I had seen ads for this place and wanted to check out their murder mystery dinner. So when my elderly father was coming to Toronto to visit for the holidays, I thought this would be the perfect gift for him. He loves old trains and murder mysteries, and I knew he'd enjoy the experience. Unfortunately we never got to have that experience. Days before we were set to go (December 14), I received an email advising that there were mechanical issues with the train and that all future services would be cancelled until further notice. I was a bit surprised because the murder mystery train was unlike the other events as it was non-moving. But I didn't know the particular issue, so I figured it was just an unfortunate situation. I don't take any stars off because of an unexpected event like this, however. The reason they get 1 star is due to the incredible poor and scam-like customer service I received after the fact. After receiving the email I wrote back and asked for a refund. I understood they had a no refunds policy if I cancelled, but this was not my doing. THEY cancelled on me. I paid over $300 for the tickets, and needed that money for my Christmas gift for my father. After a week I hadn't heard back. I figured if they had cancelled all the rides they would be busy, but I sent a follow up email after a week and asked for an update. I was simply told that because they are a small charity, they are UNABLE to give refunds and that all ticketholders would be contacted to rebook for later dates, such as their Easter train, and that any emails asking for refunds would be ignored. EXCUSE ME?! First of all, I understand you may be a small charity, but that does not mean you are legally UNABLE to give refunds. I am not asking for a DONATION to be returned, and I certainly wasn't being provided with a tax receipt. I paid for a service, and you cancelled that service. My money should be given back. I have never heard of a charity not giving money back for an event they sold tickets for and cancelled. In fact, I have purchased tickets for a charity event in the past that got cancelled due to Covid and tickets were refunded. So a blanket excuse that they're a small charity and CAN'T issue refunds is a scam. Second of all, this was a Christmas gift for an out of town guest. I do not want to rebook them for an event 4 months down the road when I don't even know if my dad will be able to come up to visit then. The fact that they bluntly stated that they won't answer any emails asking for refunds was shocking. Fortunately, I paid by credit card and was able to launch a dispute with them. It took a couple of months, but I got my money back. I never did get that email from them asking to rebook my tickets, but I suspect that could be because I got my credit card company involved. Needless to say I will NEVER be supporting this organization again, and will be spreading the word that others shouldn't either. read more

We booked for North Pole Express Train back in October for 7 people for the trip date of December 23, 2022. This cost us a total of $377.83 which is not a small amount. 3 days before the trip (On December 20, 2022), I receive an email saying that because of mechanical issues, all trips have been cancelled. That is fine since things like this happen but in the email, it is mentioned that they will rebook you for our Spring festival. The trip was booked for my family of 6 that don't live in the country but were visiting for Christmas. We can't reuse this Easter trip and they are not coming back to the country next year. I emailed them asking for a refund but I got a standard reply stating the following: "WE DO NOT ISSUE REFUNDS, as part of our terms and conditions, and any email asking for one, will not be responded to, instead a credit will be emailed to you to use to rebook in 2023." This is ridiculous. They are blatantly saying that they won't reply if we ask for a refund. I am not asking for a refund because we couldn't make it. I am asking for a refund because the organizer cancelled the event. The credit is of no use to us. This is some really shady business tactic of not issuing a refund because of their issue. I also spent money elsewhere to take my family to on the December 23rd instead. All I get is their cookie cutter response saying that they are a small registered charity, we cannot issue refunds, but will be issuing you a full credit. read more

York-Durham Heritage Railway - Trains Near Me - Uxbridge, Ontario

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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. read more

York-Durham Heritage Railway - Trains Near Me - Uxbridge, Ontario

ZERO STARS! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! We booked the Dino Train Experience Event and couldn't have been more disappointed. What a horribly plan event! My kids left in tears! The website was filled with false advertising to lure persons into buying tickets! Said there was going to be a water amusement area, bouncy castles, and all sorts of activities that were no where to be found. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING happened on the train. We just sat there while it drove for a few minutes and turned back then drop us off back at the station. No staff was anywhere to be found on the train! We kept waiting for the "experience" to begin.... Absolutely awful! We demanded a refund and got ghosted! No response to emails, no call backs. Wasted over $200! read more

Our family have enjoyed these special events that YDHR works so hard to put on. YDHR depends on their amazing volunteers and I love that funds go to keep the heritage train running so we can enjoy it. We purchased the Ultimate package and we were not disappointed. We made great memories. Highly recommend we love it !!! Going on the train in December with our family to see Santa our Grandson is so excited. read more

Found out this event occasionally. Food was an average but the show was excellent. All actors and actresses were very professional to entertain the customers. No air conditioner in train. I could see they were all sweating but still performing professionally. Very good experience and must go at least once. read more

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Went on Mystery Murder dinner on 08/10/23. Had a great time, actors were amazing played their parts well. The serving staff were great, so friendly and helpful. The dinner was good, main meal a little well done. The only down fall was ending the mystery, would have been nice if we had a list of characters, then when desert was served they could pick up showing which each guest picked as murder. Then as we were eating desert they could let us know who the quests picked, then announce murder and have them come out first and walk through the train, then the other characters walk through. Found you left us all hanging at the end. All that being said my sisters and I had a great evening. Thank you to everyone involved on putting on a fun evening. Denise read more

They have canceled our train ride 3 times, can't reach any one over the phone, and no option to get the money back. It looks like a scam.

