Great Trains of North America

Travel:: By Train
Duration:: 12 days
Priced From:: $3,695 per person

Great Trains of North America

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Not for three decades have travelers been able to travel to the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park and back to Chicago by vista-dome train and we are delighted to bring back this opportunity for our guests to enjoy the single best sightseeing vehicle ever designed for overland travel, the vistadome car. Guests on this magical itinerary enjoy vista-dome travel through the Canadian Rockies aboard Via Rail’s showcase ‘Canadian’ and then from Glacier National Park to Chicago aboard our very own Great Western Limited. Better still, the Great Western Limited offers an amenity not found since the 1960’s, ‘dome dining’ in the vista-dome. With extraordinary sightseeing included, fine hotels, a leisurely pace and two of the prettiest spots in the world, the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park, all in one holiday, the only flaw with this vacation is it will sell out quickly. All Aboard!

Highlights

Travel aboard Via Rail’s fabled Domeliner ‘Canadian’ from Vancouver to Jasper with daylight viewing of the Canadian Rockies. The last great public train in North America, this train is a 1950’s time capsule with superb dining cars (all meals onboard are included), comfortable Pullman sleeping cars and the swank end of train ‘Park Car’ with its Bullet Lounge and vista-dome.
Travel aboard our very own private ‘Great Western Limited’ vista-dome train from Glacier National Park to Chicago, an overnight trip over the Burlington Northern Railroad. This marvelous train carries only 50 lucky passengers and features not only a dome lounge but dome dining with meals under glass. All guests enjoy Pullman sleeping car accommodations and all meals, wines & spirits while aboard are included. Luxury amenities such as fresh flowers, Afternoon Tea and elegant cocktail hours are featured along with superb dining.
Overnight stay in Seattle at the ideally located Mayflower Park Hotel, in the heart of downtown with free time in the ‘Emerald City’. We then travel aboard the sleek ‘Talgo’ train from Seattle to Vancouver along the scenic Puget Sound, the best way to travel between these two great cities.
Overnight stay in Vancouver at the Hyatt Regency Hotel with a full day to enjoy this lovely city along with sightseeing tour, a welcome dinner and plenty of free time.
Two-night stay in quaint Jasper in the Canadian Rockies with complete sightseeing including Maligne Lake and Canyon and Spirit Island boat cruise.
The fabled Icefields Parkway drive from Jasper to Banff, the most scenic trip in North America including the extraordinary Sno-coach ride atop Athabasca Glacier.
Three-night stay in Banff at the Banff Park Hotel with complete sightseeing including the Gondola Ride up Sulphur Mountain, Moraine Lake and a visit to Lake Louise.
Grand dining including the acclaimed Le Beaujolais in Banff and breakfast at Chateau Lake Louise.
Two-night stay at Glacier Park, Montana with complete sightseeing including the storied Going to the Sun Highway and Lake McDonald cruise.
Fully hosted by professional tour manager from start to finish.

Day 1: Arrive Seattle

Guests arrive Seattle today and check into the Mayflower Park Hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 2: Vancouver

We depart the hotel this morning and travel to Vancouver aboard Amtrak’s special ‘Talgo Train’. Upon arrival in Vancouver, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of this lovely city including Stanley Park, Chinatown, English Bay and colorful Robson Street before arriving at our hotel. Tonight is our special Welcome dinner, a nice chance to meet your fellow travelers. Overnight at the Hyatt Regency. (B, D)

Day 3: Vancouver

All morning to sleep in or to take in more of this stunningly beautiful city. Highly recommended is historic Gastown or a horse-drawn carriage ride through Stanley Park. We leave the hotel in early evening, stopping for dinner at a favorite French bistro of ours in the West End before boarding the ‘Canadian’ for the overnight trip to Jasper over the Canadian National Railway. The train is a perfect 1950’s time capsule with its famed Vista-Dome cars, a real old-fashioned dining car with first rate dining and service. Tonight there is time for cocktails in the swank, end of train ‘Bullet Lounge’ as we roll east over the Canadian Pacific Rwy. Tonight is spent on board. (B,D)

Day 4: Jasper

After breakfast, the ‘CANADIAN’ begins its ascent of the western slope of the Rockies, a not to be missed spectacle. After lunch, we arrive in gorgeous Jasper and transfer to Chateau Jasper where we enjoy a two-night stay. The evening is at leisure to enjoy this quaint town (B,L)

Jasper

All morning to sleep in with a midday excursions to stunningly beautiful Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake with its haunting views of Spirit Island. A final overnight in Jasper to enjoy the unhurried charm of this small town. (B,L)

