I am told that this trip is now full as well as the Alaskan add on. Unfortunately I have had no replies to my post, was hoping to hear from some of my fellow travellers! How many of us are going?

Not sure re luggage allowance, the advice on Air Canada and BA talks about linear dimensions as well as weight, would be really greatful if you could clarify for me as I have to go suitcase shopping soon! Will I be allowed the same even though I am travelling from Belfast? And will my luggage be checked right through or do I have to collect in Heathrow and recheck? Could you also suggest type of clothes to pack eg, how formal is ship dining? Any pointers would be great.

Sorry about so many questions but this is a whole new concept for me. I hope it all works out cos I am already dreaming about South African Explorer for next year.

Thanks,

Janice

Many thanks for your message, lovely to hear from you.

The Canadian Rocky Mountaineer with Alaska add-on is fully booked, and there are a total of 18 people on this tour. The main tour without the add-on still has some places left, but i'm sure it will be all booked up soon as it is a very popular tour!

The cruise ship for the Alaska add-on is Holland America Line's Statendam which offers an array of stylish dining choices with the elegant Rotterdam Dining Room, the intimate Pinnacle Grill and the relaxed Lido Restaurant. So it really just depends on how dressed up you would like to get for dinner! I would suggest taking a formal outfit if you wish to dine in the Rotterdam Dining Room.

Luggage is a complicated one and unfortunately there is no definitive answer!

Without your booking number I can't say if your luggage will go straight through or not but if you ask at check in they will advise you, or give our customer services team a call on 01858 581960. In most cases it does go straight through to your final destination.

In summary you need to take your suitcase for the lowest weight allowance. For example if your connecting flight is with BA and your international flight with another carrier they will probably have different rules. To be safe i would suggest going with the lowest allowance otherwise risk paying excess luggage. It's virtually impossible to say with regards to dimensions.

Unfortunately we can't know every airlines specific rules and therefore i'd say to double check directly the the airlines website as the rules are constantly changing.

The amount of hand luggage that you can take inside the aircraft should be limited to what you need during your flight, plus any valuable items or essential medication. BAA have now implemented a strict guideline on carry on baggage. Bags will have to be no more then 22in long, 18in wide and 10in deep to be allowed as hand baggage. Any bags that do not measure up to the above will have to be put in the hold.

Restrictions are changing all the time, and vary from airport to airport (at the time of writing some airports are relaxing these restrictions). Please remember that what’s allowed at one airport, may not be at another (including airports overseas).

For up-to-date information about hand luggage restrictions, we suggest that you contact the airport directly and the airline directly.

I hope this helps you, and if you have any more questions plese don't hesitate to ask!

Have a fantastic holiday and i hope to read about it on your return!

Cheryl, your editor

Thank you for all the information. The luggage is certainly a tricky one but I will check with customer service and the airline. Not easy to travel light!

I still would love to hear from any fellow travellers, hopefully they will be reading these posts too.

Regards,

Janice