We didn’t do the North Pole express. But we did do the kiss me I’m Irish express same train just different season. don’t go! It’s horrible. The train goes 10 miles then stops a half hour, and then goes nowhere then returns in reverse 10 miles and stops an hour for a train to pass by The food is horrible. Chips and a sandwich in a box. The beer is warm. The cars are loud. This is a total punishment it’s not even a train ride. It’s more of a booze cruise to nowhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Melanie Hughes
My grandkids loved the whole experience. Santa was friendly and chatted with the kids. The train ride was fun, and they loved the bell, hot cocoa, and cookie.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
traed109
EPIC!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: North Pole Cookies
Steve T
Disappointed in the entire experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Jenny Jack
We were very disappointed in this experience. They serve you cold chocolate milk in plastic sippy cups, they had one elf on the train that interacted with an intercom we couldn’t understand. It has nothing to do with the movie Polar Express. The bathroom on the train was disgusting and the train took off 20 minutes later than scheduled. The whole experience was a major letdown and we will not be back. Don’t waste your money.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Jessica P
This is perfect for kids. There's a person dressed in elf who keeps interactive and engaging. They give you a cookie per person, bell for kids and memory mug with delicious chocolate milk in it. The ride is 45 minutes and you get a free photo with Santa. However in my opinion $40 isn't worth the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Heather Cappelletto
We paid $160 and travelled over 45 mins + paid to park to have a mediocre experience. A lot of moms that got tickets actually felt the same. Total waste of time and money for a 4 seconds hello from Santa and a cold hot chocolate in a plastic cup. This was not the magical experience we were expecting and we left feeling underwhelmed. I do not recommend the Polar Express Grapevine. There are so many other activities to spend your time and money on.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Steve K
I’ll start with the positives: the train is very well decorated and our main elf in our car was excellent and had a lot of energy and excitement. I don’t know how he did it over and over again with such enthusiasm.Now here’s my .02: If you’re a polar express (book/movie) fan, this is not it. Sure it has elves , Santa, and plenty of kid friendly entertainment definitely not anything related to THE polar express. It’s just a train ride with activities for 45 minutes.Also the train ride itself just takes you through industrial parts , stops. And reverses back to the station. Even my 5 year old understood what was going on and was wondering why we’re going back where we started. There is literally nothing to see outside so keep kids in aisle row to get close to entertainment.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Matthew Howe
We have attended this event for 5 out of the last 6 years and it used to be a magical experience with shows, real reindeer and Mrs Claus delivering cookies to the kids and leading everyone in Christmas carols!This year it was just a sad forced shell of what it used to be. No one seemed happy to be there. It all started with the dumpster fire that was purchasing tickets! We waited online for almost an hour for our turn to buy tickets and when we entered the platform we were given 10-15 minutes to pick a date and time from limited options and purchase our tickets.When we arrived the shuttle never came.to pick up visitors so we had to pay for parking, the carousel, which was the only thing to do, didn't seem to be open as the ticket booth was closed the entire afternoon. The only other thing on the midway to take advantage of was a corndog stand and a vendor that sells beardgrooming supplies and another that sells jewelry....very Christmasy (sarcastic)The train ride (which left abt 30 mi utes late) was a hokey interaction with a PA system that no one could hear and couldn't follow along with, no Christmas carols and the experience culminated with a skinny 23 year old "Santa"with a short brown beard and an obvious pillow stuffed in his jacket!!! WHAT THE HECK? Every adult on our train car just laughed in disappointment bc no one knew how to reactOur kids actually asked us where Santa was bc that wasn't him.At $40 a ticket this wasn't worth it!We agreed that we definitely made "memories" from this.We didn't even bother getting pictures with Santa bc we couldn't deal with any more disappointment ?This is the last year we are going. Not worth it!!!!
