Santa and his elves are aboard the Polar Express to visit with children taking advantage of the special Saratoga & North Creek Railway run during the holidays.
As the countdown to Christmas continues, the Saratoga & North Creek Railway announced new seats have been added for high-demand days aboard The Polar Express.
The 2012-13 season marks the second for the popular Capital Region holiday train ride, which will continue to transport passengers to the North Pole through Jan. 6.
“The weeks leading up to Christmas are our busiest days on the rails as families look to enjoy the most magical time of the year. We hope that adding additional seats will offer more people the opportunity to make this a new holiday tradition,” said Saratoga & North Creek Railway General Manager Steve Torrico. “We look forward to welcoming families aboard as they create holiday memories to last a lifetime.”
The Polar Express brings passengers on a round-trip journey to the North Pole. Throughout the trip, the characters of the animated motion picture based on the classic children’s story come to life while the book is read aloud and music from the movie plays for all the kids to sing along.
At the North Pole, Santa Claus awaits the children and climbs aboard with dozens of cheerful elves and classic silver bells for children on the train. The return trip is full of holiday cheer with Santa meeting each child and festive caroling with Santa’s elves. The Polar Express offers four seating options: coach, premium coach, lower dome and upper dome.
The Polar Express Train Ride is approximately a one-hour, round-trip train ride departing at either 5:30 or 8:00 p.m. from the train station in Saratoga Springs, at 26 Station Lane. Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas to keep in the spirit of the story. Special Polar Express pajamas are available at the depot gift shop.
Coach cars offer a family-friendly alternative with seating on both sides of the aisle. The vintage-style premium coach cars are an ideal option for travelers seeking an experience similar to the classic children’s film, offering two spacious seats on each side of a wide center aisle and well-suited for large parties.
Lower dome booth seating is a cozy grouping for a party of four with padded seats and a center tabletop. Elevated 16 feet above the tracks, the upper dome offers spacious seating and glass-domed windows for optimal views. All dome car passengers receive a commemorative Polar Express hot cocoa mug. Seating configuration in the dome cars requires guests to purchase tickets in even numbers in order to best accommodate all passengers while not splitting up groups.
Coach tickets are $30 for adults; $20 for children ages 2-12; and $30 for adults with children 2 years old and under in arms. Premium coach tickets are $40 for adults; $30 for children ages 2-12; and $40 for adults with children 2 years old and under in arms. Lower dome tickets are $55 for adults; $40 for children ages 2-12; and $65 for adults with children 2 years old and under in arms. Upper dome tickets are $60 for adults; $45 for children ages 2-12; and $70 for adults with children 2 years old and under in arms. Tickets can be purchased by phone and online. For more information about The Polar Express, including a complete schedule and to purchase tickets, please call 877-726-RAIL (7245) or visit www.saratogapolarexpressride.com.
With seven stops between its destinations in North Creek and Saratoga Springs, the rail line provides easy access to many towns in the region complete with dining, museums, shopping and special events.