Grand Canyon Polar Express or Verde Canyon Railroad Magical Christmas Journey?
- adventuresasmamae
- Dec 11, 2024
- 3 min read
Christmas train rides are truly a magical experience. The lights, the songs, the snacks, and entertainment... But if you live in Arizona, you have a really hard choice to make...
Drive about an hour and 40 minutes to ride the Verde Canyon Railroad Christmas Journey? Or two and a half hours to ride the Grand Canyon Polar Express?
We'd done the Grand Canyon Polar Express every year since 2021, and this past year we tried out the Verde Canyon Railroad Christmas Journey. Here's the break down.
Grand Canyon Polar Express
Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
You can actually stay on location! We haven't done this for the Polar Express (we've always stayed at a home rental nearby), but we have stayed for a summer train ride. The hotel is gorgeous, the train decor is classic, and the onsite buffett is a hit. Did I mention it's located at the train depot??
Pre-ride fun
Shows, picture opportunities, shopping... there is a lot to see and do with you arrive early to get your tickets. Our favorite is the train making it's grand entrance, and the Tom Hanks impression right before boarding.
90 minute train ride full of entertainment and activities
With every fun detail they have planned, it feels like the perfect amount of time. I don't want to give all the fun away, but no one will be bored on this adventure. There's treats, stories, lights, special guests, and songs... Everything flows perfectly. We've attended with three very tiny children (I'm talking 2 months, 17 months, and 3 years old) so things have gotten crazy. We've always come home with magical memories.
$44-$100 a ticket
There's value rates, standard rates, and holiday rates. The best price for a child is $43.99 and most expensive adult ticket is $97.99.
Verde Canyon Railroad Magical Christmas Journey
Location
It's only an hour and forty minutes from Phoenix. It really feels like nothing, and you're in a beautiful new spot. The depot is located in Clarkdale, but is very close to Cottonwood. The town of Cottonwood has a beautiful State Park, gorgeous wineries, and lots of delicious restaurants to eat at.
Pre- ride fun
Like the Grand Canyon Polar Express, there is a lot to do before boarding the train. A beautiful Christmas village, a real life bald eagle, a princess, food, and beverages.
60 minute train ride with an outside car
Being able to get up and go outside was amazing. The kids were not confined to their seats, we were able to move about as we wanted, and there were elves to strike up conversation with. Sixty minutes felt a little too short, but for some it might have felt like the perfect amount of time.
Luxuries
There were a few things that stood out to us on this train ride, besides the ability to walk outside... The spacious couches. The comfy, western couches have plenty of space with a table. The ability to order an adult beverage. Our VIP Kids' Club bags. We paid a little extra to surprise the kids with fun festive bags.
$40- $70 a ticket
The only difference in price is children vs adult. The VIP Kids' club add on was $25 a child. Christmas Eve train rides are $10 more.
So which one is better?
I'm afraid we can't pick!
There is magic and specialties on both. We are so found of our Polar Express memories, but also love the feel of the Christmas Journey. As much as we would love to just ride both every year, the holidays are a bit too busy for us to do that.
The best we could come up with, is alternating years... Now who's to say we won't ride the other train that same year because we just couldn't resist?
If you've been on these Christmas experiences, please share your thoughts in the comments!
Happy adventuring
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