Which company is the best for a visit to Lapland to see Santa?

[greedygreedyguzzler]

We would love to do the whole lapland visiting santa thing this year. There are so many different trips online i dont know where to start. has anyone done it and would recommend a certain company?

I did a trip like this one many years ago and have stayed at Harriniva twice since then to do their Husky Safari's, the last time was Dec 2007. The centre is superb.

I went years ago with DCs 1 and 2 (around 2002 I think it was) and we went on a day trip with Canterbury Travel which was very good, if a little expensive.
Went to Romaniev (sp?) and they saw santa, went on husky and reindeer sleigh rides, snowmobiles and then went to the Post office and santa village. Had a great time and I'm already saving to take DC3 and 4 in around 4 years time but will probably do a 2 or 3 day trip then

There are two main companies that do these trips Canterbury Travel and emagine. Most other operators are just acting as agents (and adding their mark up) book direct with one of these two.

I have travelled with both (big age gap) and had a great time with both. Canterbury is slightly more expensive but was using a better hotel (nothing wrong with emagine's but you definitely noticed the difference at meal times).

Look at boths websites and decide which matches your travel dates, departure points, length of stay etc.

Have a marvellous time they are fantastic trips.

We did a 4 day trip with Canterbury Travel 2 years ago. It was fantastic!!! Couldn't recommend highly enough.

We are off to Lapland this Christmas with Esprit. Got the trip slightly cheaper through Santa trips than the Esprit website.

My parents took dd on the same trip 2 years ago and they all had a brilliant time. Hence why we are going this year. Although DD doesn't know.

We are staying in Saariselka. One of the most northerly villages they do and less commercialised than some.

Can't wait.

thanks all. anyone else?

I fyou have any specific questions happy to answer

did you do the day trip or an overnight one? when i have been looking into it, there seems to be good and bad things about both.

overnight - one night the first and two the second, to be honest preferred the two we didn't do much extra but it was less rushed. There was so much pressure to fit everything in on the one night.

thanks! i was trying to decide between a day trip or a 1 nighter cos we cant afford a 2 nighter. have booked a 1 night trip this morning with canterbury travel and i'm very very excited!!!! havent told the kids yet!!!

Dadinstead was very helpful last year when Canterbury, despite me paying 50% deposit in March suddenly cancelled my 5 day lapland trip at short notice (due to lack of plane seat/airline closing).

Emagine were really helpful on the phone, but didn't have spaces when my DH was in the country. In the end we paid a large bribe to encourage anothe family to change weeks, we couldn't as DH works in USA/singapore/Oz and was only here for 7 days.

If I am 100% honest? It was a bit of a letdown at the end, a fab holiday but the going to see Santa bit? Seriously naff and very poorly managed/planned. We all hung around a very normal looking house with nothing to do but snowball fights and drink hot juice. There were a whole coach load of families - maybe 12 or more - each family went in individually whilst the others waited. I have a (then 4) DS with severe SN and we were the 10/11th family to go in, after a 90 minute wait. DS was cold and bored and the children of the second family came out and informed all the other children that FC was in the house.

Also the extra trips - eyewateringly expensive!

Dd2 & me went on a day trip with Canterbury Travel last year - it was arranged by a charity and dd2 travelled free and my ticket was heavily subsidised.
We had a great day and it was all very magical and scenic, although we did have to queue for ages to see Santa too and then we had a complete nightmare trip back home - stuck on runway for 4 hours due to plane needing de-icing, then flight diverted to a city 2 hours away - not too good with a planeload full of very tired small children, and apparently that does happen quite frequently.
It was without a doubt a lovely, special day. But would I have spent nearly £1K on it myself? No. Santa was lovely though and really took his time with dd2, and she went on the husky sleigh ride about 5 times . The food was extremely basic but nice enough and warming, and there was a very Christmassy, unspoilt atmosphere over the whole place. I can't believe just how much these trips cost though...

Do NOT do a Day Trip with Transun, ew went a few years ago now, and it was a total waste of miney and time. I real disapointment.

dont put me off, i have booked it now!!! we are only going cos i got some inheritance money after my Nan died and i thought it would be a lovely thing to do and something the kids would remember

Our actual visit with Santa was great, party of about 8 families was held in fire warmed hut and fed pancakes and hot drinks whilst families were taken off one by one to see santa and each sworn to secrecy on their return - I think you got unlucky there lbc.

ggg - we didn't tell the kids until we got to the airport makes for a great surprise (and stops them being hyper beforehand!).