Who's been to Sesame Place?

[klineyqueen]

We just went to Sesame Place. My son is two and my niece is three. They liked some of the splash places but none of us was all that happy with the experience. The prices are terrible! We got an elmo cupcake and it cost 2.50. The prices were honestly much higher than Disney. Elmo's World Live was a big hit. I would rather spend the day at Hershey if you are looking to stay in PA. If you want the water park experience you could go to Allentown to Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom. There you get both the park and water park. Just a thought...hope it helps.

 

[Heather Smith]

We went to Sesame Place last summer and never again.

Maybe it was just when we were there, but there were lots of summer camp kids running wild throughout the park with minimal supervision.

We are Busch platinum members and do Busch parks a lot, but we will never go back there. It seems dirtier than the other parks and just not that friendly.

 

[tessqt]

I took my kiddos two summers ago, they were 4 & 6 our first time and last. I was not impressed, the kids liked the water areas, but I think they were alittle "old" for the Sesame shows.

We live less than 15 minutes from Dutch Wonderland which was voted one of the top 5 parks for younger children. My kids love it, we have season passes, we are probably going later today. We did Hershey without going into the park a few weeks ago and had a good time a number of non park things to do. Dutch Wonderland is in the middle of PA Dutch Country tourist area, there is the Strasburg Rail Road, Amish farms to tour, museums. The Crayola factory is not far and Hershey is about an hour away.

I am not a Sesame Place fan, sorry.

 

[justcantwait]

She did whatever she wanted! She'll be 3 in Sept, and is almost more adventurous than her 6 yr old brother, but she LOVED the water play areas. She was able to splash around and have a ball. There weren't really any areas we went in that were over her head. The whole family went on Big Bird's Balloon Race and she liked seeing everything from "way up there". A big portion of the back of the park is the tubes made of netting (for lack of a better description), and she doesn't like those, but underneath are some areas with foam blocks and slides and other areas for her to run around and play. That was fun, but a little wet. It had rained the night before and since it's shaded, it didn't dry out. But since she had just come from the water area, not a big deal. She liked meeting the characters. I'd just recommend letting the little ones tell YOU who THEY want to see. Often we want to get their pictures with everyone, but some are more intimidating than others. DD loved Zoey, Elmo, Grover, basically the "monster" characters. Ernie, Bert, the Count she was afraid of. Go figure! Anyway, there's plenty for a 2 yr old to keep occupied with. HTH

Kathy

 

[drcmk]

Our family has had Sesame passes for the past two years. We visited most recently this past Monday (with regular tickets) and decided that this year will be the last for us. My kids are 7 & 8 now, so partly they are just getting too old for it. However the crowds this year seem worse than ever. We like to visit on Mondays since there are few day camp trips on those days. The large groups overwhelm the park. Sesame is not a big park, but it is very easy to lose a child there because there is so much going on and so many things packed into small spaces. The level of customer service and employee training is nowhere near WDW--there is no concept of crowd control and things often seem to be done inefficiently. The admission, souvenir and food prices are outrageous. We packed a lunch this time. The lines to get food are crazy, too. We finally left on Monday when we waited 10 minutes in a line to get ice cream without moving at all. My kids loved the attractions at Sesame when they were smaller. If you can figure out the formula for visiting when the crowds are not overwhelming, you would probably enjoy your visit. I think visiting on a rainy day or after 5:00 pm makes for fewer crowds.

 

[deejohn]

If you are close to Seasme Place, you may want to consider Dorney Park in Allentown (www.dorneypark.com). They have rides for all ages, a special section for little kids (Camp Snoopy) and a water park all for the price of admission. We usually go there during the week when it is not too crowded. The park is clean and sometimes we make it a 2 day trip and stay at a local hotel that partners with Dorney.

We also go to Hershey every year. It is the closest I found to WDW in PA. People are nice, park is clean, everything is family oriented, however, that is a definite overnight stay, since we live in Philly.

