My son worked as the "conductor" for the live show - and they did not pay him! Stopped making payroll. Lied. On top of that the whole thing is run poorly and a bad experience, especially for the price. Do yourself a favor and miss this. read more

This year was our 1st time experiencing the Polar Express. I must say I was really impressed. If you've seen the movie you're going to love this experience. The actors were great and so were the employees. The actors were interacting with all the children which puts such great smiles on their faces. They give you hot chocolate and a sugar cookie which I must say it's pretty tasty. So here is the rundown. When you get there you must check in to the building where they give you your golden ticket. Once you check in you grab a seat wherever your assigned seat is on the train. There is a brief play of the beginning of the movie. Then you board the train and the fun begins. I highly recommend this. Me and my wife don't have kids and I should've expected that this was more of a kids thing. However we both enjoyed it thoroughly. The polar express is one of my favorite Christmas movies and these guys really brought it to life. read more

This was such an amazing time!! Went to Durango for Christmas with my two daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren. All the grandkids loved it, they are age ranges from 4-20. We all had such a great time!! I would recommend to anyone who wants to feel the magic of Christmas!! read more

I wanted to come to this place last year but couldn't make it, this year my husband and I were able to get fair priced tickets to come. We came early in December so our tickets cane out to about $55 something. We chose the classic package which includes hot chocolate in a paper cup and a sugar cookie and a surprised gift towards the end. The place is located in Mt Dora don't miss it as you come up to the tracks parking is there, there's a big parking lot. I would advise you get there on time as you have to check in and you'll receive your Golden ticket! Once you've received your ticket you can proceed to take a photo or walk around until show starts. You'll sit in the area of what your ticket indicates as there is a show which reflects the beginning of the movie. There's a section where you can write a letter to Santa and send away! I would say that this is great to bring your littles ones I'm sure they'll enjoy it! After the show you'll be walked and directed to your train, everything places out the like the movie. There's a lot of sing along and dancing. Once you've arrive at the North Pole you'll pick out the window and see Santa and his elf's dancing. I love that everyone did a great job acting and interacting with the children. If you're into these kind of things I'd suggest to go and don't forget you'll receive a little gift towards the end of your trip! read more

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My family and I rode on the 515pm train this evening. We had an amazing time. We wanted to let others know how our personal experience went, because there had been some issues towards the beginning of the season that it appears since then have been corrected and improved upon. As customers, we were concerned over some of the issues we read about in other forums. As a cardinal rule, we never try to jump on a new event or a new entertainment venue as soon as it opens, especially if we are hosting family, friends or an outside group. Businesses and staff have growing pains and my days of wanting to be 'the first' to be at something cool are over. My experience shows that if you allow a new business to improve and make their experiences better, the customer is happier-whether that is days, weeks, months or years later. I am so glad we wanted till tonight to have this experience and not jump on it the first weekend they were open. Our train departed close to the scheduled boarding time. We drove an hour and 40 minutes to Tavares and got there at 440pm. Probably should have given ourselves more time but it is what it is, ..... We found parking pretty close to the set up (and saw lots of golf cart shuttles picking people up from farther away, which was nice to see if we didn't get lucky with parking). Our check in process and all the people we encountered in the lines (photo line, will call line, gift shop line and conductors) were all very happy, friendly and nice. We boarded Train #8 (train was called Jackson) and out of the four tiers of pricing, we were second from the bottom (not the best, not the second best, it was the third best). Seats were soft and reclined and in our train car, there were two sections in the front of the car for 4 guests (a booth seating) and the rest were forward facing seats in pairs with tray tables (like an airplane). Our family was fortunate enough to have one of the 4 top booths in the car, along with one other family on the other side. With two small children in our group we were happy to have that and see their faces through the whole experience. The train car we were in was nicely decorated with lights and holiday foliage. Our conductor and all the actors that came through were very animated and engaged in their roles. Each child got their ticket punched with a specific letter (not just one dot punch, they punched a whole letter on their golden ticket). This made our kids and all the other kids very happy. The conductor also sprinkled the dots on kids' heads when the hole puncher got full which they thought was funny. The hot hot hot chocolate song and dance was cute and the hot chocolate was served at the right temperature for all people. The main train conductor (a male) came out and was very animated along with our ladies performing in the cabin. Did I mention we had the early schedule of 515pm? I recommend that time. We saw beautiful sunsets over water on the way out to Eustis and on the way back it was dark so we got to see the light show in the park coming back to the station. The sunset was beautiful. That would have been missed completely with the later train times. The train goes very slow so you are able to take in scenery, take photos without blur. Giant sugar cookies were served shortly after the hot chocolate came out. They were huge, not incredibly soft but the kids ate them anyway. Our table of 4 only got one cookie but when we brought it to the conductor's attention, she immediately went and got us more for everybody and that was great. The temperature of our cabin was comfortable. The PA system was weak so hearing the story at the turnaround point on the train was a bit difficult, but our group was fine with it. The kids already knew the story and how it goes and we used that time to talk and take meaningful pictures until other things happened. On the way back, as it got dark we saw a wonderful little park that was decorated with lights and Christmas figures all lit up. The train goes slow enough so you don't miss anything. And the weather was good so no raindrops on the window. Perfect evening. Santa DOES make an appearance and stops in every row and presents the Christmas gift to each child. The entire cost of the tickets for our family was worth it at that moment when his eyes lit up and his hands came out to receive it. A very nice, well crafted and engraved silver bell. It's very nice and not cheaply made. Parents may want to take an Advil beforehand because the kids were so excited after sugar cookies and hot cocoa that the constant sound of those bells ringing into the last 15 minutes of the train ride warrant that. All good fun though. Please give this train activity a chance. It is a great way to celebrate the upcoming holiday season, to give your children something good to be a part of, and see that the people involved have worked very hard to give you and your family a special and meaningful experience. read more

