May 2006 - Spirit Of Rockies Land Tour Followed By Splendour Of The Glaciers Cruise

[suron]

We have booked this trip flying from Heathrow to Calgary on 22nd May for the Land Tour and will then pick up the Dawn Princess for the cruise section - round trip from Seattle sailing on 27th May.

 

If anyone has done this trip any tips would be much appreciated.

 

Alternatively if anyone else is booked on the Land Tour please get in touch. There is already a Roll Call set up for the cruise element.

 

From information already posted on various threads it seems to be a great itinerary and am looking forward to all the planning.

 

Suron in Bristol, England ;)

[suron]

Is anyone joining us on the Rockies Land Tour departing Calgary on 22nd May? We will be ending this tour in Seattle and joining Dawn Princess on 27th May for the Alaska cruise. There is already a Roll Call started for the cruise section but we would like to know if there are any others on the land tour and/or the cruise with us???

[Host Caroline]

Not doing that tour but I can tell you that you will love it.. spent about 10 days in the Canadian Rockies on vacation and would still go back.. the scenery is stunning, friendly people and so much to see and do. Be sure to take the tramway in Banff and Jasper for an amazing view of surrounding area.. We stayed in Banff.. not sure if tour uses Banff Springs which is right near the town center and accessed on a lovely trail shared often by elk.. who will walk with you uninvited.. and I've got the pics to prove it:) The drive from Banff to Jasper on Icefield Parkway is lovely. You have a wonderful wonderful vacation to look forward to

[suron]

Thanks for your response. We are looking forward to planning this trip and have already found the various threads on Canada and Alaska full of useful tips. We will have several excursions included on the land tour section plus optional trips but it is good to know ahead of time what to plan for. We were on Star Princess on the Baltic itinerary in August and we thought the sights were awesome then but everyone tells us that we will be bowled over by the Rockies and Alaska.

 

Thanks again for you advice.

 

Suron ;)

[fuzz]

We did that tour last year and of our, now, four trips to Alaska it is far and away our favorite itenerary. We were on The Princess Diamond and as Caroline said we stayed at the Banff Springs, The Fairmont Chateau in Lake Louise and the Fairmont Jasper Lodge. Each is different and unique. The food is excellent and Princess does a great job of moving you around to see a lot without making you feel like all you are doing is getting on and off the bus. Our three favorites:

 

1. Lake Moraine. Nothing compaired with the sheer beauty.

 

2. Jasper Park Lodge. We are planning to go back for four or five days just to stay there.

 

3. Banff. Just hanging out and shopping downtown. Loads of fun and interesting places. I wish we were going back there this year.

 

 

The train to Vancouver is comfortable and interesting.

 

Have fun

[Host Caroline]

Depending on how much time you have in each place (and how active you are) there are several great local outfitters in Jasper that do rafting down the Athabasca.. be sure and take the tram there and in Banff... The Banff town gardens (you can't miss 'em ) were gorgeous in early September, not sure how early spring is there but I imagine tulips etc. when you are by.. aNd you may find yourself along the Bow River trail with a local elk.. we had a stroll with one that we did NOT appraoch.. she turned around to walk with us... have a picture.. very neat experience.. You will probably have the Columbia Glacier included on the tour.. we had blizzard white out conditions when we were up there and were all tied together to the snowmobile thing-y but that was definitely an experience I would not trade.. whole new appreciation for the conditions that those who do research in the Antarctic go thru all the time.. This is a wonderful wonderful part of Canada and you will love it...

[suron]

Thanks for all your great tips. We will be lunching at the Fairmount Chateau in Lake Louise and are overnight at the Ptarmigan Inn in Banff. Jasper we have the Lobstick Inn, in Sun Peaks its the Sundance Lodge and in Vancouver we will be in the Westin Bayshore.

 

As a matter of interest can you tell me about luggage on the land tour?

 

From England we will be allowed 2 pieces of luggage each and each piece should be no more than 32 kgs. Someone said that we may not be allowed to take two cases each on the coach trip part of the trip (we are not doing anything on the train) but others have indicated that we would be advised to pack one case each for the cruise, one each for the land tour and the cruise case would be transported ahead ready for our cruise bit. Can you enlighten us on this point?? :confused:

 

So very grateful for all the input.

Kind regards

Suzanne (Suron in Bristol, England)

[margord]

Suron,

 

We are doing the same trip but ours is the beginning of July. I am as hungry as you for information. Please post after your trip so you can give me all the details. Happy Holidays

 

Marilee

[suron]

Suron,

 

We are doing the same trip but ours is the beginning of July. I am as hungry as you for information. Please post after your trip so you can give me all the details. Happy Holidays

 

Marilee

 

Thought I would come back into this thread to update you on some of our findings.

 

Have linked up with a couple on the Roll Call for the cruise but so far no-one elso has posted for the Rockies section.

