We do the polar express every yr for 5 yrs n it's amazing. Great experience n fun. Love them

I believe. I believe. I believe We went with a group of 15, we all purchased our tickets separately and were still able to grab seats near one another. The seats were perfect and comfy. The actors where fun and engaging and wow could they sing. The most magical moment is when santa shows up and the fact that he spends one on one time with every child is worth it. Is there room for improvement absolutely. The set up before getting on the train is just thrown together and you don't feel like you're at the north pole at all. The gift shop feels like a last minute idea, again just thrown together. If my kids weren't so young this probably would have not been worth it but they are and still believe in the magic of Christmas so it worked for us this year. Plenty of parking Bathroom is quite a ways away from the train so make sure to go before heading toward the train. Tickets are a little pricey in comparison to the value of event. If it weren't for the actors one on one engagement with our little ones and santa this would have been a flop so kudos to every single one of the performers for truly making the whole experience. read more

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For the Holiday Season I have been gathering a list of wonderful places to visit with my family to experience Christmas. One place that was recommended to me on numerous occasions was the Polar Express Train Ride. All I knew from the Polar Express was the animation movie staring Tom Hanks. However, because people have been telling me that this is must, I decided to take my chances. 1) Movie: Be sure to rent the movie prior to going on the actual Polar Express Ride. It will provide so much context and knowledge for not only you, but your children (ex. Meaning of the Golden Ticket). The entire ride is based on the movie and the book. I rented the movie from Amazon Prime if this helps. 2) Tickets: There are 3 different variations of ticket pricing. Value Pricing usually means off Peak, Standard Pricing is the normal Peak and Premium Pricing is Peak (usually on weekends in December). Value pricing is $10 cheaper than the Standard Pricing. Value pricing for adults is $50 and kids are $45. Value pricing usually occurs in dates before Thanksgiving. Also there are some value pricing tickets after Thanksgiving but they fall on Tuesdays. Additionally , there is an extra $5 coupon you can use for the month of November that is advertised on the website. Standard Pricing for adults is $60 and kids are $55. Premium Pricing for adults is $70 and kids are $65. 3) Locations: There are locations in Fillmore in Valencia, Perris in Riverside County and the original one is in Arizona. 4) Parking: If you come early I recommend parking on the street parallel to the train station and the polar Express tent. If not, you can park in the unpaved parking lot which is full of dirt and rocks. 5) Restrooms: They are small for the amount of people that attend this place. The Women's restroom lines are very long. Be sure to go to the restroom in the train prior to exiting. Also the restroom at the station is pretty dirty and unkempt. 6) Check-in: They open doors at 5:15 for Will-Call which is located inside the large white tent filled with holiday decor. The people at the counter will issue you your tickets as well as the golden ticket for the event. 7) The White Tent: This is where you hang out and wait with your family. There are places for you to take pictures with a snowman and Christmas trees. Also there is a place for your kids to write to Santa. 8) Attire: Almost everyone was wearing their pajamas, while others were wear their Christmas outfits 9) Polar Express : The conductor will announce to board the train and will showcase a small scene from the movie. Each train has a person greeting you, giving you high fives and ringing a bell. As you walk in, another person will personally walk you to your seats. I don't want to ruin all the fun but the entire one hour event is filled with constant entertainment, singing, dancing, as well as serving you with hot chocolate and cookies. Santa will definitely be there and will greet each kids and offer them a special gift :). I recommend sitting more up front as the majority of the commentary came from there. At the end of the Polar Express ride my family was extremely satisfied. We walked feeling happy and full of joy! As we drive home we listened to the polar Express sound track . read more

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This is one of our family favorites! Such a magical event for all ages. I've tried recently to get tickets not realizing the event had stopped running at this location. That's too bad, I would've loved to bring my grandbabies to share and this experience. read more

What a memorable experience! We ordered tickets only a few weeks in advance and they still had a decent selection. I've read other reviews that said the trip passes by some unsightly things. We took the 7:50pm ride and it was almost pitch black, so that helped. Prices are spot on for the experience. Renee, Lexi, and Steven were excellent! So sweet with the kids and their singing voices were amazing! The experience is very interactive and they even made it personal for some. The hot coco DID taste like melted chocolate bars, and the snickerdoodles were soft and chewy! The trains are nicely decorated and compliment the old look and feel of the train. The lighting effects and music were clear and vibrant. North Pole was less than spectacular, but I'm sure improvements will be made. My mom went to the Grand Canyon one about 8 years ago and said this experience was better than that one. Bathrooms are at the station, a little rundown but the town/station is old itself. Picture spots and letters to Santa are activities to do before you board. Gift shop is small but has some cute stuff. It closes at 8pm so if you have a late trip, visit before. I recommend waiting at car 1 for the little skit at the beginning and then boarding your train. It did get a little warm in the train so prepare for that. Take as many videos and photos as you want; they offered to take a group photo at the end as well! I will do this next year for sure! read more

