Polar Express - NH - Worth $60 pp for premium seats? UPDATE#39!!!

[tripplanner2]

Post-trip update:

In a word - magical.

In two words - breathtakingly magical!

Did our Polar Express trip tonight (Lincoln). Snow falling during our entire trip - a totally great experience with our premium seats. Kids were entranced. Had a great pre-trip lunch/dinner at the Woodstock Inn Station. Funky and fun - very good food and cool atmosphere. Walked around Woodstock for a little while, hit the general store and the candy store - yum! Then headed back to the station to get in line for the boarding...

The kids loved all the goodies that came with the trip - and the premium car was lovely with the tables and the lights and the decorations. The volunteer elves and chefs and book reader (and conductor!) were marvelous. Our kids just kept saying to all the elves..."See you next year!" I guess we'll enter again next summer to see if we can get lucky enough for tickets in 2009!!! (They didn't know about the trip until this morning and were incredibly excited and happy!) The premium tickets also gave us the chance to sit up front for the North Pole Theater - had much more room around us on the floor and that seemed to make a difference for my kids and their ability to see and participate in the event there.

Our kids are headed for bed now but I couldn't wait to share how great this adventure was and to say that if you EVER have a chance to do this...grab it! Thanks to all the PPs who posted such great advice and helped get us so excited about this trip!

I am so glad you had a magical experience. When you say Woodstock, is that Woodstock, NY? I thought you went to one in New Hamshire which is very far from Long Island but Woodstock would be managable.

 

[smacky1]

Post-trip update:

In a word - magical.

In two words - breathtakingly magical!

Did our Polar Express trip tonight (Lincoln). Snow falling during our entire trip - a totally great experience with our premium seats. Kids were entranced. Had a great pre-trip lunch/dinner at the Woodstock Inn Station. Funky and fun - very good food and cool atmosphere. Walked around Woodstock for a little while, hit the general store and the candy store - yum! Then headed back to the station to get in line for the boarding...

The kids loved all the goodies that came with the trip - and the premium car was lovely with the tables and the lights and the decorations. The volunteer elves and chefs and book reader (and conductor!) were marvelous. Our kids just kept saying to all the elves..."See you next year!" I guess we'll enter again next summer to see if we can get lucky enough for tickets in 2009!!! (They didn't know about the trip until this morning and were incredibly excited and happy!) The premium tickets also gave us the chance to sit up front for the North Pole Theater - had much more room around us on the floor and that seemed to make a difference for my kids and their ability to see and participate in the event there.

Our kids are headed for bed now but I couldn't wait to share how great this adventure was and to say that if you EVER have a chance to do this...grab it! Thanks to all the PPs who posted such great advice and helped get us so excited about this trip!

Thanks for posting. We are taking the kids on Satuday night to the one in North Conway. We were not able to get premium seats b.c we bought a weekend package with the Bartlett Inn. The kids are 2 and 4 and they have no idea. My 4 year old LOVES the Polar Express Movie and adores Santa so we are really looking forward to it!

 

[StillPinballFamily]

I am so glad you had a magical experience. When you say Woodstock, is that Woodstock, NY? I thought you went to one in New Hamshire which is very far from Long Island but Woodstock would be managable.

No - Woodstock, NH. The railway station that this Polar Express leaves from is practically on the border of Lincoln, NH and North Woodstock, NH. The Woodstock Inn we ate in is less than one mile from the train station. Much closer than we would have guessed! (But far away for you - sorry!)

 

[tripplanner2]

Thanks for getting back to me. I tried to find one by us but all the good ones seem to be in Vermont and New Hamshire. Maybe one year we will plan it out and make a trip out of it for a long weekend.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

I am so glad you had a magical experience. When you say Woodstock, is that Woodstock, NY? I thought you went to one in New Hamshire which is very far from Long Island but Woodstock would be managable.

Woodstock, NH

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Glad you had a wonderful time!! Volunteering for the Polar Express brings out the Christmas Spirit in all of us!

 

[StillPinballFamily]

Glad you had a wonderful time!! Volunteering for the Polar Express brings out the Christmas Spirit in all of us!

The volunteers were all terrific! (And we really loved passing the neighbor waving to us with sparklers from her front porch!!! - Both ways!) The warmth and friendliness of all of the participants was wonderful.

I'm a former (really anal about detail) event planner and (truth be told!) am usually extraordinarily nit-picky about events I attend. But, I was very impressed with *every single* aspect of the Polar Express event. You guys really do it right!!! (And if you knew me...you'd know that I rarely get to ever say that!) And to boot, you are volunteers, not paid staff -- marvelous job, everyone!

Merry Christmas - and may you all always hear the bells ringing...

 

[ekball]

Oh wow - I cannot wait to do this with my kids!!! DH and I are already talking about next year and *hopefully* getting tickets through the lottery. We love the Woodstock area, so I'm thinking we'll shoot for the Lincoln trip. Thank you SO much for posting with a follow-up....sounds magical and wonderful.

For those who have entered the lottery....when should I plan to sign up for next year's lotto??

 

[monorailsilver]

which did you do the north pole or santa special? are they good?
we did day out with thomas at essex a couple years ago,
there are still tix avail for santa special, i was thinking of doing it

We have been doing the North Pole Express for the past 4 years.

We just went on last night. I love the Parlor Car. We were in our car (vroom, vroom, car to drive home in) & I looked up & still saw a slew of people in the regular cars trying to get off.

We had a different 'elf' in our car last night then we had the previous 3 trips. She was good & fun but the other elf is better. One of my neices that came with us last night can't wait to go again next year & she is in 6th grade.

I was just on the website (why???) and the North Pole Express is sold out except for after Christmas & I didn't look up the Santa Special.

We didn't do Thomas this year as soccer interfered. But we did see him in the round house when we drove by-we live about 10 min away & I go by the train station on my way 'out'.

FYI, tickets go on sale August 1st.

Here are a few pictures from last night. Gotta love the Parlor car!