Watercress line hants meeting santa anyone done it!

[Roseandvioletcreams]

As above thanks

I have!
I took my 3 and 1 year old last year.
You board the train, have a drink and mince pie as you travel down the line.
Father Christmas comes and gives your child a present ( 1 year old a teddy, 3 year old a craft activity).
You go a few stops down the line, can get off the train if you want to look at the engine and then get back on for the return journey.
Father Christmas then came and sat with each family for a minute or two.
On the whole it was good. We’ve had better Father Christmas experiences though my eldest was only 3 so not sure he really knew what Santa was all about
We’ve since done the watercress line on a normal day, and it was much better. You can hop on and off and do activities at each stop including a miniature railway which I guess isn’t open in the winter
I would do it again I think.

Oh thank you.

Was it a good atmosphere, done well, decorated nicely? I'm searching for things to do.
Before it's been quite high end, eg lapland UK, legoland.
I was hoping for something less ££ but cosy, British, warm...

D

Decorated nicely? There is a bit of tinsel- that’s about it.
Admosphere was good, you have to do some singing, but it’s a bit forced. I suppose it depends who else is near you.
You may be disappointed when compared to the ones you’ve done. As I said, as a Santa experience it was only ok. We’ve got two train mad little boys so they were more interested in the trains

Ah, lovely memories 😊We did it quite a few times when the kids were little. It is a very sweet, fun day out which my 2 remember fondly. There’s lots of tinsel and decorations, the staff do try and get everyone singing carols etc. The kids used to get v excited when Santa was approaching. My Thomas mad DS used to love seeing the steam train as much as Santa. Swanage railway also does a Santa train that runs from Swanage to Corfe Castle - stunning scenery!

We did it two years ago. It was nice, but we didn’t find it very atmospheric, the Santa bit was very quick and we generally prefers the one we did last year (Blubell).

We did it last year with our then 1yr old. On the whole we had a lovely time however it was pretty expensive for what it was! Santa was not massively traditional being skinny and quiet and the station guy would have been a better fit! He was much more jolly and engaging with the kids! You only saw santa briefly but it was plenty for a 1 Yr old.

Agree with some of the others - we only did it once. Santa sped through and wasn't a particularly good Santa. Also the train lacked atmosphere. Shame because it could be great with a bit more attention to detail.

I have been wondering whether to do this this year with my 1.5 year old. Do you think he will be too young? Any other tips for a good Santa in the Hampshire area?!