Sesame Place

Last week we took our family on a summer vacation to New Jersey. In addition to our family, we have many friends in New Jersey, and many of them would talk about taking their kids to Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. With our kids at the prime “Sesame” ages of 2 and 5, it seemed like the perfect time to pay a visit to the home of Big Bird, Elmo and the Sesame Street gang!

As we were planning for the vacation, we mentioned to our daughter that we were going to go to Sesame Place and we’d get to see Elmo and the other Sesame Street characters. She started referring to our vacation as her Elmo-cation and was asking regularly, “When is our Elmo-cation?”

As we began to look into planning the visit to Sesame Place, the first thing that jumped out at me was the price of admission. The single-day price of $50.95 seemed high - especially for my 2-year old. Upon further reading, I did learn that the 2-day park ticket also was $50.95. The 2-day ticket can be used on any 2 days in the season; there is no limitation of using it on consecutive days, which makes it a nice option for those that live close enough to make the drive twice during the summer. With the 2-day pass, the admission seems much more reasonable at about $25 per day.

It actually wasn't until I was at the park, watching my daughter dance in the aisles during the shows that it dawned on me - the admission price is as much for the rides as for the shows. Seeing her dance reminded me of the videos you see of Sesame Street Live or The Wiggles Live, with all of the kids singing and dancing along. When Sesame Street or The Wiggles come to town, those prices are $15 - $35 and more per ticket. At Sesame Place, you can see three shows with your admission! To compliment the shows, there’s also the huge Rock Around The Block parade down Main Street. Suddenly, that $50 admission for one or two days was feeling like a really great deal!

Speaking of the shows - they were great. The first show that we experienced was Elmo's World Live! They did an amazing job of recreating the television show on the Sesame Place stage. It included audience participation, video presentations and even Mr. Noodle. My daughter was in total awe watching the show. She couldn’t believe that she was seeing Elmo right there in front of her. The next show we saw was Abby Cadabby's Treasure Hunt. Abby is admittedly my daughter's favorite character, with Elmo a close second. She was very excited to see Abby and every time she would go off stage, my daughter would ask with concern, "where's Abby?” After the awe of being on the "set" of Elmo's World, by the time we got to Abby's show, my daughter was really getting into the performance. She was standing on the bench, dancing along with the characters on stage, having a grand old time. By the time that we got to Big Bird's Beach Party, she was adventurous enough to walk up by the stage on her own and dance along. These shows are expertly performed and except for Elmo’s World Live!, they feature an ensemble cast of Sesame Street regulars. Abby’s Treasure Hunt also included Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Rosita, and Oscar. Big Bird’s Beach Party also included Ernie, Bert, Telly, Zoe, and Elmo. One of the best things about the shows is the performer participation. During the shows the Sesame Street gang makes visits to the audience, gives high fives and makes their way around the stage several times so everyone in attendance gets to see each character. No matter where you sit at these shows, you’ll have a great view of all the fun.

In addition to the shows and the parade, several Sesame Street characters make frequent appearances on Sesame Street (Main Street) for hugs, high fives, and of course, photos! Lines form quickly for on-the-street meet and greets with Bert & Ernie, Count Von Count, Zoe, and Cookie Monster. Bert & Ernie gather next to the 1-2-3 Steps in front of a black & white background. This makes for fantastic color-popping photos! As comfortable as my daughter was, dancing along at the shows, she was still not comfortable meeting the characters. We got one picture with Zoe, but only because I stood there and held my crying daughter. It was nice in that there are park photographers who take your picture, but they also allow time for you to take your own picture.

Now let’s get to the rides and other attractions! The park consists primarily of water rides, but there is also a carousel, roller coaster and some other dry rides/activities in Elmo's World. When we got to the park, my son asked what he could ride there, we told him that he could ride virtually all of the rides - there were a couple of water slides that he wasn't tall enough to ride, but all of the other rides he could ride, either on his own or accompanied by me or my husband. He thought that was pretty cool because at the amusement park that we normally go to, there are only sections of the park where he can ride the rides, as the others are geared toward adults. One nice thing was that on Ernie's Bed Bounce (an open air bounce house, if you will), they divided the line into two sections: ages 4 and under & ages 5 to 7. This made it easy for them to alternate between the age groups and make sure that the kids bouncing together were of similar size, which you know is a good thing if you have ever watched your toddler bouncing with a larger child.

