Via Rail Sleeper Car Adventure!

This blog was created to display my review and provide information about the sleeper train that travels from Toronto to Vancouver.

On a side note, I would highly encourage Via Rail to take real estate pics and post on their website. Sell it like it's a hotel! It was a bit of a mystery what I was getting myself into, which, for the price was a bit scary.

1. Via Rail Sleeper Train - Accommodations

Via Rail Cabin for 2!

Here is the link to Via's website: http://www.viarail.ca/en/resources/cabin-two

Another video that shows a little about what to expect: http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian/classes-and-trains-cars

Highlights:

• BED SHEETS: Sheets were lovely! The bedding is a duvet that gets freshened frequently. It's not a 5 star hotel, but the bedding was surprisingly what I would expect at a Hilton.
• MATTRESSES were comfortable as well. I didn't expect that from a train bunk bed but looked forward to climbing into bed each night!
• THE CHAIRS for the daytime were so much more comfortable that I had thought. I just could've used a leg rest or something. I just used my luggage.

Ideas:

• It would be nice to have a better mechanism to communicate whether you wanted your bed for the day. Like add a note to your door, or another type of 'Do not disturb' door hanger. My recommendation would be to get to know your car manager and let them know.

Pictures of the Via Rail Sleeper Train Cabin for 2:

The ladder is best for someone who has good balance :)	Cabin for 2 sink
Bed made up with chocolates	You get a little reader light and sachet for books etc.
The towels	Private bathroom!

There is some storage above the sink for a few smaller things	Via provides you with a bag of towels and soap
Daytime configuration of Cabin for 2	Small sink is new

2. Food and dining on the via rail sleeper train

Highlights:

• The tables were lovely! It felt fancy going to all three meals with table cloths and cloth napkins
• I had quite a few meals that were really delicious, breakfast was my favourite meal of the day!

Ideas:

• It would be great to see fresh flowers! With all of the stops I feel like it would be doable and it would definitely make the whole experience that much better. There are people on this train visiting from across the planet and it would feel so VIP. 
• This is definitely not an airplane! The food was pretty tasty. I'd definitely however try and employ a chef that gets 5 star, maybe even a celebrity chef here and there to add some unique dishes. Maybe even a survey from meals across the country to reinforce the Canadian experience. They kind of do this so maybe just push a bit further.
• I'd love to see some food from local regions as we're traveling through them. Anything to add to the Canadian experience a bit. For instance the jams were very good but would be even better if they were from Bob & Mary's local organic farm from small town ontario etc.
• The service depends greatly on the crew that you have. The first crew we were with seemed really tired and a bit rough around the edges. Given that this is a pretty significant cost, no one should give off a grumpy vibe. It should be the top service from start to finish to make you feel like home. Once our crew changed the lead service manager was amazing. He made stupid jokes that made everyone laugh, and was so adorable on the PA system. It really added to my overall experience. 

Breakfast Menu

My favourite part was the view!

Standard Breakfast on the Via Rail Sleeper Train

Via Rail Dining Car

3. Showers on the via rail sleeper train

Highlights:

• There's a decent size change room before you get into the shower- allowing you to dress/undress in peace. 
• The shower pressure is decent if you keep tapping the button that activates the shower.
• I would recommend turning on the shower once or twice before jumping in since it's cold at first :)
• Most people are clean and don't leave a mess 
• Bring flip flops!

Ideas:

• It felt a little dated, but totally practical so I can't really complain
• Sometimes the towel deposit got a bit full but maybe it's because the person before me used 8 towels who knows :)

Shower Room with change area

Shower

4. Activities

• One of the main activities was a magic show. My thoughts on that is there weren't a ton of kids on the train, so there may have been something more relavant for the crowd? 
• If there could be some way to incorporate physical activity like yoga or stretching that would be cool. You're on a train barely moving and getting a bit of encouraged activity would be great. Not sure about insurance on that though ;)
• Live music would be awesome, maybe a guitar player or small band. You could trade them their tickets for their talents. I would love to see a violinist or small trio.

5. Stops

My guess is that someone taking this train may not necessarily be doing it frequently. Information about our stops and where we were going to be was lacking. I was a bit confused about when we were stopping, for how long, and there were only a few suggestions on what to do. 

• Winnipeg: I overheard someone telling a group in the sky car that you could take a tour of Winnipeg. If you are stopped in Winnipeg for 3 hours you need something to pass the time. I am SO glad I overheard this, but really it could be part of a program. 
• Jasper: We were only in Jasper for about an hour. Traveling all that way and finally getting to stop in one of Canada's most beautiful towns was exciting. STopping for at least 2-3 hours would be a lovely part of the journey. Again, Via Rail could attract people from all over the world and stopping in Jasper is party of the selling point.

6. Other:

• Connectivity/Internet: There was no WiFi. The reason this was challenging is that I am with Rogers who has terrible coverage out west. So on one hand I was disconnected which is amazing, but on the other I couldn't contact anyone and would have appreciated being able to. I even think there is sponsorship opportunity for Rogers or Bell to provide the service, maybe for a small fee.
• Travel Guide: As you are traveling through the beautiful Canadian landscape, it would be helpful to have a guide with more detailed information about the region you are traveling through. There is a small pamphlet with general information, but given that I hardly have any wireless connection, I can't even look anything up. Sometimes the train manager would get on the PA system and describe a thing or two - this was great! More information is good. They should really treat the experience like a tour.
• Train/cabin labels: As you are traveling through 5 cars to get to the meal cart and back, it gets a bit confusing. Everything looks the same and I would not have been surprised to have someone open up our door thinking they were on a different car. Just adding unique labels on each door would solve this! Super simple but would be helpful.
• Toilet paper roll: OK this is really weird, but every time our neighbour went to the bathroom I could tell because the toilet paper roll would make a noise through the wall. Sure, the first few times I laughed so hard I cried, but after 3 days on the train I really don't need to know what business my neighbour is up to!