The North Pole Experience

Fun for my 7 year old. We enjoyed this much more than the Polar Express. You take a bus from Little America hotel. The ride is comfortable and you are led by elves. You visit several rooms in Santa’s workshop. There’s lots too see and do. Here are some of the things: the kids help the elves dress the bears for other kids. You visit Mrs Claus’ bakery and eat hot cocoa and cookies. You see the mailroom and where they wrap the presents. You go to elf university and at the end of the tour, your family takes a picture with Santa. I recommend the North Pole Experience over the Polar Express.

Overpriced, great set up. Need fake snow area, and if u charge a price like that I expect a free toy or printed Santa picture

This was an EXCEPTIONAL experience! Start with the cost per person, very reasonable. The cast is AWESOME!!! They were in character the entire time and made the experience for our granddaughter very «real.» I recommend this experience, but caution that it’s not a movie set in Hollywood. Don’t expect little elf Judy to come out with cocoa that she’d perfected over hundreds of years or you’ll be disappointed. Do expect a bunch of college students in Flagstaff Arizona to do their best to entertain your kids during this experience.

Love this place! Excellent fun loving professional staff. Santa took the time to sit down with my kids and chat with them, signing autograph, the crew and photographer were not rushing at all. They also served delicious warm cocoa and chewy sugar christmas cookies. We really had a blast last Christmas. This is such an amazing experience for all of us and I highly recommend this place especially for your little ones. Two thumbs up!

This completely lived up to the expectations. We too don’t understand anything less than a 4* on this. On Monday we took our 6 year old and 4 year old to the NPX. They both LOVED it. We set it up so that they received a special letter from Santa inviting them to the north pole which made them very excited.
You start with the trolley ride over that goes through a magical portal that transports you to the north pole. Once there you enter a room and the adventure begins. You meet many elves, visit with Mrs. Claus, write a letter to Santa and then get to meet Santa and have your picture taken. You are not rushed with Santa at all. We had close to 5 minutes and Santa wanted us all to touch his beard we got a great picture of just the kids and then a picture with the whole family and Santa. Our kids were able to ask Santa several questions and had a wonderful time.
I wouldn’t take children who don’t «get» Santa. Clearly a 2 year old and less won’t understand and you are wasting your money and time. Most 3 year olds are probably a little young unless they are an older 3 year old. We specifically waited to go this year when our son was 4. Last year while he understood Santa and was excited for Christmas, it was his first experience of Santa. This year, he has been looking forward to Santa and was very involved.
The length and timing of the adventure was perfect (again, a 2 and a 3 year old don’t have the attention span of 4+ year olds and you should plan accordingly). I wouldn’t change anything. Seriously, my kids were in HEAVEN. Worst part was the wait to get into the line for the trolley because by then our kids were so excited to start and see Santa that every couple of minutes they would ask if it was time to get on. We were so happy to see our kids this happy and excited. Our hearts are full … Just a great experience!
We did the dinner buffet afterwards at Little America. We had the 4:24 trolley and ended up eating dinner around 6:45 or so after we came back. We planned it that way which was perfect timing for our kids. Buffet included carving stations of Ham and Turkey, kids food (Macaroni and cheese, corn dogs), rolls, salad, fish, ravioli, a dessert table and more. It was good, not exceptional, but very convenient and the kids enjoyed it.
One tip: You may want to buy an ornament (or two) in the gift shop at the Little America Hotel before you go on the trolley. You can have the elves, Mrs. Claus and Santa sign the ornaments while on the experience. We purchased two ornaments for each of our kids and they loved being able to get them signed. A wonderful keepsake and a great idea we are very happy someone told us about once we checked into the NPX at Little America.
Make sure to walk the grounds afterwards. It was cold, snow was on the ground, Christmas lights were everywhere … it was magical!

