Rail Travel Tours

L

Lexi May

via Google

FALSE ADVERTISING & LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE I took the ‘Ride The Rails To See The Whales’ tour July 4-10, 2023. It was significantly more expensive than booking it myself but it was a trip of a lifetime so I felt I’d spend the extra money for Daryl Adair’s ‘knowledge & expertise’ to avoid expensive mistakes and regrets. This review is specifically about Daryl’s service as the tour operator (& not about VIA Rail, Churchill, the excursions or services provided by anyone else other than Daryl). His site states the Cabin for 1 has a private toilet so I upgraded just for this. HE NEGLECTED TO TELL ME THIS TOILET CAN’T BE USED AT NIGHT SO THE UPGRADE WAS WASTED MONEY. He advertised that the meals on the train “will be freshly prepared by the VIA Chef” but there was only a Kiosk with a limited selection of small pre-packaged entrees that were microwaved. The guide said Daryl wasn’t aware that there wouldn’t be a dining car or a Chef. IT IS HIS JOB TO KNOW THIS, TO CHARGE ACCORDINGLY AND TO ADVERTISE HONESTLY BUT HE FAILED TO DO THIS. If this was a genuine error he should have refunded the difference but he chose to keep the profit. The entrees were small so many purchased extra food (out of pocket) because they were hungry. He only allowed 1 cup of coffee or tea with meals & if you don’t like either, you had to pay out of pocket for something else. Fruit & vegetables weren’t included in the entrees or available to buy which meant 4 days on the train without either. For these reasons, all of us bought food in Churchill for the return trip. He promised Chef prepared meals as part of a very expensive package BUT WE WERE NICKLE & DIMED WITH UNEXPECTED EXTRA FOOD EXPENSES THAT DARYL DIDN’T DISCLOSE TO US. He advertised there would be heritage discussions & presentations on the train, a tour of Thompson with a visit to the Heritage North Museum & an optional dog sled tour on the last day in Churchill NONE OF WHICH WERE ARRANGED OR OFFERED (all ads uploaded below). The excursions were pretty much everything Churchill has to offer so it would’ve been easy to book the trip myself & I would’ve saved his fees/ the $600 up-charge for travelling single/ the cost of the Chef prepared meals, presentations & tour that I didn’t get/ and he certainly didn’t save me any money on the room upgrade with the private toilet that I couldn’t use. The disappointment I felt about what I paid him in light of these issues tarnished the trip for me. I completed & signed the evaluation given to us & invited him to contact me to discuss my concerns prior to submitting a review. It’s been 6 months and he hasn’t contacted me, so he clearly isn't interested in discussing concerns or possible resolutions. He’s demonstrated a lack of transparency, integrity, knowledge & customer service in his role as the tour operator and in conclusion, paying Daryl Adair to book the trip was a VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKE!

S

Susanne Rivard

via Google

We just returned from the fall tour of the colors of Lake Superior. We had a good time however some of the days on the bus were far too long with not enough stops. We would tour museums some days until 7 or 8pm in the evening before dinner! Much too late! The Agawa canyon train was fabulous! And we loved the visit to Dynamic Earth mining company! We did learn alot about this area. There were a couple of hotels that were less than desired for location and some meals provided were cold and unseasoned. We ate far too many sandwiches and had a few meals on the bus and train. More games on the bus would be fun to pass the time, we could do trivia for the area and museums. Some of the museums were quite rushed as they were so late in the day but then you don't feel like you learned anything anyways. The guides were good and the bus driver awesome! We don't regret the trip, it was beautiful scenery and we learned so much!

M

Marg Cook

via Google

We had a great time on the Buggies and Bears trip in early Nov 2022. The train was comfortable, meals quite good, and the camaradery with the tour leaders and other passengers was outstanding. We enjoyed a very busy 3 days in Churchill, seeing all the sights from a warm bus and the bears from the tundra buggy. Meals in Churchill were not fancy, but tasty and wholesome with fresh salads-- even though all produce has to come a long way in November. We enjoyed meeting some of the people who live and work in Churchill and would be happy to go again with Brent and Brenda to see the town again!

R

Rhona Kushner

via Google

My husband (Gordon) and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip, leaving Winnipeg on Sept. 23 to Sept. 28, 2022. We met great people on the bus, saw fantastic scenery, enjoyed great food and enjoyed the stops along the way. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful country as Canada. A big appreciative Thank You to Daryl and Brent Adair, and our bus driver - Milton - for taking care of all of us so well and ensuring that we all enjoyed our trip.

D

Diane Findlay

via Google

One star is too much for this company. Rail Travel tours should not be in business and definitely not serving seniors. The customer service was a disgrace, poorly organized and everything was on the cheap!. Hotel rooms were booked on the wrong dates by the company and in accommodations that would barely make a 1 star rating as they were UNDER CONSTRUCTION! Forcing the seniors to go from one hotel to another in the same town because they didn't book it ahead of time or forgot to book it. Over-priced and over 95% of the travelers on our trip from Winnipeg to Prince George were very dissatisfied. It was sold to the passengers as at least a 4 star trip but it was low budget all the way for a very high price. No company should be allowed to be in business especially when they treat seniors so poorly.