Forget the mall Santas and plastic reindeer--if you want real holiday magic in Miami, it's here, on the tracks. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is already a gem for history buffs, with its hulking locomotives and even a Presidential train car that once carried Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan. But in the winter, it transforms into something out of a fever dream: The Polar Express. Yes, the same Polar Express you know from the book and movie, but here it's live, moving, and utterly immersive. You climb aboard an honest-to-God vintage train, and suddenly you're sipping hot chocolate while a conductor in full uniform punches your golden ticket. There are carolers, elves, and wide-eyed kids staring out the window as the Miami night flickers past. For a couple of hours, you forget you're in South Florida, where December usually feels like July. It's Christmas magic on rails, and it's awesome. The kids lose their minds--in the best way possible--and even the adults get pulled into it. You can't help it. There's something about hearing "All Aboard!" and rolling down the track while Christmas music swells that short-circuits cynicism. It's corny, sure. But it's also perfect. read more

We took the kids last weekend to this experience and they absolutely loved it! It was magical and very interactive and personable. The bright-line station is beautifully decorated with Christmas which we loved for pictures. I definitely recommend this show if you believe your kids would like a broadway type of live show. They sing live, they dance, it's beautiful and very magical! My 4 & 5 year loved it and asked when it was over when they could go back. read more

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This is the most awesome train ride that I have ever been on. The performers are amazing and so interactive with the passengers. An absolute delight for every age read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

The concept was cool. My mom really enjoyed it and she's the one who we bought the tickets for. First, we bought 4 tickets to which we had to put names on. It was surprise but apparently I had to go because I bought them and you needed card and ID when you picked them up. You did not. They took your name and gave your tickets. Secondly, the whole mask thing ruined my experience. Not one real smile all day. Took my mask off to drink water and security guard told me it needs to be on at all times. Even thought there were numerous people without them. Mine was on my chin as I passed the bottle to my mom. Thirdly, spent the extra money to get a table so we were together which was absolutely pointless as whoever sat facing the other way had to stay turned around the whole time. It was 1hr. You drive up the track 10 mins, park against a bunch of tagged you buildings and drive back. I definitely wouldn't recommend for the price and would never go back. read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - My niece having to sit like this the whole time because I bought a table and they randomly came down our way. - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

I was weary going in to this because of the reviews and the fact that we are 4 adults just wanting some christmas magic BUT i was pleasantly surprised. The production seemed well put together, everyone was in character from the start. Its a fun and magical experience. Everyone wore pjs which I thought made it better U get hot chocolate, shortbread cookies and a jingle bell. They sing and read the book and the staff is so sweet! I think this is a great experience especially for xmas lovers! Tips: get a booth, order ahead, wear pjs and Believe read more

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All aboard! We had a great experience unlike some of the reviews prior to mine. My husband and I brought our 5 and 2 year old kids to start off the Christmas season. They were dressed in their jammies and we were pleased with the visit. Even though it took over an hour for us to get here, we forgot about it when we arrived and seen it all lit up before the train. There is food and drink stations, a big Christmas tree, and several areas to sit to stretch out or to eat comfortably at. It's best to get tickets before you arrive in order to guarantee a spot. The train wasn't packed when we went on it, but as the time gets closer to the holiday, I anticipate that it does. Everybody greeted each person that went on the train and the train was well kept up and clean. The crew dressed up as the characters and they gave out cookies, hot cocoa, and golden tickets to each passenger. There were songs played and all sang in unison to celebrate the holiday season. Santa even came on board to personally greet and give out bells to each child. It's not cheap, but I found that it was cheaper than going on the Brightline. We may have took a hike and I rather save almost half the money for the almost the same experience. The kids were happy, so we were delighted about the moments we got from it. It's definitely recommended for families that have young kids to experience the ride. read more

