So we decided to take a trip to Sesame Place on the hottest day of the summer. Yes, I brought my 3 year old, Giuliana and 2 month old, Sofia to Sesame this past Sunday and Monday. It was quite an experience and WOW, do I have some survival tips for you.
First, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, go to Sesame Place on a weekend. It was overwhelmingly crowded, (not to mention over 90 degrees), completely disorganized and lines moving slower than molasses. All of this combined makes for one cranky and sweaty mommy.
For those who have not been before, the park is small enough to do in one day IF there are no crowds. I personally liked the overnight stay and would highly recommend it, especially when traveling with an overtired and overstimulated pre-schooler. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Bensalem, PA, about 8 mins from Sesame. It was clean, convenient and well priced as compared to those closer to Sesame itself...a perfect place for everyone to get some shut eye before having breakfast with Elmo.
Bright and early Monday morning we headed to Sesame for a 9:15 breakfast with Elmo and friends (be sure to purchase tickets for this online before your trip-it sells out quite quickly and you wouldn't want to disappoint your kids-remember, you're fabulous! See TIP#1 below).
Breakfast all in all was really cute! Some pics with Elmo that you can buy for $20 bucks (my choice would be to have a family member or someone take pics with your own camera. Stand right behind the Sesame camera guy for the best shots, he didn't seem to mind at all). Breakfast was a buffet of french toast sticks, tater tots, something that resembled scrambled eggs, bagels, cereal, coffee and juice. Moms, this was NOT Weight Watchers friendly at all...so if you're watching your waistline, pack yourself a point friendly breakfast. Breakfast is about an hour, so it's over by 10am, just when the park opens. My suggestion is to high-tail your double stroller to your choice of water rides...my personal faves: Big Bird's Rambling River and Sesame Streak. Giuliana LOVED both and rode them several times throughout our trip.
Tip #1: Purchase your Park and Breakfast tickets online BEFORE your trip to save time and keep your sanity.
Tip #2: PACK A COOLER
No bigger than 14x11. Load it up with WATER, JUICE BOXES, LUNCH AND SNACKS. Then rent a locker for $20 (with a $5 refund when you return the key) - keep it in there...this way, you will avoid waiting in line for food and drinks, which literally killed hours of our day. The eating facilities are small, crowded, hot and the food, well, just OK. You can find a nice salad, but everything else is the standard, greasy, stuff.
I would tell you to pack a nice bottle of Merlot for some romance, but I don't think it would make it through security.
Tip #3: BRING A SPRAY BOTTLE
The "mist" stations are few and far between here at Sesame, and when we did find one, it wasn't working. My poor baby was sweating and all I wanted to do was mist her...I looked high and low in the gift shops for a spray bottle, with no success. So, I resorted to using a wet paper towel.
P.S. THERE IS NO SHADE ANYWHERE!!!!!!! NONE. I had to feed Sofia behind a building in the shadows of an HVAC system...and I'm not exaggerating.
First, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, go to Sesame Place on a weekend. It was overwhelmingly crowded, (not to mention over 90 degrees), completely disorganized and lines moving slower than molasses. All of this combined makes for one cranky and sweaty mommy.
For those who have not been before, the park is small enough to do in one day IF there are no crowds. I personally liked the overnight stay and would highly recommend it, especially when traveling with an overtired and overstimulated pre-schooler. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Bensalem, PA, about 8 mins from Sesame. It was clean, convenient and well priced as compared to those closer to Sesame itself...a perfect place for everyone to get some shut eye before having breakfast with Elmo.
Bright and early Monday morning we headed to Sesame for a 9:15 breakfast with Elmo and friends (be sure to purchase tickets for this online before your trip-it sells out quite quickly and you wouldn't want to disappoint your kids-remember, you're fabulous! See TIP#1 below).
Breakfast all in all was really cute! Some pics with Elmo that you can buy for $20 bucks (my choice would be to have a family member or someone take pics with your own camera. Stand right behind the Sesame camera guy for the best shots, he didn't seem to mind at all). Breakfast was a buffet of french toast sticks, tater tots, something that resembled scrambled eggs, bagels, cereal, coffee and juice. Moms, this was NOT Weight Watchers friendly at all...so if you're watching your waistline, pack yourself a point friendly breakfast. Breakfast is about an hour, so it's over by 10am, just when the park opens. My suggestion is to high-tail your double stroller to your choice of water rides...my personal faves: Big Bird's Rambling River and Sesame Streak. Giuliana LOVED both and rode them several times throughout our trip.
Tip #1: Purchase your Park and Breakfast tickets online BEFORE your trip to save time and keep your sanity.
Tip #2: PACK A COOLER
No bigger than 14x11. Load it up with WATER, JUICE BOXES, LUNCH AND SNACKS. Then rent a locker for $20 (with a $5 refund when you return the key) - keep it in there...this way, you will avoid waiting in line for food and drinks, which literally killed hours of our day. The eating facilities are small, crowded, hot and the food, well, just OK. You can find a nice salad, but everything else is the standard, greasy, stuff.
I would tell you to pack a nice bottle of Merlot for some romance, but I don't think it would make it through security.
Tip #3: BRING A SPRAY BOTTLE
The "mist" stations are few and far between here at Sesame, and when we did find one, it wasn't working. My poor baby was sweating and all I wanted to do was mist her...I looked high and low in the gift shops for a spray bottle, with no success. So, I resorted to using a wet paper towel.
P.S. THERE IS NO SHADE ANYWHERE!!!!!!! NONE. I had to feed Sofia behind a building in the shadows of an HVAC system...and I'm not exaggerating.
Sesame can get crowded very quickly, so make sure you do your favorite things first. No matter what, you will be waiting in line for quite some time. It's a slow go, but your kids will have fun and you will be the most FABULOUS mom in their eyes. You can have fun if you're prepared.
Hopefully I helped to make your trip a little easier and FABULOUS.
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