Fast Facts - Awards, Accolades and Media

Marketing Initiatives for 2009

  • Focus on specialty and cable television
  • Reaching 5.4 million people via our TV commercial
  • Our commercial was featured on the following Canadian stations: Bravo! Canada, History TV, OLN, Discovery Channel, CBC News World, TSN and French Canadian stations: Evasion, Historia, and ArtTV
  • Our commercial was featured on the following US stations: Travel Channel, History Channel, MSNBC, CNN, Versus, Fox News Channel.
  • You can view our commercial on YouTube: Click Here   

Accolades

 The Society of American Travel Writers recently named the Rocky Mountaineer as the best train experience in the world!

  • In 2003, Rocky Mountaineer was featured on BBC Television program, “50 things to do before you die”
  • In 2005, Outside Magazine lists Rocky Mountaineer as “one of the great train rides in the world”
  • In 2005, Rocky Mountaineer is named one of “The World’s Top 25 Trains” by The Society of International Railway Traveler (RM earns the same honour in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009) featured in Reuters and other outlets
  • In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Rocky Mountaineer wins the prestigious “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” at the World Travel Awards
  • In 2006, Rocky Mountaineer was included in National Geographic's Journey's of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips

 Interesting Factoids 


  • Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark provided Rocky Mountaineer’s tag line. On the inaugural journey in 1990, Mr. Clark said, “I’d just like to tell you this is the most spectacular train trip in the world”
  • In 1993, President of Israel, Chaim Herzog, was a mystery guest on the Rocky Mountaineer. He and his party of five booked an entire railcar to themselves.
  • The Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup travelled on the Rocky Mountaineer in 1994, along with 14 players from the 1944 Grey Cup champions, the Montreal Navy
  • Rocky Mountaineer operated the longest passenger train in Canadian history in 1996 when it carried 1,200 guests in 37 cars from Vancouver to Kamloops.
  • The Rocky Mountaineer marked its One Millionth Guest in June 2008, awarding a deluxe travel package to guests Mark and Catherine Casper from Wisconsin, United States at a celebration in Vancouver
  • Whistler Mountaineer was featured in the JUNOS Gift Bag for 2008 and 2009 Recipients: Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Nickelback, Simple Plan, FEIST, Divine Brown, Sam Roberts, Avril Lavigne and Michael Buble
  • Rocky Mountaineer is on Facebook and Twitter (social media sites)
  • Rocky Mountaineer was a prize giveaway on Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right. In 2009, Regis & Kelly will giveaway a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer as well
  • RM and WM have been featured in USA Today (USA), The National Post (Canada), The Globe and Mail (Canada), The Washington Post (USA), The Independent (UK), BBC Fast Track (UK), Vacations & Travel (AUS), The Sydney Herald (AUS), The Australian (AUS)
  • RM owes much of its success to the unspoiled scenery, fresh air and abundant wildlife of Canada’s West.  As a result, the company continues to develop innovative sustainable tourism policies and programs that support all three pillars of Sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, Economic Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility.
      

 Famous People and Celebrities Onboard The Rocky Mountaineer 

  • Peter Jennings, ABC News Anchor 
  • Sam Sullivan, Former Mayor of Vancouver
  • Kevin Falcon, Minister of Transportation
  • Stephane Dion, Former Leader of the Liberal Party
  • Joe Clark, Former Prime Minister of Canada
  • John Reynolds, MP/MLA and Speaker of the House of Commons
  • Chaim Herzog, Former Israeli President
  • Molly Sugdeon, TV Actor - played the role of Mrs. Slocum on the British comedy "Are you being served?"
  • Carroll Spinney, TV Actor - played the role of Big Bird on “Sesame Street”
  • The great-great-grandson of Simon Fraser - he proposed to his fiancée on the Fraser River between Lytton and Vancouver on the westbound leg of the journey in the dome car
  • The great-great-granddaughter of Billy Barker (Onboard in 2008)
  • Andrew Jergens, Inheritance magnate of Jergen Soap Products - one of the family members with him is the inventor of Crocs (shoes)
  • Dal Richards, Musician, Dal Richards Orchesta (Vancouver)
  • Carlo Rota, TV Actor, host of “Great Canadian Cooking Show” and now starring on “Little Mosque on the Prairie”
  • Charlotte Gray, Host of CBC's “The Greatest Canadian”
  • Morgan Freeman, Film Actor
  • Ken Dodd, British Comedian – he resembles a real life Austin Powers.
  • Dr. Heimlich, Inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver
  • Thaksin Shinawata, Former Prime Minister of Thailand (Onboard in 2003)
  • Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft – he bought out an entire RM GLS dome coach for him and his family and asked to stop the train for a photoutside. This was allowed for him, of course. (Onboard in 2003)
  • Patrick Stewart, TV Actor - Jean Luc Picard, “Star Trek Next Generation” (Onboard in 2006)
  • Hans Blix, Swedish Diplomat - served as the United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector (he was the one who told George Bush there were no weapons of mass destruction in    Iraq, although Bush invaded anyway). (Onboard in 2006)
  • Anna Faris, Film/TV Actress - Scary Movie, Entourage, The House Bunny, etc. With a group of friends onboard RM winter train. (Onboard in 2007)
  • John Bishop, Chef of Bishops Restaurant in Vancouver, BC

 The Whistler Mountaineer

  • Rajan Datar, Host of BBC TV “Fast Tracks” - he is a very well known British Television personality with program aired internationally. (Onboard in 2006) 
  • Alan Thicke, TV/Film Actor, “Growing Pains”. (Onboard in 2007)
  • John Curly, Host of “Evening Magazine” (Seattle). (Onboard in 2007) 
  • Johanna Ward, Host of Shaw Cable's “The Express”. (Onboard in 2007) 
  • Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes, Hosts of Shaw Cable's “Urban Rush” (Onboard in 2007)