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Do not support this business. They overworked their employees and broke child labor laws. On top of that they never paid their employees the amount that was due to them. I did get a chance to experience the train ride. Honestly it was disappointing. The audio wasn't working half the time, it was really hot. It took forever to board the train itself. When we finally did end up at the north Pole it wasn't spectacular in any way. Overall disappointing experience and the way they treated their employees is unprofessional. read more

We took the early ride and found it to be a very well organized experience. Parking was no big deal and for folks who parked a little further away, plenty of shuttles were running about. We arrived and were routed into the tent through the photo area and directly into the loading standby area. It was easy to discern where to go and the waiting was minimal. Once loaded we found our seats right away (we sat in the dome). Our seats were facing each other with a small table between which made for an easy "hot chocolate" experience. Those seats also included a real glass Polar Express mug. The ride is slow but relaxing and the performers were very good. Overall the experience was great and the kids had a blast. Side note: the train has restrooms on board but there are no instructions to that point so be sure to ask or explore. read more

This company is a scam. They didn't pay employees as well as didn't give them proper working conditions or water or breaks. This is cast,crew, minors, everyone involved. They are selling pre sale tickets but have just now paid their past employees after overworking them. This company won't make it past the next season if it even gets to that. Don't waste your money because I'm sure they won't be able to refund anything. read more

The show was great but they are atrocious to their employees. I was part of the Orlando acting community for a long and this company overworked and failed to pay their employees. Late paychecks resulted in employees losing their homes, and the performers worked 15+ hours with no breaks. Do not support these heartless selfish business owners. There are plenty of other Christmas events to attend that are not run by people who are perfectly comfortable financially crippling families during the holidays. Disgusting. read more

Took the family for a ride on the Polar Express. The cast was friendly. The train was clean. Kids had a nice time. The ride lasts about an hour in total. 30 minutes to the North Pole and then 30 back. Word to the wise. Don't park behind the station by the lake. When the train comes you'll be stuck until the next trip. No train when we parked but once it got here we were stuck. All in all a fun time was had by all. read more

This train ride promises magic, but delivers actors who are clearly exhausted and contagiously ill handling food and beverages. Unsanitary and illegal conditions for performers and child actors to be working under. Not unusual for train cars to lack air conditioning or proper audio. Poorly managed company. read more