The water rides are located throughout the park and includes a wave pool (with a maximum depth of 24"), a lazy river, an assortment of slides, and other water features. The new feature for this year was The Count's Splash Castle. Life jackets are provided for many water rides and are required for children of certain height on a ride-by-ride basis. The water rides were very enjoyable; however, after waiting in our first queue line, we understood clearly why Sesame Place recommends wearing water shoes! We were all wearing our Crocs, which we would leave in the shoe caddies provided at the entrance to each water ride. The problem is that many of the line queues were a pebbled concrete walkway which, especially when heated by the sun, was not very comfortable to walk on. Those wearing water shoes had no trouble with the hot, pebbled surface. But for those of us with bare feet, it was no picnic.

The park was nice & clean and everything was in good condition. As we were standing in line for one of the water rides, we were talking about the date listed on the raft next to a Sesame Place logo and began speculating about how old the park was. When we got home, we looked it up – Sesame Place opened back in 1980. The park is very well maintained and based on the condition of the park, I would never have guessed that it was nearly 30 years old. In addition to being in great shape, the park is Smoke Free, which, as a mom of young children is something that I really like.

With all of this playing, you will be sure to be hungry and thirsty. At Sesame Place, you are allowed to bring into the park a soft-sided cooler no bigger than 10 x 10 x 12. In addition, there are picnic groves near the parking areas, which make it easy to enjoy a picnic lunch. Cups of ice water were available at no charge at each of the concession locations where we asked. The food and drink prices seemed to be fairly reasonable compared to other theme parks. Of course, if you’re looking for the full Sesame Place experience, they also offer character dining. The buffets, available by reservation for breakfast, lunch and dinner, range from $15 - $17 for the kids and $17 - $22 for the adults. Breakfast is with either Cookie Monster or Elmo, and friends as available. Lunch and Dinner is with Big Bird and friends as available.

Since we only were able to visit for one day and we were so busy playing, aside from a picnic lunch we enjoyed at the park, we ran out of time to eat much else. We had planned to have dinner at the park, but the next thing we knew it was 7 pm and with only one hour left to play, we decided to wait and eat when we left so that we could get the most playing in.

Towards the end of the day, as we were walking towards attractions at the front of the park, my husband was asked to take a short survey pertaining to our park experience. He had many positive things to say, save for the pebbled concrete surface in the water ride area. It was great to see that the folks at Sesame Place value customer input as much as they do. That sort of customer service goes a long way and it really sets them apart from other theme parks.

I would say that my 2 year old daughter enjoyed the overall experience the most. She had a great time on all the rides, although early on it was clear that Snuffy’s Slides (the dry tube slides in the Elmo's World section) were her favorite and she definitely loved the shows. My nearly 6 year old son thought it was great that he could ride almost every ride and with time, he even worked up the courage to ride some of the water slides on his own. However, he was not overly interested in watching the shows or the parade. My husband and I had a lot of fun sharing the experience with our children and, having grown up watching Sesame Street, the nostalgia of Sesame Place really hit home.

My overall Sesame Place experience was wonderful. I really appreciated being at a park geared toward younger children, where my kids could enjoy almost every ride and attraction and were familiar with all of the characters. It was nice to be able to enjoy our day at a family-friendly, smoke free, and clean theme park. I definitely would plan a return visit and would recommend the park to friends and family.

I’d like to extend a very special thank you to the group at Sesame Place that provided me with the one-day tickets to the park. My family and I had a great time visiting Sesame Place as part of our Elmo-cation.

This blog entry has been brought to you today by the letter A and by the number 2. (My husband made me do it!)

Planning a Visit to a Theme Park

One place that has been a part of my summers for as long as I can remember is the amusement park. This year we are planning to spend a day with the family at Sesame Place.

As the name might suggest, Sesame Place is based on the show Sesame Street. It is considered an ideal first theme park experience for children who are two to seven years of age. My kids are definitely in the target age group, but it won't be their "first" theme park experience. The kids have been to the indoor water parks a number of times and we typically make a trip to Cedar Point each year.

