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The California Zephyr is widely considered to be the most scenic rail journey in the country, and if you have the chance, I highly recommend you do it, but  you need to be flexible and be able to roll with the inevitable glitches.  Your concern about timekeeping is justified. If you go to http://www.amtrakdelays.com you can get the train status for any Amtrak train over the last three weeks. Enter EMY as the destination and 5 as the train number. As of now, the Zephyr's timekeeping into Emeryville has been all over the clock, with one train actually arriving early, while one didn't get in until 5:00am the next morning! Delays are being caused by Union Pacific construction, which will gradually wind down and will hopefully be a less significant factor by next year. Amtrak and Union Pacific have a new agreement to minimize delays, but the jury is still out on how effective it is.I might recommend, instead of booking a hotel in SF, spend your first night in Emeryville. There are a couple nice hotels (their names unfortunately escape me) right across the tracks, accessible via a pedestrian overpass.  I imagine these hotels would be accustomed to late Amtrak arrivals. If you spent your last night there as well, you could sleep a lot later on the morning of your departure.[quote user="Jetrock"]...it is my understanding that the pre-made meals idea didn't last long.[/quote]The pre-made meals are still very much alive. They are generally superior to the microwaved TV dinners Amtrak experimented with in the mid '80s. The roast chicken I had last fall was every bit as good as the freshly cooked chicken Amtrak cooked on board. But I had a horrible salmon dinner on that same trip. So I would avoid fish, and the Bob Evans breakfast Scramble. Amtrak's burgers are pretty good. Generally so is the French Toast. Roomettes are quite small. They're about as long as a bathtub and a little wider. That sounds tiny, and when people see them for the first time they tend to be disapointed, but once you settle in, they can be quite cozy and comfortable. The upper bunk is pretty cramped, and requires a little physical dexterity to get into.  When the beds are opened up, the floor space is barely enough to plant two feet. Its really more like camping than a hotel, but with the advantage of climate control and toilets. Since this is your anniversary, you may want to splurge - at least for the return trip - and get a bedroom which is more like a small hotel room (and it has its own bathroom). Amtrak now has a virtual sleeping car tour. Go to http://www.amtrak.com and click the link near the upper right.  For tipping, even though your meals are included in the price of a sleeper, you should tip the server as you would in any restaurant. For sleeper attendants my base tip is $5 per room per night, with bonuses for anything above and beyond the call of duty. Generally tip your attendant at or near the end of your trip.
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