the polar express Archives

Today is the day! The Polar Express Returns to St. Louis Union Station! As usual the folks at The Polar Express have showed that this event is worth checking out year after year. Each character has their own style and entertaining ways of keeping kids AND adults having fun during your entire visit. Whether it’s the Hobo cracking jokes, or the chefs passing out some hot chocolate, there is always something going on that will keep your attention. Check out my social media pages to see some exclusive photos from our ride on The Polar Express this year.

THE POLAR EXPRESS TRAIN RIDE

AT ST. LOUIS UNION STATION

KICKS OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON TONIGHT

WITH TRAINS TO THE “NORTH POLE”

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018

3:30 P.M. TO 8:30 P.M.

WHAT: The Polar Express Train Ride at St. Louis Union Station begins the 2018 season tonight. Kids and their families — dressed in their Christmas pajamas — meet with Santa and his elves, sing with the Polar Express chefs and learn the story of The Polar Express on their journey to the North Pole.

WHEN: Tonight, Friday, November 16. Riders begin arriving as early as 3:30 p.m. to take part in a variety of holiday activities and pre-boarding fun. The first train departs for the North Pole at 4:30 p.m. Trains also depart at 6, 7:15 and 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: St. Louis Union Station. Enter the parking lot from 18th St. south of Clark.

ABOUT THE POLAR EXPRESS TRAIN RIDE AT ST. LOUIS UNION STATION:

The Polar Express Train Ride at St. Louis Union Station is returning for the 2018 holiday season. Trains begin running from St. Louis Union Station to the North Pole tonight — Friday, November 16 — and continue on selected dates through December 30, 2018.

Tickets are on sale at www.STLPolarExpressRide.com.

The Polar Express Train Ride’s magical story of a boy’s search for the meaning of Christmas comes to life when real trains departs St. Louis Union Station for a round-trip journey to the North Pole.

Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, passengers will relive the magic of the story as they are whisked away on The Polar Express. Once on board, passengers are served hot chocolate and cookies by the Polar Express chefs as they read along with the classic children’s book, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg.

Santa and his helpers greet passengers at the North Pole and then board the train. Santa interacts with each child and gives them the first gift of Christmas — a silver sleigh bell. Chefs and Santa’s elves lead passengers in singing Christmas carols on the ride back to St. Louis Union Station.

Trains depart St. Louis Union Station at 4:30, 6:00, and 7:15 p.m. Trains also will run at 8:30 p.m. on selected dates. Passengers are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to enjoy holiday activities and photo opportunities in the boarding area.

Riders may choose from two classes of service on The Polar Express — Coach and First-Class. Coach tickets start at $39. First-class ticket holders will receive a Polar Ex- press mug and will be seated at four-top tables on the train.

Guests can save 20 per- cent on The Polar Express Train Ride when they purchase their tickets along with a hotel package at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton. Hotel rooms decorated with Christmas trees are available for a special holiday treat.

More information about dates, fares and excursion times is available by calling 314-942- 6942, or by visiting www.STLPolarExpressRide.com. Families are encouraged to wear their holiday pajamas for the ride.

In addition to the train ride, St. Louis Union Station will continue its popular holiday fire and light show set to Christmas music on the train shed lake each evening during the holiday season.

St. Louis Union Station also will host a series of Magical Meals — holiday character dinners in the beautiful Grand Hall of the historic train station during the Polar Express season. Featuring 3-D light shows projected on the ceiling and visits with Santa’s elves chefs and The Polar Express Conductor, the dinner sessions are available on selected days when the Polar Express Train Ride is in operation. Dinners are served buffet style with separate adult and children’s selections priced between $20 and $25. Children ages two and under are complimentary. An elaborate holiday dessert buffet accompanies the dinners. Reservations for the 5:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. dinners may be purchased online at www.STLPolarExpressRide.com. Tip: Select dates for the Magical Meal first, then purchase train tickets for the same date.

This year, a Build-A-Bear pop up shop will be located in the activities tent for the first time. An event-themed bear will be available for children to create on site. For more in- formation, visit buildabear.com.

St. Louis Union Station is located at 1820 Market Street in downtown St. Louis. Parking is available in the Union Station lot at 18th and Clark for just $5 for all Polar Express ticket holders.

St. Louis Dad was compensated tickets to ride The Polar Express in exchange for an honest review.

The start of this holiday season has been fantastic so far. Great weather, family, friends, and life! Each year we like to take our kids out to see the holiday lights, shows, and other festivities that are happening in the area, and this year we made our way back to Union Station for a first class ride on The Polar Express.

Our previous ride on The Polar Express can be read here. When we arrived I learned that they completely changed the setup from our previous visit. Upon arrival you will go to the ticket booth where you will be provided a bracelet which indicates which train car you will be riding in. It also allows entry and reentry into The Polar Express wonderland.

Inside is filled with Christmas galore! I would recommend arriving about an hour before the time listed on your ticket so you can see all of the awesomeness! Outside there were fire dancers. Two wonderfully talented individuals performed a number of tricks with fire. Definitely check it out if you have time.

Another fun fire filled activity was a fire show sync’d to music. It was incredible. Inside there were coloring pages, plenty of photo opportunities, games, jugglers, and more. If you arrive an hour beforehand you will have plenty of time to do everything.

The fire show at #unionstationstl #stlpolarexpress

A post shared by Richie Williams (@dadstl) on Nov 26, 2017 at 8:15pm PST

An announcement will be made to start getting ready for boarding. This is where your bracelets really come in handy. You will be lined up according to your train car and from there you will wait just a bit for the Conductor to let everyone know it’s time to board the Polar Express to the North Pole.

You grab your seats and get your golden tickets checked by the Conductor and the fun just keeps rolling down the track. A nice cup of hot chocolate is delivered to your table along with a cookie. The chefs are bringing some serious energy with that hot hot chocolate! The music and dancing had everyone enjoying the fun. Once everyone had their drinks and cookies that’s when the story of The Polar Express is read. The kids relaxed and listened as the chefs walked up and down the aisle turning pages of the book.

After story time it was time to sing and dance! The kids marched up and down the aisle singing many favorite holiday songs. Just when we thought it was over, Santa got on board! He visited every child and asked them what they wanted for Christmas and then gave them a special bell as their first Christmas present. My kids want a new iPad and LEGO sets. So hopefully Santa comes through this year. Check out St. Louis Dad on Instagram and Twitter for more Polar Express pictures!

The Polar Express is at Union Station in St. Louis November 24th through December 30th. So be sure to book your tickets today. Coming from a out of town? You can stay at the grand St. Louis Union Station Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton. Your rate includes Deluxe accommodations for the complete holiday experience.

Did you ride The Polar Express? Comment below and tell me about your trip!