Grey Cup and Canadian Vancouver to Toronto

[thully]

Last year I took a ride on the VIA Corridor to the Grey Cup (Canadian football championship), taking transit both ways to/from Michigan. This year the Grey Cup was in Vancouver, which provided an intriguing trip opportunity - go to the Grey Cup and take the Canadian during off-peak season. I had taken the Canadian before, though it was during the summer peak season. Which meant way better weather in Toronto and Vancouver (the latter of which I spent a week in), but meant I could only access the Park Car after 4pm. That was my only real gripe with the Canadian (besides getting a 3rd dinner seating after a backward time change and early brunch).

As such, I decided to book this at the earliest possible opportunity - was watching for bookings to open last December, and when they did I grabbed a cabin for 1 from Vancouver to Toronto, going the opposite direction of my previous trip. - Also, with VIA’s points redemption values last winter, I was able to book that entirely with points gained from my previous cabin for 2 trip and the Premier status coupons I got as a result.

To get to Vancouver, I ended up flying - while I could take the Canadian both ways or the Empire Builder one way, I figured 4 days was enough for me (and I wanted to save the vacation time). I ended up flying Detroit-Vancouver via Seattle with Delta SkyMiles, arriving on Friday a couple days before the Grey Cup game. Took SkyTrain from the airport, which arrived almost instantly and dropped me at Waterfront station a couple blocks from my hotel.. Got a pretty good for the Grey Cup deal ($259CAD/night) on a hotel that ended up just a couple minutes walk to the Grey Cup Festival. That was a bit fun to explore, but the fact that it was 40 and raining made it feel a bit too cold. I wanted to do the free zip lines they had, but it would mean waiting for hours in that cold - no thanks.

The game itself was pretty good - Toronto beat Winnipeg 41-24, though that score is a bit deceiving (it was a 1 point game in the 3rd quarter). They had the Jonas Brothers at halftime and had more ceremony than your normal game (kind of like the Super Bowl, but not to that extent). I’d say the atmosphere was perhaps better in Hamilton - there everybody in town was there for the Grey Cup and the venue was more intimate. However, I don’t think I’d ever want to do this in a cold outdoor environment - got lucky in Hamilton with mild weather and getting club seats with an indoor lounge, though I have no desire to brave the cold in Winnipeg or Calgary (the next two venues).

 

[thully]

After the Grey Cup, it was time for the main event - riding the Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto. Almost all the way home, though instead of taking the VIA Corridor (and some buses unless I got picked up in Windsor). I originally intended to stay in Toronto a while and then take the Corridor home, but then I found out Taylor Swift was in town, making downtown hotels costly. Was going to stay in Oakville next to VIA, but then started looking at flying home as I didn’t want to miss Michigan/Lions games on Saturday/Sunday. Found I could get a decent flight and good hotel deal with Marriott points right next to YYZ, so did that

Anyway, from the morning until departure, today was mostly just getting ready to go. Ended up moving essentials from my suitcase (too large to bring onboard) to a duffel bag, Originally had thought of using a smaller suitcase (VIA seems to allow a 50lb bag with larger dimensions since their last policy change), though wasn’t sure I could fit my medium (larger than airline carry-on) bag in a cabin for 1 - and it was a tight squeeze so just used my large.

After buying a few things for my trip, I got to Pacific Central Station right before the Panorama Lounge was supposed to open. I got there and heard they were going to start check-in soon. Got in line, and was glad I got there early as the line seemed to move slowly (and people were getting dinner reservations - and as I remember you really don’t want 3rd seating). One person pointed out that they didn’t like my Michigan hat - seems an Ohio State fan was onboard. Saw a lot of people wearing CFL/Grey Cup gear - it seems others had the same idea as me. Wonder if anyone is going to Taylor Swift on the other end…

Eventually got checked-in with a second dinner reservations and went to the Panorama Lounge, which ended up being just seating. No snacks/food/drinks like Toronto - honestly seemed like barely a step up from an Amtrak economy waiting area. Seeing that, I left and went to A&W to get something to eat for lunch. Ate and came back, and found I arrived just as they’d started boarding. Lined up and eventually made our way to the train, and found I was in the first car we reached (car 10). Probably the optimal location - Skyline was one car behind, the dining car behind that, and the Park car two cars behind that.

