We took our 6-year-old son to this today, and it completely exceeded my expectations. They have a full crew of actors who guide you throughout the entire hour-long experience. It begins with a retelling of the story at the main center, and then you head to the trolleys, where we had Conductor Sam. She did an amazing job keeping everyone engaged during the ride to and from our destination. Along the way, they reread The Polar Express, and then we arrived at the North Pole Building (which looked a bit like a church retreat). Once there, the actors put on a lively show, served hot chocolate, and then we got to meet Santa. He gave each child a silver bell--just like in the movie--which was such a special touch. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and we will definitely be back next year! read more

Last holiday season I had purchased 7 tickets for the North Fork Trolley. The tickets included 6 Adults and 1 Child. My granddaughter became ill the day of the trip. I called the trolley and explained that the one child everyone was gong for became ill. They refused to give me credit for my train ride that cost $441.00 Dollars. This company wanted a sick child to ride the train because it was not canceled 7 days before the trolley ride. The North fork Trolley want a sick child around other children just not to give a credit for the this year. This company is not credible or doesn't. really care about the welfare of a child. The North Fork Trolley would rather expose an entire trolley ride to a sick child than just give credit for the next year. I would not recommend this company to any family that wants their children to he healthy to enjoy the holidays. read more

Is everyone in these reviews ok?? One person said they take you to "a sparsely decorated shed." It was a huge building with rustic oak beams decorated BEAUTIFULLY inside and out, but especially inside. (See pics) The trolly ride there is a little underwhelming, especially if you're used to being on a real train for other polar expresses, but then they let you GET OUT at the "North Pole", and theater kids put on an adorable show/dance party with the kids. They do the hot chocolate song and serve a normal sized hot chocolate and a package of cookies (instead of a "homecooked" looking cookie). One of the elves did a BACKFLIP down the aisle and Santa was 10/10 taking his time with each kid while the rest were dance-partying with the elves. The negatives of this trip is: They do need a new sound system on the trolleys, as you couldn't really hear the story on the way there. And the tickets are expensive, but on par with any other polar express ticket. You're on a trolley, not a real train, but you're fully aware of that when you buy the ticket. The positives: Literally everything once you get to the North Pole is magical. They even shoot "snow" for the kids to play in as you leave. Awesome experience. read more

Northfork Trolley Company - Transportation Near Me - Calverton, New York

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this experience has gone downhill over the last few years. This year especially, the price tag did not match the expectations. unfortunately we will have to find a new family tradition read more

I visited last year I expected a fun Polar Express experience, but this place was a disaster. The whole area felt dirty and poorly taken care of. The workers acted like they didn't want to be there and were straight-up rude any time someone asked a question. And the hot chocolate? Absolutely disgusting -- tasted watered-down and weird. Total letdown. Wouldn't recommend.Writing this review now so people dont make same mistake I did do not do it and for the price its ridiculous!!!! read more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HOT CHOCOLATE!!! Thank you to the big man in the back that made it for me! I love Santa Claus and I love the Trolleys. I would recommend to my friends, family, and even ancestors. read more

We did the Polar Express Trolley Ride this year, 2023. I've never seen the movie or or read the book so I didn't have any of that context to rely on for comparison against. I'll be commenting on the experience as a parent and a customer. You first meet up at the All Star restaurant and bowling alley in Riverhead. There is a side room which looks like it may be used for private parties throughout the year when the Polar Express event is not being held here. They do decorate the room for Christmas and it appears they also have strong decoration tie-ins to the movie. The movie is projected on a loop at a volume which is not loud enough to be understandable but just loud enough to be extremely annoying. They advise that you arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment and leave you in this room which is way too small for the number of people, has zero seats, and is full of random, extremely overpriced merchandise which little children will of course beg for. The actual trolley ride itself was a bit disappointing, too. Our trolley had 2 employees who are supposed to be Polar Express conductors. They interject throughout the ride to ask Christmas trivia and then play Christmas songs from a play list. The music is very loud and the trivia is not very engaging, even for children. We went in December on a cold, rainy evening and the heater on the trolley was useless. It was set to max power and blew cold air the entire time. We were freezing and wet from standing in the rain prior to boarding. One extremely annoying aspect of the entire experience was the Golden Ticket which serves as your ride ticket. They checked it prior to boarding the bus which was expected. But they then proceeded to check the stupid thing a total of 4 more times throughout the experience. It was extremely annoying to have to keep digging for this piece of paper while juggling a fussy toddler on your knee. I'm not certain how someone could have snuck on to the trolley when the ride is non stop but it was pointless to keep asking for the golden ticket mid trolley ride - they made it seem like a prize or something would be given out and they intentionally wait for you to produce the ticket even though they already saw it 30 minutes earlier. Once you reach the "North Pole" you will get to meet some elves and Santa Claus. The location is some meeting hall at what appears to be a religious camp of some sort. The outside of the building is sparsely decorated with Christmas lights and signs. The interior is just folding chairs facing the front of the room where elves will sing and dance and do some very light interaction with children. It is decorated a bit nicer than the exterior. I saw the pics of prior years and that looks criminal- it was literally just an unfinished shed! This at least is a proper building with heating and bathrooms. They serve "hot chocolate and cookies" which is a flimsy paper cup of about 6 oz and a small 4 oz bag of mini cookies - the same type you'd find in a vending machine. I was expecting at minimum one or two chocolate chip cookies of at least Subway sandwiches quality... but that was aiming high. At the end, Santa comes out and talks to the kids for a bit and then takes pics with them. The Santa actor was very nice and had a good costume. Best part of the entire experience by far but your child will see Santa for maybe 10 minutes and interact with him for the length of time it takes to take a few pics. They take the pictures on your cell phone - there is no professional camera equipment or photographer. It would cost them a few hundred dollars to invest in a semi decent DSLR camera and upload the pics online for retrieval later. This experience was extremely overpriced and underwhelming. Visit the mall Santa for a more memorable Santa experience for kids. read more

