First, thank you for the warm welcome and all your replies....I'm so appreciative. We've only cruised 2x before - once on Celebrity and a few weeks ago on the beautiful PG. Now that the kids are "colleged" and married - we're on our way!!! If we cruise the Mariner, which is where I'm leaning, this is one option.
5 night pre cruise
Day 1 Starts Calgary airport to Banff Springs Hotel (2 nights).
Day 2 The Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park. A stop at Lake Louise.
Day 3 Train station to the Rocky Mountaineer, heading west. From Banff the train crosses over the Continental Divide and passes through the Spiral Tunnels in Yoho National Park. Passes the Craigellachie. Then Kamloops. "Upon arrival in Kamloops you will transfer to a hotel selected by the Rocky Mountaineer. Although hotels in Kamloops are the best available, they do not compare to the grand hotels built by the Canadian Pacific." This gives me pause - doesn't sound like a great place to stay. Overnight in Kamloops. :(
Day 4 Westward. Leaving Kamloops, the train travels along the Thompson River to the Fraser Canyon-Hell's Gate. Then through Fraser Valley to Vancouver. In Vancouver transfer to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
Day 5 Day and night are at leisure in Vancouver. Overnight at the Hotel Vancouver.
Day 6 Transfer to ship in Vancouver BC.

It sounds good to me, but I'm just afraid I'm missing something by not going to Denali on this one. ALso, two nights in downtown Vancouver doesn't sound so great and one in Kamloops is questionable. Some of the other pre/post tours go through Denali- Hubbard glacier.....In your opinion, is Denali a must see? (Sorry so long!!)