Polar Express at the Mid-Norfolk Railway — Attraction in Breckland District

So, they have had nearly a year to reply. I will copy in below the email from myself and their replies.

10th Dec 20222

Hi, we visited yesterday (order xxxxxxxxxxx) and was overall disappointed. I didn't want to leave a review straight away and thought it would be decent of me to email you directly first to see if there were any issues unknown to me which would answer the below.

When booking tickets I saw there's two options. I didn't want mugs, so I opted for standard tickets. Upon arriving and seeing the train go past, we were excited. It looked cosy, dimmed lights, fairy lights on, and lanterns on the tables. Our carriage L turns up, and it looked the exact opposite. Cold and uninviting. Can't see anywhere on the website saying about the experience being less attractive if you opt for cheaper standard tickets.

Boarding the train. Having to walk through messy boxes of hot chocolate, piled up on each other, and bits all over the floor. You wouldn't expect to walk through a kitchen when going to sit down at a restaurant, and if you did, you'd hope it would be presentable?

The christmas decorations partly worked on one quarter of our carriage. The carriage lights were super bright compared to the other coaches. I don't know why this was, but it definitely did not create a warm christmas feeling we hoped for. The windows should/could have been wiped down! Dirty water everywhere dripped down. I had to use the serviettes to stop it going onto my 5yr old. It wasn't enough to stop the amount of water. I get it was cold outside and warm inside, but a wipe down would have been appreciated before we entered. Not for guests to be asked to wipe them down, I wasn't expecting this. I had to remind my kids where we were as they directed their attention to wiping windows rather than enjoying the experience.

Santa was good and friendly. When he signed the Polar express book, it would have been nice if he had signed it to my two kids instead of just Mr C. Little touches like that would have set it apart, and interaction is always welcome. Apart from that, Santa was great.

Staff were all friendly and happy, but the above really did let the whole experience down.

Regards Daniel

12th Dec 2022

Hi Daniel,

Sorry to hear you were disappointed with your visit. In regards to the cleanliness of the carriage I have raised this with the event manager at the site. Regarding the carriages, as they are all heritage carriages, we do not have full control over their look at feel as they are from different eras. We do always try to put the better feeling carriages with our premium ticket holders but as there is no guarantee we do not advertise this. I do appreciate your feedback and you should receive an email requesting feedback in the next couple of days which will really help shape the event going forward.

13th Dec 2022

Well, it's not really good enough. If you try to give nicer carriages to premium ticket holders, you should state this! Not everyone wants a mug! In my opinion, the standard ticket and premium tickets are exactly the same as each other, just without a mug and a bag to share. That's exactly how it is shown on your website, clearly not in reality.

It's really disheartening and clearly just about getting numbers in for money. I shouldn't be paying all that money for a half arsed attempt at copying the Polar express film, cleaning up on your behalf, and feeling like I've been taken advantage off because I didn't want to purchase a novelty mug.

You may appreciate my email, but I don't appreciate this at all. This is supposed to be an event to remember for good reasons however its been truly one to forget.

13th Dec 2022

Hello Daniel, we are currently away, and will get back to you as soon as possible if necessary. 🎅🚂

As you can see, nothing further from this company. I think I've allowed enough time for them to reply and try to resolve the issues we had during...

Just had an amazing time at the Mid-Norfolk Railway Polar Express! Both us adults and the kids loved it!

The characters were enthusiastic, interactive and completely believable! You can tell such hard work has gone into the organisation and implementation of the themed ride.

Although it's not pulled by an ACTUAL steam train, as staff explained, it's to allow heat and lighting into the carriages so it's pulled by a diesel, I was fine with that but it seems some reviewers weren't! Although, if you go at night like we did, the kids won't see the front of the train... mine didn't and we were on Donner in the very first carriage! They were too mesmerised by the characters and the steam coming out from under the carriages like a proper steam train. All ticket holders got a sleigh bell, large cookie and hot chocolate. They even made a lactose free hot chocolate for my intolerance.

All in all, would highly recommend for the whole family. We sang, we laughed, we read The Polar Express story from the book, it was honestly a great time!

Be warned though, prepare to get involved as the famous film really comes to life! You honestly won't be able to help yourself joining in. "Well, ya comin'?"

Tip: 1. Go at night so it's like the movie! Plus the kids only see the Christmas lights outside and not the roads and buildings. Park in the Morrisons across the road and pay via the Ringo App. You can always top up the ticket on the app if you're late back. Get there early so you can get a bench/seat at the front so you can see Hero Boy (or girl in our instance) meet the hobo, waiters and sing for the first 10 minutes of the experience before you board. Staff were pleasant and let us in, out of the rain, despite us being 40 minutes early for our...

An excellent evening. Without spoiling it I can confirm that we all enjoyed it. My tips are- Travel to Dereham early and eat nearby. You can change into your PJ's after you've eaten. DO MAKE THE EFFORT TO DRESS UP. The Bull in the High Street does good food and has parking at the rear. Alternatively there's a generic Marston's Inn, The Greystone ( Napier Wy, Dereham NR19 1FS) at a nearby retail park along with a MucckyD's. There is a burger van on site and plenty of toilets. There are "emergency" toilets on the train but best to go before you go in. If you haven't paid the extra fee to park at the site you can park up in the Morrison's car park opposite for up to 3 hours for free. I'd suggest you park up about 20 minutes before it starts so that you know you will be back at your car with plenty of time. When you get in to the hall take the little ones down to the front by the stage and sit them on the floor so they get the best view and you can step to the side to keep an eye on them and video them as the show proceeds. Get involved, it really pays off and enjoy. Remember to keep an eye out through the windows for the bits that happen outside during the journey. Press your camera up against the glass to minimise reflections when capturing the...