Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

We rode the train for the "Great Pumpkin" with Charlie Brown and gang. My husband had ridden the train a few years ago and said it was nice, so we decided to take the kids. Should be fun, right?

Wrong, so wrong.

First, the train was dirty. The window were gross, I didn't want my kids touching them.

Second, I thought the ride would have been longer. Our reasoning for paying almost $200 for 2 adults and 2 children, was that us adults would enjoy the scenery and the kids would enjoy the pumpkin patch/Charlie Brown and gang...etc.

Well, the ride was 30 minutes each way. This doesn't get you far enough out for nice scenery. Instead, you have to settle for run down shacks and trailer parks. Oh, and don't forget the old cars stacked up along the riverbanks.

Once we got to the pumpkin patch, I was completley over it. It was a rinky dink little 'carnival'. I could have had better in my backyard. On top of having to pay almost $200 for this...we had to pay another $30 just to eat hot dogs, fries and a drink!! You'd think we would have at least gotten that included.

I was getting incredibly irate at the staff at the carnival. Every time we would walk up to one of the characters, a staff member would lead them away. My kids never got to meet them or take pictures with them.

Overall, it was a complete waste of time and money. I wouldn't recommend the 'Great Pumpkin' ride to anyone. I'm sure the regular excursions are worth the money(which is considerably less than this one). We were very disappointed and will not do business with the GSMR ever again.

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Our family drove 5 hours for the Polar Express train ride. We paid $128 for 4 people in coach. We were the last family to board the train car (we got there early enough but people pushed ahead of us on line) so we had to sit in the back. There was one empty row of seats behind us, which the staff took. Throughout the ride, the staff behind us loudly discussed what they were supposed to be doing (when Santa would board, which staff member needed to pick up the passengers' trash, whether it was a busy night or not, how hot they felt in their uniform, etc.). The staff is supposed to stay in character and act like they're in the Polar Express story. For us that illusion was ruined. Our children heard every word the staff were saying, and it really took any magic out of it. They could have made the effort to whisper, or not talk shop at all.

The train itself was not well-maintained. It was dirty and old. Someone needs to come in and scrub down the windows. For the price we paid, we feel the staff should have been more professional and the train should have been cleaner.

We DID enjoy seeing Santa. He stopped to sign our Polar Express book, which was a nice touch. I agree with the reviewer who said "the North Pole" looked like a row of shacks with Christmas lights.

When we were in Disney World, the staff never broke character and it's worth every penny because it's magical for the kids the entire time. The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad could do the same and keep that magic going for the mere 90 minute ride, but they chose not to, and instead complained about how tough their jobs were and how tired they were of faking their enthusiasm.

Grade: D

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User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Great Smoky Mountain Railroad is so overpriced it is not funny!!! The funny thing is with the cost of tickets to ride the train they could pay their bills!!! I work for a company that they deal with and they are always late paying their bills even going so far as to not pay of 120 days or more. My advice.... Save your money

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