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In September my wife and I are flying from Chicago to Montreal, where we will take VIA's Ocean to Halifax and a 10-day Caravan Tours tour of the Maritimes, returning also on the Ocean to Montreal, where we will spend a couple of days before flying back to Chicago.
Any recommendation for hotels in Montreal? We are members of Hilton Honors and thus prefer hotels in that group if possible. But we also would like a hotel fairly close to the rail station.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I love the Queen Elizabeth, a Fairmont hotel, directly above Central station, but across the street (also accessible underground) is the Bonaventure Hilton which is also nice.
Posts: 332 | From: Long Island, NY USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Thanks. Both hotels are pricey but my spouse wants to go en luxe on this trip. Looks like we'll also book a large room in the Park car, etc., etc.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Sounds like a great trip, Henry. I have only heard good things about the Caravan Tours. I was sad to see that they no longer operate their Copper Canyon trips.
Happy 2012 to one and all!
Frank in sunny and warm SBA (and more of the same tomorrow for the Parade and Game in Pasadena!)
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I noticed the lack of Copper Canyon trips in the newest Caravan catalog. Wonder if it's because of the drug wars south of the border? Perhaps business is way down.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Thanks! I hadn't known about that feature on Amtrak.com. The rates quoted on the Hiltons are a helluva lot lower than those on the Hilton site. Looks like Hilton's Web site shows only the rack rates.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I’d recommend the Hilton Bonaventure and as previously mentioned, directly connected underground with Gare Centrale.
The Hilton is on the top three floors (15 stories up)of the Convention Centre. The inside rooms open onto rooftop gardens and waterfalls......but for the railfan, ask for an outside, south-east facing room......it’s above the throat tracks into Centrale.
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I've never been in either, but I know the Queen Elizabeth porters used to carry patrons' luggage down to Gare Centrale, so maybe Bonaventure would as well. Note: For eating, I recommend avoiding the English area (west of Gare Centrale) and quaint Old Port overpriced and usually touristy) and heading for the Plateau area or beyond.
Have you not given any thought to taking the Adirondack one way between Montreal & NYC? Usually the Dome Car is on in late Sept (and early Oct) Th-Sa-M northbound and F-Su-Tu southbound. This past year it was announced late but it did get up and runing in the end, so I assume it will run this coming year.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks to everyone! This is the greatest railfan crowdsourcing forum.
Indeed I had thought about taking the Adirondack but that would mean two extra nights each way, one of them on the LSL and one of them in beautiful downtown Albany. We've decided to use airline miles on American for the trip from Chicago to Montreal and back. I will simply have to squelch my antipathy for air travel.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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You will enjoy Caravan Henry. Used them for Copper Canyon and for Costa Rica. Great trips.
We bit the bullet and flew to and from FLL for our recent cruise. Used Smitty's recommended Virgin America and found them great. Still a crowded venue but enjoyed the amenities. Found TSA at LAX to be a minimal check and at FLL much more thorough with the body scan that makes men take off their belts and hold their hands above their head resulting in the very real risk of losing their pants. Art's pants just barely made it.
I also loved our trip across Canada on VIA and you will enjoy that too, I am sure.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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I understand, Henry. Re my Adirondack suggestion, though, I wasn't thinking about any upstate NY stopover; I was thinking you might take the Adirondack one way and spend a night or two in NYC! If you did it southbound, you could even go home with a Regional and the Cap Ltd and, if you left NYC early enough, get a nice little free stopover in DC. But, yes, it would add nights to the trip!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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You might consider the Marriott Chateau Champlain. I got a beautiful quote for my abortive Maritimes journey a few years ago. It's not directly above the train station like the Queen Elizabeth, but it is connected to it by the underground walkways.
Posts: 510 | From: Richmond VA USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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I also vote for the Hilton. It has a roof-top, heated pool that you access from inside, so you never get cold. Henry, bring your bathing suit! It'll be good for the knee.
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My vote is for the Queen Elizabeth with its railroad pedigree (both CP and CN) and location right above the station. Certainly the proper spot for starting a train journey. And the Fairmont is definitely a top tier hotel chain (which bought most of the CP Hotels from the CP -remember when there was CP Hotels, Ships, and not to mention Railroad). Was there an airline too?
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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There was, indeed. It lasted until 1987. The name was CPAir for a good part of the 80's and became Canadian Pacific International for the last year before it was merged out of existence.
As a kid I loved riding the Princess ships (They never felt like ferries!) of Canadian Pacific between Seattle and Victoria. My favorite was the Princess Marguerite.
Frank in sunny and clear SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Intereting, Frank. A few years ago we were in Nanaimo and a local museum had many photos of CP steamers calling at that small port, as did the Empress hotel in Victoria.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I have been to the wonderful small museum in Nanaimo but haven't seen the pictures at the Empress. It was a fun way to travel even toward the end when you could still get a "Day Room".
Frank in sunny and unseasonably warm SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by palmland: Fairmont is definitely a top tier hotel chain (which bought most of the CP Hotels from the CP -remember when there was CP Hotels, Ships, and not to mention Railroad). Was there an airline too?
Actually the other way around......CP Hotels bought Fairmont but rebranded all hotels as Fairmonts as this was the more recognized name.
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sbalax: There was, indeed. It lasted until 1987. The name was CPAir for a good part of the 80's and became Canadian Pacific International for the last year before it was merged out of existence.
Pacific Western Airlines bought CP AIR in 1987 and changed the name to Canadi>n Airlines International (the > replaced the a or e to make the word-mark bilingual) Canadi>n was acquired by Air Canada in 2000.
CP AIR was a major airline with routes extending from Canada to Europe, South America, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. The upper deck lounge on their ‘747s was originally fitted out reminiscent of an old CPR Parlour Car.
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sbalax: As a kid I loved riding the Princess ships (They never felt like ferries!) of Canadian Pacific between Seattle and Victoria. My favorite was the Princess Marguerite.
Besides the coastal liners along the BC coast CP Ships “White Empress” Liners crossed the Atlantic until 1970. (A Trans-Pacific service had also operated until WW2)
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Fantastic link to the travelogue. I have books on both the coastal liners and the White Empress Trans-Pacific and Atlantic. It might be time to get them out for another read.
I've stayed in several Fairmont Hotels and they have all been good. I especially enjoyed the one in Calgary with a view out the windows of our rear room of the tracks.
Frank in dark but still warm SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Don't forget to mention the steamers that plied the Great Lakes. Keewatin, built in ~1912? Pure Edwardian luxury!
Posts: 518 | From: Maynard, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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According to an old schedule I have, in 1960, Canadian Pacific ferries sailed 9 times daily from Vancouver to Nanaimo. There also was a daily run from Vancouver to Seattle via Victoria. The ships on the Vancouver/Victoria/Seattle route were named Princess Marguerite and Princess Patricia. Both ships had a passenger capacity of 2000 with 53 state rooms and a dining room capacity of 180. Departure time from Seattle was 800am, arrival in Victoria was 1250pm, departure from Victoria was at 210pm with arrival in Vancouver at 625pm. The southbound sailing left Vancouver at 1115am, stopped in Victoria 330pm-600pm and arrived in Seattle at 900pm. Today, the Victoria Clipper makes the Seattle to Victoria trip in under 3 hours.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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