Whistler Mountaineer

[margord]

Has anyone taken the Whistler Mountaineer from Vancouver to Whistler and back?

[LeftcoastBC]

Haven't done it personally but have talked with folks and read only good things. There are bus pick up in/at Vancouver hotel and the train leaves at 8 AM from their station in North Vancouver. A day trip up and back only gives you a few hours in Whistler however. Views from the train are great.

[margord]

Haven't done it personally but have talked with folks and read only good things. There are bus pick up in/at Vancouver hotel and the train leaves at 8 AM from their station in North Vancouver. A day trip up and back only gives you a few hours in Whistler however. Views from the train are great.

 

Thanks so much. Think we are going to book itl.

[dam1050]

Has anyone taken the Whistler Mountaineer from Vancouver to Whistler and back?

 

Will be riding this in a couple of weeks and will try to remember to let you know afterwards. :)

 

Dave

[margord]

Will be riding this in a couple of weeks and will try to remember to let you know afterwards. :)

 

Dave

 

Thanks. What are your plans? We want to take the train from Vancouver to Whsitler and spend 2 nights at the Fairmont.

[dam1050]

That sounds like a great plan! We're just heading up for the day for the train ride there and back. It's very nice scenery. We're taking advantage of a "locals" special which was advertised last winter for a really good deal.

 

We'll get picked up at a hotel on the Vancouver side, taken to N Van to train and back to downtown after train back. Just a short time in Whistler itself.

 

Dave

[margord]

That sounds like a great plan! We're just heading up for the day for the train ride there and back. It's very nice scenery. We're taking advantage of a "locals" special which was advertised last winter for a really good deal.

 

We'll get picked up at a hotel on the Vancouver side, taken to N Van to train and back to downtown after train back. Just a short time in Whistler itself.

 

Dave

 

Sounds great. Got to love those trains.

 

Marilee

[englishmum]

Please could someone tell me the cost of this train journey for the day trip from Vancouver.We are taking the land trip with RCL prior to our cruise to Alaska which calls in Banff/Kamloops/Lake Louise but does not go to Whistler,however we are staying in Vancouver for 3-4 days after the cruise so would people recommend we do this train journey.

[dam1050]

englishmum -- you can find all their info at website: http://www.whistlermountaineer.com/

 

Dave

[englishmum]

Thanks very much for the info,much appreciated.As we are doing the Rocky mountaineer pre cruise trip I was wondering if our time in Vancouver at the end of the cruise would be best spent seeing all the sites there or would I be missing something quite spectacular by not going to Whistler.Obviously this would take a day out of our time in Vancouver.I haven't decided yet how long to stay so day trips to other places would require me to stay longer.This does not matter as I am sure I will not be returning to this part of the world I really do not want to miss out on anything that is very special.

[KBC]

I was so pleased to see this thread. We are spending 3 days in Vancouver prior to our HAL cruise in September and have just booked the Rocky M - 'Whistler' train for one of the days. We are returning to Vancouver by floatplane which I am REALLY looking forward to. The lady at the booking office (Nancy) was simply wonderful.

[dam1050]

I was so pleased to see this thread. We are spending 3 days in Vancouver prior to our HAL cruise in September and have just booked the Rocky M - 'Whistler' train for one of the days. We are returning to Vancouver by floatplane which I am REALLY looking forward to. The lady at the booking office (Nancy) was simply wonderful.

 

That will be really enjoyable! Make sure you have your camera. Have taken floatplanes to Victoria on Vancouver Island several times and they are wonderful. :)

[margord]

Thanks very much for the info,much appreciated.As we are doing the Rocky mountaineer pre cruise trip I was wondering if our time in Vancouver at the end of the cruise would be best spent seeing all the sites there or would I be missing something quite spectacular by not going to Whistler.Obviously this would take a day out of our time in Vancouver.I haven't decided yet how long to stay so day trips to other places would require me to stay longer.This does not matter as I am sure I will not be returning to this part of the world I really do not want to miss out on anything that is very special.

 

We did the Canadian Rockies and Rockie Mountainer last year through Princess. It was an awesome trip and I highly recommend it to anyone.

[BCHappyGal]

Englishmom

 

If you are not planning to come back then plan to stay more than just a few days if you can afford it.

 

Vancouver is a wonderful city with lots to do and see.

My list of must sees would include:

Grouse Mountain http://www.grousemountain.com

 

Capilano Suspensions Bridge http://www.capbridge.com

 

Stanley Park with its Aquarium http://www.vanaqua.org, totem poles, rose garden, miniture train, hiking trails, view points, restaurants, sea wall and more situated on over 1000 acres in the centre of downtown Vancouver.

 

Granville Island public market with many artists calling this home

 

Gas Town the area first settled in Vancouver

Take time for a visit to the top of the tower for lunch or just to enjoy the view from the lookout level http://www.vancouverlookout.com

 

China Town with the world's thinnest building (only 6' wide) and Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com

 

Science World http://www.scienceworld.bc.ca

 

The Vancouver Museum and the Maratime Museum which are very good. In the Maratime Museum you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed both ways thru the North West Passage int he 1930's.

 

Burnaby Village Musuem http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca

 

Georgia Pacific Cannery Museum in Steveston which is part of the city of Richmond is very good and then it is fun to walk down the dock and see allthe fish boats selling their fresh catch. Some great restaurants here too.

This is also where you would catch the whale watching tours from.

 

Queen Elizabeth Park is a beautiful park / garden in Vancouver with a conservatory on the top of the hill and also an excellent restaurant.

 

Fort Langley is the original Hudson's Bay Trading Post that was the first white settlement in this area and also the origianl capital of BC

 

If you are into wines take a day to tour some of the wineries located int he Fraser Valley - they offer free tours & tastes.

 

A little further afield is Minter Gardens http://www.mintergardens.com and also Hell's GAte Airtram http://www.hellsgateairtram.com

 

The above are only a few of Vancouver's many attractions.

 

Now I will list a couple of side trip for you

 

Whistler which is actually about a 2 hour drive north of Vancovuer is well worth an extra 2 days - stay overnight in Whistler if you can so that you get to really enjoy it. If you drive to Whistler stop in Britannia Beach and visit the Mining Museum which is very interesting - you actually go undergroun on a mining train and they demonstrat (operate) the various types of drills and equipment used to mine. Then in Squamish you can stop at hte railway museum.

 

Victoria on Vancouver island is another trip that should include an overnight stay as there is much to do in Victoria and I can highly recommend spending the money for tea at the Empress Hotel - stay there too is you can afford it.

 

Hope the above helps.

[englishmum]

BCHappyGal

Thank you so much for your response,this was exactly the info I was looking for.I will take your advise and have a one night stay in Whistler and a one night stay in Victoria.How many days do you think I need to see the major sites in Vancouver?I need to have all this planned before I book the air fare,although our cruise is not until June 2008.We will be flying from London to Calgary from where RCL pick you up for the Rockies cruisetour.We thought we would fly out a few days before this so we could see Calgary,so how many days do you think I will need there?