York-Durham Heritage Railway

We went on the Christmas Train and while it was ok it was so expensive for under an hour of an experience! It came to $180 for 2 adults and a child. The ticket said it would be 2 hours but the train ride was just under an hour. I was totally under the impression that for $180 it would be a longer experience.

The staff are fantastic though and there are a lot of them which I understand probably is why the cost is so high having to pay all their staff.

Unfortunately this was the last year we will be going on this train. It’s ok if you can afford it, but definitely for $200 take your family somewhere else for the entire day? This train ride is not worth the price tag

Totally robbed. Bought $250 in tickets in 2022 for the Christmas train as my 80 year old grandparents wanted to take their great-grandchildren on the train. I booked a date and time, then the train broke down which is fine. I was then told no refunds due to their no refund policy but the Christmas train would be available well into the new year, Christmas was over, so no thanks. They offered us an Easter date which again is not what we wanted so we opted to wait until Christmas 2023. After MULTIPLE attempts to reach someone via phone and email, we got no response. They have stolen $250 from senior citizens and they should be absolutely embarrassed. If you don’t believe me, look at the the countless reviews of the same thing happening to other people. Merry Christmas, what a joke.

The afternoon tea was a very big disappointment. The 5 of us traveled 1.5 hours to take part in this. It was very disorganized, boarding and finding the correct table was crowded and confusing and in the midst of it, they were bringing on the large vats of hot beverages. We sat for an extremely long time with the food on the table while waiting for the hot water for the tea as did many others around us. I would have expected with the number of trips already completed this would have been far more organized. Also, we didn't realize the train would just be going back and forth on a short track. Overall, very disappointed in the whole experience. Wouldn't recommend.

I am not surprised by how many bad reviews this “business” has on here. How they’re still operating is a mystery.

If you are entertained by seeing disappointed angry people this is the event for you. We had a great time watching the table next to us rage quit because they didn’t get their drinks. Then watched a family of 4 wait an hour for food then finally only get 3 meals delivered. It was hilarious yet kind of sad. I hope they paid these children that clearly never worked as wait staff in a restaurant let alone a moving vehicle with a makeshift shanty town mess hall.

They should have an event called “Disappointment Train Wreck Bad Food Ride” and they will get 5 star ratings.

In December of 2022, my wife and I booked a Christmas train ride for my 3 kids (12,7, and 4 yrs old). The kids were over the moon to go have hot chocolate with Santa. Unfortunately, last minute we were canceled due to technical difficulties. Kids were bummed, but totally understandable that things happen.

We were then booked for the Easter train Ride to “make up” for the Christmas one. We thought “great”! And booked ourselves in for the train ride on April 1st and I took the day off work to make sure we could be there.unfortunately Heritage Railway dropped the best “April Fools” joke on us I’ve ever seen, and after driving over an hour to get there with three excited kids, we find a note in the window saying “cancelled due to weather”. No email to let us know. No notification AT ALL.has not been a great experience with this organization that does not offer refunds and it’s customer service is clearly lacking.
We are out hundreds of dollars and never actually got on the train!

Buyer Beware.

November 20th, 2023. **UPDATE***

as per the response I got from the company, I reached out for a refund as “their policy had changed”. Nope, same policy. No refund. Only offered a chance to rebook. I’ve been down that road before as per my above review, and you can see how that turned out. I believe the famous quote is “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”.

Do not recommend. Sent an email about the lackluster service, no answer. $300 all in for a fall high tea for 3 of us led me to believe the event would be 5 stars. Scones, baked goods were cold and stale. Tea cup was dropped by staff, hot water spilled on my cell phone. No towel brought to clean up, no water offered since my tea was in the carpet.just a disappointing experience all around.

FINALLY spoke with someone.willing to provide a refund for their cancellation of a trip.thank you

My partner surprised me with high train tea. It was great. Friendly staff, great food, and the slow train ride was pleasant.

Very disappointed my daughters surprised me with this afternoon tea. With what they paid we had a sandwich and a half to share for the three of us My daughter had ask one of the services if the tray was for three people we were told it was for two and you only get another tray if you paid for four people. So they paid for three but only get food for two. UNBELIEVABLE. The train was a half hour late leaving traveled for 20 minutes sat and look out at a swamp for 30 minutes then when back to the station I felt very bad for my daughters who thought they were booking something special. I would not recommend this to anyone.