After boarding and orientation from my car attendant (who showed me how easy it is to pull down the bed - that’s a big advantage over cabins for 2), I made my way back to the Skyline car, eventually moving to the Park car, where I am now (they told me to wait until after the celebratory champagne since Prestige was getting oriented there). Glad to be on board this great train again

 

[PaTrainFan]

Last year I took a ride on the VIA Corridor to the Grey Cup (Canadian football championship), taking transit both ways to/from Michigan. This year the Grey Cup was in Vancouver, which provided an intriguing trip opportunity - go to the Grey Cup and take the Canadian during off-peak season. I had taken the Canadian before, though it was during the summer peak season. Which meant way better weather in Toronto and Vancouver (the latter of which I spent a week in), but meant I could only access the Park Car after 4pm. That was my only real gripe with the Canadian (besides getting a 3rd dinner seating after a backward time change and early brunch).

As such, I decided to book this at the earliest possible opportunity - was watching for bookings to open last December, and when they did I grabbed a cabin for 1 from Vancouver to Toronto, going the opposite direction of my previous trip. - Also, with VIA’s points redemption values last winter, I was able to book that entirely with points gained from my previous cabin for 2 trip and the Premier status coupons I got as a result.

To get to Vancouver, I ended up flying - while I could take the Canadian both ways or the Empire Builder one way, I figured 4 days was enough for me (and I wanted to save the vacation time). I ended up flying Detroit-Vancouver via Seattle with Delta SkyMiles, arriving on Friday a couple days before the Grey Cup game. Took SkyTrain from the airport, which arrived almost instantly and dropped me at Waterfront station a couple blocks from my hotel.. Got a pretty good for the Grey Cup deal ($259CAD/night) on a hotel that ended up just a couple minutes walk to the Grey Cup Festival. That was a bit fun to explore, but the fact that it was 40 and raining made it feel a bit too cold. I wanted to do the free zip lines they had, but it would mean waiting for hours in that cold - no thanks.

The game itself was pretty good - Toronto beat Winnipeg 41-24, though that score is a bit deceiving (it was a 1 point game in the 3rd quarter). They had the Jonas Brothers at halftime and had more ceremony than your normal game (kind of like the Super Bowl, but not to that extent). I’d say the atmosphere was perhaps better in Hamilton - there everybody in town was there for the Grey Cup and the venue was more intimate. However, I don’t think I’d ever want to do this in a cold outdoor environment - got lucky in Hamilton with mild weather and getting club seats with an indoor lounge, though I have no desire to brave the cold in Winnipeg or Calgary (the next two venues).

I watched the game. Wonder how different the outcome might have been had Zach Collaros not suffered the freak injury to his hand in the third quarter.

 

[thully]

Last night went pretty well - mostly hung out in the Park Car except to listen to our Skyline car attendant talk about railroading and eating dinner in the dining car. The other passengers onboard seemed to be almost all Canadian - a stark contrast to the summer when you had more of a mix. A lot of them seemed to have attended the Grey Cup and were on their way home - ended up talking to someone about that for a while, reaching the topic of how they should move the season up so it isn’t so freezing cold when at outdoor stadiums. Ended up having a non-alcoholic beer at dinner and after - the Corona they had was surprisingly good. One challenge was tipping I had brought some Canadian cash for that, but found I had to use it to buy the beer (and tip) when the credit card machine didn’t work in the wilderness. I just got more cash in Jasper, but the problem is it’s all 20s (good for tipping a car attendant, not great for a meal or drink).

