6 Things to Know before you book the Polar Express experience at the Great Smokey Mountains Railroad

6 MUST-KNOWS

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the polar express

2022 will have a monumental ending for these Blue’s. It’s our first Christmas season in four years in Tennessee, our home! To launch our first Christmas season, The family and I took off into the beautiful smokey mountains, where everything was magical and full of Christmas.

xmas

We decided to visit the Polar Express Christmas train in the Great Smokey Mountains, and after a long time of anticipating the great experience of Christmas in the Smokey Mountains, we had a few ups and downs. Here are three things I loved and five things I didn't love about our Polar Express Experience. Be sure to share with a friend or use this as a guide if you plan to visit this holiday season or next.

As an avid family-dresser-upper, I love being around other like-minded families and loving every opportunity I can get to avoid Chris being embarrassed about my choice of family attire. If you plan to visit the Polar Express in Bryson City and live in Tennessee, be comfy, wear your Pjs and get the kids all dressed up! From what we saw, there were no places to change near the parking lot, but there are bathrooms approximately four minutes from the parking lot, right by the train. Your best bet is to be ready or leave early enough to create time to change at the location in the restrooms.

cosy

xmas

The

Movie

If you love The Polar Express Movie you will Love the Train Ride! Without giving major spoilers, the Bryson City, Great Smokie Mountains Steam Train is almost identical to the train in the movie! Every part of the experience, especially the beginning, is very movie-like and won't disappoint you!

First Class Hot Chocolates & Santa's special gift!

We chose to enjoy the Polar Express in first class, and the hot chocolate and gift mug did not disappoint. Not only did we receive three large-sized Polar Express mugs and a special gift from Santa halfway through our ride. Not only that, but the whipped cream and hot chocolate were just what my stomach needed to add that extra cosy feel on our luxury ride to Santa's village. Three things I wish I had known before doing The Polar Express train ride.

santa

My 3 Polar Express Dislikes:

From Tennessee, I don’t feel like the distance was worth the experience- Let Me Explain

We travelled from just outside Knoxville in the pouring rain, and everyone drove precisely how you would expect locals to drive in the rain, slow!!

With safety being first, it took us two hours to get to Bryson City. The train ride was roughly half an hour, and we saw the light show approximately 5-7 minutes after the train ride. Although it was a great family road trip, our time on the train felt like 10 minutes because of how long the drive was; I wouldn’t do the Polar Express as a day trip from Knoxville again unless we had a day of activities to make your journey worth it.

2. I low-key feel like first class wasn't worth it. I love to do stuff in luxury with my family. As soon as I saw that the Polar Express had the first-class option, I booked it. It also came with a few extra comfort options, so why not! But from my experience, the ride doesn't require any additional comfy options. Unless you have a group of three ( with the little one still being a lap baby), only do the first class if you want a few bells and whistles, but it is optional to enjoy the experience.

3. The Travel to Santa's Village was falsely advertise. The Polar Express provided minimal entertainment throughout the ride. However, there was a fantastic story-time in the middle of the carriage. But sadly, we were further to the back of the carriage and couldn't hear what was being read. So we created our own entertainment and enjoyed our Hot Chocolate. Overall, we loved the experience, and while we had a few disappointments, it was a great trip, but I don't foresee us doing it again.