I don't think it's safe to assume anything with Amtrak and the EB right now.
Last week (after the new temporary EB schedule was made public) I booked a #14>#28 trip in July and had to infrom the AGR agent about the PDX broken connection. I got one of those "Oh-you-know-what,-you're right!" reactions. She booked me on the next day's 28 on the same reward.
I don't know if onyone knows what the schedule is going to be after May 31. They are booking the PDX a day apart. on the premise that the new "temporary" schedule will be extended. I actually like the idea of the overnight in Portland, but I can see it can really screw up the plans for those already holding reservations.
As a side note, my e-ticket arrived showing the OLD departure time of 4:45 instead of 1:45. :huh: I'll just keep in touch with AGR to confirm departure times as I get closer to July.
As for the hotels, I also have found that hotels out of the immediate downtown area are more reasonable.