Bobbie
I wouldn't go again. The train didn't depart until 20 mins after the scheduled time, and it made several stops. I think the total time the train moved was about 10 mins, and was stopped about 30 mins. The train goes forward a bit, then reverses back to the station. There was a cute elf on the train who interacted with an annoying prerecorded conductor and Mrs. Claus over the speaker. They hand out a packaged cookie and a plastic mug of chocolate milk, which you get to keep. The bells are only handed out to the kids even though my ticket cost the same as my kid's. There was no show, just an elf having a conversation with a speaker system. Santa came on the train and took pictures with each family. The bench seat that is wheelchair accessible has a window that will be opened during the ride so that the train doesn't get too hot inside, per the conductor's explanation.
If you are looking to get the kids out of the house for the Christmas season, this is a great spot. Lots of events and activities. However, book early, the tickets sell out in July for the train ride ?.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Wood
My wife and I have been wanting to ride the Polar Express for a while, and we finally got to ride car 1808. Loved the whole moment. The elf kept everyone informed the whole time. Enjoyed it when Santa came on the car and let everyone take a picture with him.If you have kids or grandkids, you need to take them on the Polar Express.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Yen
Sooooo disappointed in the reservation process this year!!! And they keep raising the price of the tickets (now $40), and taking away some of the magic! No more show after the train ride!!! All the entertainment is on each train. And I don’t think it’s right to make a family of 3 buy 4 tickets, since tickets must be bought in pairs!!! Last year, we only took our two youngest, and they didn’t get to experience the “snow” either since it was broken when we were there. Sadly, our family’s tradition for the past 10 years has come to an end. ???Oh, and they have miniaturized the mug of frosty chocolate milk! So you get maybe 1/4 of a cup of this “great” blend of milk and chocolate! Will not be returning. Sad! Because it was such a great tradition “back in the day” before Covid.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Nic
Worth it if your kiddo is really into trains and into Christmas. You can make it special by wearing the PJs and hyping it up but not sure it's truly worth the cost unless you just want something to do. You won't see much on the train at night. We saw someone changing clothes in their living room which was awkward. If you missed out on tickets, not the end of the world.
We didn’t do the North Pole express. But we did do the kiss me I’m Irish express same train just different season. don’t go! It’s horrible. The train goes 10 miles then stops a half hour, and then goes nowhere then returns in reverse 10 miles and stops an hour for a train to pass by The food is horrible. Chips and a sandwich in a box. The beer is warm. The cars are loud. This is a total punishment it’s not even a train ride. It’s more of a booze cruise to nowhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
My grandkids loved the whole experience. Santa was friendly and chatted with the kids. The train ride was fun, and they loved the bell, hot cocoa, and cookie.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
EPIC!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: North Pole Cookies
Disappointed in the entire experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
We were very disappointed in this experience. They serve you cold chocolate milk in plastic sippy cups, they had one elf on the train that interacted with an intercom we couldn’t understand. It has nothing to do with the movie Polar Express. The bathroom on the train was disgusting and the train took off 20 minutes later than scheduled. The whole experience was a major letdown and we will not be back. Don’t waste your money.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
This is perfect for kids. There's a person dressed in elf who keeps interactive and engaging. They give you a cookie per person, bell for kids and memory mug with delicious chocolate milk in it. The ride is 45 minutes and you get a free photo with Santa. However in my opinion $40 isn't worth the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
We paid $160 and travelled over 45 mins + paid to park to have a mediocre experience. A lot of moms that got tickets actually felt the same. Total waste of time and money for a 4 seconds hello from Santa and a cold hot chocolate in a plastic cup. This was not the magical experience we were expecting and we left feeling underwhelmed. I do not recommend the Polar Express Grapevine. There are so many other activities to spend your time and money on.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
