It's a Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree

May 19, 2014 10:22 AM

We are taking our toddler (almost 2) to Sesame Place this weekend. Have you been there? Do you have any tips for us to make our trip great?

We're staying in a hotel near the park for two night. Already booked some character meals. I'm particularly wondering which rides/experience we should make a point to see- there's a lot of stuff I don't think he's tall enough for yet, but it's hard to tell from the website. Lists of things to bring/not bring would be helpful, too.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero to Travel & Transportation around Langhorne, PA (5 answers total)

Best answer: We went a couple years ago with a 2 year old and a 5 year old as a day trip. It was VERY crowded, but, since this is an early weekend, it should be better for you. My younger kid loved the river rafting ride, and the toddler splash park was great as well. I am sorry that my memories are not more specific, but we had fun. The one thing is that the park is not huge, we were able to do most things in a day.

If you do want to something else, depending on where you are coming from and how you feel about driving, the Please Touch Museum in Philly is a 45-50 minute drive from Sesame and is wonderful for young kids, as is the (right next door) Philly Zoo.
posted by blahblahblah at 1:03 PM on May 19, 2014

Best answer: Went in 2012 with our four year olds and another couple who had a 1 year old. There is a height requirement on the rides, but you should be able to do the following: the PeekaBug, the Teeny Tiny Tidal Wave, Grover's Twirl, the Sand Slide, the Sunny Days Carousel, Ernie’s Bounce Bed (they do this in groups by age, so you won't have to worry about your child getting hurt by an older child) and the Count’s Castle Wading Pool. I'm not sure how many other rides they'll be able to go on, though. One way or another, you'll have to accompany your child on rides.

But it's not a big park: you can do everything there in a single day, especially since you won't be able to take advantage of everything they have to offer.

So going in, know that for a child that young their options for interactive rides are limited. You'll want to do the Dine With Me character meal (or meals). AWESOME if they can handle being around the characters. You get an hour or so with the characters. My daughter was terrified. My son had a blast. Book before you get there. Elmo is the most popular, of course and sells out quickly. The breakfast we did, several characters wandered around the room. Elmo and Big Bird both had chairs in the room where kids could take pictures with them. And they're VERY VERY good at making sure that kids get time with the characters.

There's a Sheraton Bucks County and a Springhill Suites conveniently located across the street. If you can get a reservation at either one it will save you money on parking. The Springhill Suites is actually very family friendly. Fridge and microwave in the rooms upon request, etc.

Parking is broken up into three categories, from General ($17) to VIP ($20) to Preferred ($30). Cost and proximity increases with each category. Buy a voucher on the site prior to going. It'll save you time waiting on line. There's no cost difference between buying online and from the parking attendant.

Once you're there, buy the Discovery Dollars wristband. Very convenient. They keep your credit card on file, place a $50 hold on it, and then anything you spend in the park gets automatically deducted from your account. They simply scan your wrist and you're done. No fussing with money or credit cards required. This saves you time, and a bit of hassle having to constantly dig for your wallet. SeaWorld has the same system and it's awesome.

It can be sunny. And hot. If your child is still in a stroller, make sure it has a hood or shade. They will allow you to bring in bags -- I wore a backpack filled with wipes, food, towels, drinks, etc. Changes of clothes. Was very helpful.

Definitely bring towels. And wear swimsuits. Swim diapers if needed. And flip-flops/crocs or water shoes.

There are photo opportunities everywhere.

Lines and crowds start forming early. Try to arrive 20-30 minutes prior to each show, if you can. At the Let’s Play Together Show, you'll want to try to get in back of the reserved seating section for the best view. Also, try to get to the 1-2-3 Smile With Me! Studio. Your child will get a photo taken with one of a couple of characters, like Elmo or Abby. It's also nice for a kid because they get Muppet one on one time.
posted by zarq at 1:24 PM on May 19, 2014

Best answer: To clarify about the meals:

The following meals with "Sesame Place Friends" are offered:

Cookie's Country Breakfast
Breakfast with Elmo & Friends
Lunch with Elmo & Friends
Dinner with Elmo & Friends
Big Bird's Backyard BBQ Dinner

All three Elmos should definitely be pre-booked. They fill up quickly. The Cookie's Country Breakfast is less well attended. Since it's a holiday weekend, pre-book just to be sure you'll get a space. The BBQ dinner wasn't offered when we were there.

Also, there will be a special Memorial Day BBQ this coming weekend. Neat!
posted by zarq at 1:40 PM on May 19, 2014

Best answer: We went when my son was just two, as a day trip. He was all about the characters, so we hardly rode any rides, and we didn't go to the water part. We didn't learn till we got there that they offered "Abby's Magic Queue" which is a line-jumping pass. The lines were long and hot for a little one, and we had no chance of getting into the theater for shows, so consider getting this. We did have reservations for "Dinner with Elmo" and my son loved it. He got to feed a cookie to Cookie Monster! He remembers that even now, three years later.

Adding on to what Zarq said, if you have tickets for Dinner with Elmo (or similar), I don't think you need to wait in line for 1-2-3 Smile with Me... we spent a lot of time in that line and ended up meeting and taking photos with the same characters at Elmo's dinner anyhow.
posted by xo at 2:01 PM on May 19, 2014

Best answer: We were there last year - spent 2 days with our 3 year old and 7 year old girls. Both had fun, although I think the younger had more - she keeps asking to go back to "Elmo Street."

We didn't plan much as far as what to do, just let the kids decide as we saw things (hard for us, as we're used to Disney World where we plan everything out :-) The big hits were the raft waterslide and the inflatable tube water slide across from it.

The food is decidedly what you expect from an amusement park, although we did appreciate that they had healthy choices as well as the usual burger-dog-fries-soda. The character meals were slightly better, but you're not really there for the food.

There is a Giant supermarket about 5 minutes away to the north which is convenient. Not sure if there were any along the main road. We didn't look.

Got totally rained out one day, so we went to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. (Yes, Camden. That part didn't look as bad as everyone says Camden is, but we didn't venture very far.)
posted by neilbert at 12:48 PM on May 20, 2014