For media inquiries, please contact Grand Canyon Railway public relations at 928-773-1976 x2257 or PR AT thetrain.com.
WILLIAMS, Ariz. – There are still plenty of tickets available for the Grand Canyon Railway’s presentation of The Polar Express™ this November through January.
For the past six years, the Grand Canyon Railway has brought the magic of the classic children's book by Chris Van Allsburg to life. What began as a weekend adventure has grown into one of Arizona’s most treasured holiday traditions. Grand Canyon Railway’s Polar Express kicks off Nov. 2, 2007 and continues on select evenings through Jan. 12, 2008. Most evenings, Grand Canyon Railway offers two trains, with one departing the Williams Depot at 6:30 p.m. and a second train departing at 8 p.m.
“As we expected, the weekends closest to Christmas have been our most popular dates,” said Angela Berrigan, vice president of sales and marketing. “But children of all ages still have many opportunities to put on their pajamas and robes, climb aboard and enjoy a truly magical evening and multi-generational tradition in the making.”
Closely following The Polar Express book, this nighttime trip from Williams through the starlit wilderness to the “North Pole” features a special reading of The Polar Express while passengers enjoy hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. After arriving at the “North Pole” – a Christmas light village featuring an Aurora Borealis – Santa Claus and his reindeer welcome passengers before boarding the Polar Express for the return trip to Williams. Santa then boards the train and makes his way through the historic Pullman passenger cars, greeting every child and presenting each one with a special gift – a jingle bell signifying their belief in Santa Claus. The round trip journey is a little more than an hour in length.
Individual tickets for the train ride only are $26 for adults and $14 for children ages two to 16. Packages start as low as $289 for two adults and two children and include the roundtrip aboard the Polar Express, one-night stay at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, breakfast and dinner at Max and Thelma’s Restaurant and a $10 retail gift certificate per adult. The package price is based on adult double occupancy and does not include tax. Packages for the 2008 Polar Express may be booked in advance this year if paid in full.
The Grand Canyon Railway is also offering an extra discount this year for travelers who purchase individual Polar Express tickets or overnight Polar Express packages. Valid over the dates of Nov. 2, 2007 through Feb. 29, 2008, Polar Express ticket holders may purchase roundtrip coach class travel to the Grand Canyon aboard the Grand Canyon Railway daily train at a 50 percent savings off rack rate. Those who purchase the Polar Express package with the overnight stay may purchase any class of service aboard the Grand Canyon Railway daily train at a 50 percent savings off rack rate. The discounted tickets may be purchased in advance at the same time that the Polar Express tickets or packages are purchased, or they may be purchased at the Grand Canyon Railway Depot by presenting your Polar Express ticket. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased for a return visit per guest. Guests may use the discounted tickets on the day of the Polar Express presentation or return on another date when the offer is valid. The daily train returns well in advance of the 6:30 p.m. Polar Express train.
Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-THE-TRAIN.
Grand Canyon Railway operates daily train service between Williams, Ariz., and the Grand Canyon. The Railway offers five distinct classes of service, as well as money-saving packages featuring the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams. Overnight stays at the Grand Canyon also can be included in the packages. Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, visit www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).
The Grand Canyon Railway is operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country’s largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts’ environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.
Media contact:
Mona Mesereau
(1) 720-842-5271
mona_mesereau@msn.com