How did I not write a review about the Polar Express sooner!?! I did not have high hopes for this experience, especially considering how expensive I thought it was, but I had a blast and it was definitely worth the price! I bought this as a Christmas present for my 4 year old niece and a friend of mine brought her 2 daughters ages 5 and 7. They could not wait to go to the Polar Express! I think it was super cute that they encourage the kids to ride in their pajamas and that's exactly what our girls did. This would have been a 5 star experience except for 2 things. The first is the location where we start. It was a little hard to find at first, because the sign was really small, I don't know, but I was surprised that check-in was in a rented space in an old shopping center. I guess for me, some of the magi was lost. Inside was very organized. Once you went in, it was decorated really nice and didn't look like it had been a vacant space just weeks ago. The employees were friendly and guided us through the lines with ease. You check-in and get your golden ticket. Next was a line to take a photo and purchase it later if you wanted. After that, was the merchandise section of the room. Once you bypassed that, you could be seated for a pre-show. They did have an area to perchance beverages and snacks as well. The bathrooms were HORRIBLE. Some of the worse I've ever seen! It was time to trek our way though the packed shopping center parking lot to board our trains. The trains were decorated beautifully and the show on board was awesome. My friend and I didn't expect to like it as much as we did, and the girls had the best time ever. The actors were great, the pace was perfect, and the hot cocoa and cookies were delicious. The kids were so involved, they didn't notice that when we made it to the "North Pole," you could look out the window and see a pub and medical clinic , however, most of us adults on board noticed. Although we all had a great time, again, there were several times were the magic was lost. Overall, the girls had the times of their lives. They were the perfect age to enjoy it. We are going to make it a tradition moving forward. 1.Ride the train at night. 2.I think that kids younger than 4 and older than 10 may not enjoy it as much. 3. The Coach tickets were plenty for us all. No need to upgrade to the more expensive seating options. read more

We love the 2018 Polar Express experience (5 star) that we decided to share the experience with more family members this year... Still love the train ride, performance etc. but the tent reception area was a 50/50... It gave a circus vibe - and it was pretty warm - didn't really make me feel like it's Christmas... Other venue had the sleigh give the intro holiday ambiance - also gave us a chance to stroll in the nearby wonderfully Christmas lighted park and restaurants... Am not sure if we'll come back next year. read more

This was absolutely HORRIBLE! I will never do this again first off let me say there is too much lights and the music is way too loud. Also you don't even go around the track of Chicago all you do is really just go to the front of the station and go backward absolutely GARBAGE EXPERIENCE!! read more

looks like this is now https://www.thefloridatrain.com/the-polar-express-train-ride-orland. same phone number but different website. this is a very expensive train ride. the train is a super old bunch of random cars thrown together to make up the train. not impressive. the pre ride show is meh at best, the hot chocolate is terrible and as you are "approaching" the north pole, you can look outside the window and see a tattered trailer park. why is santa living next to a trailer park? its a really cute idea but the execution here is left severely wanting - especially for the price. read more

This trip lacked in the Christmas Magic department! First of all, we have been to 4 different Polar Express locations and this is our 5th year riding, it's a very special Christmas tradition in our family! We love going to check out a new location every year! Well this will be the last time I check out a new location without reading any reviews!! 1. The tickets are not inexpensive! We paid $300 for our coach tickets. 2. This is the first Polar Express we have been on that operated out of a strip mall, a strip mall (instead of a train station) including a family dollar at that! Made for a great make drop to our family selfie! (NOT!) 3. We drove 9 hours to this location and needed to change and use the restroom-there was a sign pointing to the side of the strip mall for the restrooms......we go to the side of the building to find about 5-6 port-o-johns, with no lights anywhere near them! (Remember, we paid $300 for our coach tickets, I expect to not use a portapotty!) 4. The train is old and seats were torn up, appeared dirty & was poorly decorated 5. The ride went straight thru the town and quite a few trailer parks (other locations we have been on mostly go thru the woods, which for children is a lot more believing that you are heading to the North Pole) 6. The "North Pole" is literally next door to a trailer park, so they tell you that you are arriving, get all the kids excited and looking out the windows and you are only looking at a trailer park! Then finally you get to the North Pole which is less than exciting 7. While they have the story playing and you are supposed to be following along in the book, we couldn't hear the story at all and the books they are walking around with are tiny! Other locations have the very large books that everyone can see as they walk around with them. 8. The caroling wasn't magical at all, they could've been way more excited about it-this is the first of 5 polar express rides I've been on that didn't get every person on the train singing along to the Christmas carols! 9. When we finally arrived back to the family dollar strip mall, we go inside the very cramped space they have rented to check out the gift shop and my husband points out that they do indeed have a restroom inside as well, so I take my potty training 3 year old to the restroom which includes 3 stalls and a roach almost crawled on her!! I even snapped a pic of the roach just for this review! 10. This polar express ride was not magical in the least and I would not recommend anyone to go on it!! If you are willing to drive, the absolute best one we have done is in Branson, MO! read more

