Winter Wonderland Hyde Park

[Teaandcakeplease]

Weblink for Winter Wonderland

This looks fantastic, has anyone done this before and if you have do you have any tips for me? I have a 3 yr old and a 20 month old and would really like to go. I live in Herts, so not too far.

I would like to go but would have to travel from the Midlands, so not sure if it is worth it.

Also a very important issue is does the Santa have a real or fake beard

Now that is a very important issue Real would be cool.

Also I want to know if it's any quieter if you go after Christmas or very beginning of January?

Why dont they do anything like that up north grrrrr

I went a couple of years ago and whilst it was a nice day out I'm not sure I'd do it again. The day we went was bitterly bitterly cold and we were all frozen the whole day. It's quite commercialised and everything is an extra cost (can't remember about the ice skating).

We wouldn't do the ice skating but would like to go to the circus and maybe the wheel.

I've been twice and I really really like it. But then I'm in London, not sure I'd travel from somewhere else.

I think the Santa had a fake beard last year, although there was real snow :)

Basically, there are lots of rides, a good santa, a circus show, a big wheel and ice-skating. The santa is free so you can just do that, although the DCs will want to go on the rides. There are also lots of stalls selling christmassy things.

Why would you go after Christmas? Santa would be back in the North Pole! Tis not actually hugely hugely crowded as there are loads of rides, a queue for Santa though if you don't get there early.

Room on the broom sounds ace

Love Christmas stalls. The Natural History Museum is having an ice rink and some Christmas Stalls too I think, although that's obviously a short tube ride away, or I suppose a 30-30 min walk? I like going into London from me, it's not too far, the big tree in Trafalgar Square and the lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street are all things my DD would find magical

20-30 min

How far away is London for you Teaandcake?

Not bothered about seeing Santa so it wouldn't matter if we went after Christmas.

I live near Watford, so I can catch a train from Watford Junction into Euston which doesn't take too long. However I am doing a course on Monday nights in Knightsbridge at the moment and drive in, it takes me 45 mins in fairly busy traffic to get there

Does Zippo's circus or Winter Cirque have any clowns in it? DP (note DP not DS) is scared of them!

That production of Room on the Broom is amazing. We went to see it in Kidsweek at the Garrick last year - well worth going to see. All my DDs (7 & 5) loved it too and DH and I were equally as transfixed as they were .

I'm tempted by the Winter Wonderland this year - friends went last year and said it was fantastic. We're going to see Santa's Christmas Cracker at the Royal Albert Hall on 23rd December, so might combine the two.

teaandcake - we went to see that production of Room on the Broom by Tall Stories a few years ago in Maidenhead and it was brilliant, can thoroughly recommend.

I used to live near Watford. Lovely area. :)

We thoroughly enjoyed Room on The Broom a few weeks ago too (DCS aged 6 and 4).

MrsDinky Is your 4 year old a "mature" 4 year old or young for their age? Not sure if my DS (he was 4 in June) would sit still for it or understand it. How long is it?

Yes, I would say she is fairly mature with good attention span etc (will be 5 in Jan). Whereas DS (6) wriggled, fidgeted, yawned, sucked his thumb but did enjoy it.

We must have read this book to them 100s of times though, which makes a big difference.

I can't remember how long it was, maybe 1.5 hours, or whether there was an interval (sorry, brain like a sieve at the mo)

lol....the mumsnet logo is at the bottom....(of the winterwonderland web page)do you think mumsnetters can get discount as they are obviously sponsoring it in some way!!??

have been given £100 from my dad to 'do' something over xmas......was thinking of a pantomime,but dc are 16,14,12,8 and 2....older ones too old i guess

but prices for us all to go to circus and on the wheel,comes to £102...so might do it as long as they all save pocket money for the extras!!wa planning another trip to london soon anyway

ARE THERE CLOWNS???????

ARE THERE DWARF CLOWNS??????

we went to winter wonderland a couple of years ago when ds was 15 months. I'm not sure I'd go with such a young child again, it was really crowded and a nightmare with a pushchair (we've got a backpack carrier now so not such a problem). Ds did like some of the rides, but a lot of them are for older children, and we did have to buy tokens for every ride we wanted to go on. I don't think we'll go this year, next winter we'll see, dd will be nearly 2 by then.

nappyaddict - re room on the broom we went when DS was 4 and DD 1, DD just roamed around a bit, but DS absolutely loved it. Literally on the egde of his seat. It was an hour long, no interval.

I wouldn't bother will Winter Wonderland unless your children are older than 5 or 6 I think. Too stressful otherwise as it is very busy. I would like to go back this year on my own as I loved all the little shops and eateries :)

The ice rink queue was ridiculous but there are ice rinks all over London which you can do instead - Natural History Museum, Canary Wharf, City, London Eye etc.

Also Covent Garden looks fun with reindeer to pet and a big tree that lights up if you kiss under the mistletoe plus some good food markets.

Winter Wonderland is a big rip off. Terribly expensive and really not magical. Just like a big fun fair with a couple of snowmen chucked in.

It's total utter shite,I posted on the other thread. Don't do it you will regret it.

Cuppatino sums it up nicely but needs to add in heaving crowds, large drunk groups of people,pushing aggressive people,buggar all stalls,rip off prices,freezing cold with nowhere to warm up,rip off prices (oh did I already mention that,I'll mention it again) rip off prices with a stupid token system,zero atmosphere.......