Terrible, save your money. The trolley was small, and they take you in this 20 minute ride to this isolated shed/church. Santa suit and beard are very basic. And the Santa did not engage with the kids at all. They have a bunch of high school kids sing and perform and except for the two kids singing the acting and dance are very basic and poorly arranged. Bottom line they charge $73 for what should be $13! Save your time and money read more

Veronica is the worst customer service representativ. very rude, gives false information. This is suppose to be a nice experience but she has put a very bad vibe. never again. read more

Terrible customer service. The Website is VERY misleading. It states that children under 6 need a ticket so I purchased tickets for 2 one year olds, only to find out that children under 2 do not need a ticket and they would not refund me the money. Thank you North Fork Trolley for making me out $120. Crystal was very unhelpful. She claimed "their system" doesn't allow for reimbursement YET the website states that if the trolley is unable to operate a full refund will be given to all passengers. Funny how the system allows for it when it's convenient for them. Go to Whippany NJ for their Polar Express Experience...they are kind and understanding and the train is way better then the trolley. read more

Can't believe all these negative reviews about the Polar Express Trolley Ride in Riverhead! The Trolley really felt like u were going to the North Pole going up & down hills til we got off at the decorated North Pole. Then we met an authentic looking Santa who was so kind & friendly. He thanked us for coming! How nice. Ride back was filled with merriment & Christmas Carol singing. Great for little ones over 4! The staff was warm & friendly. My sister had gone through the Polar Express in the Smokey Mountains in GA & she said our trip was much, much better! Even my 18 yr old grandson enjoyed it! C. Rimmer read more

Absolute disaster. My sister's wedding was yesterday and they booked North Fork Trolley to transport the bridal party and our wheelchair-bound father to and from the venue and hotel. Aside from the fact that our driver barely spoke English and we were unable to communicate with him, he had NO idea how to operate the wheelchair lift to get my father off the trolley at the venue and I had to figure it out myself, which resulted in the driver NOT picking up the bridesmaids and a guest taking their car to the hotel to get them. Not only did the driver not pick up the bridesmaids, but he disappeared and didn't return to the venue with the trolley for the photos my sister and brother-in-law wanted in front of it. Then the driver couldn't get the wheelchair lift to work after the reception to take my father back to the hotel. This company is a complete joke and is definitely going to have to refund my sister for the shitshow read more

Amazing experience! I had a 28 passenger bus pick up me and my 15 friends. The bus was awesome - had a bathroom, AC, fun lights and a stripper pole! On the bus was waters and napkins if needed. The bus driver was great and everything was organized perfectly!! So so happy ! Highly recommend read more

Northfork Trolley Company - Transportation Near Me - Calverton, New York

participated in the polar express event and it was generally good however there are NO SEATBELTS. young children including my infant are encouraged to ride on laps of parents in a very bumpy trolley with NO SEATBELTS. i wanted my very young infant to ride in the car seat which they told me no and it couldn't fit. I opted to behind with my child safely secured but I was highly disappointed because of the experience I was missing out on. My husband rode alone in the trolley. We also have a service dog ( a legit trained from a program medical alert service dog) and they were so HORRIBLE towards us about the dog. Immediately treating us differently saying that children could be allergic -which under ADA law is not a valid reason to deny access, saying things about us taking photos - " your dog is too close to merchandise you have to buy those things now" just overall making us so uncomfortable and I would never do it again simply due to the staff. I don't understand how it was legal for the company to operate a moving vehicle on dark winding roads with small children unsecured. Seems like a tragic accident waiting to happen. read more

