Having watched several YouTube clips at home before our holiday started we had high expectations for the two days we were to spend onboard The Rocky Mountaineer. Was this going to be an 'unforgettable journey', time would tell .....

As our hotel in Banff was a 'partner hotel' to the Rocky Mountaineer, our bags were collected from our room and after receiving our boarding passes at the check in desk in the foyer we were whisked away in a waiting bus to the Banff station. With Rocky Mountaineer flags moving gently in a light breeze, friendly staff welcomed us as we walked the red carpet and climbed onboard our gold leaf carriage. Steps from the lower level took us to our domed observation car where we once again welcomed by crew members who directed us to our seats. The seats were large and comfortable with electronic controls in the arm-rest that not only tilted the seat back and lifted the leg-rest but also controlled a heater in the seat bottom, it was a bit like sitting on something that was a cross between a first class seat on a plane and a hospital bed! With flags flying we pulled out of Banff station waved on by Rocky Mountaineer 'ground' staff as we began our two day journey to Vancouver.

Our day onboard started with breakfast in the 'dining carriage' situated on the lower level of the train directly below our observation car. The menu was really impressive and the food and service first class. Returning to our seats we were able to sit back, relax and in my case try out the seat heater, as we chatted to fellow passengers and enjoy spectacular scenery passing through Banff, Yoho and Glacier National Park's. With an open vestibule at the back of our carriage and huge windows covering not only the sides but most of the roof of our 'observation car' we had plenty of opportunities to take photos. Passing through the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels, Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass and Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven, there was not only lakes, mountains and waterfalls to point our camera lenses towards, but near perfect reflections in the side of the train made for some great photos, as did taking pics of the front of the train as we curved around the gently winding tracks and headed into tunnels. We were lucky enough to see some wildlife along the way with big horned sheep grazing on the steep hillsides, that looked more like goats to me (and yes I was wearing my glasses), also several osprey and bald eagles soaring gracefully next to the train. One bald eagle was kind enough to give passengers a hunting demonstration as we closely passed a lake, swooping down with outstretched claws, he splashed feet first into the turquoise water to catch his own serving of fresh fish.

Our time on the train was very social, fellow passengers from many different countries around the world, all sharing the same Rocky Mountaineer experience. There was a friendly English couple holidaying for their 25th wedding anniversary, their next stop bear tracking in Alaska, a hilarious Australian couple from Canberra, heading off on an Alaskan cruise and then there was 'train man'. Train man, as we affectionately named him was from the USA, he was what you could only describe as a very enthusiastic train spotter. When everyone was out in the vestibule taking photos of lakes, mountains and waterfalls, 'train man' was pointing his camera lens towards, bridges, tunnels and other railway structures. It turned out that 'train man' was a model railway enthusiast and once home intended using his photos to create model replicas of what he had seen.

While enjoying a spectacular lunch we continued our onward journey towards Kamloops. In the early afternoon the outside atmosphere changed, firstly the distant mountains became a little hazy, then after a couple of hours the 'haze' starting to look more like smoke. As more time passed it became obvious the smoke was from a 'bushfire', it turned out to be from wildfires in Washington state more than two hundred kilometres away. By the time we got to Kamloops the smoke was quite thick, initially making the sun look like a large fluffy orange ball in the sky but later contributing to a beautiful sunset.

Given our hotel room access cards while still on the train we were taken literally from our carriage to the hotel by bus where our bags were already waiting in our room. The process the following morning was equally 'slick', leaving our bags in our room, which somehow didn't feel right, we dropped our room access card into reception before heading to a waiting bus that took us back to the station, once again walking the red carpet to re-board The Rocky Mountaineer.

Heading out of a still smokey Kamloops I felt a little disappointed that our views were somewhat 'obstructed' by lingering smoke. Within half an hour of pulling out of the station however the atmosphere began to clear and before we knew it the sky was clear and blue.

Following the Thompson river with steep slopes and rock sheds along its banks we again had many photo opportunities. Wildlife once again included bald eagles, osprey and a small herd of feral rafters floating slowly down stream on the river beside the train, who happily stopped paddling while they posed, giving passengers unobstructed views of several very white 'full moons'. Despite previous reports of a 'sasquatch' in the area we weren't fortunate enough to see one, perhaps more wine would have improved our vision in that wildlife search. Continuing on, the valley narrowed as we approached Fraser Canyon and the rushing waters of Hells Gate before passing through the Fraser Valley and on to Vancouver.

On arrival in Vancouver we bid crew and fellow passengers farewell we before being whisked away in a waiting bus to our city hotel. No mention of a room upgrade this time, we took the lift to the top floor of our hotel only to find we had been given a huge corner room with Vancouver city views and sitting on one of the queen beds (yes we had two) a gift basket of goodies to share and a card signed by the hotel manager and staff members.

So, did the Rocky Mountaineer live up to our expectations, yes, one hundred percent. Would we do it again, absolutely, choosing a different route however, there is so much more of Canada to see. Would we recommend it to others, of course, start planning. Did we eat and drink too much, hell yes. The meals and snacks were five star restaurant quality and the wine and drinks list extensive. Was the service top notch, definitely, as well as giving us a very informative commentary, pointing out things of interest and wildlife along the way, the crew were happy, friendly and helpful, the whole time. As for the train itself, it turned out we were were lucky enough to be in the one and only 'newly upgraded' gold class carriage, I guess you could call it the 'gold of the gold', hence the heated electronic seats and fancy lighting. Can we say it was an unforgettable journey, well in the words of Bob the Builder "yes we can".