I'm considering taking the Vancouver - Toronto or Toronto - Vancouver Via Rail.
Has anybody ridden this train? What's it like? I see you can get a cabin or an upper or lower berth. I assume the berths are just along the sides in a big long car?
Just did the Vancouver-Toronto trip two weeks ago. Best train ride ever! Every member of the staff went out of his or her way to be helpful. Not most of them, ALL of them (and the crews change in Winnepeg because of the length of the trip). The Park Car (dome car) attendant conducted "Railroad 101" talks each morning in the dome for interested passengers, was always around to make sure coffee, tea, cookies, etc. were available, offered to take photos of passengers as beautiful scenery passed in the background. I had a double bedroom as Via Rail website has a VIA Express deals section where I landed the double for $798, a fraction of the $1800 charge. It's much better laid out than the Superliner bedroom, though the showers are communal (one for each car). But the enclosed toilet always worked for the 4 days and the sink actually allows you to lean over the basin and has angled mirrors. The beds are FAR more comfortable than those on Amtrak, come with nice down comforters and are changed two days into the four-night trip.
But the highlight was the meal service! Truly gourmet meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with silverware and china. Everything prepared to order and special requests are no problem. If you want oatmeal along with your banana-pecan pancakes, for example, that's fine. One woman could not finish her steak at dinner one night and the crew suggested they save the portion and serve it to her as steak and eggs the next morning! One dinner menu featured pecan-crusted fresh halibut, prime rib, or chicken stuffed with spinach and artichoke. A typical lunch included a salmon and asparagus frittata, a turkey and bacon wrap or Angus burger. Every one of the 10 menus is different. One night, the two waiters--both accomplished folk guitar players--played for each sitting after the main meals had been served.
As to accommodations, I would suggest a single cabin unless you can get a Via Express deal. They looked fine for one person as you end up spending most of your sightseeing time in the Park car. (There's also a second dome, the Skyline car, for both sleeping and coach passengers.) The beds for the berths are actually wider than those in the private cabins and have heavy curtains but the downside is that you simply have a coach-style seat during the day with no privacy. The two people I had meals with who were in the berths found them fine nevertheless, and one went the entire distance.
The Vancouver=Toronto routing guarantees more daylight for the Rocky Mountains, as you wake up early in Kamloops and then spend the entire day winding through the Rockies until you get to Jasper about 3 p.m. The train actually slows down and the Park car attendant opens the vestibule for passengers to take pictures of a waterfall cascading next to the tracks. Even the scenery in Canada's Big Sky country is beguiling. On the final night, most of the sleeping car passengers gathered for an impromptu party in the Park car; you really make friends on a trip of this length where every aspect of the train is geared toward ensuring a terrific experience.
Did I mention that I enjoyed it immensely?