After being to several other North Pole train rides, I can see that there were some perks to this Trolley ride. You wont be seeing the boy in the blue robe, or why they won't come singing out with hot chocolate. We went expecting to see the recreation of the movie. So we were completely let down. Also our friends booked the ticket so we had no clue it was a trolley. The ride to the North Pole had lights and decoration closer to the Pole. I did like that everyone was able to enter Santa's "house" and take their time taking pictures with him and talking to him. Something you dont get on some train rides to Santa. That is definitely the perk. If the ride ended in a awesome North Pole area where people could walk around after seeing Santa that would be awesome. Like in Essex (yes I dragged the family there) there was a building where you can mail letters to Santa, lots of photo ops. If the trolley added that, it would probably get more people to go there. read more

This ride was awful. Defroster on Trolley didn't work. You couldn't see out any of the windows. Even the driver couldn't see. They has to get a car to lead us with hazards on. We get to the place for the performance and it was mud mud mud. Owner said he would refund after the holiday. Never did. This place is a hit and run. Don't waste your time or money. They will compromise your safety. They kept driving knowing that the driver could only see out of a small portion of the window. The bus was FULL. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT SAFETY. BEWARE! BEWARE BEWARE! read more

Northfork Trolley Company - The defroster on the bus broke. The driver could not see out the window. They kept driving. - Transportation Near Me - Calverton, New York

Had their Polar Express experience last night. It was disappointing. It began with a twenty-five minute drive from Calverton on the trolley. It's basically the experience of driving in my car with Christmas music except I paid $50 per seat. A half-hearted, awkward attempt to be entertaining was given by the "conductor". He later laid out his hat for tips. The "North Pole" is a large cabin well lit with Christmas lights. It was fine. Three teens did their best to reenact the hot chocolate dance scene from the movie. Another young man did a good job playing the hobo from the train. You get a cookie, a hot chocolate and a picture with Santa. Santa was one of the best I've ever seen. There was a nice sleigh set up too. I'd recommend looking elsewhere for better value but my six year old liked it. read more

I HAVE NEVER HAD A MORE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE AS I DID AT WITH THE POLAR EXPRESS TROLLEY! Avoid at all costs or you will seriously regret it!!!! The so-called manager of the NORTH FORK TROLLEY event who was supposed to give us a promised refund (that was promised to us by another representative) was the most disrespectful, vilest and rudest individual I have ever come across in my entire life as far as customer service goes. The man literally told me on the phone and I quote to "stop talking or I will hang up!" I have never in my ENTIRE LIFE been treated as horribly as I had been by this manager or anyone who handles customer service. I will never do business or interact with a company who is managed by someone as nasty as him ever again. If he treats PAYING CUSTOMERS with that much disrespect, you can only imagine how he treats other human beings. He refused to give us an ALREADY PROMISED REFUND and not only that but the way he handles the situation was EXTREMELY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL in which I could not even believe my ears and thought I was dreaming for a second. On the night of our Polar Express trolley experience on 12/23/18 we arrived 20 minutes prior to our departure and the representative told us that a trolley broke down so we had to wait an extra 45 min for a mediocre bus ride on a coach like party bus where everyone sat on each other's laps and took a 12 minute drive to the "North Pole". The North pole was a freezing shed like abandoned building with a bunch of young high school kids singing and moving around for another 20-30 minutes. The decorations, packaged cookies and watered down cold "hot chocolate" drinks was atrocious and the overall experience was horrendous. For $55 a person I honestly would rather watch paint dry than go to an event like this. This entire experience topped off by my horrendous interaction with that vile manager honestly made me feel like I have been cheated and ripped off and cannot fathom that there are people who rob people of their money like this in broad daylight. How is this company still in business?????? AVOID AT ALL COSTS, TRUST ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Northfork Trolley Company - abandoned,cold, garage-like building. Extremely disappointing!!!! - Transportation Near Me - Calverton, New York