My daughter is 3 so I’m basing my review on her age, and well, my own response to the experience.
It’s WAY TOO LONG. They lost my attention after the first hour. Seriously, way too long.
I love the concept-​getting dressed up in holiday gear, getting on the trolley, singing, and going through the magic portal is all wonderful. The lights and effects are really great.
There is just far too much talking, far too much to keep even my attention.
The rooms are all beautifully decorated, a ton of attention to detail which is great.
I like how the elves encourage you to get your «golden ticket» or ornament signed. That is all really wonderful and very interactive.
For my daughter. the rocket portion of the elves was not something she enjoyed; and neither did I. It really is geared toward older kids which is fine. We liked building toys and some of the other interactions.
I could have done without the elf university (again, my daughter is 3) she was more interested in looking around the room at the decorations versus listening after an hour. Frankly at that point and they’d lost my attention too. I just wanted it OVER.
I also found the Santa encounter very anti climactic. Yes, you get one on one attention.
You stand in this hallway with some lights and then you walk into this barren room, which santa against a blank wall and the photographer. Why not put him in one of those beautifully decorated rooms? It just felt so dull after all this buildup!
Maybe we’ll go back in a couple of years so she can get a little more out of it, and maybe I’ll have a touch more patience then as well.
Here’s a tip-​skip the meal package. The dinner buffet was a JOKE. The breakfast with Santa buffet was mediocre but having Santa in the room made that part worth while.

Let me just say, if my kids were to rate it they’d be giving it 5 stars. If I were to rate it as a parent only, it would get 3. So that’s how I settled on 4 stars for my rating. The overall experience was fun. I really didn’t know why to expect going in, only knew it was Santa’s workshop and the kids would build toys there with the elves.
The whole process took about 2 hours from trolley take off to trolley arrival. They move you through many different rooms and do different activities in each one. I thought the experience felt rushed in most of the rooms. They did all the activities but then it was a quick, quick, hurry up to the next room! All in an effort to keep the groups separated and not wreck the magic for the kids who pretty much believe they are the only ones there at the moment. I felt like it could have been slowed down a bit more to really let the kids enjoy it more. I also didn’t really care for how it was catered only to the kids. Don’t get me wrong, I went there for my kids. But I also had to pay a large fee to go with them! A little bit more catering to the adults who had to pay $ 50 to come would have been really nice.
The elves were good, they had cute names and most were very interactive with the kids. Would be nice if they could slow down some and wait til everyone is in the room and listening intently before they start everything though. They can’t because of that time-​issue I’ve already mentioned, but there was a lot of times I didn’t get to hear what the elves were saying at all. People were shuffling trying to get into the room, kids were talking or yelling, and the elves had to just keep going on with it instead of being able to wait til everyone could hear.
Santa was great and the highlight of the trip. He was so interactive and really took his time with the two kids. Little hint, make sure your kids write their name on the letter they make in the mail room so he knows their name! They will be handing it to Santa.
We were there just as snow started to fall so it was pretty magical. All in all, we had a good time. It’s not something I feel the need to ever do again, although my kids feel otherwise! So I’m sure we’ll probably visit one more time before they stop believing. If you have the $$, the kids will love it. Just don’t expect to be blown away as an adult.

I am horrified by these negative reviews.
First this was our first year as a family. There were 7 plus two children Ages 2 and 3.
We took the advice and went at night so we didn’t notice the lack of scenery change. I loved the North Pole Experience and I’m not sure why people are so negatively describing it.
It’s not herding?! Nor is it hard to explain to your children that there are less fortunate kids. I just said oh we’re making toys for Santa’s sleigh for Christmas so all the boys and girls that wanted bears can have them. Ta-​da that’s all.
They organize (not herd) well. It’s kind of warm in there so next year I won’t be wearing my jacket. The rooms have fun activities for the kids. All of the kids are at the front except the last room which is Santa.
I loved Santa. Even with such a large group they were able to accommodate us. Who wanted pictures with who. They take the pictures as well as you and they send them to you via E-​mail and give you a ticket with a code to check. We took a picture of our ticket as recommended in case it was lost.
Overall we had an amazing time and will be making it an annual tradition in our family.