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Great production! Kuddos to all the entertainers! It was rainy when we went but that didn't stop us from enjoying the experience. Our kids and my sister's kids loved it, seeing their faces was all worth the long drive there and the pricey tickets! Our son loves the Polar Express and has seen the movie at least a hundred times so for him it was surreal. The actors/actresses were not cheesy and were so entertaining and charismatic. The conductor looked close enough to Tom Hanks, and the little boy looked like the character as well. The gifts we got were great, the hot cocoa and cookies were not bad. I do agree with other reviewers that they could've done more at the North Pole. Maybe next time they will make it bigger/better and a longer experience there. Overall we have great memories from this night! read more

I had such a wonderful time with my family! I was skeptical because the prices were a bit high. I was debating Knotts Merry Farm or going to the Polar Express. I feel they are both very different. The polar express is a must see and do for the Christmas Season. It makes me feel so much at home and you truly experience the joy of the Holidays. The cast members went really above and beyond. Great job to the team over at the socal Polar Express. read more

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BEST BEST BEST we actually got misty eyed! If you can go please do. It was the most magical experience. In fact this will be our holiday tradition. The experience is like you are literally in the book. Santa bells hot chocolate a ride to North Pole!!! read more

This train ride was so fun even though our party didn't have any little kids, the hot chocolate was really good and they give you snickerdoodle cookies as well! The ride was basically a live show of the movie and all of the actors did really well and were very energized. Overall, very fun experience for all ages! read more

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They knew our car was broke down 3 hours before scheduled ride. No notice, we arrived, driver. 2 hours for nothing. Stay away ran by California which means it's a total joke. read more

This is a ride I wanted to like more. The production quality for the actual singers/actors and the show inside the train was lovely and I truly do think this experience has the potential to bring young children the feeling of Christmas magic. If it weren't for how great the actors are, how nice the decorations inside, I would have dropped the rating to 2, they're that good. :) The actors are absolutely amazing! The really glaringly bad part is that outside the train is just a bunch of gloomy roadside ditches with trash and graffiti and normal streets and neighborhoods. As an adult, that really hurt my enjoyment of the train significantly. It's so not "Christmas" that it was really hard to keep my suspension of disbelief. I almost wished they put screens on the windows so I could just focus on the inside party more, since that was really nice. Other downticks are that the hot chocolate presentation is lovely, but the hot chocolate is just water and a chocolate packet they mixed for you and handed you a paper cup with a leak-proof top. This is fine for little kids, of course! But the promised "thickest hot chocolate you'll ever have" was not in attendance haha. Due to COVID or budget restrictions (who knows?) they don't give snickerdoodles anymore, just a small packet of commercial brand shortbread cookies (again, kids won't care but I just couldn't get excited). Due to COVID too, you have to wear a mask the rest of the time which is just so disappointing. The train itself is a little beaten up and doesn't include small tables to eat on, but the decorations and actors really do a spot-on job of making everything special despite the environment. Note too that the North Pole is only outside on the right side - they ask all the kids to crowd around that side to see everything, which is cute! But man I had some FOMO since I never got to see anything as I was on the left side of the train. So all in all, expect your kids to have a blast and you to be happy to see them smiling so much. It's not a thing for the parents, but that's not the point in the first place. Please note that I agree you should get there about 30 mins early just go get a chance to go to the bathroom and stretch your legs. The value of this is much greater with little kids under 10. Highly recommend you have them watch the movie first. Kids recommended to wear pajamas like they do in the movie. Note that the price for an adult is about $75 per person. Note that the best seats are on the right side. If you go, I hope you really enjoy the show! read more

Poorly run, no signage, no one directing where to go. Lots & lots of lines. Thanks to omicron, hot chocolate & shortbread (not authentic to the movie!) are served in the tent where they're trying to board the next group. The train isn't decorated at all. For $70, it's better spent any place else. Sadly. read more

