Hubby recently booked a Polar Express experience with Catskills Mountain Railroad for our family, and I have to say, I was beyond ecstatic! This was a first for all of us and it was especially meaningful for me. My husband has been helping me relive my childhood one memory at a time, so being able to experience this together as a family was truly special. I'd never seen or read The Polar Express in its entirety though I'd heard so many wonderful things about it, which made me even more excited for the train ride. From start to finish the experience was magical. The highlight for me was the hot chocolate. It was absolutely amazing! The cookies were nice too, though they were more on the okay side, but the fact that they came from a local bakery made it feel that much sweeter. The trip was full of joy and excitement. It was a beautiful way to create family memories and celebrate the holiday season. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add a bit of magic to their Christmas traditions. read more

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If you like looking at tree trunks, this is the ride for you! If you can't sit on boards for more than a few minutes, bring a pillow. Only one of the open air "carriages" has backs on the benches... the others are just... benches. There are two enclosed carriages but the windows don't open. We came through Kingston on a river cruise, and this was one of the excursions. I imagine the special rides are really good... Polar Express, maybe the Easter ride. Good for children, too, but for mature adults, I wish I'd caught an Uber to the Farmers Market instead. read more

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Did the polar express today. Easy to redeem your tickets at the booth, just gave them my last name. Make sure to have enough time to use the porta potty because there's no bathroom on the 45 min ride. Prepared by making my 2 yr old watch the polar express movie 3x last night. She was so excited when she received the golden ticket! The train interior was festive. People game out to dance and sing. We were served delicious cookies and warm chocolate drink. They began reading the book to the whole cart and suddenly we started to move. The views were not amazing, it was just a simple train ride. We barely paid attention to the views because there was always something happening. The actors were interacting with all the kids and it was fun for the kids. We met the train conductor, he was awesome! Santa was a great surprise and we loved the take home ornament! It was a high quality ornament and we definitely recommend this ride if you're not here for the views. Our ride was for 1pm. We parked at 12:40 when we heard them announcing last call for boarding so we freaked out and rushed. No need to rush!!! After picking up our tickets , we made time to use the porta potties and get onto the train by 12:55. We did not leave til after 1:10, I saw some people boarding at 1:08. I recommend getting there early so you won't panic. Also, no strollers! Leave in your car. read more

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I seriously, 100% believe the adults- not the kids, downright enjoyed The Polar Express reenactment train ride done by the Catskills Mountain Railroad in Kingston, NY. Some of the children were dazed and confused and looked bored. I know why. Don't get me started. Other children partook and had loads of fun as they should. I initially wanted a November+Foliage pedal train car ride that ran along Phoenicia, NY as a pre, pre, pre December b'day gift for hubs- but they were all sold out. While searching for other possible events, it led me to The Polar Express and knew hubs would like the train part. But I continued planning as flawlessly as possible because now: (1) hubs' b'day was soon approaching the week before Christmas and (2)my daughter was staying with us during the Holiday season- plus the story is sentimental when I read the story to her as a child. Booking double seat booths and another booth so the 3 of us can be together was challenging. Since I was off from school, I lucked out and booked a Wednesday, Dec 27th, 8pm ride ASAP that worked perfectly for all 3 of us. Reserving and paying online is smooth. Use the email confirmation and go to the ticket counter kiosk the day of your event and you'll be given your tickets, wait a bit for a story intro outside and once finished, you're all set to go on board The Polar Express. The young folks do a nice job at dancing and entertaining us passengers, but I felt at times, the chatter amongst themselves and the humor they tried to bring into the mix, was a bit off the cuff. And even if I knew the storyline, I still would like to hear the recorded story on the speakers. With the mild weather we've been having, the train ride was extremely stuffy with no way of opening windows and the 2-seater booths faced another booth so my daughter's knees and mine, were almost touching the folks in front of us. Between the Swiss Miss Cocoa and cookies, Santa and the train ride-as it makes the transition from downtown Kingston to slightly further north where it's woodsy, was cute and adds further oohs and ahhs to the live experience. read more

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Over the weekend, I enjoyed a nice train ride with the Catskill Mountain Railroad. First off, I purchased 2 tickets online which came to $40 in total. I was then emailed my boarding pass which I showed to the check in desk which was a quick process. The staff/service were helpful throughout the experience. Staff/service rate 8/10. Getting onto the train and finding a seat didn't take long. Although it may look like there aren't enough available seats, that won't matter because once the train ride starts, a majority of the people are standing up, so seats will free up. In addition, the train is fairly big consisting of indoor and outdoor cabins. The ride was an hour long, and it went halfway through the town of Kingston and back. You were able to see some scenic views of open fields and colorful trees. However, throughout the majority of the ride, you see mostly woods. This was upsetting because I expected to see more breathtaking views like of the mountains. Overall, it was a nice experience and great for kids, couples, and many more people who enjoy activities like these. However, I don't think it was worth $40 considering it lacked the foliage views I was hoping for. read more