 

We have, after studying various reports, decided that we will be going with Princess on any shore excursions. Some reports say that the ships can sometimes be late in port which necessitates re-scheduling trips and this could prove a hassle with independent agencies - could they fit you in for something different and would they give full refunds if by chance the port of call had to be cancelled due to bad weather as was the case in one report we read?!

 

I have gone back and looked at lots of reviews for all the Princess ships which cover Alaska and have picked up some very useful information from these. We know that the excursions are going to be quite pricey but what the heck, this is a trip of a lifetime for us and we intend going all out for a great time.

 

Have you checked the details on your cruise personalizer yet? When I checked ours for the 27th May sailing on Dawn Princess I discovered that the times for arriving and departing the various ports of call are completely different to those shown in our Princess Brochure. I have e-mailed Princess UK to try and get this sorted but as yet no response. Would be interested to know if your times are the same as in brochure?

 

Once the balance of the money is due on 27th Feb it will then only be a matter of weeks before we are off. Can't wait. Hope your plans are going along OK. Have you managed to link up with others on the boards for your dates.

 

Would like to hear how your plans are going.

Regards

Suzanne (Suron in Bristol, England) ;)

[margord]

Suzanne,

 

I will check the cruise personalizer and get back to you on times. So far only one person on the roll call other than us. They are doing the cruise portion only. I just printed out the tours and plan on checking them out soon. Really looking forward to this cruise and hope to get lots of info from you when you return since information seems very slow coming.

 

 

Marilee

[margord]

Suzanne,

 

The only difference I saw as Ketchican. The personalizer shows us arriving at 5:30 a.m. and the web shows 6 a.m. Other than that everything is the same. What is different on yours?

 

Marilee

[cruiseryyc]

As one of the fortunate people who lives in Calgary and gets to look out her office window and see the Rockies every day I can only add that you will have a wonderful time. However, if you are lucky enough to see wildlife, please do not go near them - even deer can be extremely dangerous particularily during mating season.

 

I can report on the Dawn Princess as I've been lucky enough to sail on her twice now. She is my favorite Princess ship, the Wheelhouse Bar is the best place for pre-dinner (and post for that matter) drinks and dancing. Be sure to bring layers of clothing as you could run into rain, snow and cold (both on the land and sea portion). A good rain slicker over sweaters will suffice, but don't forget gloves and a hat.

 

Your plan to take the Princess offered tours is a good choice. Then you don't have to worry about timing, cancellations, etc. Have a wonderful time in my part of the country.

[margord]

Cruiseryyc,

 

Thanks so much for the information, we appreciate it.

 

Marilee

[suron]

Suzanne,

 

The only difference I saw as Ketchican. The personalizer shows us arriving at 5:30 a.m. and the web shows 6 a.m. Other than that everything is the same. What is different on yours?

 

Marilee

 

Here are our timings for Dawn on 27th May. Personalizer times on left and brochure times on right

 

Juneau 1pm.-10pm 11am-10pm

Skagway 6am-8.15pm 5am-8.45pm

Tracy Arm 9am-1pm 11am-3pm

Ketchikan 6am-12.30pm 6am-12.30pm

Victoria 7.30pm-midnight 7.30pm-midnight

Seattle arr 7am arr 7am

 

I know these are not vast differences in timings but it could prove awkward when trying to possibly arrange something independently. Still, I think Ron and I are planning to go with the Princess tours. They are now available for booking so we really must make some plans. Only wish Princess could tell us what optional extras are on offer for the Land Tour. There is no information whatsoever on the the Personalizer with regard to the Land Tour. Think I will have to phone them to get some info on that!

 

Hope all is OK with your plans.

Kind regards from Suzanne ;)

[margord]

Suzanne,

 

Maybe I wasn't looking at the brochure. I probably had my info from the web, but my personalizer times are the same as yours. If you get any information from calling them on the land portion please let me know.

 

Marilee

[sweetpea916]

A few tips from someone who lives in Calgary on the doorstep to the Rockies...

 

The best white water rafting is on the Kickinghorse River in Golden. Not sure if your tour stops there but if it does, do your rafting here instead of on the Athabasca in Jasper.

 

There's a gondola in Jasper (up the Whistler's Mountain) and in Banff (up the Sulphur Mountain). The Whistler's is better. Sulphur Mountain is impressive too, but the views and wildlife is better on the Whistler's.

 

Maligne Canyon near Jasper is fantastic. So is Johnston's Canyon near Banff. If you have the energy and time, hike all the way to the Ink Pots on the Johnston's Canyon hike. You won't regret it (aside from the sore legs the next day)!

 

The Chateaux Lake Louise is the most impressive hotel. If you aren't staying there, go check it out and snoop around.

