 foot drifts would hardly be something new. Last year, for instance, we got so much snow that the last snow pile in the parking lot across the street didn't melt until June.

But a hurricane, now that would be something new and interesting. I'm sure, though, that the clean-up would get old fast. Lord knows that's true of shoveling snow.

WRT Express Deals, I saw mention here that they were once again available at great discounts. I went to Via Rail, saw a date that we could do, and seized the moment. We bought tickets for 5/29 on 2/28, so three months out.

[pennyk]

I think the scenery was more magnificent in the winter and it was quite different than December in Florida. I am happy to have gone in December

At least you got to see some "Canadian sand"!

Thanks for reminding me how clueless I was when i first saw snow out the window of the Maple Leaf and thought it was sand.

I had seen snow before, but not that often where I would immediately recognize it. Yes, I felt stupid.

[Anderson]

Yeah, -6 is cold to me, and I'm a Virginian...so I can't even imagine it for a Floridian. Then again, I've been spoiled by the last winter, so I'm throwing on cold-weather stuff for anything in the low 40s now.

On the other hand, I've been through a hurricane (and the resulting power outage); a desire not to repeat that experience resulted in me evacuating to Florida when Irene came calling.

[love2travel]

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. Let's hope the Express Deals work out for me!

Sue

[zephyr17]

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. Let's hope the Express Deals work out for me!

Sue

You may want to think about using Via's 50% off sales when they run them. They aren't as good a deal as the Express Deals, but the booking is much more flexible, as you can book anytime within the time period it is effective, not just the specific dates. You also have more lead time, since Express Deals typically only show for departures up to about 6/7 weeks out.

Also, since Cascades is an entirely Amtrak operation, unlike the Maple Leaf which is Via operated in Canada, your AGR points are good for it. However, make sure you get the morning Cascades train (516), not a bus. You'll have a longish layover in Seattle, as the Amtrak Thruway buses make a better connection with the Empire Builder. Also, and I am not sure about this, AGR might try to force a connection in Everett. There is much more to do in and around King Street Station in Seattle, so try for that.

On the Canadian, there are a boatload of flag stops but the train seldom makes more than a few of them. You are "on the go" on the Canadian for much longer stretches than on Amtrak (drove the smokers nuts when I rode). There is a long layover in Winnepeg (the service crew changes there), like 4 hours, and a long stop in Jasper. Some of the other stops are pretty lengthy, especially since if the train is running on time, there is a lot of pad in some places and it has to wait for time (hello, Hornpayne).

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is pretty easy to get to on public transit, there is a bus that runs right up to it. Google "Vancouver TransLink" and you'll get to Vancouver's transit site.

Edited by zephyr17, 24 May 2012 - 12:23 PM.