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Just a train ride. No fall colors. Fake cardboard animals. Maybe kids would it? At least it was a day out

I'm a railfan and enjoy train rides of all types. I have ridden dozens over the years, including this one previously a decade ago when it operated back and forth around Kingston instead of its new route mostly west and then back. We paid extra for their Easter Bunny special trip. A couple of things to keep in mind: the train ride is short (ours was 90 minutes including a mid-trip stop to meet the Easter Bunny and find eggs), and I imagine that regular trips are even shorter. Those of you with kids who don't want a long ride will appreciate this. Second, it seems to go from a parking lot to nowhere and back. There are lots of trees and some waterfalls and streams to see, but there are also the backs of buildings, highways, and parking lots as well. It isn't the most scenic trip... or it wasn't in March when we went. Maybe in the fall it would be better. The seating is open, and it includes benches facing each other, single direction benches (so you are facing the wrong way for part of the trip), sideways benches, and several outdoor cars where you can walk around and take in the fresh air. If you need a specific type of seating arrangement for your group you should get there earlier enough to be in the front of the line. If the train doesn't sell out, though, you shouldn't have a problem anyway. The staff seemed friendly though on our trip there was no announcements along the way to point out interesting sites or local history. That would have been nice, but sometimes hearing someone ramble about every little tree and building can get annoyting too. As it was, our car was loud with excited kids so I doubt I could have heard anything anyway. Our trip wasn't cheep cheep (!) but we did get to meet the easter bunny, a fox (?), a baby chick, and gather Easter eggs filled with candy. You pay extra for those things and they were fine for this trip, but most days I would rather just ride a regular train. All in all, it was fun for what it was. A bad train trip is better than just about anything else. read more

My family and I recently went on the Polar Express train ride, and we had a blast! My nephews loved it! We all wore Christmas pajamas, and so did everyone else. What a sweet and magical way to celebrate the Christmas season. Their production was fun, engaging and entertaining. The hot chocolate and cookies were delicious and we all enjoyed the trip to the North Pole! We even got our "first Christmas gift!" We made a weekend of it, and stayed at a Hilton in Poughkeepsie - it was only a half hour drive to the train station. Highly recommend for families with children, especially those that love the movie! read more

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The kids enjoyed the experience. It was a bit too cold the day we went for the easter ride. Staff said there was heat on the train and it would take "a bit" to warm up. However, 1.5hrs later, pretty sure that is inaccurate at best. Maybe if the weather wasnt so cold the experience would be more enjoyable, but I dont think i would come back for this. The egg hunt was a bunch of eggs scattered on the side of the track, again, the very young kids dont know the diff, but I didnt think it was well done. There was an easter bunny on the train which kids enjoyed (only highlight of the experience), but again train was too cold. Recommend bringing your own food as theres nothing nearby besides a bagel shop. read more

Really a disappointment! We went yesterday for the Pumpkin Patch ride. You are on the train for about 30 minutes each way. The train often feels like it is just going to fall apart. The scenery is non existent, so I have no idea how they claim to do scenic tours. You spend half of the ride looking at run down buildings on one side and a mountain that is too close to appreciate on the other. You are typically traveling down an alley of bushes to eventually arrive at a patch of dirt, where they place store bought pumpkins. Save yourself time and money and just take your kids to a store and buy them a much nicer pumpkin. read more

The -- w o r s t -- save your time and money Do not waste your money or time. Filthy rundown train & seats. The NYC trains and buses are cleaner than this. No bathroom on train for a "45 minute" ride. The ride was 10 minutes in and went back to the station 20 minutes total, if that We were told they had to "add more train tracks" after the train came to an immediate stop 10 minutes in. The train felt like it was going to fall apart when we were in it. Complete scam of a business over $23 person for what? No scenery, a bunch of backyards of peoples houses and one river. Horrible, scam, false advertising of a 45 min scenery train ride Spend your day elsewhere and put your money into and actual enjoyable event read more