I will NEVER book anything with YDHR. This has been the most ridiculous, frustrating experience. I booked evening tickets for the Polar Express Santa ride with my family on Saturday, Dec 10, 2022. I received an email just after midnight on that Saturday to let me know that due to mechanical failure the event was cancelled and my tickets would be credited for a ride in January. I bought the tickets for this specific Christmas event. No further communication from YDHR. I emailed them right away, and a 2nd follow up email, asking for a refund but never received a reply. I would not be able to attend in January, nor would I care to attend a January ride. On January 3, 2023 they sent me a general email that the Jan 7+ 8 train ride is being cancelled (I wasn't made aware that this was what my tickets were credited for because these people cannot communicate), as well as the entire season. I have spent $256 for nothing; good money thrown away. And dealing with an organization like YDHR...completely unprofessional, disorganized, and ZERO customer service- because you cannot reach anyone! Their number is forwarded to an automated voice service which tells customers they do not deal with refunds, so don't bother leaving a message about it. Please do not waste your money! read more

Booked a Spring High Tea experience. The train left 40 minutes late. The description said, " The menu is crafted by our award winning chef, and you will not be disappointed in what we are offering to you" but it was not great. Sandwiches were stale, and the scones were alright. read more

They stole money from parents and they stole Santa from kids! They suck!! Booked a Christmas train 2022. Train was cancelled and notice sent out only hours before the first scheduled trip for the season. They have a strict No Refund policy, even when the fault is with them and the trains are not running. What a poor excuse for a charity. Make sure your trains are working well in advance so you can give reasonable notice to people when you do have to cancel!! Look up incompetence in the dictionary. There you will find York Durham Heritage Railway Association. read more

We took this train trip on 28 Sept as we wanted the experience of an older train. Its billed as a fall colors experience but there were absolutely NO fall colors! The scrub bush we passed along the (very short) journey were not the kind of fall color bearing trees one would view - ie: virtually no maples - I spotted two maples but noticed no color. If you want to view real fall colors get in yr car & drive up to the Kawarthas, fantastic colors are peaking now! The train ride was disappointing, we expected a longer run (train only runs one way, 20 mins outbound & approx same in reverse return) & much better scenery. Our car was number 106, we did not experience the scratched windows some other travellers experienced, our car windows were clear & everything quite visible, so that was good. The other positive was the meal, it was pretty good (steak was great, salmon only fair), the serving staff was excellent, our server was quite pleasant & very accommodating, I missed her name tho. Downside was the noise level in our car was high so its hard to carry on a conversation with your dinner companion(s). This trip is ok if you want a dining experience on a 1950's rail car, otherwise its really not worth the money. read more

Went on the Murder Mystery Dinner train ride Aug 12/23. $500 for 4 people plus cash bar while waiting to be allowed to board the train and again cash bar during the ride. We admit the meal was good and staff were great but not all it is cracked up to be. Drinks on board were limited (red/white wine, Cors Light beer, Vodka fruit cooler) and generally arrived when you were half way through the main course. It is not really a proper mystery dinner event. Our car had an actor dressed in costume. She was talking with people at the table she where she was sitting and a table or two around. The rest of the train could hear absolutely nothing about what was going on. We were waiting for an announcement of some type to start the game but nothing. All of a sudden you heard the actor say she'd been poisoned and she was gone. That was it folks! Nothing more. The train trip was from Uxbridge to Goodwood, back to Uxbridge, back to Goodwood and then finally home to Uxbridge. The experience was nothing like we expected nor anything like we had previously attended. $500 plus for a ordinary meal on a train is just not worth it. The staff worked hard and were very friendly - mostly young students. The organizers need to re-vamp their event. They tell you the fun begins at 6 (meaning they open the bar outside while you wait to board at 7) People were getting antsy in line and the young staff had to deal with frustrations - they did it very well. Would not recommend this event. read more

Came here during Autumn for their Fall Colors train ride and it was a headache-inducing experience. Specifically, it was for the Sunday October 15, 2017's 12:00pm trip from Stouffville to Uxbridge. The organization was absolutely terrible. I don't know why there's an online system that allows people to pick their own seats when it ends up being all switched around when you get there. They double-booked seats on the train, so whichever seat you picked was given to someone else. The passengers had to sort it out themselves, and the staff only found empty seats to move people to. Nothing was done to rectify the situation, just bandaid solutions. This caused a 20-minute delay at the beginning yet we didn't get that time back when we took the pitstop. The lady who checked our tickets coming back didn't even know which train number we were on even though we had our tickets, like it didn't even register in the system. Why bother paying for this headache? That dysfunction ruined the day for my girlfriend and I. The system survey afterward didn't allow me to submit a review so I emailed them and surprise, surprise, they never responded. Only an automated "Please note that we are currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries and as a result, we are experiencing some delays in responding. We appreciate your patience at this time." Yeah gee, wonder what's with the higher volume? And no follow-up after that, so customer satisfaction is pretty low on their priority list. We're not coming back. read more