Sleeping in the cabin for 1 ended up being better than in a cabin for 2 (or any Amtrak roomette or family bedroom I’ve taken - have never done a bedroom or accessible room). It’s very nice to be able to put your own bed up/down, and sleeping in the direction of travel seemed better. I thought the toilet being under the bed would be annoying, though it was so easy to lift the bed I just did that instead of walking down the hall.

Woke up at 6 when I set my alarm, but turned it off. Did get up at 7 since I wanted to make sure I did the continental breakfast - made the mistake of waiting for the brunch last time through Jasper and then ending up eating early and then having a very late dinner seating (ultimately ate in my room to get it earlier) I don’t really like the brunch setup on the day if Jasper arrival, though it will be better this time without a time change between brunch and dinner and a second seating dinner.

Took my shower, and afterward found we were arriving in Jasper very early. Thought we were going to have just an hour, but having almost 3 meant time to explore. Got off the train and it was quite cold (-13C or 8F). Wished I’d worn a second layer. Walked around and saw some fire damage from this summer - was going to Tim Hortons but it was temporarily closed (though I did not see fire damage). Quite surprised to see Jasper is without a Timmies for the time being. Got some more cash from the ATM, and took my reusable mug back to the train - ended up going from there back into Jasper for BeaverTails, which didn’t open until 11. That meant being off the train until 12 as they were servicing it.

 

[thully]

One side note - despite being off-season, this train is still LONG. Only one diner and less cars than in summer, but we still have at least 15 cars or so. I pictured the winter consist being MUCH smaller - like the size of a California Zephyr consist or something like that.

Also, I did notice there is NO Rocky Mountaineer service in the off-peak months - the Canadian is the only game in town on these tracks. Perhaps not totally surprising, but you’d think they’d run a ski train - particularly since they service Whistler.

 

[thully]

One thing I forgot to mention - yesterday I ran into a passenger that was headed to Ottawa same day as Toronto arrival and was waiting to book a ticket when we were close to arrival. That seemed a bit risky to me - was very tempted to do basically the same (book a ticket on the last train to Windsor but refundable, changing to earlier or the next day depending on arrival). However, Taylor Swift in Toronto kind of scared me away from that. It would be kind of nice to get home Friday night…

 

[thully]

The rest of yesterday went good. The brunch yesterday was pretty good - the menu was quite similar to what we had for breakfast this morning. I had the transcontinental - would have probably preferred a regular lunch yesterday, but figured I’d pick something with protein (in this case eggs and sausage - though I ended up not liking the sausage). After that, I talked to some people in the Park car about trains, CFL, and a little hockey and watched the snowy scenery go by. It was kind of neat to see so much snow from this train - was hoping for that as I definitely did not during the summer!

We were stopped by multiple long freight trains for extended periods of time, which is not a surprise on this train but was still annoying. I managed to get the 2nd call for dinner (picking that the previous day may have helped me avoid 3rd), and got the beef tenderloin. For dessert they had two types of cake, but both of them contain nuts which I’m allergic to (though not deathly - I’m OK if it merely contains traces, so maybe I should have asked). This happened the previous time as well, and on both occasions I was offered orange sorbet, which was pretty good. Hoping they do ice cream or something other than cake next time…

Slept pretty well, though not as good as last night - think perhaps the tracks were more bumpy. Showered and got ready for the day, and found we quickly got to our stop of Saskatoon (or so I thought). It took a very long time to actually get into the station after entering the area. Got there before breakfast, but spend a bunch of time just sitting still and then twisting and turning slowly through the CN rail yard until we reached the station after breakfast. The sun is just coming up here despite it being just after 9am - that’s an artifact of Saskatchewan effectively using permanent daylight saving time (it’s actually central standard time, but they are more geographically suited to mountain time).

 

[thully]

Yesterday was a lot of flat land - as I remember from my last time on the Canadian, Saskatchewan looks a lot like Nebraska (though unlike Nebraska, Saskatchewan is served during the day). However, the addition of snow made it more interesting to look at - there were some huge snowbanks, and I saw at least a couple cars buried in the snow.

