hello carol
had a wee look tonight on the availability and trips available for may 2010. the 1st thing i noticed is that most of the sites only show for season may 2009 - oct. 2009 and when you try to find a price and book online they have a form to reply with about your trip, dates etc... i can understand how you are going round in circles.
i did find a site http://www.insightvacations.com/au/ebrochures.php with an interactive brochure for 2010 with prices at http://www.pagegangster.com/p/313pU/ page 14/15 has a east to west rail adventure. the prices i have to say are quite expensive ( us$5050 p/p). i have seen a few sites with 2009 prices a lot cheaper than this albeit 10 days instead of 14 and include 4 days on the train. the good thing about this tour is that all excursions are included and is a fully guided tour from day 1 to the end. also this can give you an idea of what's available.
just to compare prices and itinary, another option is at http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/canada the package includes hotels, a few excursions and transfers etc... and is for 12 days. as an example only i did a check on dates for may 2010 but result came back for 09, 02/05/09 - 18/05/09 base price for superior hotels us$6028 for 2 people = £3068 excluding the cost of flights from the UK (still a lot of money)
did find a good canadian tour company http://www.freshtracks.ca/trip/vacation/essential_rocky_mountaineer_rail/ they offer an essential rockies by train tour for 6 days. apr - may 2009 prices for standard hotels from CD$1837 p/p £1045 p/p once again excludes the cost of flights from the UK. you could easily add a few days at the start of your trip in vancouver and maybe a couple of days at the end in calgary, an extra expense of say 4 days hotel accomadation along with the flight cost.
eventually found a uk site that has package prices that includes everything flights etc...with 2010 prices go to http://www.travelsphere.co.uk/search_results.aspx canadian rocky mountaineer tour, prices are from £1500 p/p for 12 days. did a quick look and there is availabilty dept. heathrow 6th may 2010, price for 2 incl. of flights, insurance, and insurance excess is £3424 total (without suppliments) and to guarantee your booking they require a deposit of £466. this seems a very good price considering the tour at the above vacationsbyrail's price excluding flights is £3068 (2009 price).
as i have said i will ask my customer what they did and get back to you by the end of the week. another option for you carol would be to go to 2 high street travel agents and get qoutes for a similar trip and then compare all 3.
hope i have given you a few ideas for now and not confused you. i have to say booking this type of holiday and trying to find someone who has 2010 prices is indeed a minefield, phew....
regards
jim
sorry just came across this with barrhead travel a leading high st travel agent in scotland, dont know if this would be of interest. it is quite unique, rail and cruise and flights from the uk. unsure of the price?
http://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/canada-specials/special-offer/?id=2535
