Considering taking the Coast Starlight either from San Francisco (Amtrak bus to Emeryville, from where the train departs at 10:07 p.m.) to Portland, or from Portland south to Sacramento (arriving 6:15 a.m.). Flying which other way we don't take the train. We've taken Amtrak with sleepers before, and like the fact that meals are included, BUT I assume from reading that if we board the northbound train at 10:07 p.m. we'd miss dinner, and that if we go south and get off the train at 6:15 a.m. we'd miss breakfast. Correct?

Offhand I'd opt for the southbound train so we get dinner (and make sure we don't miss the wine tasting), but getting to Sacramento at 6:16 and not likely to be able to check into a hotel for a few hours makes me consider northbound.

You're correct about what meals you'd be missing. If the southbound is running late, however, you would get breakfast before Sacramento.

On the northbound trip, the wine tasting is scheduled so that it's finished before the Portland stop, so don't worry about that. (If you've never taken the Coast Starlight before: don't expect something too elaborate and informative, since the Parlour Car attendants aren't necessarily wine experts, but the wine tasting does make for a nice, unique "social hour" in the afternoon.)

The s/b #11 would have to be very late for you to get breakfast before Sacramento. There is a lot of schedule padding between Chico and SAC. For instance this morning the #11 arrived in SAC at 5:42 AM. Yesterday it arrived at 5:31 AM. The day before at 5:26 AM. The day before that at 5:16 AM, a full hour early. So virtually no hope of breakfast if you're ticketed to SAC.

Thanks. If we take the northbound train we'll ask them to make up a bedtime snack for us ;-)