FAQS
You are on board the train for approximately 1 hour.
Once your experience is over you can spend as much time in our gift shop as you wish but we tend to find guests spend around 15min – 30min here
Therefore we find guests are with us around 1:30-2 hours.
Please note that the time on your ticket is the time your experience starts and is not the time the train departs.
Yes, we schedule a steam engine to pull THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride. The only time we won’t is due to circumstances beyond our control, where we reserve the right to use a substitute engine as required to ensure the event continues.
Unfortunately, pets are not allowed on board. Service animals / assistance animals who have been trained are welcome to join us. Please contact customer services prior to your visit if you plan to bring your assistance animal on board the train.
Please speak to a member of staff on arrival if you require any assistance or reasonable adjustments to help you in your visit.
If you are in receipt of the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), ADP, CDP, or enhanced rate Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit or you have an access card with a +1 shown, we offer a 50% discount on the carer’s ticket. Please reply to our Customer Service elves with your booking number and proof of entitlement. Our elves will then refund you 50% of 1 ticket minus the compulsory £3 booking fee.
We currently do not offer blue light, military or any other form of discount.
Unfortunately, due to the limited space on our heritage carriages, neither pushchairs or the car seat sections are allowed on board. Please leave them on the platform where our marshalls will look after them until you return.
Our THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride gift shop is available before and after the Train Ride and is for ticket holders only. A lot of the merchandise in our gift shop is event exclusive and will not be on our online store.
Online Gift Shop
We also operate our online shop North Pole Trading where you are able to purchase a range of THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride items throughout the year.
Returns / refunds / faulty items
We are sorry you wish to return your items / your item is faulty. Please contact our customer services who can assist with this. We will require your receipt number in order to process this.
Our carriages have seating arranged in 4’s around a table or in pairs. When booking you will be given the option to choose your own seating arrangements. We reserve the right to change carriage configuration and your seating arrangements at any time and without notice.
If your party is seated in such a way that they are separated onboard the train we may alter the seating. Children (under 18) must be sat at the same table with an accompanying adult onboard, if your booking cannot be reseated to accommodate this your booking may be cancelled and refunded without prior notice.
You will be unable to make changes to the way you are sat on the day.
Please note all of our carriages are from heritage stock therefore they may differ in style, age and seating including wear and tear.
Yes, the train does move. You will be on-board for approximately 1 hour. There may need to be movements backwards and forwards due to caribou or frozen lakes.
Whilst we attempt to run the event as close to THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride experience as possible we may need to, at short notice and due to technical or mechanical problems, make operational changes to enable the event to continue to run. This may include substituting a diesel locomotive or running the show on a static train.
We will offer an alternative hot chocolate and a snack free from many allergens, but unfortunately, we may not be able to accommodate all possible allergies or dietary requirements. Please speak to a member of staff on the train if you require an allergy friendly alternative.
You are welcome to bring an alternative with you for members of your party who have allergies if you prefer.
PLEASE NOTE. THE FOLLOWING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. UPDATED INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED ON THE TRAIN. ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS IF YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGY OR INTOLERANCE.
DRINK OPTIONS
Nestle Alegria hot chocolate:
Sugar, Skimmed MILK Powder (13.9%), Glucose Syrup, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder (10.4%), Coconut Oil, Thickener (E415), Flavouring, Anti-Caking Agent (E551), Acidity Regulator (E340), Stabilisers (E331, E452), Salt [Sodium Chloride, Anti-Caking Agent (E535)].
For allergens: see ingredients in bold.
Options Vegan Hot Chocolate:
Fat reduced cocoa powder 23%, glucose syrup, maltodextrin, Belgian Chocolate 10% (sugar, cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa powder, flavouring), sugar, fully hydrogenated coconut oil, gluten-free OAT flour, refined coconut oil, thickener (guar gum), salt, emulsifiers (E322, E47), modified starch, hydrolysed pea protein, sweetener (aspartame), stabilisers (E340, E340(i)), anti-caking agents (E551, E341 (ii)), flavouring (vanillin), colour (E160a).
For allergens: see ingredients in bold.
FOOD OPTIONS
Milk chocolate cookie:
WHEAT flour (with calcium, iron, niacin & Thiamine). Sugar, salted butter (12%) (butter(MILK) Salt); Vegetable margarine (palm oil, rapeseed oil, water, emulsifier, mono- &di-glycerides of fatty acid); OATS, milk chocolate chunk (6%) (sugar, whole MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, Whey powder (MILK), emulsifier; SOYA lecithin, vanilla extract; Brown sugar (sugar, Cane molasses), golden syrup, rapeseed oil, baking powder (raising agents: sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium bicarbonate)
For allergens: see ingredients in bold.
Vegan Nut free biscuit:
Ingredients; Flour Blend (Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize, Buckwheat), margarine (palm oil, rapeseed oil), sugar, Chocolate chips [sugar 58.5%; cocoa mass 33.0%; cocoa butter 8.0%; emulsifier: SOYA lecithin <1%; natural vanilla flavouring <1%], cornflour, rice flour, water. Allergens in BOLD. May contain WHEAT.
For allergens: see ingredients in bold.
