Hi friends,
I wanted to dedicate a separate post to our Polar Express Train Ride trip in Williams, Arizona. This was a new experience for our family; honestly, I found it difficult to find any reviews or information about it online. So, I wanted to pop in here and share our experience, tips and tricks, and more to make the most of your experience!
Our Experience on the Polar Express Train Ride in Williams AZ
First, I will share our family’s experience and personal blog post style. Then, below I will have answers to some of my questions, which I assume are FAQs for people who have never done the Polar Express before.
First, booking is INSANE; you can book the next season during the current season. There are two train rides every day, 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. We did the 5:30 PM. When you book on the website, you have two options. Buy train tickets or a family vacation package that includes the hotel stay. Even though we could have done the train ride and then driven 30 minutes back to my Aunt and Uncle’s in Flagstaff (where we dropped off sweet Nala), we chose to stay at the hotel, and I’m so glad we did. We were so tired, but it was nice that we could head up to our room when the train ride was over, and everyone could go to bed relatively quickly. The hotel stay package includes train tickets and buffet tickets for dinner the night of the train and breakfast the following day. Well worth the extra cost, in my opinion. But I’ll get to all that.
We left Phoenix around 9 AM, arriving at my Aunt and Uncle’s around 11:30 AM in Flagstaff. Flagstaff had received several inches of snow, and the kids had a blast playing in the snow and having snacks and Aunties and Papis.
After making a quick stop at Walmart, we reached the hotel at 2 PM. Check-in was at 3 PM, but they were able and willing to check us in.
Side note: despite at least a foot or more of snow covering Flagstaff, there were just a few random snow plow piles left in Williams. About 10 minutes outside Williams, we released the thick snow had disappeared, and it was all just dead grass fields. Honestly bizarre, I’ve googled it several times, and all I can figure out is Williams is its valley with and at a slightly lower elevation than Flag. But basically, snow in Flag does not mean snow in Williams or visa versa. We had friends that went a few days before, and there was tons of snow in both Flag and Williams, so I have no idea.
Okay, back to check-in. We were able to check-in. Parking was free and open, so that was no problem. Our hotel room was a double queen room, pretty standard, nothing extremely luxurious but nice. Upon check-in, we were given a schedule of events which included information on the buffets, characters of Polar Express roaming the hotel, playing the Polar Express in one of the conference rooms, and where you could meet Santa. At 3:30 PM, we went downstairs to let the boys see what snow they could find, and the check-in line was wrapping down the hall. Honestly, it looked miserable. So my first tip is to get there before 3 PM if possible.
We watched Polar Express in the conference room before deciding to hit the dinner buffet at 4 PM, before the train ride. This meant we sacrificed seeing Santa because, by the time we got out of dinner, the line was too long to see Santa, and although he was there till 9, we were too tired after.
The ticket for the buffet says it opens at 4 PM, but we got there at 3:45 PM, and they said they open at 3 PM, so that’s another tip if you need it. Heads up, the buffet is in a building OUTSIDE the hotel through a “high-end,” not kid-friendly gift shop with very breakable items. I was impressed by the buffet options: salad, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, french fries, beef tenderloin, turkey, green beans, and more. There was also a pasta station—definitely a great variety in a something for everyone type of fashion. My kids didn’t eat that well because they had been snacking all day, but the stuff they would have eaten if they hadn’t been snacking for 12 hours straight #vacation.
Sorry, the photo below is so blurry, but hopefully, you get an idea of what is available!
The buffet is serve yourself, but a waiter brings drinks and dessert. We didn’t have any cash to tip them (mainly because Mr. Hungry forgot his wallet at home), and because we had tickets for the buffet and no charge, there was nothing to sign to give them a tip. So, I wish I had had a heads-up about that.
We exited the dinner around 4:45 PM, and you walked about 30 feet to the train station. We checked out seeing Santa, but the line was too long (as we figured it might be.) We mostly spent the time just watching the trains and letting the kids run around and find snow. Around 5 PM, the “conductor show” started a live reenactment of Polar Express.