I’ll start with the positives: the train is very well decorated and our main elf in our car was excellent and had a lot of energy and excitement. I don’t know how he did it over and over again with such enthusiasm.Now here’s my .02: If you’re a polar express (book/movie) fan, this is not it. Sure it has elves , Santa, and plenty of kid friendly entertainment definitely not anything related to THE polar express. It’s just a train ride with activities for 45 minutes.Also the train ride itself just takes you through industrial parts , stops. And reverses back to the station. Even my 5 year old understood what was going on and was wondering why we’re going back where we started. There is literally nothing to see outside so keep kids in aisle row to get close to entertainment.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
We have attended this event for 5 out of the last 6 years and it used to be a magical experience with shows, real reindeer and Mrs Claus delivering cookies to the kids and leading everyone in Christmas carols!This year it was just a sad forced shell of what it used to be. No one seemed happy to be there. It all started with the dumpster fire that was purchasing tickets! We waited online for almost an hour for our turn to buy tickets and when we entered the platform we were given 10-15 minutes to pick a date and time from limited options and purchase our tickets.When we arrived the shuttle never came.to pick up visitors so we had to pay for parking, the carousel, which was the only thing to do, didn't seem to be open as the ticket booth was closed the entire afternoon. The only other thing on the midway to take advantage of was a corndog stand and a vendor that sells beardgrooming supplies and another that sells jewelry....very Christmasy (sarcastic)The train ride (which left abt 30 mi utes late) was a hokey interaction with a PA system that no one could hear and couldn't follow along with, no Christmas carols and the experience culminated with a skinny 23 year old "Santa"with a short brown beard and an obvious pillow stuffed in his jacket!!! WHAT THE HECK? Every adult on our train car just laughed in disappointment bc no one knew how to reactOur kids actually asked us where Santa was bc that wasn't him.At $40 a ticket this wasn't worth it!We agreed that we definitely made "memories" from this.We didn't even bother getting pictures with Santa bc we couldn't deal with any more disappointment ?This is the last year we are going. Not worth it!!!!
I wouldn't go again. The train didn't depart until 20 mins after the scheduled time, and it made several stops. I think the total time the train moved was about 10 mins, and was stopped about 30 mins. The train goes forward a bit, then reverses back to the station. There was a cute elf on the train who interacted with an annoying prerecorded conductor and Mrs. Claus over the speaker. They hand out a packaged cookie and a plastic mug of chocolate milk, which you get to keep. The bells are only handed out to the kids even though my ticket cost the same as my kid's. There was no show, just an elf having a conversation with a speaker system. Santa came on the train and took pictures with each family. The bench seat that is wheelchair accessible has a window that will be opened during the ride so that the train doesn't get too hot inside, per the conductor's explanation.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
The grandkids enjoyed.
Atmosphere: 5
If you are looking to get the kids out of the house for the Christmas season, this is a great spot. Lots of events and activities. However, book early, the tickets sell out in July for the train ride ?.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I have been wanting to ride the Polar Express for a while, and we finally got to ride car 1808. Loved the whole moment. The elf kept everyone informed the whole time. Enjoyed it when Santa came on the car and let everyone take a picture with him.If you have kids or grandkids, you need to take them on the Polar Express.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sooooo disappointed in the reservation process this year!!! And they keep raising the price of the tickets (now $40), and taking away some of the magic! No more show after the train ride!!! All the entertainment is on each train. And I don’t think it’s right to make a family of 3 buy 4 tickets, since tickets must be bought in pairs!!! Last year, we only took our two youngest, and they didn’t get to experience the “snow” either since it was broken when we were there. Sadly, our family’s tradition for the past 10 years has come to an end. ???Oh, and they have miniaturized the mug of frosty chocolate milk! So you get maybe 1/4 of a cup of this “great” blend of milk and chocolate! Will not be returning. Sad! Because it was such a great tradition “back in the day” before Covid.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Worth it if your kiddo is really into trains and into Christmas. You can make it special by wearing the PJs and hyping it up but not sure it's truly worth the cost unless you just want something to do. You won't see much on the train at night. We saw someone changing clothes in their living room which was awkward. If you missed out on tickets, not the end of the world.
Atmosphere: 3