The Polar Express invited us to attend a magical trip to the North Pole. All Opinions Are My Own.
It’s not every day you get to hop on a train and head directly to the North Pole. No, seriously. Luckily for us, the Polar Express has rolled right back into St. Louis this holiday season to make all your Christmas dreams and wishes come true! We had the opportunity to hop aboard and had an absolute blast!
We’ve hopped on the Polar Express a couple of times, but I’ll have to say having a 4 year old is really fun this year for the experience. Hattie was so excited and understood everything that was going on, truly so much fun! I will say taking your child at any age is totally worth it, I think you’ll get a different experience through their eyes each time you go.
We loaded up and headed North but first made a quick stop in the workshop to check all the goodies out. Make sure you arrive 45-60 minutes ahead of time to take advantage of the fun inside the tents before the ride.
There are some fun opportunities to write letters to Santa, a fun play area, lots of photo ops and hang out with some of Santa’s Elves.
After we checked out the workshop, we were on our way to boarding Polar Express. Mom note – there are restrooms outside, so be sure to make a trip before you board the train. With golden ticket in hand, we were assigned a holding area where we waited to be called to load the train. Your friendly elves are there to lead you to where you need to go.
There is a also a little opening number before you are whisked away to board the train.
Once you are on the train, you’ll be greeted with Hot Chocolate and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. For friends with allergies, it is a gluten free, nut free and dairy free cookie. I shared mine with a friend who had Celiacs and he said it was really good! If you are on the First Class Train, you’ll also get a mug to take home.
The conductor will stop by and stamp your golden ticket and get a little creative along the way. Hattie thought that was so much fun!
Once the train started rolling, we were treated to a reading of the Polar Express. Over the loud speaker the story is read, so don’t worry about trying to keep up with the pages. The Chef’s on the train walk through with very large books showing the photos.
After the story was done, we enjoyed lots of Christmas music, dancing and the excitement of reaching the North Pole. Once we finally got to the North Pole, we had a visitor – Santa! He stopped by and greeted every child with a bell and a hug. Hattie had so much fun telling him what she wanted for Christmas. Spoiler Alert- LOL Dolls.
Then Santa got to sneak off to other train cars to see everyone else and we enjoyed the ride back from the North Pole and continued singing and dancing. The Conductor, elves and the Chefs on the train were so engaging and encouraged everyone to get up and dance! Overall the 45 minute train ride was such a delightful experience!
A few questions I always get more specifics of the ride and wanted to share those here.
Are there snacks?
Included is your hot hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookie. If you need more snacks than that, I’d pack them with you.
How long is the Ride and where do you go?
It’s about a 45 minute train ride and you basically go right along the riverfront downtown.
Are pajamas required?
No, but it definitely adds to the fun! Bonus, if you’re on a later train ride, your kids are ready for bed! We always have Hattie wear pajamas, but as adults we have not. However, totally normal to see full matching families!
There is still plenty of time for you hop the Polar Express and make it one of your holiday traditions to remember. The trains will run through December 30th. For ticket information check out their website.
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