great northern train ride

In spite of a rough night's sleep, we had a ball on this excursion. The food was fabulous, the service even better, and the fellow travelers were delightful. The beds in 1st class are 3/4 size, so it was close sleeping, but not too bad. The bed itself was very firm! We would suggest to take your own pillows but even at that the experience was wonderful for us. My husband is retired railroad and was thrilled with the entire trip on the train.

I wish I could give a higher rating because the things that were awesome were so awesome! Unfortunately, the things that were bad, were very bad.Awesome--first class was a good choice with the private dining room and lounge off the back to watch the scenery. The food was outstanding! I had the salmon, in case you're on the fence about which entrée to choose. The breakfast was hot and yummy! The staff were attentive and friendly and I enjoyed and appreciated all the little touches to retain the old world charm.Bad--the downside to first-class was the bed. It would almost be worth it to not get first-class accommodations to get the double berths, rather than one small bed. The bed was tiny and hard as a brick. My husband and I are tall people so it was a very challenging and uncomfortable night. I woke up many times to hurting legs, hips, neck, arms, and also to banging doors. First-class got us a private bathroom and shower. However, the shower didn't work in the morning. There was never hot water out of the sink. The pamphlet listed videos as one of the evening activities, but it's a small compartment where you sit right in front of the screen--only a few videos available. The conductor sat with us on the trip back in order to watch for anything impeding our progress--this man needs to invest in a belt...I saw way more of his backside every time he stood up, which was often!And in case you're wondering where to leave a housekeeping tip, just look in the dresser drawer where you'll find a note. "If you'd like to leave a tip for housekeeping, please leave it in this drawer." Hmmm...maybe there's a more professional, classy way to do that.Overall, it was a great experience, but not one I would repeat and I would definitely give my friends an honest appraisal of the experience before recommending it.

This is an ideal getaway for couples. We got a first class sleeper for a Saturday night. From the twin cities it's about 2 hours to Spooner Wi which is fun to visit - stop for a piece of homemade pie and the antique stores. The train is another 5 miles north and in top notch condition. Since we went in Feb it was dark but the 3 hour train ride went through some beautiful scenery. The 4 course meal was tasty, and served well. In first class dining room there are only 6 places at the table so very intimate. We had an excellent conversation with our table mates. All in all was a winner. And also quiet, peaceful night's sleep and then breakfast and newspapers in the morning.

The ride was very romantic for our 44th anniversary. The staff are friendly and try hard to please as they serve the food which was tasty. I'd be GLAD To be served by them and with that food in a nice restaurant. BUT the few inches of broken down foam rubber over hard bed platform is unacceptable. We can handle the fact that is it a one-person-at-a-time dressing and bathroom situation but that bed - UFFTA! If you go - bring an inflatable mattress so you can sleep better.

This dinner/bed and breakfast train has moved four miles north of Spooner to Trego, WI. The event/activity was a great disappointment to our party of four. The food was very poor (our party had three different entrees), and they didn't seem to be able to manage getting it all served at the appropriate times or temperatures. (Our particular server, however, was outstanding but she wasn't responsible for food preparation.) We stayed overnight as part of the bed and breakfast package. The old cars had been "sort of" refurbished, but we were in three different cubicles because of problems with heat or plumbing that didn't work. Wall coverings were falling off in various places, and makeshift fixes were found throughout our sleeping car. Even though we used a Groupon for this event, it was overpriced--especially since it was advertised at $100 off but was actually only $70 off. I was told that if I chose to use the Groupon next year, it would then be worth that $100 since they would be raising the price in 2015 another $30; hence, it would THEN be $100 off! In the morning they ran out of coffee before breakfast even started at 8:00! Seriously? It was just another example of the poor overall experience this was for all of us.

We went with another couple and had a great time! We used a Groupon so the price was reasonable. We enjoyed cocktails and appetizers before the main meal. Salad and soup were fine. The four of us each ordered a different entree and the two pasta meals were far better than the steak and chicken Kiev. The vegetable seemed real. Dessert was a cheesecake and it was good. After dinner we went to the dancing car and had a blast. It has a free jukebox and it was very fun to play music and dance. As others have said, the rooms were small. Do not pack a lot. The walls as VERY thin so you can hear your neighbors quite easily. In fact, some late night noises kept others up until late in the night! Overall, super fun night,

My husband and I purchased the first-class dinner train bed and breakfast package and ended up disappointed. For starters, the train was parked in the yard during the entire event, except during dinner- at which point we were moving very slowly and couldn't see any "scenery" out the windows because it was too dark. The staff was, for the most part, rather unprofessional - as in coming back to our table and eating our food in front of us unprofessional. We did have a server/bartender named Kay who was amazing, though. The next day I did some research knowing the kind of car we were in and when and where it was in service and found some really interesting information out; we had asked several people if they had any idea what the history of the car was, and we didn't find a single person who knew anything that wasn't listed in the brochure, it would have been really nice if the company at least knew and was able to share what lines similar cars were used in and the history there. Overall, it was a very unique experience, but it was definitely not worth what we paid.

Truly different B&B. friendly helpful service, good food, rural/ woods scenery. The rooms are tight but thoughtfully laid out & more comfortable than it first looks. The dance car is awesome with jukebox lights dartboard we used the Groupon coupon.