If I could them 0 review I would. Horrible customer service. Please save your money and don't buy their tickets. They cancalled Christmas trains and told us that they will book everyone for Easter. I have been emailing them for over a month with no reply. Their phones don't work either.

Update: So we are just 4 days away from the train ride and we stil havnt gotten any confirmation from YDHR. Even after they commented on this post saying they are gonna get back to me. I feel for all the people who bought tickets. Will update in few days if they even confirm or just tottally ignore afterall.

Update: YDHR never emailed us nack for the Easter train and refuse to give our money back. Not sure what else to do. If anyone knows anyway to get the money back. Please let me know

Horrible service. Bought tickets in December which got cancelled and then booked again for Easter which also got cancelled and they didn't notify us. We drove 1hr to attend the event to find a small paper posted saying the event was cancelled. They are not willing to give a refund either. Absolutely horrible! If I could rate this as zero, I would.

In response to the post below from the owner:
Those are not facts. We were NOT given ANY notice (no emails or text messages), neither did the other 10 families that also came out for this event. We drove 1hr to attend the event which was supposed to be held on the April 1st weekend. Why would we drive 1hr if there was communication that it was cancelled? ! This was the second cancellation (first one was in December which I understood and notice was given a week in advance and we rebooked for April 1st weekend which they also cancelled WITHOUT any notice). No contact was made for us or the remaining 10 families who came out. These are the facts, not what the owner wrote.

So frustrated. Booked Victorian Tea for Dec 14 as Christmas gift for my sisters. Cancelled due to mechanical issues with train. No refunds. I was fine to rebook in spring with credit. Emailed in Feb to book Spring Tea in May. No response except for auto email saying they were 7 days behind in responding to email. That was almost 2 months ago. Emailed again at the beginning of April. Still no response. I’ve left 2 voice mails. No response.
I want to be understanding of the issues they are having but my patience is at an end.

I appreciate the response to this review but I’ll need information on how to submit those details.

Worst place ever! They postponed an event is intended for Christmas to April with no specific date given and won’t refund us over $200 paid for this.
We have other planned events in April and we are not interested in any of your so call alternative events that is rescheduled. We chose event for Christmas and that is the only thing we are interested in.
They claimed “their policy” is no refund so we can not even talk to someone about the insane policy. This is not our fault when the “contract” been broke and this company can not deliver services promised.

Be aware! Parents and family who want to purchase tickets with them for future year Christmas event.

Find something else to do!

*update*
This place has time to reply my review but have no time to respond to angry customers for refund or answer the calls/emails.

Such a great customer experience!

I have made formal complaint to your organization.
I will also file police report and contact CP24.

Good luck!

*another update*

This place has the audacity to refer an article about how CTV and CP24 stood for them? Oh wow they really had the time to review my review and are trying to make a point about them being “right“? About their methods. Ask any organizations, this is not the right way of treating customers, especially kids who waited the whole year.
If you believe your actions here gonna buy you any sympathy, you are 100% wrong!
Family and kids deserve better place to visit!
The so called “policy” and “terms” that the organization claims the customer needs to read before purchasing ticket is for the date we had originally purchased it for, you cannot go around changing dates and making the decision on whether if we can attend the event on behalf of us. It’s totally unethical and unfair!

I echo all the recent reviews - the company has zero customer care and is unethical. We purchased 4 tickets at $187.14 on the afternoon of Dec. 9 for Dec. 10 train. The next morning I was informed the train was cancelled "due to mechanical issues". Someone called me from a blocked number on the next day and I missed the call. Since then I sent 3 emails - there was no response. There was automatic response on Dec. 23 and no correspondence after that. I will be seeking ways to dispute the charge with a consumer bureau.

Update on January 7 2023: I still HAVE NOT received a call back or any e-mail (including my spam mail box) from York Durham Heritage Railway regarding how to redeem my credit on file since DECEMBER 2021! DO NOT TRUST THEM when they say "Rest assured, we will keep your credit on file and you will be able to use it for any other event in 2022", because they are NOT HONORING credit on file.