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I spent over $160 on four tickets for this show and the experience was definitely not worth the price. I took my nephews to this show on opening night and there were a lot of things they could have done to make the experience better. First of all, the show takes place on the Goldcoast Train Museum which is right next to Zoo Miami. Affter we arrived they made us wait a while, standing up for the show to start. Once we entered the train they gave us "hot" chocolate which was barely warm and was served on foam cups, they also gave us cold chocolate chip cookies, which would have definitely tasted better if they had been microwaved for a few seconds. After after a while they came to pick up the empty cups and used napkins using a regular white trash bag, come on!!! You're trying to sell the illusion that we're on a train heading to the North Pole, you could have at least covered the white trash bag with a Christmas decorated bag or anything, I'm not asking for much, I've seen these simple and cheap bags on Michaels and they are reusable, just place the trash bag inside it and everything will look so much better. The train just went forward and back, forward and back again which my nephews who are 4 and 6 years old realized very quickly. Again, if possible, just take us for a longer forward ride and then take us back once or twice only, but not several times. Overall, I did not think the experience was worth the price. read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Train ticket and songs booklet - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

What a beautiful experience to our 2 Year old Granddaughter at the Polar Express Train ride on December 15, 2017 , she had a blast, the train was cleaned and beautiful decorated. The train attendant was engaged and really singing and dancing Christmas songs. Highlight of the night was when Santa's arrived and deliver the bell to all children's. We took beautiful pictures with Santa!!! We Believe Highly recommend this Polar Express Experience. We will do it again next year. Manny C & Family read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Amazing...Polar Express Experience 12-15-2017... - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

Wow. Never have I been sold a drink holder for my beer only to have it taken from me by security. I patiently waited to board the train and while waiting in the lobby I was told the only way to have alcohol on the train was to buy a ornament drink holder. I purchased 4 of them for my family and I. Once on the train I was told I couldn't have alcohol on the train. To the point where security was called and had my drinks removed. Totally ruined the experience for my family and my kids. I don't recommend this experience. Not worth the money and definitely not worth the disrespectful manner to which I was treated. I was called a liar. " No one told you that at the concession stand. Really because I really wanted to buy 4 ugly ass ornamental cups I'm never going to use again. Total let down. Stay off the tracks my mom always said. I should have listened. read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

First and most importantly I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of blessings and good health! Well we all decided to checkout the Polar Express this year in Fort Lauderdale. In prior years we have been on the Polar Express out of the Gold Coast Railroad museum in South Florida as well, so figured let's hit the new location this year. Having been to both now I can honestly say that regardless of where you go they really make it a magical experience for all the kids, even the kids that are 40+... LOL! Plenty of Christmas cheer to go around with areas where your kids can write letters to Santa or just play with all the other polar expressers! No shortage of PJ's either which is really the cool part of it all. Parents get to immerse themselves in to the experience along with their kids and play the part. On the train all the characters from the conductor to the hobo to Santa Claus when he makes his big entrance it really was a great experience. You need to keep it real as this is not a broadway production here but they all really did an awesome job playing, interacting and singing with everyone. Overall it was very well organized and I personally did not experience anything negative about the whole experience. One thing I would like to mention is the event at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum does have a more authentic feel to it as there are lots of historical trains that you can walk around and check out. Additionally, since the trains they use are the older style it does have more of a feel that is true to the movie. It may make it a little more interesting for the kids as well. So if you are looking to take a quick trip to the North Pole with your kids, check them out and above all enjoy yourselves. Really get in to it and have fun with your kids! read more

The worse experience you can imagine. They canceled 3 times, less than 24 hours prior to departure. Customers service, rude, careless. They take advantage of this hard time of covid to justify their lack of professionalism. I would not recommend anyone to make plans to this ride. They cancele any time they want with false excuses showing not respect or care at all for Customers. Customers service in need of training. So sad doing business with this experience read more

Not worth the cost.. even my little one 4 yr old said she wouldn't go back. They literally walk the train with a story book as you could hear a narrator of the story. To Pay $50 bucks to be read a story. No thank you. Never again. This was in the Fort Lauderdale location. read more

My friend has worked here and I am writing this review because the company does not seem to listen to its workers. Their experience working here was terrible. Child labor laws were broken, people were assigned responsibility for things they were not qualified for, and the time for them to get paid was outrageous. In addition, the conditions the cast and crew members endured were abhorrent. Access to a single bathroom for 50-30 people, lack of clean drinking water, 15 hour shifts, the list goes on and on. Please do not support this business. read more

