A Day Out With Thomas (the train) Update

[luvflorida]

My daughter, grandson and I are taking a road trip to Disneyland in November (that's exciting enough ) and I see that A Day Out With Thomas is going to be at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris at the same time as our trip.

Has anyone here been to any of the Day Out With Thomas events? I've read about the event online and researched it a bit, but I'd love to hear first-hand accounts from anyone that has attended. I'm POSITIVE that my two-year old grandson would LOVE the train ride! He is a huge Thomas fan! And, he would probably love to see Sir Topham Hat and enjoy playing with the Thomas gear that they set up. Other than those things though, is there much else there? I'm guessing a lot of people attend the event, so I would expect crowds.

If you've ever been, I'd love to hear what you (and your child)thought of the event. Thanks so much!

 

[Frye7127]

Those trips were very sweet and cherished times as our son was a HUGE Thomas fan. Our ten year old was a good sport when she accompanied us the first time. We still talk about those trips. If you can make time and your 2-year-old will love it, do it.

 

[720L]

I highly recommend it. To see your childs face when they see a REAL Thomas train......priceless! You ride the train and do some shopping and that's it....but worth it.

 

[ilovejack02]

Been twice with my ds 8. Drove 10 hours to get there . I cried when his face lit up seeing Thomas the first time . He was 3 and it was a bit overwhelming for him but still tons of fun. Lots of people , some long lines for a few things , but well worth it . Lol now all weepy , such sweet memories lol. Be prepared to spend a bit of money in the giftshop . Ours had story time with Sir topham hat and games for the kids to play an of course pictures with Thomas

 

[Syrreal]

We took DS this past summer. He LOVES Thomas! It was a little overwhelmnig for him at first because we went towards the middle of the day and it was packed but once he got over that he had a great time. We took the train ride and I think that was the part he loved best.
A week before the event, we were in NC and happened to drive by where they have this Tweetsie train. It was late and they were closed but we decided to stop and just look at what it was to see if it was something worth doing next time we were in the area. They were getting ready to have their day with Thomas and the conductor who was still there was super nice and let us come in and actually see the Thomas engine. DS might as well have been meeting his most favorite actor ever with the faces he had as we took pictures with him standing on the actual engine. It was sweet. I couldn't thank that conductor enough. He made magic for us that day!

 

[creativeamanda]

We went twice when my son was younger. It was absolutely wonderful--a great cherished time with my children that I will never forget!

 

[EeyoreEma]

Both of my children have enjoyed it. I don't know what it's like in other places but it's on the smaller side here. Still "crowds" but not Disney crowds. They have the story telling station, face painting, a group singing on stage. To be honest there is not *that much* to do, but it was definitely a wonderful time and memories we'll cherish.

 

[mnrose]

We did this when my twins were 2.5. The look on their faces seeing a 'real' Thomas was worth it. For any fan, it is a MUST DO IMO.

 

[luvflorida]

Thank you so much, everyone, for sharing your experiences. We are definitely going to add A Day Out With Thomas to our trip. I'm ordering the tickets today.

I wasn't sure if we should plan for an entire day at the railway museum, but it sounds like half a day might be enough. It looks like Perris is about an hour's drive from Anaheim, so I think we'll plan our Thomas day for the day we leave Anaheim to head home.

I know my grandson will be completely amazed when he sees the "real" Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt!

 

[luvflorida]

We just got back yesterday from the Day Out With Thomas event. I can't put into words how wonderful this event was, and how magical the moment was when our grandson first saw the "real" Thomas chugging down the track, coming closer and closer to us. He was completely enthralled!

We spent about four hours at the event, with the main attractions being riding the Thomas train and meeting Sir Topham Hatt. We went into the Train Store tent, and realized immediately what a mistake that was! Of course, Carter wanted everything he saw, so my daughter ended up taking him out while I shopped for a bit. Once removed from all that temptation, he was fine, and he loved the Thomas travel cup and snack containers I bought for him. I also picked up a few things that he won't get until Christmas.

The event was extremely well-run and organized. There were tons of staff members around to answer any questions and to direct everyone to the various areas. I was very impressed with the precision and well-planned way that they loaded and unloaded the train for each group of riders, and loved the way the engineers and conductors (and anyone else connected to the event) took the time to interact with all the kids.

We bought sandwiches and drinks and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn, walked around to see all the other trains and trolleys (which were free to ride as many times as one wanted) and had pictures taken in front of Thomas as he rested between trips down the track.

I would definitely recommend this event to anyone who might be considering attending! Here are a few pictures from our day out with Thomas.

To Carter, and I'm sure every little kid at the event, this is definitely the "real" Thomas!

There were a few little ones that were a bit intimidated by Sir Topham Hatt, but I think Carter would have taken him home with him if it was possible!

Riding the train. It was truly a very magical experience!