VIA Rail's The Ocean - 24 Hour Journey Halifax to Montreal in a Cabin

hello it's the village mayor here in august 2022 i took one of via rail's destination routes called the ocean which takes you through the east coast of canada my journey began in nova scotia after spending a week in the south shore in halifax if you haven't been to nova scotia i highly recommend visit driving or flying is the most common way to travel to the province but have you ever taken the train before if you have considered or are planning to take the ocean between montreal and halifax then this video guide is for you so let's do a deep dive into this fantastic train journey via rail has an extensive series of destination and adventure routes across the country the most famous ones are the canadian which runs from toronto to vancouver and the ocean which runs from montreal to halifax there are other smaller venture routes as well this map here shows the extent of the ocean and makes numerous vital stops at small towns along the way with a total distance of 1346 kilometers it takes about 22 hours to travel between montreal and halifax check via rail's website on the train schedules as covet impacted service but in 2022 they provided three trips per week trains also depart at different times in mantra and halifax to take advantage of the scenic views which time is better depends on your schedule regardless of your beliefs at the time of taking the train via rail was strict about masking in the train station and on board the only exception is when you are eating or drinking staff apparently have the discretion of removing passengers as well the train includes two locomotives baggage car sleeper and economy class cars a dining car and a special transition the train set can be divided into two types based on when the train car was built my private room was in the bud chateau sleeping cars built in 1950s these steel cars are popular and recognizable making them a favorite amongst train enthusiasts the remaining cars are the renaissance cars purchased from the uk as they were originally built in the early 1990s to run train services from the uk to mainland europe through the chunnel that never happened so via rail purchased the entire rolling stock and ship them across the pond to provide service here in 2002 these cars though i believe will be placed replaced entirely with the steel car so be aware of that actually happens what is really neat is there is a special car in between the renaissance car and the bud cars which i'll show you later in the past the dome car was one of the highlights of the ocean but unfortunately due to logistical concerns that isn't the doing of via rail it is no longer available which is a shame as the canadian has it and it is highly regarded as a symbol of these scenic train journeys as you can see in the video the strain is long as it includes more than 15 cars i couldn't even keep count once i reached my own car as you can see in the next series of videos as a sleeper plus guest you can roam around the train and walk the entire length where accessible to the public it is also good to do those rounds so you know where the dining and lounge cars are located the interior might be dated but for some reason it gives you a unique charm and character i'll ramble on while you get to see what the inside of the train looks like in the ocean you have two levels of service economy and sleeper plus the sleeper plus includes different configurations for solo travelers or a couple private cabins are those that include tiny rooms with chairs and murphy or sliding beds and births either come in an open face seating or bunk bed style all are private in some way berths only have denim blinds and cabins have doors as mentioned there's a special car which is nothing more than showcasing provincial flags in which the ocean runs also it has a special corner of the acadian flag if you visit nova scotia and new brunswick there are lots of reminders that acadians used to live here before they were deported this car is special so take the time to read up in each flag sleeper plus guests have the benefit of the following services first three meals are included in the cost while traveling the entire distance which i will do a separate review in the next section of this video second you get some type of privacy which is really important if you need that space from others and you don't want to be crowded thirdly there is car attendant service so if you have any questions or concerns or if you want them to make your bed in the evening they will be around to serve you and fourth access to the lounge car which allows you to spread out a little bit the room i stayed in was the cabin for one in the bud car so it was older with lots of painted metal the cabin comes with everything you need for a long ride like a small comfy couch plenty of hooks for clothing and backpack two electrical plugs which are perfect for devices but you do need to prop it up or have a longer cable there are old style switches for the fan and lights there are small storage spaces for the carry-on and toiletries and a hideaway sink and toilet which doubles as an ottoman which i will show you later on as part of the sleeper plus guest you are given a bag of bath towels and soap and shampoo for when you want to take a shower which is a communal space i didn't take a shower however but i think each car has one shower at least the bed is tucked away and you have to pull it out when you want to lie down but you do need to tuck it back in when you need to use the toilet there are small metal hooks to ensure the bed doesn't slide back in when you sleep of course however the main feature of the room is this incredibly large window which is not shared with other cabins so you get a full view of the outside one of the reasons for taking the train was to allow in bed while looking out the window as the world passes by for the toilet open the vinyl lid which reveals the seat for guys i recommend sitting and not standing given the train sways a lot once you are done open the latch to reveal the sink bowl and the tap once you are done with washing your hands simply put back the sink and the gray water flows out into the hidden drain now as a food blogger one of the highlights of the trip is certainly the meals and on this trip as i mentioned you can enjoy three meals which is breakfast lunch and dinner with reservation times using real plates and silverware it reminds me of a slower pace of life the romanticism and reason for being on a train to have a nice meal in dining car as the train whizzes by enough to catch that deer in the forest or admire the landscape as the sun sets meals are included as i mentioned in the cost of a sleeper class service the order of the meals are based on where you depart so from halifax your first meal is lunch and mine was late at 2 30 pm there are three time slots to choose from depending on your preference alcohol is not free but coffee and juice are for lunch you are offered a chowder a choice of entree carrot cake and beverages for the entree was a simple reggaetoni the chowder was delicious and flavorful and the rigatoni was standard but hits the spot the best however was the carrot cake it was so fluffy and had the right sweetness the icing had the perfect texture and thickness as well dinner starts after the train makes a stop at moncton i decided to have dinner at 6 30 pm which was the last time slot so the train was well within the central part of new brunswick however given it was mid-summer it was still bright enough to see outside i had a pasta salad with smoked fish which was delicious for the main i had the traditional pot roast with seasonal vegetables which was absolutely excellent as the meat was so tender that you could cut through with the dullest butter knife the pecan pie or pecan pie which was recommended by a few youtubers like simply railway and so i decided to try it and it was a perfect way to end a wonderful meal it was a little sweet to my liking but hey with these types of pies it is expected i wasn't sure if cans of whipped cream were on sale but they sprayed each dessert i am a light sleeper and even though i was able to sleep overnight i did wake up often as you open the blinds you'll be greeted with a sunrise and passing forests and the occasional house because different people wake up at different times you don't need to commit to a time slot like lunch and dinner therefore you can go to breakfast whenever you want to up to 9 30 am i myself headed to breakfast at 6 30 a.m to avoid the rush and had the mom scrambled eggs which came with four slices of bacon fruit toast and of course the scrambled eggs it was a delicious way to start the day after breakfast the train momentarily arrives in quebec city my train was two hours late unfortunately and did arrive just past noon but that was fine given i had already planned my connecting trip to toronto assuming that it was going to be late the ocean is one of several adventure routes by via rail and even though it isn't as popular as the canadian it is still a great way to introduce yourself to scenic train journeys which might not be for everyone because it does travel slowly and you are cooped up inside a train for excessive amount of time i wouldn't necessarily be too worried if you get motion sickness i am very prone to getting sick but i was completely fine throughout the entire trip and i didn't need to take any medication my recommendation is to book a private birth or cabin as you have your own space if you want to save money i highly suggest you to go on via rails website and look for sleeper class discounts my ticket was actually half the usual price which was much cheaper than staying at a hotel eating three delicious meals and then flying home pack some patience pack some books and pack a playlist to listen to remember these cabins become your own paradise so thank you very much for watching and i hope this video is useful for your own adventures with the ocean

Channel: Villagemayor

Views: 75,170

Keywords: montreal, VIArail, halifax, nova scotia, VIA

Id: rB7hUNOeC6U

Length: 11min 19sec (679 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 18 2022