FAQ: In-travel

The seats onboard are able to turn to face each other in a pod of four. While this can be convenient when travelling with small children, it does have a substantial impact on the amount of leg room available to share, and it inhibits you from using the tray table on our SilverLeaf Service coaches. If you would like to know more about this, please enquire with your Guest Service Manager while travelling with us.

Rocky Mountaineer will make every effort to meet any special needs, including the requirements of our disabled guests. Some of the Rocky Mountaineer coaches are wheelchair accessible. On our Canadian rail routes, GoldLeaf Service coaches have elevators for guests who have problems using the spiral staircase. Please visit our Mobility & Accessibility page for more information, and inform us at the time of booking if any assistance is required.

Onboard the train, you will be surrounded by a team of people dedicated to service excellence and their gratuities are included as part of the package price.

In North America, gratuities are often given in recognition of service excellence. Depending on your rail route and package, gratuities may or may not be included for sightseeing tour and motorcoach drivers. Gratuities are entirely at your own discretion.

For our Canadian rail routes, gratuities for sightseeing tour drivers are not included. We suggest a gratuity of $5 CAD per person, per day.

For our US rail route, gratuities for sightseeing, flightseeing, and transfer tour operators are included in your package.

While you aren’t able to move between rail coaches, there are opportunities to move around within your coach. If you book GoldLeaf Service, you will enjoy a bi-level glass-dome coach with spacious seats upstairs and a dining room and outdoor viewing platform below. If you book SilverLeaf Service, your spacious, single-level glass-dome also has access to an outdoor viewing area to enjoy the fresh air. For Rockies to the Red Rocks, you also can enhance your journey by adding-on SilverLeaf Plus which will allow you access to our lounge car.

There is no Wi-Fi internet access onboard and much of the train route is out of cell phone range due to the train travelling through remote areas. There is cell service in major urban centers such as Kamloops, Quesnel, Whistler, and Glenwood Springs. We recommend guests use the outdoor viewing area for phone calls.

It is strongly recommended that guests disable data roaming or switch their device into airplane mode. Rocky Mountaineer will not be liable for any roaming charges incurred.

We make every effort to meet any special needs of our guests, as do our hotel partners. For guests using wheelchairs, we provide hydraulic lifts or ramps to get you on and off the train, and a coach with accessible washrooms can be preassigned.

Please advise us or your travel professional of any mobility needs you have when you book and complete our Mobility Requirements form.

For further information please refer to our Mobility and Accessibility section.

While our onboard menus will have a selection of options to cater to various tastes and dietary requirements such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free etc., we ask that all guests notify us of any dietary restrictions or allergies in advance of travel.

Please advise us of your special dietary needs or allergies, at least 60 days prior to travel. If you have a food allergy, please fill out our Food Allergy Form and send it to your travel professional or to us at reservations@rockymountaineer.com

No, the train only stops in Whistler, or Kamloops, or Quesnel, or Glenwood Springs, which are the mid-point destinations along each of our routes and where our guests enjoy their overnight accommodation; however, the train slows to a very slow speed at particularly scenic locations to ensure our guests don't miss any photograph opportunities.

At check-in, you will receive a boarding pass with your pre-assigned seat and overnight accommodation for Kamloops, Whistler, Quesnel, or Glenwood Springs. If you have seating requests such as sitting near a friend who has booked separately, please advise Rocky Mountaineer at least 30 days in advance. Multiple couples and families are typically seated across the aisle from each other in pairs of two seats. If you would prefer to be on the same side of the aisle, please let your booking agent or Rocky Mountaineer, Vacation Consultant know at the time of booking. We are unable to accommodate specific seats, train coach location, or first or second meal seating requests.

No. Each direction will offer its own opportunities for unique views and vistas. On many of our routes where the train follows a river, the tracks will cross over a bridge to give all guests the opportunity to be water-side. Socialization is a huge part of the Rocky Mountaineer experience and we always encourage our guests to get up from their seats and move about the coach to meet their fellow guests and to experience the views from various vantage points. Don’t forget to spend some time outdoors in the fresh mountain air on the open air vestibule.

On our Canadian and US rail routes, we are proud to offer a selection of high-quality merchandise items for you to purchase onboard Rocky Mountaineer. A list of available merchandise will be provided to you onboard Rocky Mountaineer at your seat. When you have decided on the perfect momento or gift, pay by credit card or by redeeming merchandise credits. Orders will be delivered to your seat during your journey. Onboard purchases may be paid with VISA, MasterCard and American Express. We are unable to accept pre-paid credit cards, pre-paid travel cards, gift cards, debit cards, cash or cheques. Exchange rates and transaction fees are determined by your credit card provider.

In the morning when you board your GoldLeaf Service coach, your onboard Host team will separate all guests into two groups. On day 1 of the rail journey, the first group will go down to breakfast and lunch first while the second group enjoys beverage service along with fresh baked pastries or canapes until it is their turn. On day 2 of the rail journey, the groups will switch and the second group will go down first for breakfast and lunch.

Note: If you are taking medication or are on a dietary schedule that requires you take meals at a particular time of day, please advise your booking agent or Rocky Mountaineer, Vacation Consultant at the time of booking so it can be noted on your reservation.

All onboard services and written materials will be presented in English. While some of our onboard Hosts may speak additional languages, we cannot guarantee that any language other than English will be available.

Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that are included as part of your package will be noted with either B (Breakfast), L (Lunch), or D (Dinner) on each package page.

The advantage of our train is that we are able to slow down at the most scenic areas to offer guests the best viewing and camera opportunities. We call it "picture-perfect speed" and the best camera photographic opportunities! While there are areas the train reaches up to 90 kph (60 mph), our average speed is approximately 50 kph (30 mph).

All journeys (including two- and three-day rail journeys) come with a motorcoach transfer between one of our partner hotels or a designated central location and the train, in all of our destinations. Other transfers such as major international airport transfers and in‑between destinations are also available as an add-on to your journey. Please review the itinerary details in your package to view the transfers included, or speak to your Vacation Consultant or travel professional for full details.

On both our Canadian and US rail routes, there are wonderful opportunities for viewing wildlife from the train including bear, elk, deer, moose, bald eagles, osprey, salmon, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. However, “wildlife are wild” and as such, sightings are never guaranteed. If you do come into contact with animals please act responsibly, maintain a safe distance and never feed any wild animals.