FALL FOLIAGE -- I went on the fall train ride to see trees transitioning but the two times I've been on train rides like this for fall I have yet to experience a beautiful transition of leaves for the fall season. The train traverses through some open fields and rocky terrain but you don't see beautiful magazine worthy views of fall leaves transitioning. Overall this is a relaxing train ride for the entire family but if you are going specifically to see beautiful fall leaves you're milage will vary greatly depending how Mother Nature decides on the speed of the trees transitioning during the time of year tickets for the fall train ride go on sale. Expectations aside, it was a pleasant train ride that felt short but lasted about an hour. read more

Quintissential small tourist railroad. The crew is friendly and very capable. The trip runs for just over 75 minutes and there are many annual specials. read more

My first time on a train. It was neat to be in the open air side vs the covered side. I wasnt sure which side at first but since it wasn't too hot I thought it would be better also for the views. I sat towards the front. It wasn't too busy maybe 5-7 people per car. 4 cars I think. You can move about the cars as well. It just goes straight through and back. It's a time pass but nothing too exciting. Nice views for sure. Fun to cross the streets. I was def impressed. There were bugs in the car as well. Mostly daddy long leg spiders. Some other crawlers. read more

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I was disappointed in this train ride. The views were not scenic most of the time! It just goes up a little ways, then backs up on the same route. No water views at all. Probably wouldn't do it again. read more

The Polar Express at the Catskill Mountain Railroad a unique and mind blowing experience for kids and adults. There are incredibly entertaining and talented characters from the movie roaming around singing and dancing. Spoiler alert: A ghost hobo lives on top of the train and please don't ask to smell his sock it's terrible. Pro-tip: It sells out very quickly so if you didn't already get tickets this year get them early for next Christmas season. read more

Great idea, but not very exciting. I was really excited to try this railroad as the train goes through the Catskills and this time of year you can see all changing color leaves on the trees. Unfortunately the ride was very slow and we did see some nice areas but it was definitely not a trip worth $17. This is a nice idea to do with kids but many of the adults were distracted because it was just not a lot going on... I could drive around and see more. All in all, nice idea just a little pricey for what you see (or really don't see lol) read more

A really fun ride in open rail cars through the New York Catskill area countryside. It was exciting to see and experience part of the historic old Ulster and Delaware rail line that ran between Kingston Point Park and the Phoenicia Station. In Phoenicia (until 1900) the cars were switched to a smaller rail gauge (3 feet) before steaming up the Catskill Mountains. A friendly and well informed staff added to the experience. I highly recommend taking a ride on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. read more

To be honest, we did this trip last year and enjoyed it so much, we had reservations again this year. As we were waiting for the train to arrive we were told by a very nice gentleman that the trip had to be cancelled as the train was in need of repair. I mean these things happen or course. But, the people were genuinely so kind and helpful we did not mind the cancellation. Then the company surprised us with comped trip! What a fabulous surprise and says a lot about the company. read more

A complete waste of money. I really hope no one spends money on this tour I expected for foliage what I got was basically a ride on a train through a wooded area the car ride out there was more beautiful than what I saw there was no for foliage to really look at the train was a bit run down and all we really saw was like a hiking trail behind a neighborhood I expected so much more and was highly highly disappointed read more

Honestly we wanted to love this train ride. We were all so excited to make this a tradition for my son, starting with his first Christmas. Walking on to the train you see all the rust which you try get past for the kids , this is supposed to be magical. We sit in our chairs knee to knee facing 2 other people we don't know, still trying to look past all this because we are here for the kids to see Santa. They give you your hot chocolate and cookies playing the polar express song for this on repeat for 15 minutes. At this point kids were already getting restless. We finally go at a crawl of a pace so they can fill the time slot. By the end of the trip our train car was so hot many kids had to take off their clothes. There was absolutely no air circulation in the train car. Kids are coughing,crying, trying to run around. Such a mess of an environment and experience. We went on Sunday by Wednesday we were sick and testing positive for Covid. They really need to update theirs train cars with any sort of air circulation system , clean in between train rides and space groups of people way better. It's not the polar express it's the Covid Express. read more

Honestly so disappointed. I bought this as a gift for my son, daughter in law, and my grandson. I thought it would be an amazing gift. I was so wrong. The train car was crowded. the kid next to them coughed hard the entire ride, hopefully not getting my 2 year old grandson sick. The "sights" were non existent. Pretty much stores. finally got to Santa's house, which was nothing. The "hot" cocoa was cold and small and the cookie was hard. I felt terrible because this was actually my Christmas gift for six of them. I spent close to 400 on six seats together. A couple could not come with the twins because of the sickness, but the other three still went thinking it would be a great experience. I've heard about this for years, and I always thought I couldn't wait to actually come. I am extremely disappointed how terrible it was. read more

Amazing Christmas adventure for the whole family! my grandkids loved it! and the Hobo is legit! the entire experience was great!