We did an afternoon time slot on a Saturday 2 weeks prior to Christmas. We brought 3 kiddos ages 4, 8 & 11. 2 out of the 3 are believers. The 3^rd one knew better, but was more than happy to play along. Total trolley time is 20 minutes (10
Min each way) the North Pole experience lasts 1.5 hours and finishes off with a private visit with Santa !! The kids loved every room, they loved the cookies and snowman soup, they loved the elves, and they loved all the little elf on the shelf helpers hidden around the different rooms. I highly recommend this trip for families with little kiddos. Next time I would like to experience it at night I think it would really add to the magic.

Took the kiddos to NPX last weekend. They of course had a blast. I did think it was slightly overpriced but they do have a lot of people on staff and the «workshop» is really pretty. There were only about 25−30ppl in our group so I didn’t feel crowded or rushed. I do think they could’ve done more to sell the whole «portal» idea, but our little kids (4&5yrs old) thought it we way cool. Overall, good experience and I would recommend.

Oh my goodness! This place is sooooo GREAT! I don’t have 1 complaint, the experience was so much fun, magical and just so darn cute! For those who have never been, what happens is you meet at the hotel, check in, get loaded on a bus, travel through a «magic portal» and go to Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. You then go through I believe 7 different rooms (all guided by elves) in the warehouse and are able to interact, participate, laugh, smile and sing. You help «build toys» for the less fortunate little girls and boys, you eat cookies with Mrs. Clause, you attend Elf University and then you end the tour with taking pictures with Santa himself. Each family is let into a private room, separate from everyone else and you are able to take pictures and talk with Santa. You are not rushed, the picture is free and its so nice to be able to enjoy that moment with your little ones and you don’t have a crowd of others pushing you along. I took my 5 yr old son, along with my family which included my 10 yr old niece and 8 yr old nephew. My mom, older sister and my boyfriend all enjoyed experience.
I recommend 100% and hope you enjoy it with your family! Thank you to The North Pole Experience for making this a great memory with my family! You all did such a wonderful job keep it up!

I am baffled by the negativity!
We are going in two weeks for what will be our 5^th straight year! We LOVE NPX! The first two years we also did The Polar Express the day before, but have grown to find that a little too boring.
Each time I tell a friend about this adventure I find myself transforming into child-​like giddyness. I’m pretty sure I should be getting endorsement deals, lol.
We haven’t stayed at Little America (because Mommy is a Marriott membership gal), but hear that it is nice. We do take advantage of the NPX partnership deals though and stay at the Marriott Courtyard, which has always been great. We’ve never had a difficult time getting to the Little America or parking there.
We were thrilled last year when we saw the upgrade to tour busses — so nice! My kids are 7 ½ this year and I still believe they will be enchanted by the magic of season in their visit to «Santa’s Workshop».
We’ve always found each of our elves to be enthusiastic and engaging. Most even stopping my kids along the way to see if «your mommy wants a picture of you with an elf», which is awesome! The first year when my two were little enough to be a little intimidated by the crowds, the elves were encouraging and comforting!
I can’t speak to the cookies or snowflake soup because I’ve never tried them. But I can tell you my kids don’t have any complaints. And I’m always going on about the décor of that room in particular with the vintage looking kitchen, all the Christmas trees etc.
Speaking of décor, I can’t say enough about how each room is decorated from floor to ceiling in truly over-​the-​top Christmas spirit and joy! There is not a spot on any wall (and sometimes even ceilings) that isn’t given a little Christmas Love. I believe it was our 2^nd year that they added in a few cameo appearances of «Henry» our kids Elf of the Shelf — Oh how they were excited to see Henry there so Santa would know how good they were being!
I’ve never been disappointed with our pictures with Santa and in fact LOVE that we get to spend a few minutes with him without the pressure of a line staring you down to hurry up. There is no other place I’ve seen that allow you a place to take off your jackets and set your things down and actually TALK with Santa in an environment that is non-​rushed and is nice and quiet so Santa and the kids can actually hear each other. And the fact they give you the pictures digitally, included in the price, is wonderful! No big packages to buy with options you will never need. Just download and print what you want.
The mail room is one of my favorites, ok, they are all my favorites, but letting the kids sit down and write a note (or list) to Santa when they are just about to see him is awesome. Even the little kids are encouraged to draw a picture (or scribble) for Santa.
Again, I’m baffled by the negative comments and saddened that there are folks that can’t see and appreciate the magic in this place. Let it speak to the child still residing inside of you! If you look at it through a child’s eyes — you will LOVE it. Heck, I love it looking through my fully grown-​up eyes!
Worth every penny!