We encourage our guests, young and young at heart to wear pyjamas just as in the book with a dressing gown for good measure also. Immerse youirself in THE POLAR EXPRESS™
Train Ride, children love it and why not Mums, Dads, Granny and Grandpa too? The atmosphere in the train comes alive for a truly magical experience!
For the safety of our guests we ask that they wear sturdy, closed toed shoes and not slippers, open toed shoes, flip-flops etc. The British winter weather is not kind to fluffy slippers.
The event takes place in Royal Tunbridge Wells at Spa Valley Railway. The train will depart from West Station, TN2 5QY
Parking
Guests will need to make their own parking arrangements for the event.
For more information please visit https://spavalleythepolarexpressride.com/car-parking/
DISABLED PARKING
Disabled guests can be dropped off at the railway.
THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE RAILWAY OR IN THE STREETS AROUND THE STATION.
Remember, it’s December!
As the event takes place in December please do prepare for wintry road conditions. Remember this is England, weather can vary dramatically, however this event will run no matter the weather conditions even in rain and snow.
PNP Events and Spa Valley Railway are not liable for any road closures or delays. No refunds are given if we run the train as advertised but you miss it due to weather conditions or any other reason beyond our control.
How can I buy tickets?
All tickets are sold online. You cannot order tickets via phone or in person at the railway. We accept all major credit and debit cards as payment and we use Stripe as our payment processor.
How much do tickets cost and what dates and times are available? Our full range of times, dates, and their prices can be found by clicking Book Now at the top of this page.
We are unable to offer any cancellations, refunds, or reschedules therefore please be sure you can attend on the dates/times selected when you book. The train can depart in rain and snow. In the unfortunate event the train is unable to operate, you will be notified as soon as possible and given a refund of your Tickets or, if possible, the opportunity to reschedule.
As the event takes place in winter, please plan appropriately for the road conditions. Remember, this is England and the weather can vary dramatically, however, this event is not affected by the weather and will run no matter the weather conditions even in rain and snow. PNP Events is not liable for any road closures or delays.
You are only liable for a refund should We fail to run the event. There will be NO refunds for guests arriving late due to, but not limited to, poor weather, vehicle breakdowns, public transport, acts of god and anything covered in the Events Outside Our Control.
Booking fees and Ticket Protection are not refundable in any circumstance.
There is a £20 fee for any changes to the order (Including but not limited to Name, Address, Date, Time etc) up to 60 days before your event date and time.
If you sell your tickets to a third party, the £20 admin charge needs to be paid by You to change the name and address.
There will be NO changes to any tickets within 30 days of Your event date and time.
If you decide to cancel your order for any reason the following charges apply. We will take extenuating circumstances into account.
Before 60 days prior to Your event date and time – £20 charge
Between 60 days and 30 days prior to Your event date and time – 25% charge of your entire booking.
Tickets cannot be resold, raffled or used for a competition without approval from Us. Any unapproved transactions may result in tickets being cancelled.
In order to request a refund or exchange please contact support@pnpevents.co.uk. Refunds shall only be made to the person who purchased the Tickets and, when possible, be made using the same payment method as was used to purchase the Tickets.
These Terms and Conditions do not and shall not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. For further information about your statutory rights contact Citizens Advice, Consumer Direct (http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/) or the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
OUR RIGHTS TO REFUNDS / CANCELLATIONS / EXCHANGES
We may cancel the contract for the Experience at any time as a result of an Event Outside Our Control. We will either, at Our sole discretion, provide an alternative date for the Experience or, if this is not possible, refund these paid amounts to you.
We may cancel the contract for the Experience at any time by providing you with at least 14 calendar days’ notice in writing. (This excludes reasons that are under Events outside of our control (section 10) or Seating layout (section 3.1).) If you have made any payment in advance for the Experience that has not been provided to you, We will either, at Our sole discretion, provide an alternative date for the Experience or, if this is not possible, refund these paid amounts to you.
We may cancel the contract for the Experience at any time with immediate effect by giving you written notice, if you break the contract in any material way and you do not correct or fix the situation within 10 days of Us asking you to do so in writing. If you break the contract, no refund will be payable and We will not be obliged to provide you with an alternative date for the Experience.
Ticket Protection allows you to re-coup 100% of the paid ticket price if you are unable to make it to your event for any number of covered reasons, including illness (medical evidence required), travel delay, adverse weather conditions (red warnings) and more.
Full details of the Ticket Protection coverage can be found here: https://securemybooking.com/make-a-claim/uk/ Please ensure the policy meets your needs before purchase.
Ticket Protection is provided by a third party company Secure My Booking and their Terms and Conditions are final. The Ticket Protection is non-refundable in any circumstance.
Ticket Protection can only be purchased when making a booking. It cannot be added retrospectively.
As long as you contact us more than 60 days prior to your event date, subject to an admin fee of £20 for all changes made.
Changes less than 60 days prior to your event are at our discretion only and subject to an admin fee of 25% of your entire ticket value.
There will be NO changes to any tickets later than 30 days prior to your event date.
If you need to contact us please do so by clicking here. Our elves aim to respond to all queries within 3 working days, however at peak times this ban be up to 5 days.
Please remember to check your spam boxes for our reply.
Please see our Terms and Conditions here.
Official Merchandise
Official THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride merchandise is available to purchase from North Pole Trading.