 

All this, of course, is IMHO. ;)

[margord]

Seatpea,

 

We are staying at the Chateaux Lake Louise. I can't wait to see it. Also, we are arriving in Calgary 1 day ahead of the tour. The tour does not start until the evening of the second day. We we have the late afternoon/evening of July 1st and all day July 2nd till we need to meet in the early evening. Even after the meeting I understand we are on our own for dinner. DO you have any recommendation on where to go for dinner and what to do all day July 2nd?

 

Marilee

[captainron]

Hi,

Calgary is a great city, however you'll be just a tad early for Stampede week which starts 7 July.

 

I would recommend that you don't bother with the national park as you'll be staying in Lake Louise anyway, however I would strongly recommend a visit to Heritage Park on 14St SW where you can relive the lifestyle of the old west as it was in the early years of Calgary. There you can ride a trolley, an old steam train, and visit shops in the style of the turn of the century.

 

If you'd just like to relax, take a few hours and go to Princes Island Park, just to walk along the banks of the Bow River. For a beautiful day in the foothills, you could rent a car and take a drive out to Bragg Creek which is a beautiful town located on the banks of the river.

 

Regardless of what you do on your short stay, welcome to western Canada and the most beautiful scenery in the world.

 

Ciao for now!!!

 

In the national park, rememeber that it's a wildlife refuge. If you are to go hiking even on marked trails, it's advised to take a small bell or something similar with you in the event there are bear with young ones. Also you will see a lot of elk and deer in the park. As darling as elk may look, they are very protective especially when they're with the young ones, and can charge on a whim. Bottom line: DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS!!!

[margord]

Captain Iron,

 

Thanks so much for the recommendations. The Heritage Park on 14St SW sounds cool. We are staying at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel 9th Avenue SW. Does that mean that the Heritage Park is just 5 blocks away? If not what is the best way to get there? Taxi or Rental Car?

 

Marilee

[cruiseryyc]

While it may sound like Heritage Park is only a few blocks away from the Palliser, unfortunately it isn't. Your best bet would be a taxi, which will cost around $20 to $25 each way. Now I haven't taken a cab from downtown to the park so I really am guessing on this, but it would certainly be cheaper than renting a car.

[sweetpea916]

Thanks so much for the recommendations. The Heritage Park on 14St SW sounds cool. We are staying at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel 9th Avenue SW. Does that mean that the Heritage Park is just 5 blocks away? If not what is the best way to get there? Taxi or Rental Car?

 

Marilee

 

Lucky you, staying at the Palliser! :)

 

Calgary addresses are not easy to decipher... it's a quadrant system. So there's a 17th avenue North and also a 17th avenue South... the north one is 17 blocks North of the middle of the city and so on. So unless you have an excellent map and a good sense of direction I would suggest NOT trying to drive around Calgary.

 

If you're a museum buff the Glenbow Museum is within walking distance of your hotel.

 

If you like animals the Calgary Zoo is on the C-Train route. The C-Train is Calgary's light rail transit system. The hotel can tell you how to get to the closest station downtown. The Calgary Zoo is pretty good and has lots of big impressive exhibits.

 

Now, not sure if you're into the nightlife or not but there are several cowboy bars downtown. That's an experience you won't forget!

[margord]

Thank you both for the information. I really do appreciate. Is there any restaurants that we shouldn't miss? Looks like we will be there for 2 dinners and 1 breakfast and lunch.

 

Marilee

[cruiseryyc]

The dining room in the Palliser is very nice, fairly "old and formal". Many years ago it was the place to go on for Friday lunch - they were famous for the clam chowder and crusty rolls. For dinner I suggest the following restaurants that are within walking distance - Murietta's, Saltlik, Milestones. My favorite Italian restaurant is Villa Firenze which would require a taxi ride ($10.00 range). Any of these would most likely require a reservation. You could go up the Calgary Tower to the revolving restaurant for a great view of the city. Dinners up there are very expensive, not sure what lunch prices are like. If you go to Heritage Park for the day there are several places in the Park to pick up lunch. The bakery has fabulous buns, sausage rolls, etc. and the ice cream shoppe and candy store for old fashioned goodies!!!

[captainron]

Hi,

I agree with cruiseryyc.

The hotel is on 9th Ave downtown but the Park is on 14th SW. The cab ride is about 15 mins from downtown.

 

Cab's quickest route would be west to Crowchild Trail, south on Crowchild to Glenmore Tr then west to 14th St South Exit and about a 3 min drive south on 14th St SW to the park entrance.

 

If you get off at the park entrance you can get a fantastic photo shot of the well restored old CPR "Mountain" locomotive that used to pull CPR trains up through the Kicking Horse Pass, Rogers Pass and the Spiral Tunnel into Lake Louise and through to Calgary.

 

From the entrance turnoff you can take the trolley to the park gates...then enjoy yourself. Check the times the paddlewheeler leaves for trips around the Glenmore Reservoir.

 

Hope you enjoy Calgary and Western Canada, and...

 

Ciao for now!!!

[margord]

Thank you all. I really appreciate the information.

 

Marilee