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We received no compensation or discount for our Polar Express Train Ride tickets in exchange for this review.
The website for the Florida Train: Royal Palm Railway Polar Express Train Ride located in Eustis, Florida states, “Enjoy a magical experience that takes you and your family to the North Pole on board an actual train ride that recreates THE POLAR EXPRESS™ movie.”
I booked our tickets several months in advance with the excitement of experiencing this train ride. The Polar Express movie is my mother in law’s absolute favorite Christmas movie. We purchased tickets as an early Christmas gift and had extremely high hopes for a memorable adventure we could recall for years to come.
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After reviewing the photos, videos, and information about the train ride on their website, my family was anxiously counting down the days for our visit to the North Pole on the Polar Express train. Sadly, the actual experience was a disappointment.
Here is my honest review of the Polar Express Train Ride Orlando.
The Cost
The cost for the Polar Express train ride was steep with tickets running upwards of $50 to $90 for a weekend ride. The train ride lasted a little over one hour once everyone boarded and the festivities began.
Competing Polar Express train rides in Florida have a rate of $25-$50 per person.
Embarkation
The website states the ticket window will open 1.5 hours prior to the scheduled train departure. We left our home in Central Florida to make the drive to Eustis, Florida with the intention to arrive at the ticketing window at 2:00 for our 3:30 train departure. We arrive at 2:00 only to be told the ticket booth would not be open until 2:30.
To kill time, we walked the cute streets of Eustis. We did find a remarkable store called Peddler’s Wagon within walking distance from the train’s ticket location. This enchanted store, decked from floor to ceiling with amazing Christmas decor, was chock full of one of kind gifts. We were able to purchase several hard to find gift items while we waited for the ticket booth to open.
The Seating
We purchased Custom Class seats. This was the mid-grade seating option. The website states, ” Our Custom Coach Class cars are restored and well maintained long-distance passenger cars built in the 1950’s. They have cloth seating that is arranged by seats of two on either side of the center aisle (Airplane style). All the seats face the center of the car for the best viewing of the show performance.” The seats did not face the center of car. The seats were just like an airplane and faced the front or the rear of the train car.
After we walked through a Coach seat car to get to our Custom Seat car, I would notice there was little difference between our upgraded seating and the regular seats. The seat upholstery in the Custom class looked a bit less worn and was not ripped as some of the seating in the coach class. The seats in Custom class did recline and they were comfortable, however these seats costs an additional $20 per person and the overall train ride was only a little over one hour. You did not need a reclining seat. In addition, we received a souvenir Polar Express cup that the lower class did not receive.
The Show
The Polar Express Train Ride was advertised as a “magical experience (which) takes you and your children to the North Pole on board an actual train ride that recreates THE POLAR EXPRESS™ movie. You will have your golden ticket punched by the conductor, experience the dancing chefs who will serve cocoa and a tasty treat, interact with the hobo and other characters from the movie, along with enjoying a reading of the classic children’s book THE POLAR EXPRESS™ by Chris Van Allsburg.” The photos and video on the website portray a realistic Santa and what appears to be professional actors.
You do get on board an actual train, however you do not get a recreation of the movie as advertised. In contrast, only a small portion of the overall story is acted with the majority of the story being read from a story book. There are only a few characters who speak with handheld microphones taking away from the story. Most of the entertainment is provided by your train stewards or conductors.
The Santa photo on the website looked to be the real deal.You have seen the Santas at Disney or even the mall that are extraordinary. I expected this after viewing the website. On the contrary! Santa appeared to be a high school boy dressed in a Santa suit being followed by unrealistic elves.
If you were looking for the next star on The Voice or Broadway, you will not find them on board the Polar Express Train. Of the actors who walked the aisle of our train car, there was one boy who sang beautifully. The other actors mumbled, even had a hard to understand lisp, and the singing was definitely lacking.
The North Pole
I knew we would not be disembarking the train in the “North Pole” however I expected the North Pole to be a bit more magical than it was.
When the train arrives in the Tavares station, you are to look out the window to see Santa and his sleigh accompanied by dancing elves. If you are sitting on the opposite side of the train, you would need to get out of your seat to view the “North Pole”.
The website states, ” Upon arrival at the North Pole, Santa Claus and his elves will climb aboard and visit each family. Each child will receive a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh as the first gift of Christmas.”
