Canadian Rockies reviews?

[emilymad]

Has anyone done the Canadian Rockies trip? It is really hard to find information about it. We are not interested in doing it on our own.

 

[aggiedog]

I've not done the ABD, but did a similar trip several years ago with a different company. I will say, the hotels they've chosen are iconic, especially they Banff Springs and Lake Louise locations. That part of the world is drop dead gorgeous, and Calgary has a really nice, walkable downtown area with good shopping, FWIW. When we went the first week in October, they had record snow, which was beautiful, but also made traveling difficult. We were unable to do the Ice Parkway due to ice on the road.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Our family did the Canadian Rockies ABD in 2019. This was the only ABD we have ever done without a US guide... in 2019 they had 4 guides, all were Canadian and they ran the trip in pairs back to back from late June to August.

We went in July and the weather was chilly - it rained on the first day of the trip and many in our group had to buy extra layers in Calgary because we weren't prepared for the cold.

There is the Stampede festival in Calgary that time of year which may be of interest - Calgary has a strong Western vibe, much like Ft. Worth, Texas if you're familiar. Banff and Lake Louise are breath taking. We did a mead (fermented honey) tasting, a bike right, a glacier hike, a raft tour in Canmore; we also did the hike to Agnes' Tea House by Lake Louise.

Aside from the views, I personally didn't find much "extraordinary" about the trip. The trip got me to read a bit about Canadian history which I enjoyed. The scenery was spectacular! The food and activities were decent - but honestly not as memorable as the other ABDs we had done. We picked it primarily for the views, the proximity to the US and less jet lag. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Hope that helps.

 

[emilymad]

Our family did the Canadian Rockies ABD in 2019. This was the only ABD we have ever done without a US guide... in 2019 they had 4 guides, all were Canadian and they ran the trip in pairs back to back from late June to August.

We went in July and the weather was chilly - it rained on the first day of the trip and many in our group had to buy extra layers in Calgary because we weren't prepared for the cold.

There is the Stampede festival in Calgary that time of year which may be of interest - Calgary has a strong Western vibe, much like Ft. Worth, Texas if you're familiar. Banff and Lake Louise are breath taking. We did a mead (fermented honey) tasting, a bike right, a glacier hike, a raft tour in Canmore; we also did the hike to Agnes' Tea House by Lake Louise.

Aside from the views, I personally didn't find much "extraordinary" about the trip. The trip got me to read a bit about Canadian history which I enjoyed. The scenery was spectacular! The food and activities were decent - but honestly not as memorable as the other ABDs we had done. We picked it primarily for the views, the proximity to the US and less jet lag. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Hope that helps.

Thanks so much for the information. This is exactly what I was looking for. We are looking to stay in North America this year due to the price of airfare but we are struggling with a good destination.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks so much for the information. This is exactly what I was looking for. We are looking to stay in North America this year due to the price of airfare but we are struggling with a good destination.

Have you done any of the North America/South America ABDs? If so, which ones?

Sayhello

 

[SCFamily4]

Our family joined the Canadian Rockies ABD in late June 2019. We had a fantastic time! Our kids (ages 20 and 16 at the time of the ABD) loved it and said it was one of their favorites. It was more of an “outdoorsy” ABD … biking, some hiking (nothing strenuous), rafting, kayaking, walking on a glacier. Itinerary was good and not exhausting. As mentioned in a previous post, both guides were Canadian and relatively new to ABD at the time (if I remember correctly). The views (Banff, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake) are so fantastic - just gorgeous. We did not really see any wildlife on our trip. Weather was great - mild if I recall - but I’m sure could be hot at that time of the year. Best part - with the (relatively) minimal travel time from East Coast US to Calgary, we weren’t exhausted from travel and jet lag pre & post trip.

We were there for Canada Day (July 1) as well as the 4th of July and that was neat. Lots of flag waving!

Overall, we really enjoyed the trip and would recommend! Let me know if I can provide any additional info!

 

[aggiedog]

I'm from Texas, and I agree, Calgary really reminded me of home. Cattle and oil are large industries there. I knew nothing about the city, but it left a good impression on me.

 

[emilymad]

Have you done any of the North America/South America ABDs? If so, which ones?

Sayhello

I did the So Cal trip last year. I considered the Arizona/Utah trip but I don't think I am really all that interested in that destination and the hotels that are used are not how we like to travel. It is completely understandable why the hotels on that trip were chosen but it is not for us.

 

[sayhello]

I did the So Cal trip last year. I considered the Arizona/Utah trip but I don't think I am really all that interested in that destination and the hotels that are used are not how we like to travel. It is completely understandable why the hotels on that trip were chosen but it is not for us.

OK, that's useful information, because I was totally going to recommend the Arizona/Utah trip because it is a FABULOUS itinerary to a (to me) fascinating and beautiful area. (Everyone should see the Grand Canyon at some point!) But if the details of the trip (like the hotels) don't appeal to you, then that's a no-go. Although really the hotel in the Grand Canyon is the only "rustic" hotel they use. The other 2 (especially the one in Moab) are beautiful. This ABD is still one of my favorites.

I will suggest Alaska. They've changed a couple of the hotels since I took that ABD, but the hotels they currently use look very nice. Alaska is beautiful and amazing, and the trip has a nice variety of activities.

I just did the New England ABD, also, and really enjoyed it. It's a very beautiful part of the East Coast and a fun trip. They've changed the middle hotel in New Hampshire, and it looks to be a very big upgrade, at least from the website. The hotel in Burlington is lake view, and *very* nice, and the hotel in Bar Harbor is absolutely spectacular, right on the Harbor, with spectacular views.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sayhello

 

[Rapunzellover]

Just a note: Tauck has changed some policies. No more dreamsavers. They are getting less flexible about changes. I was told changing ressies to another trip, even before PiF, would require approval. Never had that before.

But Tauck still has way better customer service. The guides on the other hand....

 

[Golf4food]

Our family joined the Canadian Rockies ABD in late June 2019...

Overall, we really enjoyed the trip and would recommend! Let me know if I can provide any additional info!

This ABD is top of our list for 2024 - mind sharing (DM is fine) roughly how much extra you budgeted/spent beyond the base price (besides airfare)? Thanks.