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I Tested Every Class on This 5 Day Train Across Canada

Holiday Expert

783,549 views

Hello I'm Chelsea from Holiday Expert 👋 And I took an overnight sleeper train across Canada and tested ALL FOUR classes to find out which one is actually the BEST VALUE 🚂🇨🇦

This is VIA Rail’s iconic “The Canadian” route, one of the longest and most scenic train journeys in the world crossing thousands of kilometres from Toronto to Vancouver - and vice versa!

In this video I break down every travel option onboard so you can decide what is actually worth booking and these include

💺 Economy
🛏️ The Berth
🚪 The Cabin for 1 and 2
✨ Prestige Class

So, instead of just showing you the train, I am comparing EVERYTHING!

💸 price vs comfort
🛌 sleep quality
🍽️ food and drink
🎟️activities
👀 views and overall experience
📊 and most importantly which class gives you the BEST VALUE for money

By the end of the journey you will know exactly which class is worth upgrading to and which ones you might want to skip…

But I want to know - which class would you book for this epic train across Canada?!
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📝 WRITTEN REVIEW 📸
Read my full detailed review with more photos of all cars, classes and FAQs

https://holidayexpert.com/i-tested-ev...
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⬇️ USEFUL LINKS ⬇️

VIA Rail Canada official site https://www.viarail.ca/en

The Canadian route info https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our...

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⬇️ WHO IS HOLIDAY EXPERT? ⬇️

If you’re new here 👋 I am Chelsea and I make travel videos where I test transport compare travel options and help you figure out how to travel better for less 💸

If you are already subscribed welcome back If not jump aboard 🚂

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00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Boarding & Station Experience
04:39 - Economy Class Tour
08:22 - Economy Food & Dome Car
11:58 - Sleeping in Economy
13:35 - Economy Price & Verdict

14:10 - Berth Class Tour
18:33 - Berth Dinner & Experience
21:17 - Berth Overnight Experience
29:23 - Berth Price & Verdict

31:09 - Private Cabin Tour
34:57 - Cabin Overnight Experience
41:48 - Cabin Price & Verdict

44:52 - Prestige Class Tour
49:25 - Prestige Food & Perks
53:44 - Prestige Experience & Views
59:38 - Prestige Price & Verdict

01:01:11 - Final Rankings
01:04:27 - Final Thoughts

20 Comments

@CheapHolidayExpert Creator 4 months ago (edited) Pinned

Right TELL ME - which one would you go for: economy, berth, cabin or prestige!!

Read my full detailed review with more photos of all cars, classes and FAQs here:
https://holidayexpert.com/i-tested-every-class-on-the-canadian-train-heres-my-review/

@ladyp6432 4 months ago

I came over from Instagram and thought I'd skip through, however I've just watched the entire thing on 1x speed. Brilliant, love your enthusiasm and natural manner.

@sarinaschlussel7955 4 months ago

What I really like about your commentary is how respectful you are with the volume of your speaking voice. It's as if you were just chatting with another person near you, you are not speaking at a volume that could bother anybody else in the carriage. That's not something that many other influencers do and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

@rachelroche518 4 months ago

This video is giving ‘Snowpiercer’ - working your way up the classes on a train….just slightly less death

@alfonsrasmus4710 4 months ago (edited)

Berth seems suprisingly good value for money while the private cabin almost looks worse considering it costs twice as much!

@genericreference6969 4 months ago

Prestige is a once in lifetime bucket list, particularly for the Edmonton - Vancouver bit. You chose the itinerary brilliantly!

@CumulusGranitis 4 months ago

Chelsea did you know The Berths were designed for 4 passengers. Two ppl above and two ppl below at night. That was how a whole family, Mr, Mrs and two kids who wanted a "sleeper" would travel back in the good ole days.

@sylviag2817 4 months ago (edited)

The tip on the economy to stretch your legs is. The foot rest can be set up to be stretched strait across so your knees won’t be bent. If you put both up one person can sleep a little more comfortable with two seats with both foot rests up. If you ask nicely and if their isn’t very many people in the economy the staff will set your seats up to be a four seater. Then you can overlap the footrests on top of each other and you can stretch your legs across to the next seat to sleep more comfortably with the back pushed back. The staff showed me the tips. 😊 I slept with two young kids and myself in economy from Rivers,Mb to Toronto,On and back a few times.
Oh, and you can also take food, snacks and juice, instant coffee, tea, powdered creamer, sugar, pop, water anything onto the train, just as long as it doesn’t need to be in a fridge. I took a large thermos and filled it with hot water before I left home, that I could use on the train. I’ve also taken a bit a dish soap, re useable dish cloth, and plastic dishes with me. I packed it all to be as lightweight as possible onto my carry on bag.