Those who were affected by the mechanical issue in December 2022 got rescheduled for other train rides in 2023 plus get credit to use for other trips, but customers like me whose train ride was cancelled due to COVID in December 2021 GOT NOTHING. All along I was NOT ASKING FOR A REFUND. I just want to use my December 2021 credit for the EXACT SAME TRAIN in December 2022 but they COMPLETEY IGNORED ME when I try to redeem my credit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been trying to reach this company for 3 weeks via a variety of method but to this date I have not received a response. I have credit for a train ride that was cancelled due to COVID which I would like to exchange for this December's North Pole Express Train Ride. I first sent an e-mail on Oct. 12, which according to the company's automatic voicemail is the best way to reach them. Then I followed-up with a voicemail on Oct. 20, which I am supposed to get a call back in 3 business days according to its pre-recorded message, and again no response. I even posted a comment on Facebook on Oct. 29, under the North Pole Express advertisement, and still no response. The most frustrating part is that this company UPDATES FACEBOOK DAILY, responds to other people's comments except mine.

Are you trying to not honor credit from trips that you cancelled by avoiding the customers?

Totally disappointed with this event. My daughter paid $100 for my grandchildren to ride the train. Apparently the train broke down and the event people are not offering the money back!
I looked, nowhere does it mention this refund policy, only at FAQ, s, which mentions nothing about any type of compensation.
No email was sent indicating this problem.
No wonder the current rating is only 3.6!
Despite what the events reply is, this is a slap in the face. Those who are out money should contact counsel.

What a horrible experience. I booked the High Tea event, scheduled on December 21st, on December 14. The very next day, December 15, I got an email saying the event was canceled. Seriously! The website allowed me to make the booking with no notice that the train was inoperable. The email stated the train had mechanical issues on the 9th, yet they continued to sell tickets. This is theft! I have filed a dispute with my credit card company for the charges. Under the circumstances, this organization should refund everyone. Being non-profit does not allow you to keep money for an event that will not happen. What kind of organization does this? You should stick your "strict no refund policy" in the coal bin and up the train chimney!

UPDATE:

I received an email yesterday stating that I have been rescheduled for a Spring Festival train ride with characters from Seasame Street, Paw Patrol and Winnie the Pooh and so much more. Problem is, I don't have small children!

I have 2 adult children living at home. They won't leave. They will be absolutely thrilled to have mom and dad take them on a walk through to see the Christmas lights and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. Perhaps Santa can get them to leave home? This is my only Christmas wish. If Santa gets them to leave, mommy will be kissing Santa Claus, no mistletoe required. My adult children will also be looking forward to the Spring Festival train ride, no doubt. It appears I will have to wander my neighbourhood and steal small children to make use of my "credits".

A non-profit, charitable organization is not excluded from fair and ethical business practices. Giving people more of what they don't want, or need, will not fix this problem. The president and CEO, John Graham Perks, should be ashamed of how this has been handled. They claim people agreed to the terms and conditions for ticket purchases, but those terms are not fair terms. People purchased a Christmas event, for Christmas. Not a sometime later different event.

My heart goes out to all those parents that purchased tickets for their little ones in an attempt to make Christmas extra special, many of whom worked very hard to save up for this event. Mr. Perks is a real Scrooge.

DON’T BUY IT! It’s a scam! If the train has “mechanical issues” they won’t refund your ticket! We lost almost $200! We bought the tickets to take my mom that came from Brazil. Yes we lost the ticket because there’s no reason to go if my mom is not gonna be here anymore. Mechanical issues is not my problem.

Locate at a quiet corner of the small town, there are displays of old train carts and a mini museum inside the station. Many interesting round trip events have been organized throughout the year and it shows the company has put a lot of thoughts into running services on this historical route between Oxbridge and Stouffville.

The event was canceled, and I haven't received the refund for both the tickets purchased. Highly disappointing and feels like I have been scammed. I haven't heard back despite leaving voice messages. It's been quite some time and I have run out of patience.

Please refund asap!

Edit: I don't need credits anymore when I haven't teceived the service that was promised. I paid for the experience, not credits for future events, please don't decide on my behalf what needs to be done with my money.

