Well, we are on the final countdown, just a few hours to go and we disembark for the last time. It has been SIX DAYS of continuous train travel. Karen and I are joking about doing the Trans Siberian route next. Hahahahahahaha........
Interesting comparisons of rail travel across Canada. The segments can be broken up thusly: Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Montreal and obviously the Montreal to Halifax segment.
The section in the middle is a more purely commuter route, the engineers must be on a largely dedicated route and can thus drive like a bat out of hell. They were apologizing that they would arrive in Montreal a shocking SHOCKING 10 minutes late. We just burst out laughing. Service in the business class was amazing. Free booze. Lunch. Snacks. Wifi, all of it.
The first and last sections are similar in concept: They have the passenger sections, for those who are travelling on the cheap and/or only going a short distance thus not requiring a sleeper cabin. And the majority of the train is sleeper cabins and facilities geared to them: club cars and elevated segments for watching. The train cars on the Ocean run (Montreal to Halifax) were built approx 20 years ago. They are more Euro in appearance: sleek, streamlined and such. But in speaking with the crew, the cars have issues, and there is supposedly a government mandate to upgrade or replace them as they are not adequate. The cabins themselves are micro: beds narrower, mattresses not quite as nice, cabins with less room to maneuver, that sort of thing. They do however have WIFI in the club car, woot! The engineers can ride like a bat out of hell here too, until they hit the smaller towns of New Brunswick. It's almost a white-knuckler walking to dinner at this pace for Mom and Dad. There are cloth tablecloths with paper place mats and napkins. The service is friendly and yes, attentive, but in comparison? Not as attentive as the Canadian. And the food: don't know if it was a divine inspiration based on who knows what, but they don't really have a kitchen: the food is prepared in Montreal and then reheated and plated on board. It is good, no doubt, but somehow....
The Canadian, which is the run from Vancouver to Toronto: the cars are older, I think they were built in the 50's originally and either some got upgraded or there is a younger generation, maybe late 60's. You can tell. But having said that, the cabins are larger, the beds are larger and more comfortable and while having a dated feel, overall the whole shebang is more.... elegant. The whole business is sturdier and seems to be built to last. The table linens are linen, including the napkins. There is a bar. There is a full kitchen. All food is prepared on board. According to the Ocean crew, there is a rumor that the next train cars will be styled after the steel cars of the Canadian. Stay tuned on that.
Interesting comparisons of rail travel across Canada. The segments can be broken up thusly: Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Montreal and obviously the Montreal to Halifax segment.
The section in the middle is a more purely commuter route, the engineers must be on a largely dedicated route and can thus drive like a bat out of hell. They were apologizing that they would arrive in Montreal a shocking SHOCKING 10 minutes late. We just burst out laughing. Service in the business class was amazing. Free booze. Lunch. Snacks. Wifi, all of it.
The first and last sections are similar in concept: They have the passenger sections, for those who are travelling on the cheap and/or only going a short distance thus not requiring a sleeper cabin. And the majority of the train is sleeper cabins and facilities geared to them: club cars and elevated segments for watching. The train cars on the Ocean run (Montreal to Halifax) were built approx 20 years ago. They are more Euro in appearance: sleek, streamlined and such. But in speaking with the crew, the cars have issues, and there is supposedly a government mandate to upgrade or replace them as they are not adequate. The cabins themselves are micro: beds narrower, mattresses not quite as nice, cabins with less room to maneuver, that sort of thing. They do however have WIFI in the club car, woot! The engineers can ride like a bat out of hell here too, until they hit the smaller towns of New Brunswick. It's almost a white-knuckler walking to dinner at this pace for Mom and Dad. There are cloth tablecloths with paper place mats and napkins. The service is friendly and yes, attentive, but in comparison? Not as attentive as the Canadian. And the food: don't know if it was a divine inspiration based on who knows what, but they don't really have a kitchen: the food is prepared in Montreal and then reheated and plated on board. It is good, no doubt, but somehow....
The Canadian, which is the run from Vancouver to Toronto: the cars are older, I think they were built in the 50's originally and either some got upgraded or there is a younger generation, maybe late 60's. You can tell. But having said that, the cabins are larger, the beds are larger and more comfortable and while having a dated feel, overall the whole shebang is more.... elegant. The whole business is sturdier and seems to be built to last. The table linens are linen, including the napkins. There is a bar. There is a full kitchen. All food is prepared on board. According to the Ocean crew, there is a rumor that the next train cars will be styled after the steel cars of the Canadian. Stay tuned on that.
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