Seriously one of the best experiences I’ve had with the kids! They loved making toys, eating cookies, meeting mrs Claus, and Santa! They were all smiles loved the elves and how their elf on the shelf kept making an appearance. I’ll definitely be back next year!

AMAZING!!! Worth every penny! I guess they have lots of up grades compared to past reviews. It really feels like Christmas when you get there and the small groups are really nice. My son was so excited and love every moment. Every elf from the bus driver to the shop person was friendly and warm. Staying at Little America hotel makes all the difference with parking and dealing with the crowed lobby. We did everything early since we were already he and getting on the bus was no problem. This made our whole families Christmas the best yet!

Took part in the North Pole Experience for the first time today. After reading a lot of the other reviews, I am honestly surprised because it was nothing like some of the negative people described.
All the main characters were great with the children and really made mine enjoy it. They interacted with her and made the experience real. Which in my opinion as long as the kids have fun then I think it did it’s job.
I really enjoyed all the décor and it gave me a lot of chances to take some great pictures. I even got my own cookie and Snowman Soup to enjoy.
My only regret is that I did not get my tickets early enough to get a nighttime ticket. Next year for sure!
Oh and definitely pick up an ornament at the gift shop. The little ones can go around and get the the elves to sign it, including Santa and Mrs. Claus

I don’t get people.
I understand that some people are «half empty glass» type folks. Always finding the down side of things. I understand that some people aren’t really «kids at heart» anymore and would find something like this cheesy.
However, those people suck. I pity them. («The portal experience was unrealistic.» YOU’RE ON A BUS, DAMMIT.)
We took our two boys here (aged 7 and 5) and they absolutely loved it. As did my wife and I. We thought it was fantastic. We were highly impressed with the amount of enthusiasm, passion and dedication that the employees showed (or, 95% showed.)
Buy an ornament at the NPX store in the Great America hotel gift shop and ask any elf you see to sign it. We collected over 25 signatures and have a great memento. Also, go at night. I assume if the sun is up, it might not be as impressive.
Special thanks to Santa who gave us at least 3 – 4 minutes of personalized conversation. Some folks went in and took their picture within 30 seconds flat. Our kids wanted to shoot the shit… and he shot it.
If you’re a Debbie Downer type of person, maybe you should skip this. You’re the type of knob who will find the bad side in everything. If you’re a happy-​go-​lucky sort who loves Christmas, take your kids and have a blast. We certainly did.

Honestly, I’m stunned to see so many negative reviews of NPX on Unilocal.We went for the first time this weekend and our kids thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially the one-​on-​one time with Santa!
It was pretty hot throughout Santa’s Workshop and there could definitely be more done to sell the portal idea, but what an incredible experience for kids (and fun for adults, too!).
The elves are extremely patient with some of the obnoxious parents we saw there, and they do a great job of keeping the kids engaged and on task. They also do a great job of moving the groups through the workshop from activity to activity.
The hotel lobby was well organized given the number of people there and everything flowed so well, especially given that it was the first day of the NPX for 2015!
When I read «trolly» I expected something akin to a tram at a theme park. Instead there were beautiful first-​class busses to take us to and from the North Pole — very nice and comfortable. The busses are wrapped, and the kids were excited to get on them.
The kids all got to do participate in all the activities and just had a blast. As parents, we were glad to be able to give them this experience. Is it a bit pricey? Of course. It’s an experience, and looking around at how many elves it takes to orchestrate it (and those are just the ones we could see), I think it’s a fair deal. We found everyone super responsive and willing to help us out when we needed it. No one seemed annoyed or agitated when we asked for guidance. It was a really great experience.
Happy Holidays!