It's ok. But For the price that you pay (48.00) I was expecting better. The kids were a bit disappointed when the train finally arrives to north pole, they could do a better job to make north pole more realistic

Not as good as the Waterloo railway experience. The Santa Train was fun and our elf was great car 106. Little pricy but the kids love it. Happy holidays

The polar Express was not enjoyable it was boring and the on board entertainment was boring and they didn't wear masks and they got right in your face. The portable toilets were dirty.the treat was 1/3 cup of hot chocolate and one cookie and the present was a plastic key. It was expensive and was underwhelming!

We had such a great time on the Polar Express Train.what a fun filled night.highly recommend to families with little ones.its a magical Christmas experience

Went there for the North Pole Express ride with my child. The staff throughout the whole visit were amazing and truly made the experience worthwhile. Bravo!

This is a great place to take your kids. Entertainment was great.
However as 2 adults, we felt a bit neglected in all the fun and treats. (We were skipped for Santa pics and treats)

Took the kids to the Thomas the Train ride today. What a disaster! Our 2: 45pm boarding was delayed over an HOUR and we only found out at 2: 45pm! HEY you have all our emails, send us a message saying you are DELAYED! I guess you assume we can kill 2 hours in your dirty jumpy castles. Good luck buying food- 30 min wait for Jerk Chicken is ridiculous (although it was delicious). Then you are shamelessly forced to walk by a room with Thomas merchandise (enjoy). Then we take a train ride for 15 minutes to see hedges? Finally at 5pm we see Thomas' face, and we are rushed away after maximum 15 SECONDS- Is this a joke? Thanks for wasting a day and a lot of money! Feel terrible for your friendly staff.

The train ride and staff were good, but we went there for fall colors and couldn’t see much colors.

Terrific venue for the Christmas experience. Wonderful actors and exceptionally accommodating volunteers.

Went to the holiday Santa ride. It was a fun 1 hour ride for the kids. The staff on the train was friendly and worked great with entertaining the kids. There was a Santa and Mrs Claus that went around for people to take photos with and a magician for entertainment.

We rode in the car with the comfy padded seats and definitely recommend that over the ones with cafe style chairs.

I am going to go ahead and base this review strictly on the procedure. The company cannot be blamed for the lack of fall color (late into the October month).

Check In: Booked the tickets in advance, they do sell out quickly. On arrival, they had employees all around to ensure traffic is controlled (keeping in mind, this is located in the middle of a residential area). It was busy on a late Sunday afternoon, so we had to park a little further. Upon arrival to the gate, they checked our vaccine proof and we quickly made out way through the tent to board. The tent is equipped with areas for a fall photo op, local vendors have also set up shops. There are outdoor washrooms stalls outside and on board. They also have a food truck/booth as well.

Train: With minutes to board, we quickly rushed and were greeted by the sweetest elderly conductor. We made our way to our seats. The isle were lit up with lights and fall colors to add to the experience. It is an older train, you can smell the staleness in the air but adjust fairly quickly. Once the train started moving, it was at a steady pace. Now had the trees changed colors, this would be a breathtaking experience.

During the ride, they definitely keep it entertaining for children. Winnie the poo characters, the conductors & a balloon experts all make their way through the train to ensure children are entertained.

Overall, it was a calming experience depending on the experience you are looking for.

I went for the Thomas event on Friday Oct 22,2021. Soon as I arrived they asked to pay $20 for parking. Only accepted cash. To pay that much for parking in rural uxbridge is just a money grab considering the ticket was around $30 a person.

Our train was scheduled for 11: 15, we arrived at the station at 11: 00 and waiter until 11: 55 to board the train. All this time we had to wait inside a tent. And then each of us got less than 10 seconds to take a photo with Thomas the engine. And coaches were not heritage - they looked more like coaches from the 80s trains.

I would not do this again. Your time and money is better spent elsewhere.

Very ordinary experience. No such views. Go train gives u a better view than this one. They did make an effort and decorated the train in fall theme but nothing much. The music system wasn't good at all. Not happy with the overall time and money spent on this trip

Went to get tickets and well they just lost bunch if sales cuz me and my families was going to buy tickets till i saw passport for vaccinated.well good luck this year cuz we always looked forward to these so i guess no xmas either! Ur lucky you get 1 star

Mother Nature didn't cooperate with the leafs changing colours, but the train trip was enjoyable.