Day 6: Banff

A stunning day of sightseeing as we travel to Banff via the Columbia Icefields Parkway and enjoy a ride on the Glacier itself aboard a ‘Sno-coach’ stopping for lunch en route before our arrival at the Banff Park Lodge with its oversized rooms and great location. (B)

Day 7: Banff

A full day to enjoy Banff beginning with a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain followed by a visit to the Banff Hot Springs that have made this village famous. Later tonight, our special dinner at Le Beaujolais. (B,D)

Day 8: Banff

Another magical day with a sightseeing tour of Yoho National Park that takes in Bridal Veil Falls, Moraine Lake, and Lake Louis with all afternoon at leisure to further enjoy Banff. (B, L)

Day 9: Glacier National Park

Today there is a scenic drive south to the United States and Glacier National Park and you will want to have your camera handy. We arrive at the wonderful Grouse Mountain Lodge** at Glacier Park tonight to begin our two night stay in this majestic setting. (B, L) **The historic Izaak Walton Inn will be featured in Glacier Park on the July & August departures

Day 10: Glacier National Park

The big day! We depart this morning aboard one of the famed red open-air jammer buses for a spellbinding day that finds us traversing the breathtaking ‘Going to the Sun Road’ over the Continental Divide. Later today, shimmering Lake McDonald where an afternoon boat ride on this alpine lake is included, the icing on the cake of a stellar day. Many of our passengers rate this the prettiest day of the entire holiday which is saying quite a lot given the visual wonders on this holiday. A second overnight at the Grouse Mountain Lodge. (B)

Day 11: Great Western Limited

This morning guests board the only regularly scheduled overnight vistadome train in the country, our Great Western Limited at Glacier Park for the relaxing ride east to Chicago over the Burlington Northern. Tonight is our special farewell dinner, served under glass in the vista-dome along with a stylish cocktail reception. Onboard are Pullman sleeping car accommodations identical to what our guests enjoyed on the Canadian, complete with nearby showers and this is an ideal end to a beautiful holiday.

Day 12: Arrive Chicago

We pass through St Paul this morning around breakfast time and later travel along the Mississippi River with an elegant Afternoon Tea complete with scones and cream cakes before our arrival in Chicago.

Accommodations

Travel aboard Via Rail’s fabled Domeliner ‘Canadian’ from Vancouver to Jasper with daylight viewing of the Canadian Rockies. The last great public train in North America, this train is a 1950’s time capsule with superb dining cars (all meals onboard are included), comfortable Pullman sleeping cars and the swank end of train ‘Park Car’ with its Bullet Lounge and vista-dome.

Travel aboard our very own private ‘Great Western Limited’ vista-dome train from Glacier National Park to Chicago, an overnight trip over the Burlington Northern Railroad. This marvelous train carries only 50 lucky passengers and features not only a dome lounge but dome dining with meals under glass. All guests enjoy Pullman sleeping car accommodations and all meals, wines & spirits while aboard are included. Luxury amenities such as fresh flowers, Afternoon Tea and elegant cocktail hours are featured along with superb dining.

Overnight stay in Seattle at the ideally located Mayflower Park Hotel, in the heart of downtown with free time in the ‘Emerald City’. We then travel aboard the sleek ‘Talgo’ train from Seattle to Vancouver along the scenic Puget Sound, the best way to travel between these two great cities.

Fares

2012 FARES & ACCOMMODATIONS
Train Room Category	June	July-Sept
Double Berth (Pullman Sections)	$3,695	$3,895
Upper and lower berths.
Double Bedroom	$3,895	$4,095
One large room with upper and lower berths and private enclosed bathroom with toilet and washbasin. Perfect for couples traveling together.
Suite Accommodations on Train	$4,995	$5,195
Two Double Bedrooms combined to guarantee two lower beds or a large queen bed. Includes two picture windows, and two separate bathrooms with washbasins and toilets!
Two Roomettes	$4,195	$4,395
Two individual single rooms offering individual lower beds, Individual washbasin and toilets in each room. Perfect for friends traveling together.
Single Occupancy	$4,695	$4,845
(Including exclusive single occupancy Hotel accommodations throughout.) Single Roomette with Lower bed with washbasin and toilet in room.

Canadian GST taxes of $149pp are additional.

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Please take a moment to complete the following information so that we may process your request for enrollment in our advertised travel program. Once we have received and processed your information, we will provide a written confirmation of your reservation. All space on our tours are based on availability at the time your reservation request is received and processed.