 

[Peteyi]

Hello,


We (DW,DS and Me) did Sesame Place last year. My DS 2 at the time loved it. Seeing Elmo in person blew his mind.... He loved the live shows and the Water play areas.

We are heading to Dutch Wonderland tomorrow. Staying at thr Hilton Garden Inn in Lancaster. Last time I was there I was 6 (that 30 years ago for those keeping score )

Peter

 

[The Sorrentino's]

My in-laws gave a picnic at Sesame Place for our children two years ago and we had a good time. I always said we'd go back, but we never made it back .

Cadence

 

[MagicAddict2178]

from Sesame Place. I spent the weekend there with my DH and DD5. I was completely unimpressed. The prices were outrageous! The food was horrible and more expensive than Disney. Lunch for my DD and I was $23.00. I found the park to be dirty, over-crowded, and way too small for the price. I wish I'd known ahead of time. We would've gone to Dorney, which is closer to us, has much more to do, and is less expensive!

 

[pamouselover]

I liked Sesame Place myself. I rather go to Heshey Park or Dorney Park.
Hey Pa. is home of the amusment parks!
I first want to Sesame Place when it first opend as a child and it was the best. I was ten! I think Sesame Place is for older kids myself. It really is a water park any more. I took my DS when he was 3 and he was really to young to do anything. I have great pix of him with Big Bird and cookie Monster.We want back again when he was 8 and he was the perfect age for Sesame Place.

 

[christensen44]

Hi, everybody. I am from Texas and well unfortunately have never been to Disney, except in my dreams. However, this year my family is traveling to Wilmington, DE for my granparents 60th Wedding Anniversary. We figured if my 2-1/2 year old had to be buckled up on an airplane for 3-5 hours he could get something special just for him. All the input was very helpful in letting me determine what we have ahead for us. I actually found this board thanks to a reply on another board. Anyhow, if there is anything that I need to know, I could really use the help. How far is Hershey from the Sesame Place, and is it close to the Hershey Chocolate Factory (Mom's special place!)? We were going to drive from Wilmington 2 days in a row since according to the map it is only about 45 minutes away. We also want to do the Crayola Factory while we are down. What is your recommendation for getting to do all of these things. We are going to be in the area from AUG 18-21st, but the party is on the 21st. Thanks again. I'll keep a close watch on the board.

 

[DeanDoug]

We went there yesterday with my 2 year old daughter and niece... It is certainly not Disney... we didn't meet one nice castmember (or whatever they call themselves) and the lines for food were sooooooooooo slow. They have a few lessons to learn from the Mouse

However... we went during the week and it was crowded, but not horrible. The kids loved the parade... and my daughter woke up this morning talking about the parade, and meeting all of her Sesame friends...

So, although not Disney caliber, my daughter didn't seem to notice
This made it worth it for us...

But, it is pricey... look for discount coupons at local stores (we found ours at Wendys). Have fun!

 

[tessqt]

Hey Christensen with a 2 1/2 year old and coming from Wilmington, why not go to Dutch Wonderland, it is a wonderful place for little kids. Not as far as Sesame Place, it does have a water play area which my kids love. We only live 12 mins away and this is our 3rd summer with season passes. It is owned by Hershey and you can get combination tickets for both Hershey and Dutch Wonderland. Look at their site www.dutchwonderland.com

 

[Jackson4]

Hi, everybody. I am from Texas and well unfortunately have never been to Disney, except in my dreams. However, this year my family is traveling to Wilmington, DE for my granparents 60th Wedding Anniversary. We figured if my 2-1/2 year old had to be buckled up on an airplane for 3-5 hours he could get something special just for him. All the input was very helpful in letting me determine what we have ahead for us. I actually found this board thanks to a reply on another board. Anyhow, if there is anything that I need to know, I could really use the help. How far is Hershey from the Sesame Place, and is it close to the Hershey Chocolate Factory (Mom's special place!)? We were going to drive from Wilmington 2 days in a row since according to the map it is only about 45 minutes away. We also want to do the Crayola Factory while we are down. What is your recommendation for getting to do all of these things. We are going to be in the area from AUG 18-21st, but the party is on the 21st. Thanks again. I'll keep a close watch on the board.

