Grapevine Vintage Railroad — Attraction in Grapevine

Updated Review: A fair response after some problems.

See my original review below. Since then, I have to say that after I reached out to them a Lady called Hannah S. that works for the company responded offering a 50% refund. Considering that they got me one way, and not the other, I think that's fair. So, I take back what I said about putting profits over people below, and I have since added two stars. I cannot give more in good conscience because of the poor communication during their train break down, the closing down of their booth in Ft. Worth, and not answering their phone during the emergency. However, I appreciate that someone was kind enough to answer my email and that they considered the situation and issued a half refund. To me, that's fair right down the middle both ways. From them, in terms of money, and on my end, in terms of stars :). I also removed the title of the review, since it was a bit harsh, btw.

Original Review

[Title Removed by me] I usually don't write poor reviews, but this one feels like a responsibility, in order to protect tourists.

The first half of the trip was amazing. We got from Grapevine to the Ft. Worth Stockyards, and tourist around. The trip is twice as long to get there than on a car, btw, but they bring in characters and that helps entertain. The problem was that we were stranded there!

We were waiting for the train and many things went wrong. First, they didn't communicate with everyone what happened, no one got an email and while they had some people's phone numbers somehow not everyone got a notification about the fact that they were not picking us up and we needed to walk 30 minutes to an actual non-tourist train station.

There is a booth to speak to a representative at the Stockyards, but they CLOSED IT! On top of that they would NOT answer their phones when we were calling to ask about why they were taking so long to pick us up.

Had it not been for a kind person who saw we were in distress and recognized us from the same cart we would not have found out what was going on. The local.employees kept saying that it was probably late, that they are late all the time.

We made it back, but we lost a reservation we had back in grapevine.

Then to add insult to injury they wrote us an email without an offer to get our money back. I was paying extra to make a guest have the best possible experience, but this was a terrible experience, and the issue is NOT that their train got problems. The issue was their RESPONSE to the situation. Lack of effective communication through all the means available to them. Closing their local booth, not picking up the phone during an emergency, and not reimbursing or even providing a discount for the next visit. Theu just said "thank you for being so understanding." I would have been understanding if they had been responsive, or kind Towards their guests. There were people there who didn't speak the language well! I do feel like this company puts profit over people in a dangerous way.

Go look at my track record of reviews. Something like this is very rare from me. I hope this gives someone at least the warning to have a plan B to get back...

There aren’t many places to leave reviews but it seems like alot of the events are overpriced and well over-hyped because of social media and editing.

We went for the Wizard Train and it was a complete disappointment - nothing as portrayed. The decor was minimal and had nothing to do with Harry Potter/“Wizards” besides a broom on the wall in our cabin area (it was random Halloween decor). You can’t walk around to see decor in the other trolleys of course so maybe that’s the luck of the draw for which cabin you end up in.

Here’s the play by play: Board the train.. (no music playing, no guide or anyone letting you what would be going on). The train departs at the scheduled time and starts going down towards Haltom City. A stewardess comes over and offers soda/water/popcorn in a little brown bag for $2 each. Then literally nothing happens for 15 more minutes. You’re just in the train going down in silence and confusion. The next major event was a girl who came through in a random costume to give one chocolate coin. The train had been going for about 20 minutes and then stopped in a random field. Shortly after, two “wizard” students comes and run a 2 minute skit and then a teacher wizard comes out and teaches the group to do a spell. 10 minutes after (while still sitting there), another girl came by and gave an owl eraser and someone with her gave a lollipop. 5 minutes after, a girl dressed in Wizard wear came and gave a frog finger toy. Following that last girl, one woman came and had a small skeleton thing she was holding and shaking in front of people.

The train started moving to head back towards the Grapevine station at that point and then one last girl came and had some candy in a bowl. Again, no further music, characters to see, or interactive bits.

Honestly, I just felt bad for the parents who brought their kids here on Halloween probably expecting a much better experience - only to walk away with a couple pieces of candy and an eraser. It was extremely disappointing and you could see the shock in people’s faces when the train ride concluded. At the very least, some music/decor would’ve been the minimum to set some kind of atmosphere for all the people who went there dressed up and excited!

My only goal here is to help others understand what to expect so they can decide for themselves if they still want to pay the $30 a person. Candidly, I’d pass on these events and opt for any other entertainment options, especially at that...

Disappointing Experience on the Grapevine Vintage Train: “Dinos on the Tracks” — More Like Duds on the Tracks

My family and I were genuinely excited to board the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for the highly promoted “Dinos on the Tracks” experience. With a family of five and a $110 price tag, we assumed this would be a high-quality, immersive outing—especially given the train’s nostalgic charm and the marketing that hinted at life-sized dinosaurs or at least animatronic figures placed strategically along the tracks for passengers to enjoy during the ride.

Unfortunately, that was far from the reality.

Instead of any real trackside attraction, we were met with a loosely thrown-together setup consisting of actors walking through the train holding plastic plates of “hatching Dino eggs” and a woman in a very awkward inflatable costume—the kind that’s supposed to make it look like you’re riding a dinosaur. It was gimmicky, and not in a fun way. Most children (including my own) weren’t fooled for even a second and quickly lost interest. There was no storytelling, no real production value, and absolutely no dinosaurs on the tracks, as the title suggests. It felt like false advertising at best.

Now let’s talk about the “First Class” ticket. For the elevated cost, we expected premium treatment or at least a notable difference from standard seating. What we got instead were worn-down, uncomfortable seats and zero added value. No included snacks, no perks, nothing to justify the upgrade. And when we did go to purchase snacks? $20 for basic items. That’s not first-class—that’s highway robbery on train tracks.

As someone who works hard for every dollar, I can honestly say this experience was a complete waste of money. I wanted to give my kids something magical—something they’d remember. Unfortunately, what they remember now is how disappointing and awkward it was.

I had previously considered booking the Polar Express train ride experience in Texas, but after this, I’m honestly hesitant. If this “Dino” ride is any reflection of their standard for themed entertainment, I’m not willing to risk another hard-earned dollar.

Overall, the experience was classless, disorganized, and borderline exploitative. It lacked the magic, excitement, and value that a family-oriented event should provide. Save your money and skip this one—unless you enjoy paying premium prices for plastic eggs, awkward costumes, and...