Rocky Mountaineer Denies Refunds.

The Rocky Mountaineer is a popular excursion train operating out of Vancouver, B.C.  Their rail tours include several different destinations, spectacular scenery and gourmet cuisine served en route.

Some years ago, my wife and I rode the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff. In my review of the experience, I wrote that the passengers who seemed to enjoy it the most were folks for whom both train travel and serious mountains were a new experience. We had a reasonably good time, but I did think the experience was over rated and overpriced.

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As is the case in every area of the tourism business these days, the Rocky Mountaineer has had to cancel several weeks of their rail tours. Given the spreading scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, that had been expected.

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What had not been expected was a communication from the Rocky Mountaineer president, Steve Sammut, to people who had already paid for rail excursions that had subsequently been cancelled. The company, wrote Sammut, had “ . . . adjusted our cancellation terms to offer greater options to our guests.

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A Hawaii couple who had already paid-in-full for a cancelled excursions that had been scheduled for next week, revealed that whatever those “greater options” might be, refunds of substantial payment already made was no longer one of them.

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Are they unhappy? You bet they are! It’s entirely reasonable, after all, to have a cash refund as one option if an excursion is cancelled by the tour operator.

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Does it cause problems for the company? Certainly. Are these unusual times? Of course. But the Rocky Mountaineer still has an obligation to their clients that must be met. “We can’t give your money back because times are tough” just doesn’t cut it.