Whistler Mountaineer
4 reviews for Whistler Mountaineer
4 reviews in English
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Review from John J.
Vancouver, BC
4/13/2012
I was privileged to travel on board this wonderful transport, to Whistler, a few years ago.
The scenery very much reminded me of New Zealand on a much grander scale!
The service was first class.
The connection simple and the experience awesome. -
Review from Tam F.
8/29/2010 8 photos
So, Tod. M. really did a great job describing the train and the service. We had the Concierge at our hotel make the arrangements and we took the 'coach' car up to Whistler and the 'first class' car back.
To start out on our adventure, a nice new bus took us from a local hotel to the train station and back again. For a one day adventure, I am not sure I would recommend this due to the price, but again, it was quite the adventure.
When we arrived at the train station, we promptly boarded our "coach car" and were treated to coffee, tea and juice. Once the train pulled away from the station we were given a boxed breakfast that had a sandwich (fresh made on a croissant) and cut up fruit. I did not eat the sandwich as it was my very worst nightmare of all things I don't eat (mayo, ham and hard boiled eggs), but the husband enjoyed his. The service on our train was stellar and the views were spectacular. There is an open car where you can take pictures and really get a sense of what being off the highway has to offer.
Once we arrived in Whistler (it was about 3 hours later) we had a 2.5 hour long time in Whistler Village (enough time to have lunch and walk around). The bus that took us from the train to the village was too crowded and seemed less organized than the bus trip from the hotel to the station.
Whistler was a total waste of time for us other than the fact that my in-laws (brother/sister/nephew) drove up from Bellingham just to have lunch with us here. It was a total tourist trap without enough signage as to how to get around the small village and an incredibly mediocre amount of bathrooms.
We were happy to get back onto the bus to take us back to the train station and have our first class experience. This car was bigger, the seats a little more plush and there was high tea and booze served all with real glass, silverware and cloth napkins. The service again was stellar, the tea itself tasty and it was a lot of fun.
The train trip itself was one of the highlights of our vacation (cost and all) and to be honest, there was no need to "upgrade" as the coach car (sans the nasty sandwich) was perfect in and of itself. -
Review from Tod M.
Vancouver, BC
6/3/2009
This is a daily-run train that goes from North Vancouver (with pickup at downtown hotels) to Whistler on a very scenic route.
There are two service levels -- $109 (special) for coach and $250 for "dome car" service.
First, the service is very good. Organized pickups and luggage handling, friendly staff on board, interesting tour-guide material without it being too in-your-face. The real star here, though, isn't the train but the spectacular views along the way.
But their marketing materials is a little bit more, er, enthusiastic than reality. For one thing, the "Glacier Dome Car" sounds great but, in fact, is not in a dome car at all. To be accurate, it should be called a "Glacier Tall Windows Car."
And while you do get fed hot food in the Dome Car (as opposed to cold food), there's really not that much difference between it and the regular coach class. Same sized seating and legroom from what I could tell, access to the same heritage car, reclining seats, assigned seating, and so on. Save the $250; go with the cheaper $109 "Classic Coach" version instead.
The train company promised "fully reclining seats" on the Dome car and, as I knew I would need to rest, this is partially why I opted to go with the train rather than the bus. In fact, the seats do NOT fully recline. While they recline more than coach seats in an airplane, if you're expecting to be able to lie down (that *is* what fully reclining means), you'll be disappointed.
Ticketing went well. Through a snafu, they had my directions reversed but it was taken care of quickly. The tickets are not refundable in any way, though you can move unused tickets to a later date in the year. For a change fee, natch.
And finally, the train arrived 30 minutes later than scheduled which seemed to be the norm. There didn't seem to be any unusual delays -- after all, there aren't traffic jams on the rail tracks -- just seemed to be a bit of lasse faire. Didn't affect me, but might be a concern for people with a tight air connection who expect to arrive when scheduled.
Overall, despite feeling a bit misled by some of the promises (dome car, a big differences by paying more than double, and "fully" reclining seats), the trip was smooth and enjoyable. Bring your camera!! -
Review from Angela N.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2010
I took a group up to Whistler on the Whistler Mountaineer about a year ago and a really brilliant time. We took them in the Dome Car, which, if you can afford it, I would recommend. Everything went really smoothly with the trip. Pick up service was punctual and friendly getting us to the train comfortable. (We were only going for the day, so there was no luggage.) When we arrived on board we were welcomed with mimosas and a really beautiful breakfast. The staff gave a bit of an introduction and the trip started off. There are probably no better views in the world than here, and the train goes slowly enough for you to see them all - slowing down to "Kodak speed" when the views are especially beautiful. All they way up to Whistler we were treated with unlimited drinks, which made the Europeans in my group especially happy, and when we arrived in Whistler the shuttles were all lined up to take guests wherever they wanted to go (depending on the tours chosen).
On the way back we were treated to the Fairmont Hotel's full English tea service complete with cucumber sandwiches and scones with clotted cream - plus the unlimited drinks once again.
For what could have been a very hectic trip, it was an extremely relaxing day and a great way to travel from Vancouver to Whistler. I would recommend it to anyone!