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We look forward to welcoming you on one of our travel and tour programs and very much appreciate your patronage.

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RESERVATION INFORMATION: Fares and Itineraries listed in this brochure are those in effect at time of printing. All prices listed are in US Dollars. Upon receipt of your deposit, either by phone or by mail, your reservation in confirmed. A 35% deposit of the Total Fare is required to confirm reservations aboard any tour or program. After 5 days, confirmed reservations without deposit will be automatically cancelled by our reservations system. Final Payment is due 90 days prior to the departure date and no later than 75 days prior to tour departure. Payment by American Express, VISA, MasterCard, Discover Card, or check is accepted. Your verbal authorization of the use of your credit card indicates your compliance with our booking terms and conditions and confirms your reservation whether or not you have actually signed the appropriate draft. Uncommon Journeys is not responsible for payment made to Travel Agents but not received by Uncommon Journeys. Bookings are subject to cancellation if deposit or final payment is not received by the due dates.

			LATE BOOKINGS: Depending upon available space, bookings can be made up until three days prior to departure. Reservations which are made within 75 days of departure require payment in full at the time of booking.

			CANCELLATION INFORMATION: Cancellation penalties do apply and for this reason trip cancellation insurance is recommended. Trip insurance is available at a modest cost and additional information may be obtained from your travel professional or the insurance carrier of your choice. We strongly suggest that you purchase travel insurance to cover 100% of your tour cost as there are no exceptions to the cancellation penalties. The following cancellation penalties apply should you have to cancel for any reason, including medical, once deposit has been made: Cancellations after deposit has been made but prior to final payment are subject to a $750.00 per person penalty: cancellations 60-75 days prior to departure are subject to a 40% penalty of the Total Fare: cancellations 30-59 days prior to sailing are subject to a 80% penalty of the Total Fare: cancellations 15-29 days prior to sailing are subject to 90% penalty of the Total Fare: cancellations 14 days or less are subject to a 100% penalty of the Total Fare. Given that the resale of canceled space will likely result in a lost opportunity to sell other space, these fees are due regardless of resale. Name changes and departure date changes are considered cancellations and are subject to cancellation fees. Cancellations must be submitted in writing either by letter or by fax and the cancellation will be processed only when this notification is received. Charges for cancellation will be based on the date which cancellation notice is received. Cancellation refunds are payable to passengers in the same manner in which deposit/final payment were made to Uncommon Journeys. Please allow from 2 - 4 weeks for Cancellation refunds to be processed. Refunds cannot be issued until cancellation requests, in writing, have been received.

			ITINERARY CHANGES: Changing your itinerary after reservations have been made can result in loss of advantages gained by early planning. In addition, the results of last minute changes may be disappointing. All changes to travel itinerary once deposit has been made are subject to a $75.00 per person, per change administrative and handling fee. This includes, but is not limited to, date and itinerary changes on airline and rail tickets, name changes on documents, reissue and refund of rail or air tickets, et. al. Changes are not assessed for stateroom upgrades or for the addition of services, unless air reservations are altered and/or travel documents must be reissued.

			ROOM SHARES: Uncommon Journeys/Train Holidays does not arrange for, nor accept room share requests.

			UPGRADE POLICY: Uncommon Journeys and Train Holidays reserves the right to upgrade a guest or guests to more expensive category accommodations at no additional cost.

			FARE/PORT CHARGES AND TAXES: Fares quoted in brochures are those in effect at the time of printing. If cost factors including airline costs, dictate the need for fare increases, Uncommon Journeys and Train Holidays may do so at any time prior to departure. Port taxes are neither discountable nor commissionable.

			NOTE ABOUT TRAIN TRAVEL: Some Amtrak or VIA Rail schedules may require an overnight stay in various cities before and/or after tours. Any overnight hotel stays required due to train schedules are the responsibility and expense of the client, not Uncommon Journeys or Train Holidays. Please be advised that all train schedules are subject to availability and unless all sleeping car accommodation charges are paid at the time of deposit, availability cannot be guaranteed. We reserve the right to pass on to tour members any expenditure occasioned by delays or events beyond our control. In the event of a marked increase in tariff rates, costs are subject to revision.

			TRIP INSURANCE INFORMATION: Cancellation insurance is available at modest cost from various insurance providers and is strongly & urgently recommended. Policies can be obtained that provide protection in the event of trip cancellation, pre-existing medical conditions, trip interruption, personal injury or damage to property. Uncommon Journeys/Train Holidays does not endorse any particular type of policy or company but does encourage all guests to consider the purchase of some type of travel insurance. We strongly suggest that you purchase travel insurance to cover 100% of your tour cost as there are no exceptions to the cancellation penalties.