This was a great event. We took our 5 adult children and our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter to this absolutely magical experience.. We enjoyed it immensely. The characters were professional actors, lively and engaging. The Big Mr. C was kind and loving to all and paid close attention to the little ones. The play was exactly like the movie. INCREDIBLE! A once in a lifetime memory; we are so happy we did it! read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Not worth it! Kids had a good time but the train moves back and forth all the time. There is a play while you wait for the train and it's basically a 60 second dialogue that if you are not right in front of them you don't hear anything. I would have liked for them to cover the windows so you wouldn't see all the green grass while traveling to the "North Pole". If you do it at night, it might be better. Do not recommend it and would not do it again read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

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My 4 year old son liked it, but didn't love it. My personal opinion is that it is an 'okay' experience as well. Overall I think it is a nice night out but it is WAY overpriced for what you get. If money is of no concern for you, I suggest you check it out and have a little fun. Otherwise, the money can be better spent on a lot of other things. The quality of the 'show' is decent and they staff are very friendly and personable. The whole experience is just very mediocre and short. I would not go again unless prices were maybe half. read more

The show this year was obviously done by a different production crew ... much better than last year ... more enthusiasm, a better Santa, a better Hobo, a better Conductor, better more happy elves ... much more fun and better hot chocolate too!! My family definitely enjoyed the trip to the north pole with matching PJ's and all!! read more

I am SHOCKED at the people who gave this less than a stellar review, but we rode from the new Fort Lauderdale station, so maybe the experience was different. Like anything, it's all about the attitude you put into in, and we were IN... and the experience was AMAZING!!! From the moment we stepped into the station, everyone was friendly, and the whole experience was engaging. There were songs to sing, the boy, hobo, and Santa came through, and the silver bell we each got were not chintzy, but really nice!! Plus, hot chocolate and a cookie!! We left feeling a renewed sense of the meaning of hope and the holiday spirit, and it was just a joy to see families all in matching jammies and participating in all the fun. Was it expensive? Yup! It was such a great memory and experience though... totally worth it. If Miami wasn't that great, come to Fort Lauderdale. They did a spectacular job on the Silver Bell car and we will definitely be going back next year. read more

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I have tried for years to get on the Polar Express Train. I finally did. Took both my kids and my parents. Got there, saw the ornament cups sold by the bar and got them. We boarded. Then I was acosted by not on or two but FOUR security personnel including one who name called me. They told ne that no one would ever tell me I could bring alcohol on the train in my ornament cup, but they did. They told me and my parents. We all got them. Then they took all my belongings. When I got off the train not only were they not in ice as promised there is no way as a woman I would dare drink anything saved for me by THOSE MEN. The men who appeared were rude, aggressive, insulting, degrading and ruined my experience. I am truly disgusted by their attempt at interacting with your customers. read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - These are the pics of the men who insulted me the rest would not allow photos - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

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You do not need to arrive early as stated. It just means you will stand in line- just be on time. Choose seats in the middle when purchasing. The ends do not have windows which is necessary to enjoy the part of the show where you enter the North Pole. The gist of the show is you ride the train up and down the track. The chefs serve hot chocolate and cookies. Next, story book is read over the intercom. The chefs carry the book up and down the aisle. You get to the North Pole, there is short show (you see if you have a window) then Santa enters the cars. Christmas songs are played over the intercom until Santa visits each child and gives them a bell. The chefs try to get everyone to sing but it just didn't happen - at least on our car. It was cute but not worth $40/person. The actors were very nice and accommodating. read more

This experience was worth every penny! Definitely wear your pjs and be prepared to have a merry time. They really go above and beyond to make everything authentic. From the ticket, to the chefs singing songs, to the conductor stamping your ticket. They provide hot chocolate in cute disposable cups that say Polar Express and provide a chocolate chip cookie per person. The best part is when Santa comes aboard and takes pictures with all of the families and gives everyone a little present. My 2 year old loved it so much! The entire experience is about an hour. The only unfortunate thing was that the actual train didn't have a bathroom. Being that I'm pregnant and I have a potty training 2 year old, it wasn't the best. read more

The Polar Express Train Ride - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