This was a totally disappointing experience. They advertise the trolley going to the North Pole to Santa's workshop. NOT!! The North Pole was 30 minutes away from Riverhead in Wading River. The "Workshop" was a small building with a few lights outside. No snow, No reindeer No elves making toys No cute decorations NOTHING. You get inside and sit on pews while a couple of teenage girls sort of dressed as elves dance and sing a little. Of course, you can't hear them. They hand out a cookie and hot chocolate. Then Santa comes in so you can take your own cell picture. They advertised that Santa gives each kid a present. My little one was so disappointed with the jingle bell that was given to each kid as the present. Then back on the bus. TOTAL Rip off. Never again. $55 each ticket. North Fork Trolley should be ashamed to steal this much money from people at holiday time. read more

We had a great time on the polar express the staff was great the only issue we had was having to wear masks and not being able to breathe the entire time would love to go back next year but if they have a mask mandate we will not attend read more

We just came back from our evening at the " North Pole" on the Polar express. I read some awful reviews. I personally thought it was so nice. Yes you meet at the bowling alley. But it a nice place with a bar and restaurant. There is a separate room for the Polar Express. We got there early and grabbed a bite. The trolley was nicely decorated with lights and Christmas music. Everyone was so very nice. I also had my adult Autistic son with me. He had such a ball. There was nice little show , music and everyone singing. I wild definitely do this again next year ! read more

Recently went on the Polar Express trolley ride in Riverhead. Despite the mixed reviews we decided to give it a try because there aren't many Polar Express options on Long Island. The idea behind the trip is great, but some improvements could definitely be made for the $60 ticket cost. Some things we liked..We found that it was organized from the check in to the return. The "North Pole" was great with a cute decorated outside area, a show with hot chocolate and cookies, and pictures with Santa. Some things we didn't like, the trolley ride was so loud, like blaring noises. From the music, to the voices of the "conductor," just overwhelming and way too loud where you couldn't even hear the person next to you. Since it's a trolley, there aren't any seat belts or ways to strap in and you are on all main roads heading to each location. A little dangerous, especially with little ones. Overall, it was an OK experience, our kids seemed to enjoy it which was important but we will probably look for something different for next year. read more

To bad there isn't more competition for a Polar express in Long Island. I had purchased five tickets and on the way back from the North Pole my son had to sit on my lap because they didn't have enough seats. I brought this to the attention of the conductor and he did nothing, and then brought this to the attention of the staff when we returned and the lady there who claimed to be the manager said I should call someone named Jay on Monday. She didn't bother to take my information or ensure that I would be taken care of. Just for me to figure out what the number is and for me to remember to call on Monday. This is an expensive ticket ~$60 and they offered me nothing for not having a seat. Very disappointed and honestly it may be worth the ride to CT or NJ on a real train and we'll visit family to make a day out of it. Plus the show they provide at the North Pole is not conducive for kids. My son is four and just wanted to play and dance but they had teenagers performing a show that most the kids were not into. Also, this year they went cheap with sugar cookies instead of chocolate chip and rushed the pics with Santa. read more

I spoke with a representative and assured me I was not the only one disappointed with the change in the Polar Express and offered me a full refund. I was happy with that resolution but now fast forward one month and that refund has yet to be issued to my credit card. I had spent over $1200 in three years with this company and cannot express my complete and utter disappointment more. read more

My kids are 8 yrs old and they said they loved it and had a great time.it was well worth the money and the people that complain about the hot chocolate not being hot would be the same ones complaining it was to hot and there kids burned there mouths.it was warm enough to take the chill out but not to warm to burn the kids mouths.and the teenagers doing the show were great my kids loved them.they do a great job the trollies were beautiful.for the price and for kids 8 and under it's absolutely worth doing.not one complaint.Arnold Harbus read more

Loved the Polar Express!!! The trolly ride was fun as the conductor kept us all singing, even doing acrobats on the bus!! At the North Pole (which looked beautiful ) the entertainment was great, while the actors were not performing and the kids lined up to see Santa, they walked around dancing with the kids, singing and taking pictures with the kids and also took pictures of families in front of beautifully decorated fire place. If you didn't have Christmas spirit before you went on the Polar Express, you definitely were left with it at the end!! read more

Be very careful when you book with them, I had booked as I thought it would be a cute idea to get some co-workers together but they had to cancel out. I called for a refund or at least a credit AND they said NO refunds and NO credits.... I don't understand why? Anyway, cute idea but wont be doing that again as I just lost a cool 600 bucks! read more

Polar express was a flop. We arrived 30 minutes prior to our reservation as requested, waited 40 minutes to find out they are down a trolley and we would be waiting an additional 30 minutes in a decorated area with minimal activities. Assuming they didn't tell us upon arrival because we had 2 young kids and would not be ok with starting the ride After 7pm, I requested a full refund and they happily refunded me. Polite staff but really broke my heart for the kids. Poor management. read more

