I have just booked tickets for Longleat on Christmas eve

[AmeliaToppingLovesShopping]

And am so excited! They have a Santa train and everything!

Tickets were much cheaper than normal and I got a room in a Premier Inn for £29!

It is DD1s birthday on Christmas eve and she is going to love it!

I can't wait for Christmas!

Sorry I'm not going to tell DDs until nearer the time but had to tell someone!

Ah how lovely.i used my clubcard vouchers towards us going on 30th November (but early but dd's birthday icon the 29th so going for a family day out for her birthday treat.Never been for christmas event but friends went last year and said it was great!have a fab time.

Thank you. I wanted to take them but its a bit far to go in a day, will take about 2.5 hours each way, and with full price entrance it was too expensive.

My DDs are 12 (its her 12th birthday), 5 and 3. They love staying in hotels, even if it is just a premier inn, it will make their Christmas. We will get home late Christmas eve just in time for Father Christmas to bring their presents.

So excited!

Christmas al longleat is lovely :-)

Aww I tried yesterday and it was fully booked (for 23rd though). Hope you have a great time.I will try and be more organized next year..

why is it so great what do they do?

love longleat by the way.

Here is the website for their Christmas Longleat

The train looks so good but is more expensive for the DC then the tickets to get into the actual park, they also have ice skating.

The train is fully booked all afternoon, from 12 until 7, so we are going just before lunch. I will have to try and figure out when to do the safari, I was thinking of booking the day before as well just because if we are up there anyway and it looks like there is too much to do in one day but it would be an extra £43.

Singing Xmas tree,Santa train and ice skating, panto characters in the house.think it's meant to be quite magical for children and quite well organised.

Oooh you might get to meet the owners (Earl of Longleat or something? Marquis of Longleat?)

You might become one of his many wifelets

You could easily fill two days. We did a full day in the summer and didn't do everything, and it gets dark earlier in winter!

We're going just for a day though, and not doing the train this year (was lovely doing it in the dark before though). Just after Christmas was very quiet last year and lovely but going before this year.

70isalimit I am currently single but I think I might pass on that one

It is actually open later over Christmas than the rest of the year, it is open from 10am until 8pm.

If we leave here at 8am the 23rd we would be there by 10.30ish so could spend the day there and then on the 24th we can stay until 6 before coming home.

Are the monkeys as bad as I have heard?

It is but most of the animals shut at dusk,which is the main attraction! We left the house until after dark to wander around which last year was quite magical with all the characters dressed up and then waited for the bird display -the park gets pretty quiet then.

We usually aim to get in for opening and either en the safari or the river trip first. There is more than you'd completely fit in a day but its all good so you will have a fab day. Obviously you want to make sure you've fitted in the safari before it closes (in summer we do that last but it closes early in winter and the main area with the tree looks magical in the dark).

The bat cave is stand alone in the middle area and surprisingly good if the bats are flying. I thought it wouldn't be my thing but they fly right past you and you can get close to them. There's a warden in there!

Another recommendation is the parrot show. In the summer its packed -however we've been in winter before when its been just our family and another one that turned up and we got a lot closer to the action. Again something I didn't know I'd like but really enjoyed . The parrots dribble a ball, shop, etc.

We personally avoid the big play area and the maze (we go for one day at a time so are selective about what we do) so as to fit more animals and the house in.

Have a really lovely time - we love longleat and are looking forwards to going back at Christmas!

Yes the monkeys are bad -its an ongoing discussion my husband and I have every time we go whether to go through them or not. If you drive slowly they will climb all over your car -I love it! However we usually lose an Ariel or rubber from around the roof or windscreen wiper. Last time we compromised and I drove in the overtaking lane a little faster so they wouldn't jump on but we could see them on other cars. Husband was happy with that.

I think the times we visited last Christmas the monkeys were less active than in summer, but the other big animals were up and about still.

You can use your tesco club card vouchers for Christmas entrance tickets. only £4.50 each. A real bargain!

We are also going Xmas Eve

We have annual passes so go regularly. You can't fit everything in on one day, so we generally miss the safari. Wrt the monkeys, as long as it isn't too busy you can just do what LittleRobots suggests and whizz round in the overtaking lane. Unfortunately when it's busy you always get a couple who think the "passing lane" doesn't apply to them and stop in the outer lane so nobody can get past. That's when you get monkeys on the car, and they can do serious damage.

The downside of being the only adult is that when you are the driver you have to concentrate on what the cars around you are doing, so you miss out on some of the animals.

Having said that, there is loads to do and the kids will love it. Have a great time.

We are also booked, going on the 22nd cant wait!

We are about 4hrs away, longleat day 1 and bath on day 2.

We've booked the train at 5pm.

We haven't booked any iceskating tickets yet?

They weren't released when i booked back in August.

Have you all booked those or paying on the day?

You will LOVE it!

My youngest DDs are only 5 and 3 so didn't think ice skating would be a good idea as I am the only adult. DD1 used to have ice skating lessons so I might book her in as a birthday treat.

My 4 year old wants to do the ice skating this year instead of the train. Last year they had the plastic penguins to hold onto, I think dad will take her though -I can't remember how to skate!

Amelia that all looks wonderful am very .

We love Longleat anyway, by far best safari park.

Chatsworth is also brilliant.

I am so tempted, am looking at going.