Our family ventured our to the GCRR to experience the Polar Express train ride. My kids are all about The Polar Express so I had to take them here for the experience. We did purchase the VIP seats which were about $70 per person. Being a VIP gets you a table vs a bench seat and a coffee mug - keep that in mind. We sat on the side of the train that you could see the North Pole. Our "chef" was very into it and made the experience very worthwhile. I rated this 3 stars because the price points are high for a 1 hour train ride (70+ for VIP and 30+ for standard). Yes, tge train only moves back and forth as other yelpers have mentioned. The Polar Express story is played on the intercom while riding to the North Pole while the Chef walks around with the book. You also get a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie. read more

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Rip off. Not worth the money. $70/person for 1 hr ride. All the action happens in the center of the car, so if you purchased seats by the end or the beginning of the car you won't be able to see anything. About the show - nothing outstanding really, pretty boring. I honestly don't understand all the buzz around it. For the money you can buy tickets to a real show like Nutcracker or Disney on ice. Wish I knew that before I wasted $400 on 5 seats. Oh, and no refunds, that's the policy. read more

We had a great time. Came on Christmas Eve and even the teenagers had a great time. Those saying "not worth the price" are missing the point. It's a special treat and they do a great job at keeping up the theme of the story. We were in the first class car and had a blast. Really got everyone in the Christmas spirit. The train cars were ice cold, a welcome change from the 83 degrees out side. read more

Man, what a giant rip off. If you are reading this and decide to go anyway don't say you weren't warned! Everything about it was so lame! 180 bucks for 4 tickets. The "North Pole" was laughable. The whole plywood set must have cost like $500.00. The "elves" that you will see at the North Pole are 3 teenagers waving at you through the dirty windows of the train. By the way, only one side of the train actually has the North Pole. The other side has an even cheaper set up. The windows of the train were so dirty you could barely see out of them. The hot chocolate tasted like Luke warm Yoo-hoo. There was clearly no thought our behind the so called entertainment. Zero thought. You hear "something" through the loudspeakers as one of the the two "chefs" walks around and holds a book in front of your face for about 3 seconds about separate times. Then towards the end as they are playing xmas music through the crappy speakers one of the chefs gives your kid a laminated card with a letter to hold up while they spell S-A-N-T-A. What the hell was that??? When you finally meet Santa, he will give you a 25 cent bell. The whole thing is about an hour long. Even my 3 year old was dying to get off this train that only went back and forth on the track. As you leave the train station at the gate, another teenager hands you a "letter" from Santa. Man, what a waste of time and money. Take your money and spend it on presents for your kids instead or wait to take your kids to Disney on Ice or something better. Disney seems like the bargain of the century compared to this. You are warned. read more

Was so disappointed. We took the Polar Express from Ft Lauderdale in 2019 and it was absolutely magical. We were so excited to revisit it in 2022. Boy we're we disappointed. In 2019 they had the children dancing and moving single file up the aisles while wearing hats or other props. The hot chocolate (and I do mean HOT), was to die for as was the warm chocolate chip cookie. Santa was everywhere as were all the MANY characters from the movie. Their singing was constant and very entertaining. The windows all had special effects to make you believe you were really riding through towns, mountains, etc, to the North Pole. Fast forward to 2022. Saw Santa for a millisecond; only 1 maybe 2 performances. (again a millisecond), and the we had to listen to them read the entire Polar EXPRESS book! They gave you a 1/2 full hot chocolate which was cold and tasted just like a vending machines. No more chocolate chip cookie. You did get a biscuit just like on an airplane. Again..NOT WARM. ABSOLUTELY NO WINDOW EFFECTS. Just closed shades. If you want to spend money on a train ride...go for it. read more

I recommend this event for anyone with kids! A lot of people don't even know the rail museum exists-the museum is almost entirely run by volunteers who work extremely hard to put this event together and it is one of the main events that provides funding to keep the museum open year round. There are Christmas lights everywhere and the property looks beautiful lit up. There are several places you can take pictures (wear your pajamas!) and some professional stations that take photos you have the option to buy. The interior of the cars are decorated nicely and air conditioned. Bear in mind that there are very few "long haul" stretches of rail left in Miami short of Amtrak (when is the last time you waited on a train to cross the road?) so the train runs on the tracks inside the museum property. The ride was fun and our kids loved it! read more

