My husband and I did our bucket list traincation in summer 2019: WAS to NYP, Maple Leaf to Toronto, VIA Prestige class to Vancouver, Cascades to PDX, Empire Builder Portland to CHI, Cardinal back to northern Virginia. It was spectacular.
For us, the Prestige class was well worth it. The rooms are beautiful, comfortable and well appointed. Great food, beverages all day/night, wonderful views in the park car with exclusive access during the mornings and afternoons. The room was so nice that we could have stayed there all day, but the park car was fabulous, with the downstairs bar, lounge area at the end of the train, and upstairs observation seating. So we spent much of our time there.
But, the kicker in my opinion was the service. I don't know if anything has changed since the pandemic, but I have to say that Prestige set the standard for excellent customer service in travel. All of our needs were cared for, starting and ending with my husband's mobility issues that required transport between the station and train car. Prestige class car attendants catered to us constantly and were very helpful and knowledgeable.The car windows, which started out clean, were washed in Winnipeg and Jasper (hello Amtrak, are you listening?). The VIA rail people we met and got to know genuinely seemed to like their jobs. The entire experience seemed well-thought-through and top notch.
We were fortunate to be able to afford it, and would have done it again given the chance.
For us, the Prestige class was well worth it. The rooms are beautiful, comfortable and well appointed. Great food, beverages all day/night, wonderful views in the park car with exclusive access during the mornings and afternoons. The room was so nice that we could have stayed there all day, but the park car was fabulous, with the downstairs bar, lounge area at the end of the train, and upstairs observation seating. So we spent much of our time there.
But, the kicker in my opinion was the service. I don't know if anything has changed since the pandemic, but I have to say that Prestige set the standard for excellent customer service in travel. All of our needs were cared for, starting and ending with my husband's mobility issues that required transport between the station and train car. Prestige class car attendants catered to us constantly and were very helpful and knowledgeable.The car windows, which started out clean, were washed in Winnipeg and Jasper (hello Amtrak, are you listening?). The VIA rail people we met and got to know genuinely seemed to like their jobs. The entire experience seemed well-thought-through and top notch.
We were fortunate to be able to afford it, and would have done it again given the chance.