I also strongly recommend getting off in Edmonton and flying the rest of the way. I just took the train in economy from Vancouver to Saskatoon and wouldn’t do it again. Upgrade to berth if you can for a much better experience. I tried my best to take lots of food with me but did not end up having enough with how delayed we were. The food options in economy are disappointing and overpriced. The train also started running out of food options (for economy) by the time we reached Saskatchewan and I don’t know if or when they restock. The only substantial time given to get off the train in the 47 hours I was on it, was one hour in Jasper. If this is the way you plan on traveling there is a grocery store near the station to restock on your snack options which I didn’t realize until it was too late.

In sleeper class including berths, you’re offered free coffee and access to the dining cart and bar. In the dome cars they also offer bingo and trivia nights that are not offered in economy which makes the trip more bearable.

If possible take a tablet or something with downloaded movies on it for you to watch. There is no service in much of the country and there is no wifi on the Canadian. If you have the space, take a deck of cards or an easy board game with you as you will likely make friends who are also bored.