Alberta Quilter

I’m sorry if I created any confusion. Some on my roll call are waiting for the same info I was inquiring about and, since it was a HAL specific question, I thought the HAL forum was the more appropriate place to ask than the SA forum. Since I was asking for similar information as the OP, albeit for a different year, I assumed that the OP might be interested to know that the HAL pre/post hotel info is not yet available for those sailing in less than a year.

The problem is that the HAL hotel information is not yet available (finally worked for me a few minutes ago and I was able to confirm that there is no hotel information yet) for our Jan/25 cruise. I thought that information would be available about a year prior to the cruise...

Thanks very much. I did follow all of the blogs this year. I'll check them again for the hotel information. Yes, have a TA but it's the big box one so not the best for pre cruise advice. I did do this once before (without Antartica) so did the pre-cruise tour with HAL but this time I'm travelling with my sister who has never been. We'll also be booking the flights on points so that's why I want to get going on the flight booking.

@0106 do you recall when the hotel packages became available for your SA cruise? I realize you booked independently but I hope you have a general idea. I'm booked for Jan/25 and the last time I checked a few weeks ago, there still was no information on hotel packages. I'm getting the dreaded 404 error today so cannot check if it's up now. I have independent hotel reservations but want to see what is included with HAL's package. And I'm waiting to book our flights.

I don’t think it would matter. The scenery is stunning on both sides. I hope @Blackduck59 or @Heidi13 will chime in and correct me if I’m wrong.

I was told by one PC couple that they also receive 10 free Pinnacle Grill dinners each per cruise. If they book multiple cruises B2B, they get 10 dinners for each booking number. That might explain why others get bounced from their reservations, although I think that is wrong. The PC couple invited us for dinner because they were never going to use up all their free dinners. They had three separate cruises booked so received a lot of dinners within about six or eight weeks.

Where would you be going? If to Hawaii, there should be a Hawaiian group onboard with ukulele and hula classes, and Hawaiian crafts. But they’re not onboard on the way back….

There are a few Fairmont hotels in Vancouver. The Waterfront, the Pacific Rim, and the Hotel Vancouver, plus the one at the airport. Make sure you’re talking about the same one with your TA.

I really enjoyed Louisbourg, much more than expected. And we were there when there weren't many costumed staff. In June, I would expect it to be even better.

Agree with this, along as you’re comfortable with driving in the mountains. If you do a tour package with RM, they will take you to all of the sights without you needing to deal with the logistics. But it will come at an added cost and at their timing. You will have much more flexibility on your own. FYI, Parks Canada has just announced higher parking fees at Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake has parking restrictions too. They want people to use transit instead. If you choose to do this portion on your own, I would suggest earlier in August because of weather.

If this might be your one and only trip to Alaska and Western Canada, considering you're coming from Spain, then try to book a cruise tour that includes the Yukon. I particularly liked Dawson City. My sister lived in Whitehorse for a few years and was sad to leave it, she liked it so much. I didn't see much of Whitehorse on my tour due to a late arrival and early departure the following day.

I agree about doing the land portion of the cruise tour first because the land tour days are long and rather exhausting. You'll be able to recover on the cruise. As for the Rocky Mountaineer, I've done two of the three Canadian routes. I enjoyed the three day route from Jasper to Vancouver, via Quesnel & Whistler, more than the two day route from Vancouver to Banff, via Kamloops. I felt the scenery was better (departing from Vancouver is not pretty at all) in the northern route. The only disappointment to the northern route was the section between Jasper and Prince George; we were in a tunnel of trees for much of the first day. Of course, it didn't help that it was pouring rain. It was the end of August. The rain turned to snow, in Jasper, within a day or two of our departure and made headlines. The scenery only improved after that first day; the weather did, too! Whistler was beautiful. The afternoon train ride from Whistler to North Van was very nice, with local residents coming out of their homes to wave at us as we passed. That hardly happened on the southern route... On the RM, do expect delays. We had a one hour delay shortly after leaving Whistler, near Squamish. But on the other trip, we had a five hour delay before being bused to Kamloops on Day 1, arriving at midnight. That was not pleasant but totally out of RM's control (delays in both instances were due to issues with other trains on the same tracks). They actually had to serve us a third meal because of that delay. Do not book any post train arrangements on the day you disembark the RM because of the chance of delay. Oh, and make sure, if your budget allows, to book Gold Leaf. This gets you into the dome cars which has better views, an outdoor viewing platform (for better pictures), better (adjustable) seats, and the ability to move to the dining car below for your meals. More meal options, too. As for the cruise and kids, expect kids. I did my one and only cruise tour in June (around summer solstice). We saw more kids than I expected but I guess school is out a little earlier, in June, in the US than it is in Canada. Although I haven't been to Alaska in August, since school is still out, I would expect them. Even though HAL may not have the image of being family friendly, they seem to be trying to change that image with their kids sail free promos. I would think that Alaska and the Caribbean itineraries would be more inclined to have more children than other itineraries. Hope that helps!

So maybe, the cruise lines recently became aware of the Canadian restrictions. I said in my post that my experience was a few years ago, but it was about ten years ago. I'm surprised that border officials wouldn’t have been aware of it, though.

We had ours shipped to Canada to avoid any issues. I believe they came in the fall in time to plant.

Agree. I'm currently seeing the Volendam Grand Australia menus (which match what richwmn is posting) even though my cruise isn't for a few more months and nowhere near Australia.