We went the very first weekend they started having Santa. Big mistake on my part -- went onn a Sunday at 3:00 -- went over to get a ticket to see Santa and he handed me a ticked for 7:00. They weren't even open at 7pm that night -- the guy played stupid when I told him that I didn't need the ticket if it said seven since they weren't open then. Big disappointment for my kiddos. We'll go back BUT much earlier next time. It's great -- just make sure you get there real early if you're there to see Santa... I can't answer your question about Santa since we didn't get a chance to see him :-(