Polar Express Train Ride - Tours Near Me - Tavares, Florida

This is an amazing train ride especially this year. The cast is awesome the kids are played by kids. It's fresh it's new it's just as good as last year. It's a family friendly show. Tickets are a reasonable price. This show is amazingly done and overall it's just amazing. read more

This one get 5 stars from us. We've been a couple others it I have to say the way they get the kids to participate by dancing and singing along was so cool. Little guy has already let us know we'll be back next year read more

I took my family up to the polar express train ride and was supremely disappointed in the organization. It appeared to be the first time anyone has ever tried to accomplish such a feat. To start, the will-call tickets said to show up 45 minutes prior to the train ride as it could take a while to get everyone through. They had three classes of tickets: standard, crown, and dome. One person was handling all of standard class and one person was handling both crown and dome classes. They didn't tell anyone that, everyone was waiting in the same line for the same employee. 45 minutes was not enough time. someone eventually made an announcement, but not timely. When we got our tickets, the tickets had our seat numbers on it and the "ticket agent" put the gate we were to get on the train. This happened to be the major stopping point. There were several people assigned to the same seat and table. The people on the train that people were asking were performers and had zero clue on what to do. It wasn't there job and there was no one they could ask: no chain of command. After being told to move from our assigned table, by some performer to accommodate a guest with the exact same tickets, we moved 3 cars. When we got there, there were 4 groups of people left without a table. After 3 of the groups were seated, the train was unable to find seats for the final group. They had a Seinfeld moment with "taking the reservation" and "delivering on the reservation". That group got a refund on a clearly printed no-refund on the ticket. All of these delays took over 2 hours. The vast majority of the group was passengers with children. No one planned for a 5:15 train to not depart until after 7:15. Effectively putting it past dinner time. How were the families supposed to plan for bringing dinner onto a train? After 2 hour of delays, the train finally took off. The show was good. The sound was horrible with the music being louder than the microphone for the presenter. After the train ride was over, we all were supposed to get cups. The cups weren't available. The performer was instructed to tell us to depart and we would be contacted for the cups. Still waiting. In my opinion, I paid for a beta test of a ride. Everyone who rode the train should have been given a refund. A 2 hour delay due to poor planning and communication of where to sit is ridiculous. read more

This company is atrocious. The people who run it should be ashamed of themselves. The trains were filthy. People had allergy attacks onboard because of black mold present in the cars. They were ancient and not thoroughly cleaned. Contracted performers (including minors as young as nine years old) were overworked, understaffed and often paid incorrectly and late. There was no access to clean drinking water on property for performers doing five shows a day with no breaks. The train doesn't start at an actual train station, it starts at a strip mall with poorly constructed steps for people to climb onto the train from. The "north pole" was nonexistent, and the journey there was nothing short of sad. For what they are charging for tickets, there is no excuse to have as many financial issues as they seemed to have. Do not support this company. The Polar Express in Ft Lauderdale is much more successful and a much more pleasant experience. read more

I have multiple actor friends that did not get paid for MONTHS working for this company. Does magic happen for guests? Sure. But the working conditions of the actors was/is atrocious. When multitudes of people say the same thing, it's time to do some digging and not support this nasty company. read more

I was very disappointed this year with this experience. We went on 12/12/19. They move the location. The train seats were a mess. The ride was shorter. The cast was dry and horrible. Please don't get me started on the Santa. They remove the African American little girl from the story and replaced her with a Caucasian girl. No excitement at all. Very boring ride this year. SAVW YOUR MONEY! I wish I could get a refund! read more

