Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Adventure to Santa

A few weeks ago, while visiting a local mall for a birthday gift, I saw a team of construction workers already setting up an area for Santa. We had been to this mall in the past for photos, but what they were constructing looked nothing like I had seen before. I asked one of the mall employee supervising what was different this year? He informed me that it was the new Dreamworks Adventure to Santa display. He gave me some information, and later when I looked into it at home I knew the kids would love it and made a reservation. 

Saturday was our scheduled day to go, and it definitely was an just as impressive as I remembered it. 


You make a reservation online or in person, and they ask for a photo of you if available. When you arrive, you check in at the desk, and they give the kids a special passport. Both kids loved that their picture and name was on it. 


The reserved time is fabulous because there is virtually no wait. The elves find your scheduled time at check in, and then a concierge escorts you to your place in the small line based on the time you signed up for. They make sure everyone stays in order, and the lines moves pretty fast with a group going in every 15 minutes. 


There was enough to entertain my little ones while they waited. The overall house has a Shrek theme, and characters would pop out and say hi throughout the adventure. 


Once it was your time to go in, a new elf takes you to visit Santa. From here the Santa visit becomes an overall interactive experience, rather than just a quick visit and a photo sitting on Santa's lap. The idea behind Adventure to Santa is the children are supposed to think they are just visiting Santa, but then when the elf brings them inside, Santa has gone missing. This is where the adventure comes in. The elf instructs the children that they need to help find Santa at the North Pole. 


You follow the elf into a room to build your own personal sleigh. Once that is constructed, you then move into a new room where your personalized sleigh awaits you to take you to the North Pole. The sleigh area is kind of a mini show and ride (think IMAX style). You follow Shrek and friends to the North Pole and experience actual cold air, wind, snow, and flying. Needless to say everyone loved this part. 


After you arrive in the North Pole you are then taken to another room to track Santa's final location. Once found, you then get to meet Santa and interact with him for a bit. Photos aren't allowed through out the adventure, but to give you a better idea of the inside I found this excellent article, which includes photos of the inside portion of the adventure, HERE

They let each family interact with Santa on your own in a large room, and elves are there taking photos and video for you. 


Clearly, this was Little Cute's favorite portion of the adventure. 

Our normally friendly "never meets a stranger" child finally met someone she didn't like. She screamed like she has never screamed before. 

And it only got more ear piercing the longer she sat there...


Poor thing. I guess bearded older men aren't her thing.

Cute on the other hand loved getting one on one time with Santa, and definitely made sure Santa knew he was the one who found him and that should be rewarded with a green helicopter. He also stated he wasn't the one who "screamed in your face", and maybe that should be rewarded too. With a white helicopter. 


I would say we definitely left an impression on Santa. I am not sure which list we ended up being placed on upon departure, but I have a fairly good guess. 

Overall it was a fabulous experience, and I would most definitely do it again with the kids. It was fun for everyone and I loved each detail, and how personalized it was for each family/child. 


There are several locations of the Adventure to Santa throughout the country, so be sure to check the website to see if there is a location near you. 

A few tips if you decide to go: 
- Definitely make your reservation before hand. A few people tried to walk up and they were booked solid for a few days out. 
-Check online for any deals at your location for photo packages that you can prepay. They will add this to your passport for you and know to tailor your experience to what you purchase. 
-The adventure itself is free. So you can reserve a time slot and attend the adventure without paying for anything. The only payment is if you want to have photos from your experience with Santa. 

Hope you guys have a fun Santa experience this holiday as well! Let us know if you have a favorite place you like like to see Santa. 
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1 comment:

  1. We are so thrilled you had a wonderful time! Certainly the best part of working the Santa season is knowing that all our hard work has made a families Christmas the most magical yet! Thank you so much for posting such a delightful compliment!

    Kazz Walding
    Adventure Manager
    North Point Adventure To Santa

    ReplyDelete

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