Our family had a good time today. We have two 7 year olds and an 8 year old, all girls. We started hyping the visit while we waited in line for our wristband. The elves asked the kids what they were looking forward to and what they were going to ask Santa for also. It isn’t the most camera/​video friendly event because the lighting is dim and everything moves pretty quick. But if you let go and just watch the kids have fun, you’ll enjoy it more. I took the opportunity to just video most of it.
The elves were great. Very enthusiastic and interactive with the kids. They took great pictures in the mailroom. They’ll sign stuff too, so if you bring ornaments or their tickets the kids get a kick out of it. Santa was great. Really took time with each one. And your time with him is private which you don’t normally get anywhere else.
I think that kids under 4 didn’t enjoy the experience as much and were fussy but the older kids need to feel the «magic» or it will be lost on them. Mine still believe and look forward to Santa visits so we got lucky with timing.
The cookies were not stale as some suggested so perhaps they have improved from prior years. The ambiance throughout is fantastic. I enjoyed taking pics of the props.

We did the NPX on 11÷22÷14 at 5:30pm. We will never waste our money there again… First, our session was delayed by 45min-​1hr… which isn’t good when you plan this so that your child can still be in bed at a good time. Then, because of their delays, we had to wait outside, for about 15min, in the cold to enter the building that houses the workshop.
The reason for the delay? We were told that there was a group with disabilities that went through earlier and that their session took more time than expected. Which, considering I have a disabled sibling, I appreciate the fact they took more time with them but at the same time, should have been better prepared when you have something on a time schedule.
My other big complaint is that my daughter didn’t get to participate in much because all the activities got crowded quick and she couldn’t get a spot. The «elves» didn’t even acknowledge her when I would take her closer to check everything out. She actually fell asleep in the elf university classroom and didn’t wake up until we passed her off to Santa to try to get a picture of her and him. Only good thing was those pictures but not worth the 2+hour drive and gas to get there, plus tickets, plus hotel.
We didn’t even get back to the hotel until close to 8:30/8:45pm that evening (keep in mind, it started at 5:30) so it made for a long night of trying to get our daughter back to sleep and find some dinner that late as well. Will not do again and if someone does want to do this, only take older kids who can fight their way to participate. The younger kids get left out.

Our family had a great time at the NPX. But apparently, haters going to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Shake it off, in the wise words of Taylor Swift, a finalist of Time magazine’s person of the year for 2014.
Our time slot was for 7 pm and that is way too late for my seven month old. We arrived early and they said we could go at 415 pm. It was so nice for them to accommodate us.
From the Little America Hotel, we boarded the «trolley», which was really a wrapped tour bus. I hear the trolley used to be a painted school bus so this is a nice improvement. Inside the bus there is a 200-​plus year elf there to encourage enthusiasm and sing Christmas carols. When you near the North Pole you say a magic phase and stomp your feet to transport you into a «portal» on the flat screen televisions.
Once you disembark the bus, you land in Santa’s hall of toy inventions. Inside are enclosed American Girl Dolls, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads, Barbie, Light Bright, etc. From there you are led to Santa’s workshop, equipped with a compass. Apparently, when you are on the North Pole, the compass just spins. Be on the look out for the Elf on the Shelf in each room. Afterwards you are lead to the toy building workshop. You can dress a teddy bear and fire Styrofoam rockets. Heads up, you do not keep the toys. Head over to enjoy a sugar cookie and hot chocolate. Then go to the toy wrapping room. Inside they had the coolest elephant and lion antique rockers. Oh, how I wish the gift shop had that! Then head to elf school… then see Mrs. Claus and write to Santa… then off to the big guy himself. SANTA.
We were the first to see Santa, and I had no clue I was going to be in the pictures. Sigh. They took five pics. One with my husband, baby and myself, two of just her, and two of me, husband, baby, and grandparents. This was the BEST looking Santa I ever saw. He literally sat my dad on his lap. My husband said when Santa took his hand, it made him feel like a child again. And my baby didn’t cry! The pics turned out great. I wish I could have more time with Santa and the camera… but I realize there is a ton of people. Your pics on password protected on a webpage and free to download and share.
Afterwards, you wait by the fire for the trolley to arrive.
This is for the children and I am unaware of anything like this nearby. It really beats seeing a mall Santa. The children seemed to like it and I think it’s our new family tradition.