The Character Parade at Sesame Place

Sesame Place if often sited by parents as a great day or weekend trip from Brooklyn.  I’ve always wondered if it was really worth the effort: bathing suits, towels, long car trip, amusement park food…it’s enough to make me stay away.

However, for the most part parents love Sesame Place. Some do have their complaints and others have lots of great trips for your visit. I have culled them here for you (thanks to tripadvisor.com and Ginger- a local parent for all the reviews).

First, a few facts:

Sesame Place is in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.  It is accessible via car and both NJ Transit. (We have hints about using public transport below).  Via car it is 90 minutes south of New York City.  Langhorne, PA is located in Bucks County- a great place to do other things (Quakertown, wineries, art galleries, riversports, etc) if you want to do Sesame Place for just one day.

The daily entrance fee is $53 plus tax for all entrants- though children 23 months and younger are free. You can purchase the Elmo’s ANY Two-Day Ticket that is 2 days for the price of one. These two days do not have to be consecutive and may be used on any regular scheduled operating day during the current season.  All tickets can be bought at the front gate, through the kiosks and online.

Now, for some reviews, tips and hints:

• “I have taken my son to Sesame Place twice now and I am planning to take him again this summer, he loves it. He already has our trip planned out. Getting there on NJ Transit is not that bad it all–it only takes about an hour to get to Trenton. From there you can grab a cab or take the bus to Sesame Place. I would say door to door the trip from Penn Station should be about 2 hrs or so. The problem with taking public transportion there is that it limits where you can stay if you want to spend the night. There is a Sheraton right across the street where we have stayed each time. It is very nice and there is a free shuttle to Sesame but the Sheraton is NOT cheap. I think most of the other hotels that are right there are also fairly expensive.  We always stay two days–the price of a two day ticket is only a few dollars more than a one day ticket so you might as well get the two day one. I find there is enough to do for the second day and it makes for a nice short trip out of the city.  Personally, I don’t think I would be that good for a 20 month old though. The first time I took my son he was three and he was still too little for a lot of things. Plus, it was hard to get him to stand in line. He was 4 last summer, which was great.”
• “We signed up for the email newsletter and got a deal on season passes that helped us save quite a bit this year and apparently even some hotels in the area offer deals.”
• “I enjoy the character lunch because it gave the girls a chance to spend more time with the characters. The characters are also walk around the park (but you have to wait in line and then are kinda rushed to get a pic so the next child can have a turn).”
• “Bring swimsuits and towels for all of the water rides. You can bring in a small cooler or a small bag with food and drinks to help save money. We also parked at the mall down the road to help save the $15 parking fee both days.”
• “I would recommend this park to parents but go during the week when the park is less crowded or during off season.  Be sure you wear a bathing suit too. You will regret it if you don’t! “
• “The bathrooms are hit or miss. The one near the tots wave pool is tiny and shabby and there is really no good place to change a child. Others were cleaner but short on changing space. The ones at the back of the park by the Count’s Castle however are lovely and clean with plenty of toilet stalls and plenty of changing rooms.”
• “For dinner we did the Dine with Me (buffet dinner with all of the characters.) That was awesome. They put on little shows, my daughter and I got to dance with and take pictures with all of her favorites. The food was actually pretty good too! Even though it may seem a little pricey, it was totally worth it and a great way to end our visit. And children under 2 eat free!”
• “The little kiddie pool (The Tots Wave Pool) was crowded with the timer in place it was just 7 mins in the pool !”
• “One mom told us she leaves to go to the mall across the street at lunchtime; sounds like a brilliant idea from what we saw. Also, the park is small enough that going back out to your car for lunch is pretty easy to do.”
• “Most of the kids actually just go in their bathing suits and ride the dry rides first in their bathing suits and then hit the water area right after.”
• “We found that a lot of the kids in the park are a little old for what it has to offer (8 – 10 years old) and tended to run rampant through the attractions with little regard for the smaller kids trying to enjoy it. I saw several little guys get clobbered and despite our best efforts to monitor our own son while he played, he even ended up having several incidents where he got manhandled (pushed down, sand thrown at him, tripped in the pool, clocked in the eye). The parents of these darlings were MIA and the single attendants at the attractions did nothing to control it. Having to work so hard to ensure our son’s safety was not particularly enjoyable, but we did find that the evening hours were the best time to avoid this nonsense.”
• “I was also very glad my daughter wore water shoes because some of the attractions have little raised rocks near the entrance and exits. Just know that this is pretty much a water park, everyone in your group should wear their water gear.”
• In general, people rave about the Count’s Splash Castle (a multi-level interactive water-play attraction),  the Character Parade and the dry-rides since most-aged kids can ride all of them.

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