The Polar Express arrived at 5:15 PM ish, and we lined up at the sign for the car that was associated with our ticket. We were way at the back. I’m guessing because we bought our ticket so late in the season. Once the train arrives, the “show starts.” Each train car has 1-2 “waiters” (aka trained actors.) Our waiter was full of energy, had a lovely personality, and served the entire car herself when it was usually two waiters (she told us she was down a person at the beginning.) She did such a great job engaging everyone.
There were assigned seats, but once everyone was seated, they promptly rearranged families so they could sit together, and you didn’t have to sit with anyone you didn’t know. The show/train ride was about 1.5 hours long in TOTAL. The kids are told they are going to the North Pole (just like in the book.) In reality, the train drives down the track in Williams for about 45 minutes, then ultimately reverses and goes back. Since we were on the 5:30 PM train, I’m glad we went late in the season when it was dark. As I can see, if you go in early November and it’s still light out, it would take much more imagination. On the train ride to the North Pole, there was singing and lots of dancing through the aisles by the waiters serving hot chocolate and cookies. There was also a reading of the Polar Express book over the loudspeakers, with the waiter walking around showing the pages from the book.
This is where I disagree with another blogger’s post I read saying that kids don’t have to stay in their seats, and many kids were running through the aisle and dancing in the aisles. We had the only real toddler in our car (there was a one-year-old not yet walking), and it was clear that letting him into the aisle was not safe nor practical. The waiters go back and forth, serving and putting on a show. There was a brief time when my 19-month-old was dancing in the aisle, and it was fine. The people next to us thought he was super cute. But, when he wanted to break away and run the aisle, it was clear that was not okay.
Ultimately, I had to turn on his tablet for a while because he wouldn’t stay in his seat, but what was going on wasn’t engaging enough for him because he didn’t understand the concept. But his ticket was free, so you know, whatever. The mom with the one-year-old also looked like she struggled to keep him in her arms and in the seat. So, you’ve been warned. There are engaging moments for toddlers, like when they serve hot chocolate and cookies, but some of it may be challenging to keep them in their seats, which you will need to do.
Anyways, when you get to the North Pole, there is a huge lighted workshop set up, and Santa is in the sleigh. The train stops and reverses (I forget what the storyline was on why we reversed), but all of a sudden, Santa is gone. He isn’t in the sleigh. Then the waiter announces she just learned that Santa is IN THE TRAIN. The ride back is spent singing popular Christmas songs and waiting for Santa’s appearance in your car. We were at the end, so we waited for most of the ride back. When Santa comes, the kids lose their minds, and he gives everyone a bell (just like in the book.) Both my kids LOVED this part, even the toddler.
Then, that’s basically it! Ha ha, The train makes it back to the station, and the kids get off the train pumped with sugar, shaking their bells, and excited. KJ insisted he could get down the train stairs by himself, slipped, and the waiter caught him. Just beware, the train steps are huge and slippery. I should have paused and made my husband go down first. Luckily the only hurt on KJ was his stubborn pride.
After an exciting, fun, and tiring experience, I was happy to walk only a few feet to the hotel to put the kids to bed. The drive back to Flagstaff would have felt like an eternity (but I’m also pregnant and whiney, lol). The morning buffet was my favorite. There was a bit of a wait around 7:30 AM, but nothing bad. The kids ate full plates, and so did we before hitting the road back to Flagstaff to play in the snow and pick up Nala. (We often stay at my Aunt’s in a Flag for a visit, but a storm was moving in, and it was 12/31, so it felt best to head home this trip.)
Mr. Hungry’s plate, since he has a more adventurous palate than pregnant Kelli does.
The pasta station turned into an omelet station in the morning.
So, that’s it! I included a FAQ section below, but if you have another question feel free to drop it in the comment section below. And if you’ve been to the Polar Express, I’d love to hear about it! Did you think it was worth it?
Is the North Pole Experience the same as the Polar Express?
No! Here is a quick summary.
The North Poll Experience is a building that has been recreated into Santa’s Workshop. There is a trolley ride to and from the associated hotel, but no train ride. My understanding is that it’s for preschool-age children and older. I haven’t done this yet, so this is the best information I can give you based on hearsay.
The Polar Express is a train ride “to the North Pole,” lasting about 1.5 hours at most. It’s an experience of going to the North Pole, just like the book or movie. After experiencing this, I would say the perfect age range would be 3-7. But I did bring my toddler (who was free) more about that below.
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