I went to the polar express event last year in 2017 and it was a train ride of A LIFETIME!! My family and I board our first class car, #254, and were greeted by some wonder chefs that helped us get to our seats. And to this very day I still remember the chefs we had. On our train we had Chefs Sabrina, Ana, and Alex. They made the experience phenomenal!! Very interactive with the songs and the hot chocolate dance was soo entertaining. It had my kids dancing in their seats, the chefs saw how excited they got and decided to have them stand up at the end and dance with them!!! You better believe I'll be booking car #254 again for this Polar Express 2018. Hoping we get to the same chefs from last year! #POLAREXPRESSVIP read more

Overall it was a nice experience, albeit on the expensive side. All the staff involved was engaged and nice, the decoration was good. Our kids were extremely happy. I would recommend it for kids aged 3-8 read more

So the Gold Coast Railroad Museum had a holiday event that was set to the movie The Polar Express Train Ride. I have to say I was nervous about paying $35.00 per person including children for an event I couldn't find any reviews on. So I enlisted three other families to join me. Our children ranged from ages 4 - 8 boys and girls. The trains were all old style trains that were refurbished. The employees were all dressed the part and they had a child actor to play the part of the little boy. If you saw the movie you will get it. If you didn't see the movie you will have no idea what is going on lol. On the train they gave hot chocolate and huge cookies! Okay, now to the part you want to know about. The actors were full of energy and did a great job interacting with the families and children. They were so excited about their job and they made it fun for everyone. Now this is no Disney event so don't expect that. However, it was done nicely. There were a few problems with seating but the employees handled it quick and without an incident and I was kept with my friends so I was happy. Santa comes on board and meets with each group of children. I was very impressed by this santa. He was great. Super clean santa suit, rosy cheeks and was not creepy like some of the mall santas. All of us parents were happy with that. THE CHILDREN LOVED IT! This is not geared towards adults at all so don't go in expecting too much, just grab a camera and enjoy the smiles on your kids faces. The only con I will mention was when I first got there, I took my 4 year old to the bathroom. Inside were "elves" from the north pole getting dressed. There were probably teenage or college aged girls. My daughter saw them and said they had nice "costumes". Then when the train arrived at the north pole, she said, "oh its the girls from the bathroom" so in my mind that ruined the north pole portion for my kid. She still had a great time though. I would just recommend to the ones hosting this event to maybe talk to your employees about using facilities prior to gues arrival. Other than that I recommend it. read more

For reference I paid $600 to take my family of four and another two young cousins. We had to buy two tables. For this $600 we got a 1 hour train ride back and forth in the dark. At about the middle of the train ride there was a plywood village out the window with Christmas lights that was luckily on the side the kids were sitting on. Then we rode back. The Santa was pretty good and the people on the train were cheerful enough but the whole thing is something I would expect for free in a mall. The reading of the story comes over the intercom and one person walks the book back and forth through the train car holding the book up. That and some Christmas songs playing on the way back was the extent of the entertainment. The warm chocolate (I appreciate warm because kids don't actually drink it hot) was worse than the just add water variety. Maybe they added too much water. Cookies were also mediocre. Better than chips ahoy hard cookies, worse than chips ahoy soft cookies. Here are some other ways you can spend you money: Have had a heck of a shopping spree and sit with a mall Santa. Disney's Very Merry Christmas Party was cheaper than this. Stay away from this disappointment. There's just nothing to see here. My ten year old had this face of "are you freakin serious" the whole time. And he is came with his stuffed elf and is all about Christmas and Santa and still a kid and thought this was BS. My seven year old very quickly noticed the BS and was telling everyone that the houses weren't real and we didn't really go to the North Pole and those reindeer aren't real and on and on. I had to explain it was all a show and we pretend to be convinced its real. read more