We purchased a Groupon for this and it was fun. The boarding process was quick and after dropping our bags in our room we proceeded to the dining car, where there was a reserved table for us. We started with cocktails and appetizers. The ride was nice and in mid-October, the leaves were beautiful. There were outdoor lights on the dining car which lit up the woods after dark- that was nice. The meals were good- you make your meal selection when you make reservations. After dinner some sat and talked, others went to the "bar car" where there was a juke box, darts and other games. We were served dessert a bit later in the evening- chocolate caramel cheesecake: ample portions and decadent. Our conductor, Tim, knew a lot about trains and was fun to talk with. The sleeping rooms were small and have bunk beds. The bathroom was small (like on an airplane) and there is a small sink and mirror in the room. There is limited room for overnight bags, which you can slide under the lower bed. I expected the beds to be uncomfortable, but this was not the case at all, we were very comfortable. The room windows do not open. There is a small fan on the wall that points toward the upper bunk. There are outlets in the rooms. There was a separate room to shower in, which was down the hall- I don't think anybody used it. At 6 am, there is coffee, pastries and juice in the dining car, along with the daily newspaper. The train is parked near some rural roads, which provided a place for a quiet morning walk prior to breakfast. Hot breakfast, served from 8-9, was good. The staff on the train is very friendly and eager to please. We enjoyed this short getaway and will probably do it again sometime.

This trip was a gift from friends. It is unique and nostalgic. The staff is very helpful food was very good. The trip is short but especially in fall very beautiful. I nice overnight trip and a great get away.

We bought this through Groupon and had no idea what to expect! As a child we travelled a great deal on trains through Europe and so thought this may be something we would enjoy, and we did!! The sleeper car we were in was absolutely minute, don't pack much! There was a wash basin and a toilet in there, but you couldn't open the door and stand in the room at the same time!! We had bunk beds, which is fine if you can climb up and down the stairs without difficulty. The room was obviously old, but could have been a little cleaner! The food was adequate, certainly not a 5 star restaurant, but the staff was amazing and extremely friendly and pleasant. The downside was that our entire car was extremely hot and that the overhead light in our room went out, which made it very difficult as it was so dark in there. The dining car was also very hot, but we did find a cooler car further down. It just seemed to be our particular car that experienced the problem.Not sure I would pay the regular price, but the Groupon price was worth it.

The check in process took too long, they should have escorted people to their room as they checked in, instead of having everyone wait in the building out front. Once we were on the train we found our room. Be sure to pack light unless you have a suite, the rooms are VERY small. The bathroom (toilet and sink) is even smaller. You aren't given a key for your room, so keep that in mind so you don't have valuables in your unlocked room while at dinner.The dining car was nicer than the room, the owner has spent quite a bit of time refurbishing it. The appetizers available when we entered the car were just okay. The waitress/bartender was nice, but not professional (young) and didn't know how to make drinks beyond a rum and coke. The dinner was just okay, the best part was the view, but be sure to go on this trip early in the fall so that it is light out for the majority of the ride.After dinner the 'bar car' was opened and we had fun there. The bartender in that car was generous while mixing drinks and everyone had fun singing and dancing.The breakfast the next morning was just okay. We had a good time, but this isn't an adventure I would go on again.

My wife and I went with one other couple, and we enjoyed the experience tremendously. The food was great, staff friendly, and sleeping accommodations tight but comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised that we had our own bathroom/sink in our bedroom.

The nifty historic dining car was the best part, a little lacking in scenery, although the overlook where the dinner was served was very pretty. A nice experience, very friendly crew and a fine dinner, 5 course, no, but an expertly prepared steak and the scampi was also very good. The dessert was a large piece of turtle cheesecake, almost too big.

We decided to do this for my little boys that love trains. This was a lot of fun. My little 2 year old stuck his head out the window 90% of the ride just like a dog. Lol. He had a blast. The cars were open so you could move around back and forth between the ride. The pizza was alright. This was absolutely nothing special. If I had not seen the Tonys delivery driver I would have sworn it was frozen pizza. Leach ticket for the pizza train comes with a "half a pizza". Sounds like a lot, right?! Nope. The "whole" pizza was less than the size of a tombstone frozen pizza. Plus it was a cracker thin crust so there was not much to it. You also got 1 drink for free. This was a 12 oz can of soda or bottle of water. After that there is a cash bar which does have alcohol available. Scenery was alright. I am sure this Would have been amazing scenery if the leaves were changing or something. But quite a bit of the scenery was of backyards and farms and such. Also the train says it is a "90 minute scenic tour". Technically that is true. But by all accounts and purposes it is a 45 minute tour done twice. You literally stop in the middle of the tracks and go back to the station in reverse. Overall we loved the pizza train. It was a wonderful family outing. We will do this again next year even though it is rather expensive for what you get. This is all about the experience for me that makes it worth it. P.S. If you get motion sickness easily (like me) I would recommend taking motion sickness pills before. P.s.s. Dress for the weather. When we went it was a perfect fall day. But the windows and sidecar doors are open on the ride so if it is extremely hot, you will get warm. Also, if it is HOT out I would recommend getting there early so you can have choice of seating so that you could choose a table without the sun shining directly on you. The reverse is true also, if it is cool wear layers so you can be comfortable.