40 Hours on Canada’s Luxury Sleeper Train - Via Rail Prestige Class
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- Опубликовано: 14 ноя 2022
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I recently had the pleasure of taking the Via Rail train from Winnipeg to Toronto for 40 hours in the Prestige Sleeper Class.
With a modular sleep cabin, unlimited bar service, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner included, it’s one of Canada's great train experiences and a huge bucket list item that I was delighted to check off.
Here’s a full recap of what to expect on the Via Rail Prestige Class experience.
Thanks to my friend @Trektrendy for all the train video inspiration :)
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I did Via Rail Sleeper Plus from Toronto to Vancouver in June 2022 as Prestige Class was fully booked for the entire summer. However as some passengers only went as far as Jasper, I was able to ask the service manager for a paid (reasonable price but still expensive) upgrade to Prestige for just the Jasper to Vancouver portion. I liked it so much that I am doing Prestige all the way the reverse direction from Vancouver to Toronto next week.
Looks like every single sleeper option is fully booked from now till the latest you can buy. Other than a few prestige class seats.
FINALLY!!!!! I have been waiting for someone to show me what Prestige Class is all about, thank you! Taking it from Toronto to Vancouver and had never seen recent vid 1 of the cabin, etc. Much appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Same reaction with me.
We took that train from Toronto to Jasper in Prestige Class. Greatest train ride in the world!
It's not the travel, it's the experience that makes via different
You deserve to be one of the top flight/ travel YTers my man! You’re not awkward, classy and it feels like you’re the perfect host! Another point is that your Jessie isn’t shy on camera either, makes it so much more genuine!
Keep kicking :)
Why thank you!
Great video (as always). My wife and I did Prestige from Toronto to Vancouver in April 2022. It was a once in a lifetime experience, but in retrospect would not do it again because of the price. The food is the same as Sleeper Plus except that we started meals 10 minutes before the others as we were given a small extra item. We also had ord d'oeuvres every afternoon. All drinks were free and seconds at meal times was allowed. I even had a private wine tasting class after one dinner. The room was fantastic. Tons of space and very comfortable with a huge window. On the other side, in the first week of November 2022 I did a solo trip, Economy from Vancouver to Edmonton, waited in a cold station for 3 hours then boarded the westbound train back to Vancouver. Trying to sleep in coach was not easy for this 75 year old, which explains why I was the oldest in the car. As I only slept for 3 hours my berth back to Vancouver was heaven. Next time I will do berth from Van to Edm then fly home. Much better views through the Rockies in that direction. My wife and I plan on doing the Toronto to Winnipeg portion but in berth next time then flying home to Vancouver. I hope that also helps those thinking of going Via Rail in future. I'll be happy to answer any questions about either trip.
I did the same trip in 2019. Night time departure from Toronto 4 hours late. The train and staff were wonderful, but because of Via Rail having to give way to freight trains, most of the stops were either cancelled or too short to enjoy, and the final night hurtling towards Vancouver to try to arrive on time was terrifying!
pretty cool stuff, loved riding slow trains to beijing when I was a kid in china. I used to ask my parents if I could live on the train, and it was not even luxurious like this one！
I really enjoyed this differnt kind of travel experience for a change. The shoutout to Trektrendy- that is class, respect!
Ricky - Your travel videos are outstanding. Thank you for clear explanations with great video. Love the Canadian rail video.
I was fortunate enough to travel in the Prestige class in 2017 as part of my honeymoon with my ex-wife. We ended up flying to Yellowknife, then to Whitehorse, then to Vancouver and we boarded the Canadian in Vancouver to return to Toronto. At the time, we were traveling off-season (March) so we paid $3850/person ($7700 total). We also planned it to depart from Vancouver since we paid 12% sales tax instead of 13% that we would have paid if we departed from Ontario. The service, food, amenities, private shower, queen bed and views all made the trip entirely worth it. Shortly after, my ex ended up getting a job working for VIA Rail where she still works to this day.
Fun fact that our concierge told us; the Prestige class was the result of a class-action lawsuit against VIA Rail due to accessibility. Their train cars were not to the accessibility standards set out by the federal government and they lost a court case. Making the large-sized Prestige rooms was part of the resulting settlement and one of the rooms is designated as fully wheelchair accessible. VIA Rail (at the time) didn't expect the Prestige class to be as much of a success as it ended up being.
Glad I was able to experience it when I did. It's crazy how much it costs now.
Tip: Via does not open inventory for booking to the general public until 331 days before departure. You will notice that once the date (summer months) opens up, Prestige class is already sold out! To guarantee availability you will need to work with a travel agent who will book a package through a tour operator (there are a few that specialize in independent rail tour packages) 1 year in advance as they have early access to inventory. To book summer 2024, you will need to have your agent contact a tour operator in early 2023 to secure your spot.
Good tip! Gotta book through the tour operators to get summer 2023 slots at this rate
I just booked on the Via website for Prestige, Toronto to Vancouver; there were very few slots available, got one in July; more were available going to Vancouver than the reverse journey; fortunately we had flexibility.
I did the VIA Rail ride from Vancouver to Toronto near the end of November but since it was way too pricy for Prestige Class, I settled in the Sleeper Car Plus which was still nice.