Ok so there were a lot of good, and alot of bad too. I'll start with the bad. Bad: waited until 7:30 at the front gate to be let in for a 7:45 ride. Then waited another 15 minutes at the station to be lined up for the actual train. It was hot. They let us in to line up for the train, and they don't even attempt to use a authentic engine, which my kids wanted to see so bad. It's so far out of the station I couldn't even see the front. The good: if you want a cute experience and don't care about the rest, my boys did love the people serving the cookies and cocoa, Santa was great and the North pole made them very excited. A guy comes through and punches the tickets like in the movie and they tell the story over the speakers. The kids loved it. Overall the kids liked it so I liked it, but it was borderline. read more

My 3 year old granddaughter, my daughter and I took the train from Fort Lauderdale It was a great experience, but extremely overpriced for one hour of entertainment. read more

I think 1 star is also too much for that idiot back and forth train ride. Our kids are 8 years old they and we got very bored. Maybe for 2-3 year old kids will love it. You don't need to spent too much. I couldn't believe that when you arrived to North Pole there was no fake snow on the ground too :) Is that so hard to arrange that kind of fake snow. If u love yourself and your family don't waste your time and money . And the most important thing is our kids mentioned that" we excited for nothing!!!!" That was a huge disappointment ....... read more

Went in 2015, amazing! This review is for 2016 when the staff on the train didn't even sing the songs or make it a great experience for the kids. To top it off the AC broke in our train car making it incredibly uncomfortable in my PJs. Unless they up.their game in 2017 we won't be attending. read more

This is a truly wonderful experience for families . The entertainment is exceptional with fun singing, dancing and passengers participation. Lots of laughing, dancing and singing. Everyone is promptly served hot chocolate and a very large snickerdoodle cookie. We will definitely return next year. Also, gift shop has cute memorabilia for everyone read more

Wow. Where do I even start? Well, let me just say that this was the most horrible, disgusting, and ridiculous experience. I have many friends that worked here for the season and what they went through was disgusting. I am writing this because they do not have a voice since the company does not seem to listen to them. First of all, the communication between the contractor and employer was terrible. They rarely even answered. Most of these employees were underage students that really needed the money. It has been a month and most of these employees have still no paycheck! Even though they have asked for it several times! This is absolutely child labor. This is illegal and I promise that they will receive a law suit either from me or someone else, unless they pay their employees. Asides from the illegal activity that this place is running, the whole experience for a customer is horrendous as well. I came here at 8:15 pm, which was when the show was supposed to start, and it did not start until around 9:30! The train ride was 2 hours long and it wasn't even remotely entertaining. Also, ridiculously overpriced!!! This place will soon be contacted by proper authorities and will most definitely lose a valuable customer. read more

BLACK MOLD by the window sill!! Filthy windows that we couldn't see through!! My young son by touching the black mold got an eye infection on both eyes!!! We spent $140 for 3 seats, it was definitaly not worth it!! read more

So disappointed... Not at all what it is made out to be. The sound was barely audible, the chefs on our train were singing, but not engaging at all. They showed the book, but we expected so much more for the price. We saw Santa at the North Pole through the window for about a minute. To make matters worst the ride ended & Santa never appeared on our train! Absolutely ridiculous! That was the whole purpose & when we asked, we were told that "Santa was too busy"! Never again! I then expected for the kids to see Santa went we arrived & nothing! I do not recommend it at all! We spent over $200 for the 5 of us & it was not worth it one bit! read more

Good evening. We just attached the 6pm Polar Express on 12/16 at 6pm. We have attended for the last 4 years always buying a minimum of 4 if not 10 VIP tickets. We have spent thousands of dollars on this experience and every OTHER year it was worth it. I was very disappointed with the experience this year. We again had VIP 6 top table with a 2 year old lap rider. They weren't going to give her a cookie or hot chocolate - we paid $480 for a 50 minute train ride, they can't spare an extra cookie or hot chocolate for a baby? Then we rode for 50 minutes without seeing santa. We were the LAST car to see santa and he came as we were pulling into the station! He was on our train for less than 2 minutes and rushed through the pictures and the meet and greets. We paid for VIP for a very different experience than what we received this year. And then to top it off you didn't have the professional photography, as advertised, on our car! Again, we paid for VIP for what this year? I have recommended this experience to SO many people - this year you will be getting a bad review on social media and Yelp. I'd like to talk to some one from your organization about this disappointing experienc read more