We looked forward to taking the "High Tea" since we booked the trip for today, October 08,2021. We boarded the train and started. About half way on the trip, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere for about twenty minutes. Then it started back to the station. We wondered what happened since no information was shared why the trip was not completed to Storyville as expected.
I asked one of the customer representatives, who informed me that the tracks were being repaired. I asked why we were not told about this and she did not have an answer. I told her how disappointed We were and that the least the conductor could have done was annouce why we were returning and that the company could have posted on their website about the issue or even informed us before boarding about the situation.
I think they have completely failed in customer service and I have to let my friends, who were planning to take the trip about our experience and I cannot recommend that they take the trip. Sometimes things happen that cannot be avoided, but information share is very important.

Very average experience.not worth the money.the staff very very friendly and courteous, but the train experience and fall colors is very average.

The President/CEO is the rudest person. I have previously worked on location for many events put on by them and he bends the truth to make him sound all big mighty. I’ve seen him lie on many occasions and overall, just a terrible person!
I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with him.

An excellent opportunity to enjoy a train ride, especially with young children. I wish, they could offer more Disney characters and add some light music to this journey

If I could give this attraction lower then a 1 I would! Customer service has been awful. This company all the way up from the CEO down to customer service has been awful. I booked tickets for the Wild Wild West attraction from last year July 2020. No fault of theirs (and that's the only good thing that I will say about them!) it was cancelled due to COVID. I was notified of the cancellation but they kept telling me that they would reschedule and reschedule. I got only a handful of emails in respects to this. The 4 tickets were close to 400.00! I was offered a credit for any of the other shows that they were running whenever possible. High Tea and the Wizards were of no interest to my group! I was never contacted in a timely manner. I was also told a week before that I could go to the Wild Wild West they had rescheduled on Sept 25 but that we would have to be double vaxxed or we could do antigen rapid testing at my own cost! When they finally called me on Sept 25, I said I would go to the show but they then informed me that it was cancelled because the numbers were too low to run the event. I have asked for a refund for over a year and nothing has come out of it. Again I am out 400.00 and all they can tell me is maybe next year they will run the event for the wild wild west. What kind of service is this?

I feel the need to comment here on the number of people who have written negative comments below. Give it a break, businesses are being bled dry by the ongoing rule changes and restrictions. You're unhappy because someone didn't return your call immediately! Pathetic, have some sympathy and try a cup of common sense. Considering the hundreds of people that come to town and enjoy the train it's only the entitled few who decide to post negative comments and slander businesses online. Stay home if you're not happy believe me you will not be missed.

Told me to return for a refund. I returned it. Been ghosted since.

Scam. Don't buy here.

Edit to Add: 6 months later, still no response, refund, or credit provided.

We booked a Paw Patrol train ride back in August. Paid in full when booking. The event was scheduled for the first weekend in September. Our confirmation email informed us to be on time, as the train will depart without us if we are late. We drove from Oakville to Uxbridge for a 9a.m train with our two year old. We arrived to a deserted station. Thankfully there was a kind gentleman there who informed us that the station was shut down due to Covid, but we were welcome to come and visit their store in Pickering. We had never received any sort of cancellation notice. The gentleman took my information, and let me use his phone to speak to a woman in charge. No one had contacted me since. Last month I reached out via email, asking for my refund. I continue to get the same response “you are on our refund list. We can’t tell you when you will receive your refund. It must be done manually. Due to covid, we are operating with less staff. Enough excuses. In the amount of time it takes to respond to my emails, I could have easily received a refund. Does my pride really have to take these people to small claims court just to receive a refund? It’s not even about the money, it’s the respect and principle. Extremely unprofessional. Although I appreciate your response, I was verbally told I would hear from someone on September 6. I began communicating with Tyla weekly, via email since October 6. I finally reached out via instagram this evening. Multiple attempts on my part to find a resolution: (

Yet another month gone by, and we still have not received the promised refund. All I originally expected was an apology or some sort of communication to check in with us. As a business owner, I value all of my clients. If there is an error on my part, I ensure things are rectified in a timely manner. Communication is key. I will not bring the stress of this unprofessionalism into 2021. I will be sure to share my experience on both my Toronto and Oakville Mom's facebook pages. All the best.

