The length of the train does not really impact timekeeping, as even the super long 26 car summer consists are far shorter than freight trains and fit into almost all CN sidings.
Far more important is the (relatively) new schedule. With this schedule, the days of the routinely 16-24 hour late trains appear to be over, at least for the time being. Expect the train to be 2-5 hours late in the middle and on time or fairly close to it at the endpoints.
I ride it about once a year and I vastly prefer the off season train. It is more relaxed, the train is a normal length (9-15 cars) for a passenger train, you have Park Car access, and the fares are lower. Note that full off season rates kick in after 11/1. Shoulder season rates in October are closer to high season rates. Also, bear in mind that the Park Car restrictions last until the second or third week of October.
Fare structure is much simpler than Amtrak's. There are 3 fare seasons, peak, shoulder, and off peak. There are only two fare levels in each, discount and regular. The only yield management VIA does is the amount of inventory offered in discount. There is also the Sleeper Plus Sale page. This is a distressed inventory sale, and is offered between specific points on specific departures in specific accommodations, released roughly 6-8 weeks prior to departure. The deals are the best you can get, but the restrictions make it difficult for long term planning.
Under the current schedule the difference in scenery on each direction is much less than it was. Both have a full ration of the Rockies now. I still prefer eastbound myself, but that is now because of the afternoon arrival in Toronto, as opposed to the 8 am arrival in Vancouver.
When I rode both directions in November, they served full breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day eastbound except the last day, where they served brunch. Westbound they had continental breakfast, brunch and dinner. When I asked the service manager about the difference, he said they had gotten a lot of complaints about the brunch, dinner arrangement every day and that they would be going back to full breakfast, lunch and dinner shortly for westbound as well. I do not know if that happened, but I would tend to trust the SM as a source.