At lunch I tried this shrimp skewer - the shrimp was good, though I didn’t really care for the other stuff on my plate (it was yellow - think it was potato salad). Dessert actually offered ice cream this time, so I gladly took that. After lunch I was a bit tired, so I ended up putting my bed and taking a nap (doing that myself being a key advantage of the cabin for 1). Slept for a couple hours, and found myself waking up just as we entered Manitoba and the sun was setting.

In the Park car I ended up talking to several other people, including a few other Americans as well as someone who was taking a trip all the way to London and other parts of Europe without flying. After getting to Toronto they were going to take the Maple Leaf to New York, the Queen Mary II to London, and then other trains through Europe, eventually returning via the same way. `

At dinner I tried the sole filet - it seems I was an outlier, as almost everybody else got the prime rib. I felt more in the mood for fish than beef, though. It was pretty tasty - though I do wonder how the prime rib compared. I ended up with the orange sherbet for dessert again, though it wasn’t bad. They offered us either first, second, or third seating for the next lunch & dinner - after initially selecting first, I opted for second when I realized there would be a forward time zone change (to Eastern) after breakfast. Ended up leaving a tip that was basically for the last 2 days at this meal, as our crew was changing after.

After dinner I hung out in my room to watch a few transit-oriented videos I had downloaded when we got a string signal, and then hung out in the Park & Skyline cars some more. Gave the service attendant a tip (since they were changing in Winnipeg as well), and got into bed just as we approached Winnipeg. Would have liked to get out for a little while, but how late it was (after 10 pm) together with the fact that this means a shorter stop meant I skipped it. If we had arrived at 8 and had the full 2 hours I probably would have gone for it - wanted to see the station and a bit of downtown Winnipeg.

 

[Trollopian]

"t was yellow - think it was potato salad."

Man, that really whets my appetite.

 

[thully]

Yesterday was spent traversing Northern Ontario. The landscapes were perhaps a bit more interesting than Saskatchewan as there were a lot of lakes, but as the temperature was significantly warmer (above freezing) there was no snow. There was also no cell signal to be had except for in the immediate vicinity of a few towns we passed (Sioux Lookout, Armstrong, Hornepayne, and one other I forget), unlike Saskatchewan/Manitoba where we had consistent service.

Breakfast in the diner was good, though I don’t remember exactly what I had. Think it may have been pancakes, though I also remember passing those up for either the continental or transcontinental due to the berries being baked in (that may have been another day though). For lunch I had the beef burger, and this time had chocolate ice cream for a dessert (wish Amtrak would bring back ice cream…).

After that and a little while in the Park car I went and took another nap - I was just that tired. I know I missed a couple hours of scenery, but I’ve been tired in the middle of the day on this trip. Having a bed that I can raise and lower myself makes this significantly more tempting. Anyway, I woke up in time for sunset and went back to the Park car before the second seating of dinner.

Also, at Hornepayne I took the opportunity to walk outside - ended up walking all the way to the end of the train. Actually walked through economy on the train on the way back - there’s only one coach and one Skyline car (with cafe service). After that is about 10 cars of Sleeper Plus, which have to go all the way to the front to use the same diner and Skyline car that I did (I was one car from the Skyline and 2 from the diner). Glad I got lucky - though about calling to make sure I got a good car assignment, but figured there were just a few sleepers on the winter consist (like typical Amtrak)

For dinner I had the potato-crusted cod, which was perhaps my best meal of the trip (I wonder if that would still be the case if I chose the prime rib the night before). For dessert there I had the chocolate cake - this crew said it didn’t have nuts, though I’m wondering if there was a discrepancy as to what was meant. I suspect it is one of those “is processed in a facility that processes nuts”, which is OK as I’m not that allergic.

Given the lack of Internet, I spent perhaps more time talking in the Park car after dinner than previous nights, even though I wasn’t drinking alcohol. Learned that one of the people aboard had written books about trains (they were also carrying a train radio aboard and listening to it), and also learned that one person originally from the Detroit area was also an author. Funny since I ran into an author of plane-related books on the last Canadian trips (and ended up keeping in touch and later seeing him and his wife). That was enjoyable, and I felt like I was starting to get to know people. Of course, right as we depart, just as it was the last time I took the Canadian.

