Cincinnati Dinner Train

My family took the train for a nostalgic trip down Christmas memory lane. It was a delightful experience, from the actual cars to the food and the entertainment. The entire train was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and singers greeted us in line as we waited to board the train. Conductors took group photos with our phone, which was a nice touch!

The locomotive is from the 1960s, and the railcars are from the 1940s. The entertainment on the train was a lovely group of 3 women singing big band standards and holiday tunes. They walked through all of the cars singing and after dinner had a concert in the very last car (caboose?).

The food was quite good- the entree and dessert (more on this later). That says a lot concerning the number of dinners they are whipping up in a small onboard kitchen. I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly and accompanied by green beans and a baked potato. I had the cheesecake for dessert, and it was wonderful.
The cocktail menu had very appropriately themed drink names, and in addition to your server bringing you drinks, you could walk up to the lounge car and order drinks there as well. The appetizer looked and tasted unappealing. I think they could create something better at the same food cost. (See photo).

This was a great experience for a special Christmas holiday excursion. Not sure I would want to go at another time as the route has very little to see out the windows besides tunnels with graffiti. But the experience was well worth the time and money, despite the view!

We had a good time because this was our first time on it. I am good for another decade. We went in December. There were no leaves and no snow. It was dark but outside you could see shopping places, gas stations, buildings, train yards and a little of the Ohio river. The end of the loop is at Montgomery Inn Boathouse and then the train reverses course. Even if this was July you would have seen mostly bamboo and honeysuckle. The main landmark was a carving in the wall (LOL).

There was a singing Trio - The Queen City Sisters singing 1940 or 1950 tunes. You could listen to them perform in the last train car after dinner. They made rounds through all the rail cars but only sang 1 song in ours and I had to turn around to just see the backs of them. We were at the last table.

It cost $113+ per person (including tax). For that you got a 3 hour train ride, a meal and specialty drinks for $10 each. Bottles of wine were expensive. I remember a Beringer Moscato bottle was $48 and probably is under $10 in the store. Iced tea and water was included. We sat in the original New York car. It was tight but reasonably comfortable. Meals consisted of an appetizer plate (grapes, crackers, peanut like spread and cold cuts like salami - couldn't place it), Salad, Prime Rib or Salmon and Cheesecake or Pecan Pie for dessert. Prime Rib was under cooked by 1 level. My medium rare was rare and a seat mate was medium instead of medium-well

After dinner (behind the sisters group) you could pull the train whistle and the conductor would take your picture or video. This was cool. If you wanted a special pin it was $5. Some people dressed up in period clothing.

Please note that tables are 2 and 4. We had 3 so they placed a single by us. This turned out fine since she was very nice. They told us since we didn't buy the extra seat they paired us with someone. I saw several 4 tops with only 2 people. They only have a few 2 tops so if you are a couple you could be sharing a 4 top. Service was pretty good. I did get water spilled on me by the waiter overflowing a glass at a nearby table. The tickets don't include tips so expect to leave a tip.

Truly an amazing experience. The staff was very professional, kind, and involved. The food was amazing as well as the entertainment. HIGHLY recommend!

Absolutely amazing experience!!! Food was not chef's quality, but the ambience of the entire experience more than made up for it.

We so enjoyed being aboard the Cincinnati Dinner Train!! What a fun and different experience. The food and service was great. All the employees really go the extra mile to connect with each group. We very much enjoyed our evening and look forward to going again sometime soon!! But, next time we are absolutely going to dress in theme. 1940s!!

My wife and I enjoyed an amazing night aboard the Cincinnati Dinner Train. We rode the 1946 Milwaukee Road table car where we were transported in time back to the 1940's. Dinner was amazing! We both chose the Hoisin Glazed Salmon, which was cooked to perfection and tasted spectacular paired with a baked potato and green beans. For dessert we chose one of each of the options. I enjoyed the Chocolate Pecan Pie, and my wife had the Strawberry Glazed Cheesecake. Both were extraordinary! The ride was enjoyable, comfortable and informative. We loved learning about Cincinnati's rich railroading history. Some of the scenery during the ride was less than appealing, but we understand that it is outside of their control. I only add that part so that others will know to expect it. You are riding through an urban, industrial setting for parts of the trip so it is to be expected and shouldn't be held against this companies amazing experience that they offer. We would recommend this trip to anyone looking for an adventurous yet laid back evening with your significant other or for a larger gathering of friends as they do accommodate groups. They get 5 stars from me and my word that we will be back with friends to experience the Cincinnati Dinner Train again very soon!

This was definitely a great experience!!!..... The atmosphere is fantastic !!! Most importantly the FOOD....is pretty darn good. My favorite was hands down the Cheesecake with fresh strawberries & strawberry coolie. We sat aboard the New York Central train #447, which was one of only 2 cars still in operation out of the total 12 cars ordered by NYC in 1944. The New York Central car is the only actual True dining car out of the fleet. Both service & food was excellent!!... would love to do this again with entire family!!... Dont forget to toot the authentic horn!!

This was definitely a unique experience, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different to do. Each of the cars were different decor, and it was refreshing yo walk through each cart. Very relaxing.

The food was way better than I expected, kudos to the amazing staff that cooks the fold right on the cart! Thr salmon was tasty and the prime rib was juicy. It was just really good!

The co owner did the talk at certain points to inform historical facts and landmarks on our tour. He only does the Milwaukee train, the rest has staff does the talk in the other cars.

Three families joined together for a nice pre-Christmas dinner experience. This was our first time on the Cincinnati Dinner Train and we all had a fantastic time. The ride was around 3 hrs round trip but it flew by. The ambience was great for conversation, the wait staff was very nice, and the over-mic commentary and history was fantastic.

The train travels at a very pleasant 5-15 mph which make it smooth for dinner and walking around afterward.

We will definitely make this an annual tradition.

Such a fun and unique experience to celebrate an anniversary. Table for two in the Sword Car that seated at most eight people so definitely a quieter train car. Enjoyed the history by the conductor and owner also made several appearances.