We've been to two separate Polar Express train rides in two different states - NJ and CT. NY is the winner and three is definitely a charm. :) This is the most interactive and special Polar Express experience. It was so cute and my boys were charmed from start to finish. It's all about the journey and they made it magical. This was so much more than the customary long-awaited visit with Santa. The characters from the book are wonderfully fun and enthusiastic and they interact with you in a way that we've never experienced before. What could be better than hanging with the hot chocolate chefs and playing tic-tac-toe on the window with Hobo Joe?! The true spirit of Christmas is alive and kicking here and you feel it from the minute you step on board. Still jingling our bells and believing! Can't wait to do it again in 2020! read more

We went last night to the polar express in Kingston. We had such a great time My daughter who is 3.5 loved the entire trip. You get on at 530 train leaves at 6. Then you see Santa at the North Pole they keep you occupied with characters from the movie entire time. You get hot chocolate and cookies. Truly was a great time Also we were lucky enough to go into the actually locomotive part I guess they randomly pick people. The staff was great and friendly. Especially David who made the trip even more magically for my daughter read more

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My mother, significant other, and I participated in one of the scenic train ride endeavors offered via Catskill Mountain Railroad last summer (2022). The three of us enjoyed an hour ride for a reasonable fee! Overall, I would recommend and encourage those that are interested in engaging in a daytime activity that is not time consuming to board upon this train for a trip! read more

This review is based on the Polar Express train ride. Very cute and entertaining. They hand out hot (warm) chocolate and cookies as we travel and tell the story of the polar express while your ride to the North Pole. Once there Santa gets ok the train for the ride back and visits each car to take pictures with your family and hand out Jingle bells. There are entertainers that sing, dance and play games. It's really very cute. *beware of the very slippery steps... I fell and busted my @ss getting off the train. Hurt my wrist, neck, back and rear. They really should have sand or salt on the steps and platform since there is currently snow covering the path on/off the end which is where we sat. read more

Catskill Mountain Railroad - Historical Tours Near Me - Kingston, New York

This was a fun trip to do early in the morning! We had our breakfast and made the early train. The train itself is an old NYC diesel train that was in service in Long Island and Staten Island. The seats? They're old with springs that you can feel but the interesting part, you can move the seat back to make a 4 seat area. Very cool! The front of the train had about the size of two train cars converted into an open roof setting. To go through the mountains and see the fall foliage and fresh air was completely amazing. First the train goes backwards and there is an engineer standing out back making sure there is nothing on the tracks. The tour would of been longer but a hurricane a few years back ruined the tracks and thats all folks. Going forward, there is a stop and the guests are able to get off and see an old train station. They have a ticket booth and a old waiting area. The details in the ceiling arch is incredible. There is tourist gift section where you can purchase train items. The rear conductor was telling me there was a litigation issue with fixing the track. The Gov't gave them money to fix the track. On the broken town side, they want to make it like a High Line concept, pave over the tracks and make hiking trail. The train side wants to fix the tracks. Who wins? The friggin' lawyers!!! Stop all this nonsense. I'm gonna fix this problem, once and for all. Ready? Fix the damn tracks and make a hiking train ON THE SIDE of the tracks. This train isn't a train in Queens, its not a busy line and hikers can hike and train riders can have a better experience. Laywers suck, they'll take all of the damn money needed for repairs. Now pay me 500,000 dollars for my arbitration fee read more

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Polar express was a Horrible experience. The train was dirty, there was no entertainment on the train. The only scene they attempted was the hot chocolate scene. Three people played the hot chocolate song, they were not energetic at all, couldn't even hear them singing. They didn't engage the passengers or children. One guy that worked on the train, dressed as the hobo from the movie, was strung out on some drug. His eyes wouldn't stop moving and he was clenching his teeth the whole time. What a waste of time and money. If you want a good experience go to the one in Jersey, Winappe Station read more

If I could give this company 10 Stars I would. A true testament that Christmas spirit and the true meaning of Christmas is still alive! On our way to the train we accidently made a wrong turn and ended up on the NYS Thruway. This meant we had to drive many miles just to be able to turn around legally and come back those many miles. My daughter was devastated because we were never going to make the train on time. Our entire family was on the train praying we would make it. The conductor found it in his heart to wait an extra 20 minutes past departure and prioritize my child's Christmas train experience over his schedule. When we finally arrived we were greeted with such kindness and warmth. I can't begin to describe the gratitude I have to this company for what they did! Merry Christmas, Catskill Mountain Railroad Polar Express! read more