 

[thully]

Today marked our arrival into Toronto - and while it was scheduled for 2:34pm, it came quicker than I thought. I got up, showered and got everything ready for arrival, and then went for the early continental breakfast. They were telling us around noon for the arrival, which I kind of wished was later - more time on the train and was hoping to get lunch.. After eating the continental breakfast, I went down to the Park car and talked to some of the friends I made yesterday some more. Though in no time at all they were calling us for the brunch shortly after 9, and were saying that arrival was looking more like 11:30 so we probably should go down there if we wanted it.

Brunch was kind of similar to the last meals of a long-distance Amtrak train arriving into Chicago - you got what was left. I ended up having a waffle, which was not an option at our previous sittings - none of the leftover lunch options seemed appealing, and it was still breakfast time. By yesterday and today most of the Grey Cup travelers had already left the train - guessing most of them got off in Winnipeg with a few in Edmonton or some of the Saskatchewan stops. At this point, what we had left were the Vancouver-Toronto diehards and people who had boarded at an intermediate stop. The brunch was good, and after that I went back to the Park car to try and take a few more pictures.

There, I noticed we were passing Rama, home of Casino Rama - had seen that advertised on many hockey board advertisements in the past, but figured it was just a catchy name for a casino (like the ubiquitous-in-Canada Dollarama) rather than a casino in a place called Rama. Eventually we passed Lake Simcoe, which I had just visited at the AU Gathering in Toronto a couple months ago - albeit on the opposite side. We then entered GO territory on the Richmond Hill line, where I managed to get a shot of perhaps the funniest-named train station in North America - Old Cummer GO. Knew that was on this line, which I’d probably never get to travel otherwise - it’s peak only into Toronto in the AM and out in the PM. After that I said goodbye to some people and made my way back to my room, where we arrived in Union Station around noon (we had incurred one delay after the 11:30 announcement).

 

[thully]

After arriving, I made my way to the baggage area, which I remember from leaving bags there after checking out of my hotel the last day of the Gathering. Everyone from the Canadian was waiting, and eventually they unloaded all the bags on a conveyor belt. Grabbed mine, put the duffel inside the big roller bag, and made my way to the UP Express to get to my airport hotel (thanks Taylor Swift for making downtown so expensive…). That ride was uneventful, as was the airport link ride to Terminal 3, save for getting to the hotel after - started walking and found I was on top of where I needed to be, as the sidewalk was one level down. Eventually found my way through all the airport roads and parking to the hotel. As I suspected, they do have a shuttle, though it only runs every 30 min so walking may be better in some circumstances.

In conclusion, this was another great trip on the Canadian. If I had known how early we were going to be, I may have gone ahead and done the connection to the Corridor - though I would have 5 hours to wait for the train (hopefully I could have spent a lot of that at the Toronto lounge, which is good unlike Vancouver). It seems a lot of people were doing connections (surprising given the hotel situation in Toronto), but many just waited until a day or two to buy the ticket based on the delay of the Canadian. Personally, I would have booked whatever the provided connection was on the same ticket as a fully flexible fare - that way I could get an earlier train, but would benefit from any guarantees they do have for connections.

I liked seeing the snow-covered landscapes and all, though I did miss the daylight we had on the summer trip to see more. Though having the Park car all-day was a definite plus for winter. I also think going east to west is perhaps the superior way to experience this train (saving the best scenery for last, and in my case going farther from my home) - though then again, you pay a bit more that way with Ontario’s taxes. So both directions and seasons have pluses and minuses, and they can be seen as different experiences in and of themselves. In my case, though, the ticket was paid for almost entirely in points from the last trip - can’t beat that! Figure I’ll be back, but not sure what time/season - probably not next year (want to do the sections of the Zephyr/Starlight I haven’t really done).