@PatrickHamilton-j2u 4 months ago

One of the best travelogues I have seen on VIA rail.......It was nice to see all four classes in one go......well done!

@SueCurry-s5m 4 months ago

We travelled across Canada by Via Rail in 1989 just after we finished university. At the time a single ticket in seats was £150, and a return ticket was £155..... being broke and with time to burn we bought return tickets. At the time you could get on and off the train as you wanted, and could stopover in cities. We stopped off at Edmonton and Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, then jasper on the way back. Yes we slept upright in sleeps. Yes it was hell on the first night, but after 1st night we were so tired we just slept. The menu has improved though, I think our only options were hot dogs and crisps, but that could've been our budget. The seats look pretty much the same as they did in 1989. Watching your whole film was beautiful. Really makes me want to go back. Until now I thought the costs would be prohibitive, but berths look fab (with a power bank!) maybe upgrading for the final night. Might be a trip to plan for retirement..... what you didn't mention though, was how very flat the prairies are. Fantastic film. We cast it to our TV and really enjoyed reminiscing. (Btw we got engaged in Ottawa and have been married 35 years now!) Canada is gorgeous. So are Canadians. Thank you so much for a trip down memory lane.....

@xaronx540 4 months ago

I've watched a million, give or take one, travel videos on YouTube. This video, even though it's over an hour long (and I don't fancy watching a YT video that long), really made me enjoy this video.

Why? Because it's well-made, professionally edited, informative, and quite entertaining with humorous commentary. Well done, Chelsea!

@princeofpcos9804 4 months ago

Economy on the 1st day is definitely the way to go. The excitement of the journey makes it way more tolerable. Couldn't imagine doing economy on the last day. Especially the mountain leg.

@juliegolick 4 months ago

I did this trip two years ago in berth class at the very end of the off-season, having booked it for 40% off in the Canadian Thanksgiving sale. Incredible value for money, the people (both staff and fellow passengers) are all super-friendly, the food is top-notch. Really recommend it. A few tips for people travelling in berth class in the off-season: 1. charge your phone in the bullet car lounge downstairs, 2. make sure you pack whatever you need for night/morning in a little bag and bring it into your bed with you because it's very tricky to access under the benches when the beds are down, 3. definitely go for the lower berth because you get access to the window, 4. the talks are all super-interesting and there are different ones in the prestige dome vs. the sleeper class dome. Say hi to Martin the Park Car Attendant if you see him!

@siddithers5356 4 months ago

No surprise that there are no power outlets in the sleeping berths. These carriages are over 70 years old.

@gamiwanders 2 months ago

I have seen many videos of this train , but nothing comes close to how wonderful of a job you guys did.So detailed and eventful.Good luck guys,full fo wonders.☺

@CruzM14 4 months ago

This was the best Via Rail train class review I've seen

@kme258 8 days ago

I never knew that a random clip on FB would entice me to watch the entire 1 hour plus video on YT. It was an utmost delight to see you guys covering the whole journey in such a cozy manner. You guys have an amazing couple vibe and the journey you undertook was mesmerizing. Keep up the good work, I believe today I would be spending a major part of my day going through your YouTube channel.
Best Regards

@thejammiebricker2327 4 months ago (edited)

That bad part for the cabin for one is that you cannot access the toilet with the bed down. I spent an overnight journey without the bed down because I was very ill & needed the toilet frequently. The water was not working for my car so no flushing or sink! If on your own, might be worth it to pay for the double cabin for the toilet.

@TheAreotrain 4 months ago

Being a railfan, I would be fine with any of the classes, but I certainly would not mind experiencing the fancier classes at least once (Berth would provide the closest experience to they way it was back when train travel was much more common). One thing to note is most of those passenger cars were built back in the 1950's by Budd for the Canadian Pacific and have been rebuilt a number of times over the years.

@Qwinnlan 4 months ago

Feeling bad for not sleeping in economy is insane! Girl, we want you well rested, comfy and cozy! You two are making a review for us, tall and I can experience that life my 5'2, broke self if I ever decide to take the trip!! 😭🙏💖 Thank you both for the articulate views and reviews!