BEWARE USING THIS COMPANY. I have never actually written a review about a company or an experience before but I felt it necessary to warn other couples before booking with the North Fork Trolley. I was EXTREMELY disappointed on how the service was provided to us on our wedding day and the days leading up to our wedding. We booked with the North Fork Trolley about 5 months prior to our event. When I had called, I spoke with a girl named Allison who was very sweet and told me they had a white trolley available for our wedding day. I was so excited because it was something my fiancé and I had been looking to book. We paid in full a couple of days later and signed a contract that stated a "wedding trolley". We had some simple correspondence with Ally over the next few months to update our itinerary for the wedding day. Three weeks before our wedding day (late on a Friday afternoon), Ally emailed me to confirm our itinerary and to give her contact numbers to use the day of the event. In that email, Ally also stated that she was confirming our "lavender trolley". My fiancé and I were confused by what this meant and responded to her email immediately asking her what she meant by a lavender trolley. On the following Monday, I received a panicked call from a manager named Jay. My fiancé called him back and Jay explained that there had been a misunderstanding and that it was put into the system that we had booked a lavender trolley and NOT a white one and that all the white trolleys were booked for the day of our wedding. Of course my fiancé and I were fully upset and angry that this information was being delivered to us 3 weeks before our big day. Jay tried to convince us that the lavender trolley was not that bad and that it could match the dress colors of the bridesmaids. When I researched what the trolley looked like, it was Willy Wonka purple...not lavender. This was DEFINITELY not what we had booked. He admitted that it was a mistake on their end and that it was never conveyed to us by phone or any emails that the trolley was in fact lavender and not white. He asked me to give him time to try to make it right. After going back and forth with Ally and Jay every day for a week and a half, Jay was finally able to give us the news that we would be able to get a white trolley for our whole wedding event, however, it would be 2 different trolleys and the second one would pick us up 15 minutes later than we had originally scheduled to bring us to our cocktail hour. My fiancé and I agreed that this would be the best solution as no we were less than 2 weeks away from the wedding day and had very few options. Jay assured me that everything would run smoothly. THE DAY OF THE WEDDING: On the afternoon of the June 22, 2019, I received a voicemail from the trolley driver at 12:50 pm stating that he would be 15 minutes late for our pickup. He was originally scheduled to arrive at 1:45 and stated he would be there no later than 2 pm. He informed us that if we had any questions or concerns to call the office, as he would be unable to answer the phone. When the trolley still hadn't arrived by 2:15 pm, we called the office. No one picked up. We left a voicemail and no one returned our call. The trolley finally arrived at 2:30 pm. Because of this, we were 45 minutes late to our ceremony. Our poor guests had to wait nearly an hour for our ceremony to begin. We missed out on picture time because of the poor scheduling of the Norh Fork Trolley. This is precious time that we will NEVER be able to get back. This company caused us extreme stress and sadness on one of the days that should have been the happiest of our lives. Neither Jay nor Ally called to follow up about our experience either. I sent them an email asking them to reach out to me to discuss the issues that occurred and they never responded. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE read more

I booked a beer trolley with a bunch of coworkers. The trolley itself was really nice. Very clean and cute and well air conditioned. Bob was our driver and he was fun and took great care of us. Setting it all up was easy and well worth the money. Jay in the office was great and helped me get it all together. Each of the 3 breweries was a good time. Greenport Brewery, Jamesport Brewery and LongIreland Brewery. I would absolutely do this again. We all had a fantastic time. Loved it! read more

Went on The Polar Express earlier this evening. What an absolutely FANTASTIC time! The trolley was decorated quite nicely, our conductor was engaging, funny, and super nice. We had a blast with him on the way. The North Pole is a large building decorated with all white lights - just like min the movie. Once we were seated, a whole bunch of chefs came out and did a really cute dance to the "Hot Chocolate" song. Then we met the hobo and two other junior conductors who sang great. The girl that was singing truly had an angelic voice. After some hot chocolate, cookies, singing and dancing, Santa himself came out. After a brief chat, everyone got to meet Santa and take pictures with him. I can honestly say, when the hobo came in after Santa was done, we were truly believers! GREAT job with the whole ride and show Northfork Trolley! My wife and my three kids had a great time and will be back next year!!! read more

Wonderful Experience! Excellent customer Service! Trolley's are extremely clean ,well maintained and overall magnificent. Professional service and many activities for your children to enjoy!! read more