My kids don't watch Sesame Street itself, but Elmo was an early favorite with both of my kids and they recognize all of the characters from storybooks. All I have to do is say "Elmo's World" to my daughter and she breaks out in the theme song. Last fall, we had the opportunity to have breakfast with Elmo. It was held at a local Science Center in conjunction with a Sesame Street The Body exhibit. When we were sitting at our table, Elmo was very exciting, but as soon as we made the walk to the front of the room to get pictures, she was no longer interested in seeing Elmo. It should be interesting to see how she responds to meeting the characters of Sesame Street when we visit Sesame Place.

Having been a mom for a few years now, I know only to expect the unexpected in an outing. As such, I want to make sure that we are prepared for the visit, so that we can all enjoy our day. Based on my experience, here are my thoughts on planning a trip with kids to a theme park.

• Plan your day, but don't over plan. With young children, it is important to be flexible and pay attention to their response. If they aren't enjoying an activity or seem overly stimulated, move on. We tend to plan things from the overarching perspective and then, let the details happen. For Sesame Place, you can visit their website to learn more about their rides, shows, dining experiences and more. Pick out the things that you definitely would like to do, especially those that have limited performance times so that you can make sure to catch those events. Some things, like dining with the characters, might require advanced reservation to confirm a seat, so planning ahead for this type of event can be very important. Beyond the 'must do' list, get an idea of the other activities that you would like to do.

• Consider what you will need for the various activities you have planned. Some parks have water attractions - some where you get a little wet and others where you are swimming. Make sure you have the gear, a change of clothes in case you get too wet and/or a swimsuit for the water activities. Don't forget a towel. As you plan your day, consider the right time of day for water activities. Look into locker rentals, changing rooms and the like at the theme park. We tend to leave the added gear in the car and plan a walk to the car as part of our day. Time this with snack time and you get a bonus unwind period for the kids as you sit at your car and munch on a snack.

• If your children are young, bring a stroller or wagon or plan to rent a stroller at the theme park. Even if your children normally would walk, if they are younger, they are likely to get worn out walking around the theme park. Plus, it is easier to keep an eye on them if they are in a stroller. Again, you might want to check and see if you can reserve these ahead of time, especially if you are looking for a double stroller.

• If your children are still napping, have a game plan in place so that they can get their rest and recharge. If you are staying local, have your hand stamped for readmission and head to the hotel for a mid-day break. If you aren't staying local, plan to park yourself in a shaded area and allow them to unwind at the very least. Young kids can become quickly overwhelmed and tired, so taking a break can make the whole family's experience better. Everyone will be more refreshed heading into the second part of the day.

• If you are a nursing mom, find out about the accommodations they offer to nursing moms. Some will let you use their first aid stations, others have special mother's rooms available.

• Find out the policy on picnic lunches and beverages. Many parks provide a picnic grove that you can use for eating a picnic lunch - many are outside of the park, adjacent to the parking lots. Packing a lunch can save you some money and provide a healthy alternative to the concessions offered at the park. Many parks will also provide complimentary water at the concession stands. Again, look into this policy. Chances are, even if they don't offer it at concession stands, water fountains will be available. Water is a better hydrator than the standard sugary drinks.

• As a mom, I like to be prepared for anything which usually means bringing a lot of stuff. When it comes to a theme park, my advice is leave it in the car (or rent a locker). It is great to have that sweatshirt in case it is cold or an extra pair of pants if there is an accident or the kids get wet on a ride, but toting all of the "just in case" around, can be burdensome. Consider that on many rides, you can't take bags on with you - you will have to leave it in a bin at the loading point for the ride or with your stroller.

• Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! Capture your memories on film, so that you can look back and relive those memories with your kids, but make sure that you get out from behind the lens to enjoy the moments live.

In looking into Sesame Place, I found some great tips about preparing your young child for a trip to a theme park. I was glad to see that many of them are in line with what has worked for me.

One tip that was new to me was the recommendation that when your child meets the characters, have them ask the characters "yes" and "no" questions. That way, the child can interact with the character who can answer their questions by shaking their heads. Also, be willing to spend some time, like my daughter at Breakfast with Elmo last year, the kids might be very excited to meet a character, but will not be comfortable approaching them right away. Give them some time, sometimes, sharing space with the character will build some comfort. If your kids aren't comfortable up close, then don't go too close. You don't want to ruin the child's day or your day by forcing the issue and upsetting the child. There is always the next time.

For more tips and tricks that work, check out Works for Me Wednesday.