Frequently Asked Questions

Yes.  This is a REAL train that travels along a working freight rail line serving Southwest Florida.  Our train, like all trains, does sway from side to side.  Due to damage to the railroad’s Caloosahatchee River bridge system cause by Hurricane Ian, the trip currently will stop south of the river and return, stopping enroute for you to enjoy your entrée served on board and the mystery show. The approximately three and 1/2 hour trip will travel about seven miles in each direction (approximately 12 mile roundtrip).

!!!Please note the following regarding Hurrice Ian Recovery - Effective 11/17/2022 and Continuing until Further Notice!!!
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Like many in Southwest Florida, the railroad continues to struggle with the after-affects of Hurricane Ian.   Seminole Gulf Railway lost several major bridges due to storm surge and flooding, including the spans over the Caloosahatchee River  that for so long have be part of the Murder Mystery Dinner Train experience.

Your journey, while the same in duration, will stay within Fort Myers city limits and will stop short of the Caloosahatchee.  As such the trip will be significantly shorter in distance than before Hurricane Ian.  Despite the challenges and the long rebuilding time to restore the Caloosahatchee bridge system, our team is dedicated to providing you the best trip possible.  Please enjoy the re-start of the Murder Mystery Dinner Train with our full murder mystery show and our five course dinner prepared fresh on board.

• Couples with be seated together at tables of four (4).
• Parties of 3 or 4 will be seated at their own 4-top table.
• Parties of 5 people or more will be seated at mutliple adjacent tables.
• There is no ability to combine tables together

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING

• The dining cars and passenger station will be sanitized before each evening’s trip.
• Unisex and single-sex restrooms will be cleaned and sanitized on a scheduled basis.
• Doorknobs, railings, and handles will be cleaned and sanitized on a scheduled basis.
• Enhanced cleaning procedures will be conducted after each trip and once the guests have departed.
• New clean pens will be distributed to all guests to use for the murder mystery clue sheet.  Guests may of course use their own pens.
• Guests are ENCOURAGED to use credit cards instead of cash for payment in the passenger station and on the train for all purchases and gratuity.

• Due to limited kitchen space and carrying capacity, Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Special Request Allergen Free Options are NOT available. Passengers are not permitted to bring their own food or beverages aboard the train.
• We ask guests to dress as they would for any other fine dining restaurant and theater performance. Our dining cars are fully air-conditioned and we recommend you bring a light jacket or sweater.
• We ask that you arrive at the Station by 5:45 PM on Wednesday through Saturday, and 4:45 PM on Sundays.

• milk
• peanuts
• tree nuts/seeds
• fish
• shellfish
• wheat
• soy
• eggs

• The motion of the train and the unnatural, high-pitched metallic sounds that the train makes as it goes over joints in the tracks may make some animals very uncomfortable.
• The train is narrow, and a walkway runs through it. Animals that are not accustomed to heavy and frequent foot traffic may be very uncomfortable. Service animals must not sit or lay down in a walkway as this presents a hazard to other guests and the animal. The service animal will not be permitted to sit on any of the seats but will be required to sit under the passenger’s seat or at his or her feet.
• Murder Mystery Dinner Train staff have been directed not to touch the service animal, but other customers may not understand the role of a service animal and may want to touch the service animal.
• Any food or water which the animal requires, and appropriate containers for serving food and water to the animal, should be provided by the owner. Sanitary toilet arrangements must also be made by the owner of the animal, and, in the interest of the health and safety of our guests, the staff of the train will not handle or dispose of animal droppings or urine for the owner.  Remember that our train trips are three and one-half hours or more in duration when deciding to bring a service animal onboard.
• Should the service animal make a mess, urinate, defecate, or vomit onboard the train, the owner will be subject to a cleaning fee of $300.00.
• Should the service animal damage or destroy property of the railroad, or of other passengers, the owner of the animal is fully liable and will bear the sole cost and expense of replacement.

Seminole Gulf Railway asks for and collects a nominal amount of information from the person who books a reservation on one of its dinner/excursion trains.  This information such as name, address, telephone number, and email address is used to facilitate further contact with the individual about the upcoming reservation and for follow-up communication, including on-going marketing, directly or through third-party marketing firms, of future events and trains on Seminole Gulf Railway.  At no time does Seminole Gulf Railway sell its customer information.  All customer information is maintained on a secure, proprietary database.  Any customer wishing to have their information removed, or to opt-out of ongoing marketing communications, should notify Seminole Gulf Railway at [email protected].

At no time does Seminole Gulf Railway keep physically or store electronically its customers' credit card information.  Any credit card information collected for the purposes of conducting the approved by the customer transaction is immediately destroyed.  Any online transactions made directly by the customer are processed immediately by our secure online processor, Authorize.net.  Only the record of the transaction, and not the full credit card data is transmitted to Seminole Gulf Railway.

• The passenger cars in use were constructed before disability accessibility regulations came into existence. Vestibules, stairs, step-boxes, seating, and especially doorways, passageways, aisles, and onboard restrooms may not accommodate all passengers in all dining cars. 
• Seating for passengers with wheelchairs are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Due to the nature of the vintage railcars used on the dinner train, we have only one (1) dining car that can accommodate a standard size wheelchair.  That one dining car has one (1) wheelchair-accessible restroom. 
• Although one ramp is available at the Fort Myers Colonial Station, some passengers may have to ascend/descend up to ten (10) steps in order to ride the Murder Mystery Dinner Train.  Some special events, such as the Christmas Rail-Boat Trips will require ALL passengers to be able to ascend/descend not only the stairs on the train, but also those of the buses used to transport passengers to the boats, and possibly the at the boats themselves. Seminole Gulf Railway will provide step boxes and trained employees to assist with boarding/deboarding. However, passengers assume all liability and risk associated with boarding/deboarding the train, buses, boats, or other modes. Do not purchase tickets for these trips if you are unable to safely climb stairs or walk extended distances up to five hundred (500) ft (walkers may be used).