Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Rockside Station — Attraction in Independence

We went on THE POLAR EXPRESS. This was worth every penny! From the lady that helped us up the steps and into the car, to the elves on the train...our granddaughter loved it-and so did we. Our 16 mth old gdaughter was too young to really get it...but she had fun anyway. We had 2 elves in our train - elf Karen and I can't recall the other name. They were so much fun! We all got a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie and Santa passed out bells! Here's what you need to know.... Dress in layers to take some off! It gets really, REALLY warm in those cars. Bring a water! You are squished in so don't bring extra stuff - bags/purse, etc. If I had to give a negative it would be the bathroom on the train. I had to take our 3 yr old to use it and because it is old even if it was clean, it would still look nasty! Lots of toilet paper on the seat, and there was no running water in the sink, but there was hand sanitizer. It's assigned seating so don't worry about getting there too early. They tell you an hour, but we arrived about 45 min. early. Save your yellow tickets that they give you so the Conductor can punch them! Take your singing voice cause you sing xmas songs on the way back to the station. They give you a songbook with the words! We really enjoyed this. They also have a 'parade' of the kids with their jammies on, up and down the center aisle. Don't forget your letter to Santa! There's a mailbox to drop it in.

Our 3 yr. old completely bought the whole event....that helped make it fun, but also it was fun for us because we were there to have fun!!! I'm going to take all my phone pics and make a book for my granddaughters about our trip on THE...

We recently did the dinner ride. The food and service was GREAT. However, we sat in the top car section for better views, but the seating was so tight, we had no elbow room at all nor could we stretch our legs at all , and nearly had to be contortionists to get out of our seats. My husband is husky and tall, and I am a size 12, but I saw the same issue with another much smaller woman. Also, due to corrosion on one end of the tracks, we just went back and forth partially down the tracks from the parking lot a couple of times. For the meal that weekend (chicken and steak - although very tasty with beautiful presentation) and experience, it was a tad bit overpriced but still an overall good experience, considering everything. But the saving grace was the nice couple we were seated with and the kind wait staff. Lastly, I was a bit alarmed that when refilling our glasses, the waitress rested the bottle directly on our glasses we'd already been drinking out of while pouring, instead of holding it over the glass for no contact, which is very unsanitary. I would just recommend if you are taller or larger and you take the dinner ride, to ride in the lower cars instead for more room. With good company, it can be...

We rode the Polar Express for the 1st time and had a great time! All the people working or volunteering for CVSR where great, very polite, helpful and cheerful. My daughter had a blast, we made some new memories and hopefully started a new family tradition. Our favorite part was Santa passing out the bells and the singing. Unfortunately there were a few negatives, the worst being the ticket ordering process. Its 2019 this process could be streamlined to be a whole lot more customer friendly. For example like most concerts and other events you pick the date, location and number of seats needed and the website presents you with the best seats available which you purchase or keep looking. The ticketing process is the only reason I didn't rate it higher. The other negative is the congestion on the train trying to move thoughtout before departure especially in the concession and souvenir areas. Maybe some ropes to designate the checkout line, isle and merchandise area would help? It wouldn't be as bad if people were alittle more considerate of others but that's no fault of CVSR. Over all its worth...