Like other reviews, I too am waiting on the Santa Train refund. 9 follow up emails later there is still no clarity. I was told on Jan 26 that
"We are currently not working as we are in a province wide lock down. Once we are able to come back to work, Sharon will be processing refunds for all guests who have requested and you are on the list that have requested. "

Lock down has since been lifted and nothing has happened yet. Would give them a zero star if that was possible

I received an email on November 18,2020 that Santa Train was cancelled and they were prepared to offer refunds. I responded that day with my order number for the refund and it was confirmed I was on the refund list by the Front office reservation manager. I emailed on December 17,2020 asking for an update on the refund and then again on January 6,2020. Each time no response. I have tried to call the number and leave a message on the voicemail service but it won't allow me. 8 weeks and still no refund which I was promised.

Bought 7 tickets for the santa train in September. Was cancelled due to COVID-19, no problem there. I was sent an email asking if I'd like a refund or credits, I chose the refund, they sent me confirmation that I will be given a refund in 2-3 weeks, that was back in November. I still haven't gotten a refund, nor any update. A few days ago I emailed the contact name given (T. Augustine) and no response. I have called today and no answer.

Listen, it seems like you don't have money to refund these trips, but you should tell your customers this, something like we are sorry we told you that you'd be given a refund but actually we can only give credits. Some update so we don't have to waste time chasing you.

Pretty small amazing place, I've been in the past. Currently closed unfortunately due to covid. Check it out when you have time.

I wish I could give these people 0 stars! INCOMPETENT. Please stop using the pandemic as an excuse for your bad service!

Beware! Do not book the Santa train or any of their rides. They take your money and then cancel the event with ZERO communication. We found out through another guest that it was cancelled. Then when asked for a copy of their so called email they sent out to cancel it “ it’s non-existent”. Absolute lack of communication and of course they don’t want to issue any refunds. I have reported them. Save yourself the trouble and DO NOT BOOK THIS!

Amazing place for a greate walk on the north part of the train station where it leads into an amazing trail.

I I had a very unfortunate event when it came to booking an event the matter was resolved but it took a very considerable time. But I do have to leave a 2-star rating for the long very long response time.

We had a super great time today.my son 3 yrs is obsessed with trains.his dreams come true. The ppl there was super helpful and kind.

My family booked our ticket after we found they are running trains from 9 am to PM sometime. We show up at 9 Saturday and had to wait 2.5hrs. The train didnt leave until 11: 30, brutal. The communication on site was looking very amateur. The website didnt give us any info on train schedule. Once we are on the train and get going the music starts playing and it's a Halloween sound track.
Save your money cause the train ride isn't very exciting.

Our family enjoyed the train ride - however we have our grand parents due to which we booked coach with couches. On arrival we found out that that coach had gone for repair and we were moved to another coach. On boarding we found out the coach had chairs, my grand parents cannot sit for so long on a chair and due to time crunch we could not go back to the ticket window requesting change. Whole journey was very uncomfortable. After the trip - I emailed YDHR - JOHN PERKS - Executive Director - I explained him the whole story and requested if he could reissue just a trip for my grand parents - I wanted to them go back on the train ride and enjoy it comfortably - but John was not at all helpful - first he never replied to my emails - after sending 3 emails he replied he cannot do anything. What a lousy guy and totally unhelpful. People like him create bad reputation. I would never go back only because of John Perks.

Nothing special about the fall train. No good scenic places to see the falls during the journey

Great heritage museum. There with the family for an event. If you love the railway and the history of rail in Canada, check it out.

Not only is this one of the only active stations in Ontario giving train tours and hosting events, it's the BEST! CHECK out there Kool store in Pickering town center that sells merchandise from most of their events like Thomas, polar Express etc. Love it! Great job to all the volunteers too. Much appreciated.

I loved the polar express ride, it exceeded my expectations, but we had to fight to get our tickets. The halloween train ride was decent, there were not any ghost stories told as advertised and the meal was quite mediocre, I enjoyed both train rides but I expected a lot more for the halloween ride, not entirely worth the money I spent on it.

Omg what can I say about this place? Came here for what was supposed to be definitive The Polar Express experience, and all I can say is, if you're a major of fan of the weird animated movie prepare to be disappointed. The trains rarely if ever veer off the tracks, it doesn't even actually go to the north pole. It's like this was designed for children or something.