Christy Jay just now The worst customer service I've encountered. You can not get a hold of an agent for concerns or issues after you've already purchased tickets. I have wasted several days trying to reach this company and it has been a waste of my time and my money at this point. read more

wish they stuck to what the characters actually looked like. all they do is add their political agenda DEI to the whole ride. the main character who is a boy was played by a girl with slicked back hair. Not worth the money to have this agenda shoved in your face. I just wanted to treat my kids to a magical moment that was like the movie otherwise we would have not purchased tickets. you also get the smallest hot chocolate and a cookie paying 100 bucks a person. whole thing is a joke. read more

I want to start by first mentioning, our family had a wonderful time while ON the train and it was the perfect way to set the tone for the holidays. We went on an evening tour, which I think made the whole experience feel more magical. During daylight I think it would have been more difficult to enjoy because of the cars driving outside along the train or the lack of snow. The "North Pole" could definitely use some improvements, but I don't think it took away from the overall experience- and my kids did not care. The real issue was that the tent venue was closed while we were there and this is why I deducted one star. It was cold, wet and muddy out but there was no where for anyone to wait. You are told to arrive an hour early to check in for your tickets, but then you're just standing there in pajamas being really COLD. They needed to have a much better backup plan for waiting and keeping everyone dry. Lots of little kids show up for this and their parents pay a lot of money, so having a shelter for waiting seems necessary. The staff on the train really made the experience and help you forget the cold wait before climbing abroad. The Snickerdoodle cookies were delicious, but the hot chocolate was very cold on our tour. Overall we left excited and had a great night as a family, but a couple tweaks and this could be well worth the price and earn five stars. read more

Easy parking , easy entry, easy findjng the tent . Veryyyyy simple. But its notas magical as you would want but its still and good experience read more

Since no one else will really tell you, I will. DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THE POLAR EXPRESS! I spent over $200 for 4 tickets to take a train ride to homeless city. I had to tell my kids the elves were dirty from being so busying making all the toys. Even my nephew was like this is not The North Pole! No snow no nothing! You literally see nothing but homeless people and for that price you guys should offer a meal on the train but instead you give some hot cocoa that you literally mix with water and a decent cookie. When I had a baby with me I asked the lady for another cookie since she only gave me one and she was hesitant. Like lady I just spend $200 bc you guys made me buy a seat I didn't even need. Hand the cookie over. Very sad we will never be back no matter what location you have it at bc it's wayyyyyy overpriced for what you guys offer. Greatly DISAPPOINTED! Save your money! read more

This was the best experience!!!! A must do for families. It was so much fun. The actors were top notch. It was a great interactive experience. You can wear your pajamas. Our whole family got matching jammies we created some lasting memories. So worth it read more

Very much enjoyed this ride! The staff and cast were all extremely helpful and my experience with this whole show is absolutely positive!

This was quite possibly the WORST experience I've ever had. We arrived 10 min before 6:40. Will call was still open and they would not let us board. Our kids were crying. We had 6 different families left out. They didn't have the same VERay expensive tickets I paid for and we didn't get to sit together. I wish I could give it a ZERO stars because it was the worst thing ever read more

Awesome ride. Kept you entertained for the duration of the ride. Very interactive. Great show. Only improvement could be the "North Pole".

Well done! We have visited this experience for many years as our children grew up. It became a tradition but as our youngest hit 5 we started to question whether to go again this year. I'm so glad we did because for the first time, this experience was on another level. If you've been on the train before 2019, go again this year! What an incredible improvement! The staff was fantastic as they recreated the Polar Express story with exceptional detail that followed the movie. read more

This was a terrible experience. My kid was so disappointed and he kept saying that's not the North Pole, where's the snow. Santa didn't spend any time with the kids, but only gave out bells. It was super hot in the train, no AC. Also the train goes through some weird parts of town. So the kids see dumpsters, junkyards and manure on the way. I would not recommend this to anyone, especially during the day. ?Nighttime may be better but probably not by much. Can't believe they get away with charging people $70-85 per person. Don't waste your time or money read more

On the train right now. Absolutely worth every penny spent on this night. If you have ever seen the movie and have children you need to do this. It will be a memory to be cherished for a long time to come. read more

Totally worth the money! Very entertaining and engaging. Characters called the kids on our car by name. Very interactive. We loved it!!! Very impressed. read more