			TICKETS & DOCUMENTS: Tickets and documents will be sent via UPS promptly upon receipt from the railway, airline, or cruise company but only after final payment. This is customarily 14 days prior to departure. Documents include: ship tickets, a complete itinerary, baggage tags, helpful hints, train or air tickets (when applicable) and shore excursion tickets (when applicable). 

			PARTICIPATION ON TOUR: We reserve the right to refuse, to accept, or retain as a member of any tour any person whose deportment or condition impedes the progress, enjoyment, or operations of at any program or tour. In the event we exercise this action, Uncommon Journeys responsibility is limited only to refunding the unused tour services if a person is required to leave the tour. 

			ALTERATION OF ITINERARIES: Because of the nature of the tour programs contained in this brochure, unplanned changes in allotted space may occur. In the unlikely event that this should happen, Uncommon Journeys reserves the right to make changes in routing, visits, and tour timings at any time. Whenever practical, we will advise guests of these changes before departure date. Uncommon Journeys shall not be liable to provide compensation of any type for such operational decisions.

			HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: All hotel accommodations are for run of the house standard rooms. Some rooms will be larger or smaller and some rooms may be better than others. The Hotel Management makes all room assignments and Uncommon Journeys/Train Holidays has no control over which room you will receive. If the listed hotel on an itinerary is unavailable due to space availability or other considerations, then we reserve the right to substitute hotel accommodations of a type that we have determined to be of a similar grade. If you have a specific request, we will ensure that this request is passed on to the Hotel Management, however, it may not always be possible to accommodate the request. Please note that it is standard policy in the US and in CANADA that hotel rooms are not available for check-in before 4pm.

			TRAIN BAGGAGE: Luggage storage in the passenger cars is limited and as such, we recommend guests take only two pieces of carry-on luggage. Passengers will NOT have access to checked baggage while en route.

			GRATUITIES: All hotel baggage and gratuities on included meals are covered in the package price.  Driver/Guide, Host, Transfer driver, train station or pier Red Cap gratuities are not included.

			RESPONSIBILITY: All train travel included or purchased in conjunction with this program is operated by VIA Rail Canada and/or Amtrak. We cannot and will not accept any responsibility for delays and/or operational disruptions due to VIA RAIL and/or Amtrak operations and decisions. All of our itineraries have been carefully chosen to minimize any potential problem operationally, but occasionally events beyond the control of VIA Rail and/or Amtrak do occur. Uncommon Journeys and Train Holidays does not assume any liability for loss of or damage to or delay of perishable items, medicine, oxygen, liquor, cash, credit or debit cards, jewelry, gold, silver or similar valuables. Uncommon Journeys and Train Holidays will not assume any liability for and loss or damage of luggage or carry-on baggage, and will not assume any responsibility for loss, damage, or delay while baggage is in the custody contracted carriers. In addition, situations may arise which make it necessary for us to cancel, advance or postpone a scheduled departure, change itineraries or make substitutions involving hotels, restaurants, ports of call, other travel components, vessels or other modes of transportation. In that event, we do not assume responsibility or liability for any resulting losses, expenses, or inconvenience. We are not required to make refunds once travel commences regardless of the reason for passengers being unable to complete their travel. Please refer to the paragraph titled 'PARTICIPATION ON TOUR' for the only exception to this.  No person, other than a representative of Uncommon Journeys or Train Holidays authorized by a document in writing issued by the Chairman, may vary, add or waive any term or condition set forth in the preceding provisions.  Written notice of any claim against Uncommon Journeys or Train Holidays must be received no later than fourteen (14) days after the date that services were provided to a tour participant.   All terms and conditions and schedules and rates are subject to change without notice.

			PAYMENT OF YOUR DEPOSIT ON ANY TOUR OR PROGRAM INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

I have provided this information to Uncommon Journeys & Train Holidays for enrollment in the above noted tour/cruise. I have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions set forth in this document.

800-323-5893

Great Trains of North America

Great Trains of North America

Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Seattle

Day 2: Vancouver

Day 3: Vancouver

Day 4: Jasper

Jasper

Day 6: Banff

Day 7: Banff

Day 8: Banff

Day 9: Glacier National Park

Day 10: Glacier National Park

Day 11: Great Western Limited

Day 12: Arrive Chicago

Accommodations

Fares

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