Took my 7 and 9 year old on the Polar Express on Wednesday. They loved it. We had just come from Great Wolf Lodge and they shared that the Polar Express was better - maybe because it was in the moment.

My 9 year old is starting to question Santa, and this experience helped to rejuvenate the magic for him for another year.

Both kids participated in singing and dancing as the train returned from the North Pole.

Bought tickets to the Victorian Christmas Experience and it was a total letdown. It took almost 10 minutes to check in at an understaffed counter when I could see my name on the registration sheet, but the clerk had to wait for her colleague to return with a computer before I could get a wristband. Really? Finally in, signage was poor on what we were to do on the train platform. It cost almost $30 to walk through an empty, parked train, and eat some pre-frozen appetizers in the station building. Not the experience I was expecting at all.

Went here with my wife and kids for the Polar Express train ride. It was worth trip and money spent! Great experience especially if you've watched the movie. All staff were very nice, attentive and in character the whole time. The whole family had a blast. Would definitely recommend to all.

Horrible experience. I saw elderly people wrapped in beach blankets from waiting in the freezing cold.porta potties, not accessible for even the best walker. Food was gross, staff was so confused and and uninformed. One waitress dropped a tray of veggies and kicked it under the table instead of cleaning it.
We never even got on the train, it was hours behind schedule. It would have been dark. Good luck seeing those fall colours.
John the manager. Just the worst customer service attitude ever.

Went for the Plokar Express themed train. Well it was pricey but absolutely worth it.very talented characters took us on an hour long adventure to the north pole.favorite songs.energetic and very helpful staff all of them.insisting on everyone's experience be the best possible.hot coco seasonal cookies with songs and special visits and a lessened learned. Recommended for a holiday family experience,! Even if you have never seen the movie.

What a wonderful experience me and my family had we went to the polar Express Train ride and it was so magical going to definitely do it again next year for the family so worth it

Took my 88 year old mother, my wife and daughter today. We had such a wonderful time! The staff were friendly and courteous, and so much fun! We loved to hear the laughter and joy from the little children. Great job to all involved! Thanks for the memories!

Very wonderful experience for the entire family. Interactive entertainment and lots of good memories created. Professional performances by great friendly characters. The entire time was well coordinated.

My daughter and Grandchildren just took me yesterday on the Polar Express. For my birthday. I had no idea what to expect but was BLOWN AWAY an amazing experience for the whole family. Much much more than the web site explains lots of surprises. Polar Express characters visit along with Santa who boarded the train at the North Pole. The hot chocolate was the best I've had

Polar Express was amazing. Actors were top notch. Best hour I have spent in a long time. Great for families and small children. Santa makes a visit too

What a fabulous experience! Our party of 14 people took this train ride and everyone from the youngest to the oldest enjoyed it very much. The staff was polite and very organzied. The entertainment was great - there were a few dances from the movie. It was a nice overall experience and I would recommend it to others.:)

Went on the Polar Express Train ride with my two boys. Sent and emailing stating that I was dissatisfied with the whole experience finding it boring, overpriced, my son was given an empty hot chocolate. Santa didn’t have a white beard. Storytelling was difficult to listen to. I requested a refund because I was not happy with the experience. I was contacted by John Perks and was being mocked in the email response asking what didn’t I like? I specifically stated what I didn’t like. John just kept saying there is no refund policy at all. There is nothing they can do for me and talking to me like I’m a kindergarten student. How can you run a huge corporation like YDHR and not have a refund policy? To anyone going on a so called “train ride” be careful I recommend avoiding. Save your money for something well worth it.

We did the Polar Express ride. It was a lot of fun. Actors are theme appropriate and in character the whole time. Announcements and notification about where to be and when could be better (tree lighting was hinted at, but they had half the people queuing inside only to have to come back out.) We went at night and the track is in the middle of nowhere, so outside the train is virtually pitch black. Hot chocolate was ok - cool which was good for our young children (staff should collect the empties as I was stuck holding 10 cups for the last 15 min)

Went for the Harry Potter festival. Was left extremely disappointed and about $150.00 poorer. The train ride was so poorly organized I was astonished that they had done on several other times over the two day festival.