Request for advice Canada & Alaska
 

We are seriously thinking about taking a tour/cruise next year of the Inside Passage, the railway trip on The Rockies and some touring around Vancouver and British Columbia. We have had mixed reviews about the package deals and are wondering if we might be better organising something ourselves. Many of the deals seem to use Fairmont Hotels and something described as Fairmont Properties, we have been told that some of the places tend to be old and in need of refurbishment with many not having air conditioning. We have also been told that some of the ports on the Inside Passage cruises have very little to offer and tend to be rather crowded if there are several cruise ships visiting at the same time, is it worth going on the cruise for just what will be seen from the ships? We would appreciate any comments from anyone who has been on a package deal and from others who have made their own arrangements. What are the ‘Must See’ places in these areas and after completing the train ride through The Rockies is it worthwhile staying in that area for another day or two.

My sister and I took an Alaskan cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines a few years ago. It's pretty travelling along the inside passage but not spectacular.

In Juneau we had a walk around the town, took a chair lift to an outlook for a view and ended up in a bar where we had pleasant chat with a young woman from a small town much further north - the only true Alaskan we met. Oh, and used free internet in the library right across from the bar. An interesting note about Juneau, to me anyway, was that there are no roads into it - you must fly or come by water - maybe it's changed, it's been a few years. The young woman said they were always promising to build a road but they just never got around to it.

Another small town had an interesting local museum and, along with another passenger, we spent over an hour in it.

We took only one tour the ship offered which was a bus trip, with a stop for lunch, into the Yukon from Skagway, no immigration stop either - the guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the Klondike gold rush much of which he got from Pierre Berton's book. Skagway, he told us, had no doctor or dentists so residents had to travel to Whitehorse, Yukon for care with that scary Canadian socialized medicine.

In Juneau and Skagway, there were other cruise ships in the port at the same time but I don't remember feeling crowded out by passengers in those places.

Ketchikan was the least interesting place but it was sunny and warm so we had a walk around the town and went to a fish farm.

Which Fairmonts do the tours include? I googled Fairmont Properties but only got a Toronto outfit that builds homes. Maybe Fairmont spent all their money the last 3 years updating the Savoy. I've stayed at the Empress, the Chateau Laurier and Banff Springs and can't say I found them in need of anything.

Is the train trip you're thinking of on the Rocky Mountaineer or with VIA?

After the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver, a cousin and I stayed in Banff for 4 days...the hotel didn't have a/c but I gathered that most hotels in the mountains don't have it.

I'm hard pressed to think of anywhere in BC or Alaska that needs air conditioning-the very idea is laughable.

Sam - you should qualify that!! You mean anywhere on the coast of BC. Try living in the Okanagan in the summer without a/c.

Oh I think you need aircondtioning. Not on the West coast, ie Tofino etc., but I was very happy to have my Heat Pump this summer and especially last summer. Hotels can get very hot IMO even in Vancouver and Victoria.

Most hotels in the Rockies do not have A/C - and most of the time, that is not an issue. However, there is usually that one week each summer that gets hot (high 80s, even into the 90s F) - it does cool down at night, but the problem with hotel rooms is that you can't get cross-ventilation from the window, unless you leave the door open.

Many thanks Morningglory and every one else who replied. I think the train would probably be the Rocky Mountaineer. Krp329, I think you might have the answer, our friends were probably there on one of those hot weeks, it was most uncomfortable in their rooms, the hotel did find them some fans but they didn't help much. All three couples, they don't know each other and went at different times found that the hotels were past their prime and ready for a good refurbishment. I'm asking because we just got caught on two weeks each in Italy and France on Insight Coach Tours. They used descriptions like superior hotels and Touring In Style. They didn't say anything untruthful because Superior can mean superior to a dog kennel and we now realise that most of their marketing slogans really do not mean much at all. Our main guide was the fact that they charged quite a lot more than other companies but they were actually not as good as some of the cut price tours that we've been on.

Just my two cents' worth re air conditioning - we live in the Victoria area and yes, it can get pretty warm downtown where most of the hotels are, but it cools down significantly at night. Where we live, in Sooke, we don't have or need AC, ever.

My husband and I took an Alaskan inside passage cruise for our honeymoon (Vancouver to Vancouver which was convenient because we were living there at the time).

I found the cruise experience nice (the whole floating resort idea) but Alaska was no big deal. But this is because I grew up on Vancouver Island, eagles and spawning salmon were ordinary occurrences. If I were to go again I'd budget for a helicopter trip to one of the icebergs. And the internationals (Australians, Japanese, and Americans from southern states) found the landscape breathtaking. So your enjoyment of the sights really depends where your coming from. But a cruise ship is always fun in itself. And I would get off at every port just to walk around and see stuff. It does get crowded when multiple ships are in port, but the crowds tend to congregate at the souvenir and jewelery shops (who knew overpriced mystic topaz was such a draw).

I have only traveled to the Rockies off-season so a/c wasn't a big deal. And most of the hotels in Vancouver have a/c so this has never been an issue.

But one thing I would suggest is looking into early or late season trips. The Alaskan cruises in May and September are typically cheaper than June, July, and August. The weather is a bit cooler (but still nice) and a/c wouldn't be an issue unless there was a freak heatwave.

Thanks Chile-lover. I understand exactly what you say. When I was growing up we spent a lot of time staying with an Aunty in the Lake District of UK, there were bombs being dropped around us back home. Anyway we were at the top of a hill and could see fantastic scenery for many miles, it has spoilt me for some of the most scenic places in the world. We visit places and everyone is awe-struck with the scenery, I have to pretend but honestly most of it is just normal to me. I think the idea of a helicopter trip is good but my wife is terrified of that sort of thing, I don't think that she like me to go on my own. Flying of any kind doesn't worry me at all, the most dangerous part is travelling from the hotel to the airport. You've given us some very useful information and ideas there, we might try for a slightly off season trip when things are quieter and the weather easier to handle.

We finally got to Canada but on the East Coast. We went on a cruise from New York to Quebec and had a wonderful time but the highlight was probably the five day coach tour that followed. We were amazed at Quebec, what a wonderful city that we will never forget, it has as much taste and class as many of the best European cities. Soon I will try to write up the whole trip.