Hershey is about 2 hrs from Sesame Place and 2 hours from the Crayola Factory.
It depends on how you think your son will be with all that driving. The Crayola Factory is neat, but there really isn't anything else to do there. You go on the tour and thats about it.
Since Hershey is only about 45 minutes from where you will be, I would head there. You can also do Dutch Wonderland.
We go to Hershey a couple time a year once in the summer and again at Christmas and we have a great time!

Some posters say there isn't much for the little ones in Hershey, but I have a 3 yr old and 5 neices & nephews under 5 yrs old and we always have plenty to do there. There are a ton of kiddie rides, characters, and they also have a dolphin show! There are also Outlet Stores right there if YOU wanted to do a little shopping!!!!

Have fun whatever you decide.

 

[christensen44]

Thanks Everyone. You have certainly given me a few things to look in to doing. I have never heard of Dutchland. It is also nice to know that the Crayola factory is just a tour. I'll let you all know how our vacation goes.
Angela

 

[bjakmom]

Angela - if you decide on DutchWonderland and/or the Hershey Park area, we have enjoyed our stays at Willow Valley in Lancaster. It is a nice family-oriented resort and the indoor pool area is more like a water park - especially fun for us in the cold months when swimming and playing in the water is such a treat ! You could check it out on line (www.willowvalley.com). We've also stayed at the Comfort Inn right near Hershey Park when we had a family member in the hospital there - nothing fancy, but the rooms were very nice, free breakfast buffet also quite complete. Of course there are also several other very nice hotels in the area that run more $$. Have fun planning - it's a beautiful area.

PS: I have an extra set of discount coupons for single-day tickets (not much, but $2 - $6 for each person depending on what day you go) for Sesame Place, Hershey Park and Dutch wonderland - PM me if you could use them and I'd gladly mail them to you.

 

[mjmcca]

I have been to Sesame place a lot. I have the platinum APs that someone else mentioned because i love SW and i go there when i go to Disney. It is a 90 minute drive for me but the kids love it. I would recommend not eating in the park if you can help it. The food is over priced and really terrible. I usually bring a cooler with sandwiches and then eat at one of the restaurants in the area before we go home.

 

[akayf]

Well I just went to Sesame 7/20. DH and I took his sister and her 2.5 year old daughter and 1 year son. Joce(our niece) is a HUGE Elmo fan and was so excited to see him. We did the character breakfast which got us in the park an hour before it opened. All the characters were out and about. We go pics with Telly, Oscar. Grover, bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and of course, Elmo. The breakfast was pricey for the quality of food(I think it was 16 for an adult and 13 for a child) but well spent money. We got to see so many characters and get great pics while the kids were still in a great mood and not cranky after a day in the park. That made the breakfast well worth the money for us.(BTW...the breakfast is served outside....so we were very warm)

I did not see them enforcing any of the 7 and under age limits. There are water play areas that are meant for the younger children and there were older kids running around. I had to yell at a kid who looked to be about 12 and was in a water area for 5 and under(plus adults with a child were allowed) Well I had my little nephew in my arms and we were playing and bonding(SIL lives in CA and we don't get to see her and her family very often) and this brat of a 12 year old nearly knocked me down! I almost dropped the baby! Well, I gave him a piece of my mind!

We didn't go on many water slides since the kids were so young. We stuck mainly to the water play areas. SIL did a water slide in a double tube with Joce and also rode on the Lazy river with her. Joce had a blast and our nephew was very happy and laughing at the parade. SIL plans to visit Jersey every summer and has declared that Sesame will be an annual outing with Aunt Manda and Uncle John.

 

[mjmcca]

I meant to mention they also have a really nice celebration in the fall for Halloween. On weekends from the end of Sept to the end of October they have the kids dress up in costumes and have trick or treating areas. they dress up the park with autumn decorations. This is when we usually do the dry rides more than in the summer months.