One thing we love to do as Christmas approaches is have a really brilliant family day out or weekend away. It’s lovely to spend some time together having fun, especially as it can get so hectic at this time of year. I have visited Thomas Land at Drayton Manor when Molly was very small. We had a lovely day and i thought it would be a brilliant day out no the twins are a bit bigger so I was delighted to be invited to the press day so we could experience first hand the Magical Christmas.
Before I start i do have to apologise for the amount of photographs in this post but I really had a hard time narrowing it down! We had such a great day and the thing which I love about the photos is the look of wonder and delight on the girls’ faces. It really was a magical Christmas and has got us in the mood for the festive season.
I took my three girls on the day out. The twins are 4 and Molly is 7 and this is the perfect age range for children to visit. There is a good range of rides open with some scarier rides like Ben 10 open for older children. For little ones there is lots to do, including a beautiful Carousel which we rode on twice.
We started our day out with the sky ride. This gave a lovely aerial view of the theme park which meant we could plan what to do.
We then had to have photos taken with Rosie train.
It was the first cold day of the season which took me a bit by surprise as it had been so mild all week so I had neglected to bring hats and scarves. School boy error! Luckily the shop sold some lovely clothes as well as toys at reasonable prices so the girls all got an extra souvenir of their day! Rose was particularly pleased with her Rosie Train hat.
It was really interesting seeing the difference between the twins. Charlotte loved all the fast rides and even went on some by herself. Rose wasn’t so keen but luckily there were lots of different rides so we could find something she liked too.
One of the highlights of the day was the train ride across the park. We were lucky and got to ride on Rosie train. The train takes you through the park to the zoo where you can see real reindeer and have a cup of coffee in the cafe.
The area has been transformed into winter wonderland with a sprinkling of (fake) snow across the tracks. It looks really lovely.
The girls were delighted to spot Santa’s reindeer in the zoo.
Next we went on one of my favourite parts of the day, the 4D Polar Express film. This is one of our favourite Christmas films.
I was pleased Charlotte had her big sister to go on the rides with her. I don’t like the ones which make you feel dizzy!
The site was decorated really beautifully and looked very festive.
Even the trains had flashing lights and tinsel.
We loved the giant Christmas tree. In the evening its lights flashed in time to the music. It was a great place to get a few photos – they will make good Christmas cards I think.
There are also shows on every hour and a Christmas procession. This includes a snow shower and a surprise appearance from the big man himself!
I loved how this is like the scene from polar Express and they even carried a giant bell.
The girls all loved to play in the snow.
It was so much fun!
One of the rides which was good for all the girls was the car ride. It feels like you are actually driving the car. Rose now thinks driving is easy.
The day was topped off by our visit to Santa. Some friendly elves ushered us in to a beautifully decorated grotto. Santa was really cheerful and friendly and put the girls at ease. They loved sitting with him on his ornate chairs and happily posed for photos. He gave them a present each and warned their dad that he was just getting socks and pants again this year.
As soon as we got out the grotto the girls opened their presents. Charlotte dropped hers and it broke! The girls were distraught saying she had broken the first present of Christmas! Luckily the staff were on hand and found her another present. They wouldn’t hear of us buying it, even though it was completely our fault it broke.
We had a couple of last rides as the night drew in. It was really lovely riding on the carousel in the dusk with the lights glowing.
As we posed for one final photo the girls saw lights in the ski and were convinced it was Santa flying home.
As we were leaving we got to watch the amazing fireworks display. What a magical end to the day. This is one day out we will be adding to our Christmas family traditions from now on.
Disclaimer: We were given a family ticket so that we could attend the press day.