Santa did come by and hand my son a bell. He did not interact and did not visit with us. It appeared as if they were rushing to make it down the aisle as quickly as possible with not even a word being said. Maybe this is because my son was a bit older? I noticed even those families with small children got very little interaction with Santa. He quickly walked the train aisle and disappeared.
What Did I Enjoy?
I do not wish to criticize the entire experience. There were enjoyable portions of the train ride. We each received a sugar cookie and hot chocolate served to our seats by the train stewards/conductors. The sugar cookie was very tasty and the creamy, robust hot chocolate clearly made with milk was the perfect addition. The train stewards dancing up and down the aisle prior to serving our delicious treats provided the most entertainment of the show.
We each received a Polar Express silver bell with “Polar Express” engraved on the bell. They are a nice size and a great souvenir for our Christmas tree.
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In summary:
I would not recommend The Florida Train: Royal Palm Railway Experience Polar Express Train ride. The Polar Express Train Ride with the Royal Palm Railway Experience out of Eustis, Florida was an outright disappointment. The train ride did not live up to the description, photos and video on their website.
The cost of the train ride was steep. With the number of train rides scheduled, they should spend the money to hire semi-professional Santas and actors.
I spoke to a friend who took her child on the Polar Express train in Parrish, Florida hosted by the Florida Railroad Museum. The cost was half of what this train experience was. You met Santa at the North Pole Village which also included activities for the children to enjoy.
Have you taken the journey to the North Pole with this company? If so, I would love to hear your opinion. What did you think? Drop me a comment.
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This is the first time l am hearing about this experience. What l love most about this post is that you tell the truth. Nothing worse than reading blogger experiences that are only positive. People are capable of making up their minds. Thanks for sharing, and l think l would personally pass on this. It sounds that your friend for the better deal.
Kemkem,
Thank you for your thoughts. I give an honest review based on my opinion. I do try to find the positive in everything, though!
–Chris
What a shame, it’s always such a disappointment when things don’t live up to the expectation, especially when they’re pricy!
Yes, Rachael. It was definitely a let down!
–Chris
I’m so sorry that your experience wasn’t great 🙁 it sounds like such an amazing idea and it’s sad that the execution of the train experience wasn’t great. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Kate,
We were very excited for the experience as the Polar Express is a favorite Christmas movie in our household. Though the experience was a let down, we did love spending time with family.
–Chris
Ah what a shame.
At least it looks like your son had a blast (his grin is enormous!) but that is pretty rubbish that it wasn’t as good as the advert. Especially as the tickets are pretty pricey once you include tickets for each of you!
That bell will look fab on your family Christmas tree though. 😀
Josy,
There were definitely some highlights to the experience and the bell was one of the best parts. We loved spending time together as a family.
Thank you for your comment,
Chris
Soumya,
I attempt to always tell the truth. We had fun, but I was definitely disappointed with the price we paid.
–Chris
I’m kind of in two minds at the idea of a polar express train in sunny florida but it looks like it was actually pretty cool. The mid-grade seating looks pretty spacious and comfy. I like that there’s some performance entertainment but a shame that so much is just read from a book. Also a shame that the santa visit was so lacking.
Kavita,
Those of us in the tropical weather of Florida yearn for the Polar Express!
–Chris
A Polar Express train ride sounds amazing! But, this one was obviously poorly executed! Thank you for being truly honest about your experience! Hopefully it gives the service provider an opportunity to improve!!
Lisa,
Thank you for your comment!
–Chris
Thanks for the honest review! I doubt I’d be going on this experience either although it really did sound like it had a lot of promise… the Polar Express!!
Luliya,
I was definitely excited for the experience. Unfortunately, the actual ride did not live up to the hype of the advertisement.
–Chris
I hate to hear that it didn’t live up to your expectations. I had a similar situation on a theme train in my hometown. 🙁
Michelle,
I am very sorry to hear you had a similar situation happen to you. What train experience did you go on?
–Chris
Oh gosh you would think that getting the singing right would be a priority! This is a great honest review which is refreshing amongst travel blogs. It is also great that you offer an alternative!
Anna,
There were some positives to the experience. Overall, we had a good time, however I would not recommend it when there are alternatives that provide more bang for your buck!
–Chris
This sounds like a fun experience! And I love that it’s not as cold in Florida as similar (albeit less elaborate) Polar Express options in the Midwest where I live!
Sage–
It has some fun portions, however the overall experience was definitely disappointing.
–Chris