Went 12/9/23. Kids enjoyed themselves as kids would in a group. There was no "show" other than 3 chefs walking up and down 3 times to the "Hot Chocolate" song. After the book is read, which we couldn't hear, Christmas music plays. That's it. That's the entire trip. Cookies and cocoa are served before the train even leaves. Lastly, and most terrible, was Santa. This man not only looked liked he was pulled off the street, he smelled like it too. He looked and smelled dirty. It was nauseating. I'm not going into detail but there were various smells coming off of him. We spent a lot of money for a very disappointing experience. Kids enjoyed the hotel pool more in the end. Very sad. read more

Very interesting and entertaining! My grandchildren young And older all enjoyed it.My husband made friends with the staff members. The Hot Chocolate and Cookies were amazing along with the performance! 10/10 Would recommend read more

Beware! Our engine broke down -we never reached the "north pole"! Management was to contact me in regard compensation (4 adult tickets at $50 each and 4 children at $39 each!) i left my number with employees and have called several times, leaving messages, and have received no response. In addition, as i checked out purchases for my grandchildren at the register of their store, i was charged for a $12 item that wasn't on or near the counter. hmmmmm.....overall shady operation! read more

Went on Father's Day weekend. It was fun. 4 year olds loved it!!!! Some of the ride was scenic. Love that their was a mascot. My kids took a photo. Wish they described more of the history we had to ask questions.....its actually has a ton of history! read more

Catskill Mountain Railroad - Train - Historical Tours Near Me - Kingston, New York

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This was honestly the worst Polar Express ride that we've gone on. Not a single actor, no dancing, no singing. They handed out hot chocolate and cookies, showed the large format books, had the recording of the story, and that was it. I mistakenly assumed that the Polar Express format was followed at all points. Will not being going back to this location. read more

This was such a wonderful experience! I brought my nephew (5 years old) and he absolutely loved it! When we first boarded the train, we were nicely greeted by the conductor who gave us the golden ticket. When we sat down, we found there were hooks to place your coat which I thought was very nice. Not soon after we board, the chefs came out and started dancing as they did in the movie, they brought out hot chocolate and it was pretty good. They also brought out the cookies which were chocolate chip and it was okay. They then read the polar express and let the kids flip the page which I thought was sweet. Once they did that, they brought out trash cans so we can throw away trash. They did very cute activity's to entertain the children such as a conga line, meditating and letting the kids decide what to say, and they also asked them a bunch of questions such as, "what did you get for Christmas?" When Santa boarded the train, he gave everyone a silver bell and took pictures with everyone, his elves also took photos if you wanted everyone in it. Overall, the place was super cute and I would definitely come back here! read more

Affordable fun for the entire family! With cars that let you sit outside and get your fill of fresh air and beautiful nature scenes, and closed window coaches with comfortable seats that let you take a ride back in history! Bring the whole family out for a ride, you won't regret it! There was even live music on a few trains, and one time I was there they were running a steam engine! There so many other great things to do in the area there so many other great things to do in this area, that it's a great place to come be a tourist, and get away from it all! read more

Catskill Mountain Railroad - The Esopus Valley Scenic Train 9/4/15! - Historical Tours Near Me - Kingston, New York

The ride is 39 min one way and 30 min going back Very slow pace in the train No bathrooms on train Inside the car is hot!!! Had great expectations But no luck!! I Will Not recommend this Tripp read more

Polar Express review. I was really impressed with the polar express experience. I read so many negative review so I had to share a positive one. The kids that work on the trains are amazing. They are chefs, conductors, elves, etc. The whole ride they went out of their way to interact with every kid. They played games, asked to dance, and took pictures. Santa was amazing and sat down with every kid and talked to them. It was really nice to see a group of people who were happy to work and going out of their way to make it a great experience for everyone aboard. I can see some of the negativity in reviews becauSe the trains cars are really old, but they do a good job of decorating them. The train ride is mostly past shopping centers, but you barely notice because there is so much action on the train(I would not do the foliage tour after seeing the route though). I will definitely be returning for a winter weekend in the Catskills and going in the polar express train. read more

So much fun!! What a great way to spend a few hours in the beautiful Catskill mountains peddling thru the fresh air. We went on a beautiful summer day to celebrate my daughter's birthday she brought her one-year-old and he sat in front with me and did just great I would say keep the alcohol to a minimum because there are some responsibilities on the riders parts. read more