Thanks for sharing. Great job.
So glad to find this video; my partner and I are going Toronto to Vancouver summer 2023 same class. Traveled by train a lot when a child; it was wonderful. I’m a senior now and haven’t had such a trip in N.America for many decades. Similar trips in Europe give me the best sleep ever. Thanks for this!
Glad you enjoyed, have a wonderful trip!
I liked the coverage! Good job
I’m sure I’d never be able to afford that but I love the train
It would be cool is aeroplan partnered with then to allow us to use points. Similar to i believe europe where points can be used on a train.
Prestige Class is very nice, but I am not sure why some people would spend SO much money for this type of accommodation. For the price of Prestige Class, I could go on a nice trip to Europe. Don't get me wrong; I love the Canadian. When I travel on the Canadian, I go Sleeper Plus Class and am fully satisfied. The food is excellent and you'll see just as much. But if you have money to burn,... go Prestige.
Thank you for sharing this train experience. For a 1-st class journey, the food (any snacks?) looked pretty average. It didn't come anywhere close to fine dining, which one may expect when paying 5 grand per pax. As a matter of fact, you didn't elaborate on menus, food items and onboard service.
I love the canadian. Would take it any day of the week over driving or flying but the pricing on prestige especially
Or anything with a bed is so expensive. It’s for the rich or retired. No I’m between. Great video though brother. Kept me wanting more
Psst... Mimosa is a morning drink. Usually served at brunch. 👍
Fabulous…unfortunately, Amtrak has no comparable class of service
00:28
route /ru:t/ (root)
rout /raʊt/ (rowt)
Well it is 12 o'clock now, so let's go get another drink... LOL
Nice video, The locomotive in this video is F40PH-3D
Subscribed👍🏼
Something sadly you got wrong on your video, is the route preview map at the beginning
In 1990, via changed the rooting of the Canadian. It now no longer serves the Canadian Pacific mainline that goes around the northern edge of Lake superior.
The current routing takes it over the national railroad. Which goes further north into Ontario away from Lake superior. It’s very disappointing, I’ve heard the views along Lake superior are breathtaking.
But other than that great video, keep it up!
I was thinking of going from winnipeg to vancouver, i just might
How was the shower btw? Was it warm enough ?
Toronto to Florida is neat. Go to sleep with pine trees and wake up to palm trees
How convenient is the sleeper for disabled passengers. I have a power chair but I can walk with a walker if needed. Do they store my power chair for the duration of the trip
Are the prestige class ticket priced per person or per room?
Thanks for sharing! I'm taking the trip in sleeper plus (cabin for 1) from Edmonton to Toronto for Christmas. Prestige is way too overpriced in my opinion, at least for me. I don't drink alcohol and I don't eat very much, so there's no value there for me.
After seeing ur video, I gotta go! Is there anyway to use credit card points for this? Love ur videos. Thank u so much!
The only points that can be used are VIA Preference points.
The hallways look narrow, can you pass people?
have you ever tried the ocean train? it goes from montreal all the way to halifax! ( no prestige class 😢)
Doing it soon :)
As nice as this is. The price for this service is ludicrous.
I did sleeper plus 3 weeks ago heres a hint if you are willing to gamble and go more last minute you can get tickets for 850 instead of the 1500 plus
the food was sublime and quick note of error at 7:39 he calls that cabin the dinning car but its not its for entertainment and general space the sleeper class passengers eat in the same room as they did. economy passengers have to buy their food and I dont know where they eat
Why am I seeing trips from Toronto to Vancouver for $500?? This is a lot cheaper than the prices you mentioned ?
QUESTION
I’m about to book a prestige class or a cabin for 2. I wonder if i need to buy 2 tickets or just only 1 ticket because a cabin for 2 or a prestige class could can contain 2 people. THANKS FOR HELP.
2 tickets.
Was the bathroom and shower in your room or communal?
In the room!
Lost me at 36 hours 😮
On the plane?(shower)
Those are Skyline cars with the small tables and chairs, not dining cars. They have entertainment in the evenings in one end and casual gathering in the other end. Up top is a dome view. Every dining car looks exactly like the one you are in. Please do more research on VIA before selling as a travel agent or making more videos about VIA.
Thanks for the correction
Shower with yo glasses?
What a great deception to see the meal int the Prestige Class.
It is not a prestige meal at all. The burger look like it is been cooked longtime ago, no flower on the table, etc... The high class is missing completely!
Europeans will laugh at the Prestiges Class in Via Rail.
It is about time to get an HSR (with real superior Class section) in Canada.
From Vancouver to Toronto in the summer it’s at least $5700 per person based on double occupancy and that’s one way folks! A return trip for two would be around $23,000 including taxes for a closet sized stateroom. Only the elitist, overentitled super rich multi millionaires or billionaires can afford this but is still sold out. You would double this fare especially for non Canadians and don’t worry, it’ll still sell out lol. What a joke!!!
You shower with your glasses on
How much did it cost . Thank you for the excellent video - 🌲🌲🏔️🏔️🏔️🚂🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🌲🏔️🏔️🏥🏠🏩🏣
Answer at the 8:30 minute mark of the video.