The NEW polar express is AMAZING! A friend was explaining that she went with both the old company that has been running it for years (poor experience) and now tried the NEW polar express. It is night and day between the old and the current polar express. I write this so you are not turned off by any reviews that you read from prior years. The new, probably nationwide franchise version, is so well done! The actors really get into it and make it a memorable experience. If you or your child loves the movie, this experience is well worth it. I went with the budget seats and I am glad that I did. I don't know what benefit I would have gotten out of paying more money but at approximately $28 per ticket before taxes and junk fees I do feel that it was a good value. I don't know if I would've felt this way if I paid twice the amount for the more expensive options. Be aware that the meeting spot is in a strip mall. I went right past it as there were no signs indicating that it was coming up. If you are approaching from the greater Mt. Dora, area at soon as you see the Dairy Queen, you will see the strip mall on the left hand side. That is where you should go. I ended up going a mile past it and turning around as it was unexpected to me that it would be in a strip mall. The space really did provide ample parking and allow for an enjoyable experience. Many guests wore their pajamas to get into character and I believe that I will do the same thing with my son next year. It just adds to the fun! My son will always look back on this experience with fond memories. Well done! P.S. Tips I would appreciate knowing: We went during a weekday at a less popular time and the train was probably 25% full. We were all directed to sit in the center of the car as that is where the most action happens in terms of dancing, singing and acting. My son and the other children received lots of individual attention and time as the train was only partially filled. I would do it again like this in the future if my schedule allows. I could see if the train is north of 70% capacity where things could be more rushed with the characters and less individual attention. I would rather go off peak for less hassle (crowds and waiting) and more enjoyment. Consider this if your schedule allows and also try to sit in the center of the car, as the staff had recommended. read more

Many of the actors working this event were not paid for months for their efforts in this production. Many lost their cars and were evicted from their homes due to not being paid. If you support this company, you support the abuse of local theatre professionals. read more

I went today and it was outstanding I did the 2 o'clock show and it was not packed at all on the weekday and the actors were fenaminal and made it a vary interactive experience i even lost my phone and they found it and returned it to me so thank you. Shout out to Emily the conductor she was awesome read more

This review is for Polar Express in Mount Dora. Last year I bought ticket for 4 of us. My 2 kids, my mother in law and my boyfriend. I bought the tickets 4 months in advance. The day could not get here very sooner. When we were close to the date about 4 or 3 days before I get an email notification that my trip was cancelled. I called immediately to find out what had happened and the staff could not explain why it was cancel. I was told they don't let them know. I would think for the trouble and inconvenience being that I had already paid months before and I'd cancel for no reason after we all been anxious that they will let us go free. Nope. I had to make another reservation and pay. I waited another 15-16 days before going. Withing 7 days close to I get another notification. This time letting me know that location has moved. It was in tavares but now is mount Dora. We traveL from casselbery fl to mount Dora. Once there in the train they only give you just 1 cup of hot chocolate. Chocolate was not as great. Just water with chocolate flavor. You only get 1 cookie. Sugar cookie. Christmas is all about cookies. Why just 1? Hard, steal. Could give 2-3 warm of oatmeal and raisin or Chico chip with MNM. For what's worst Santa was rude. It was the last show at night. He seem in a hurry. Ignore my oldest who was 3 that keep saying Santa Santa. Completely ignore him. Did not interact just pass around the ringing bell and even a bit annoyed ordesparate to hurry up with the picture. My son was crying because Santa did not tak to him. And he wanted a present from Santa's bag. Being that he is little he expected everything to be just like the movie as far as the staff dancing on the tables to the hot chocolate song and to get off the train at the north pole to see the elf. I bought the book story for $20 and they talk about eating candy on the train as white as snow. He ask me why we didn't have candy? I got to tell him we went on another train because the one from the book not there. We sound money on the book, the professional pictures and souvenirs. If you have kids you know they going to want something. All of this money but we did not get recompensated from all the troubles priorly and inconvenience. My son is asking to go again. I guess he forgot everythig we been through but I am thinking about it because I don't want to experience same thing in the train from the chocolate to the cookies to the Santa. Maybebibshould have pick an early shift at 5 pm but I wanted to resemble the movie as dark as possible. We all went with matching PJ the best dress in the train too. read more