We had such a great time celebrating Winter's Tail at Chessington World of Adventures last year that we couldn't wait to return this Christmas season. I visited with my husband, mother-in-law, and sons Odhran, 9, and Reuben 6. After hearing us singing its praises our friends booked to come along with their young sons too. Here's everything we loved about the experience...
The rides
During Winter's Tail 17 select rides are open, including the rides in the World of Jumanji section of the theme park. This is the newest addition to Chessington and it can get busy during the summer months. Christmas is a great time to visit, as you'll have hardly any wait time. I went straight on Mandrill Mayhem, which is one of my favourite rollercoasters. And I got to go on it when it was dark, which added to the experience. Odhran must have a stomach of iron, as he went on Mamba Strike about five times in a row, and my mother-in-law even had a go on this one. We also rode on Ostrich Stampede. But alongside, World of Jumanji rides, there were calmer rides for kids to enjoy.
Reuben and me rode on the Tiny Truckers for the first time on a visit to Chessington. But Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is one we've been on a couple of times in the past, and it's one of our favourites, as it's more of an immersive experience than a ride. We also enjoyed the carousel and the immersive experience of Room on the Broom - A Magical Journey. And the kids spent a lot of time in the soft play.
Panto and performances
The first thing I did when I arrived at Chessington was check what times the Panto was on. We love a stage performance and I wanted to be sure not to miss it. It was drizzling as we stood outside to watch the show, but no-one complained. Chessington puts on wonderful shows throughout the year, and this is a part of the visit you want to be sure not to miss out on. This year, the SEATOPIA residents offered up a retelling of Robin Hood. The kids were entertained and particularly enjoyed the part where the cast left the stage to throw out sweeties! We love that Chessington invests in having live performances. Alongside the panto, we really enjoyed the trio of female singers, dressed in festive outfits, under the big Christmas tree in the centre of the theme park. They had beautiful voices, and sang Christmas songs with lovely harmonies. It really brought a sense of warmth to the theme park on an otherwise cold and wet winter's day.
Christmas Village
Passport in hand we entered Christmas Village (the passport is a little booklet the boys were given to collect stamps in), ready for a fun and festive experience. The elves in Christmas Village were fantastic, and greeted us with warm smiles and lots of energy. The boys had brought along their Elves on the Shelf and were thrilled when one of the elves at Chessington told them he recognised one in my son's pocket as being particularly mischievous. Later, the boys listen intently as another elf explain that Elves on the Shelf were once human-sized like the elves at Chessington but they were so naughty Santa had no choice but to shrink them down into doll-sized form. The engagement from the elves made the experience extra enjoyable.
In the queue to meet Santa, we were given headphones for a silent disco. It was a fun way to pass the time, and we enjoyed a little boogie. You could tune into Elf FM, Christmas FM or Hits FM. We ventured through a snowy woodland to meet Santa, who was sat in a lovely cosy little grotto. There was no problem with taking your own photos, and it didn't feel rushed. Santa stamped the passports to show the boys were good to collect their early Christmas present. We even got to see some real reindeer before we journeyed through Enchanted Hollow: Toy Workshop, where the elves were busy making gifts for Christmas.
A lot of effort had gone into creating the lovely sets in Enchanted Hollow, and it was super festive and atmospheric. Also, it was indoors, which was good as it had started to rain. As we left Enchanted Hollow, the boys were delighted to receive their present, which was a lovely good-quality gingerbread man plush - you could choose between this or a reindeer plush. We left Christmas Village feeling full of festive cheer.
SEA LIFE
You could join Snowy's Conservation Crew for an interactive trail exploring arctic animals. But the boys were just interested in wandering round the aquarium and spotting the rays, pufferfish, and of course the sharks. The SEA LIFE at Chessington is a decent size, and there's plenty to see. This, alongside the zoo at the theme park, adds to the variety of experiences to enjoy in a single day out.
Lights trail
On entry you could pick up a card for a free festive trail to collect a treat at the end. There were beautiful animal lights sculptures around the theme park and you had to spot them and answer the clues to identify each one and write it down in your booklet, before taking it to an elf tent to claim your prize - which was a tasty, big and nicely designed gingerbread man cookie. This was a nice way to round off a great Christmas family day out. Overall, we spent the whole day at Chessington. The combination of rides, panto, SEA LIFE, and the Santa and Christmas Village magic, make this one of our top choices for a great family day out at this time of year. To find out more, visit here