Took the Canadian in October from Vancouver to Toronto. Check that one off the bucket list.

My first piece of advice is to damn the price differential and do it in June when the days are longest and you get to see more of the wonders of the True North.
Also, the Canadian prairie in bloom will be much more beautiful than hundreds of miles of flat land that has been harvested and is now barren.

Second, I was surprised at how rough the trackbed is. We rocked and rolled all over the place. There were times in the dining car when the waiters lost their balance and the lights flickered and we began wondering about possibly tipping over.

Third, there's an amazing amount of freight - especially oil cars - heading across Canada, and only a couple of passenger trains a week in each direction. You will spend a good amount of time on sidings, watching endless trains of petroleum passing you by.

There's no internet on the train, and only in station stops in Winnipeg, Edmonton, etc can you catch up on your e-mails. Of course, a big part of the transcon train is to get away from that stuff. Being "out of pocket" is so 20th century, and it takes a little time to get used to it.

All that said, the food is very good. The service is attentive. The scenery is breathtaking....from the lake country north of Toronto to the Canadian Rockies and the high desert of BC...It's something you want to do.

As far as sleeping accommodations, I had a lower berth and it was like something you see in the 1940's movies, with a curtain. The bed was comfortable, and the train rocked you to sleep.

I'm not sure about the single room and the toilet, but I would remind you there's one right down the hall.

For me, the trip was terrific. Flew into YVR, first time there. Fantastic airport, even better city. Loved it and can't wait to go back. Great train trip. Arrived in Toronto only about 2 1/2 hours late. Love Toronto, and loved being able to walk from the train station to Billy Bishop Airport to catch my Porter Air flight back to DC. Everything about the trip was wonderful.

One final piece of advice: VIA Rail doesn't publish on-time reports for the Canadian, and there's no telling how late your train will be. Plan to spend the night in Vancouver before heading back. If your train chugs into the terminal six or seven hours late (or more), you don't want to miss your flight. So spend a couple days doing Vancouver and Victoria.

Bon voyage!