On a beautiful Friday we made our way to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for our Christmas Town 2017 visit. They made four big changes this year and I was excited to check them all out. And report them back to you of course.
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Gift of Harmony– The New Show in Italy
(Clearly I did not NOT take this picture. Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Williamsburg.)
I have been so excited about this change. The Christmas show in Italy had never been a big attraction for me. It couldn’t hold the kids attention and always seemed kind of awkward.
This year they have modernized the show with Gift of Harmony. Think “Straight No Chaser” or “Pentatonix”. All voices, no music and incredible songs. The show is high energy and the talent is outstanding.
DO NOT MISS IT. And don’t get there at the last minute- it was PACKED. All three of the kids liked it- which almost never happens.
New Cookies and Cocoa Shop
Where Santa’s Workshop used to be is the new “Cookies and Cocoa” shop. With a name like that how bad could it actually be?
So when you go inside you find that they sell cookies by the quarter pound (this was special for media- normally they are in a much more sterile environment). They also have special cookie decorating kits you can purchase to have your kids decorate them. In addition to the cookies they also have gourmet hot chocolate for purchase.
There is a nice little seating area outside of the cold where you can eat your cookies and drink your hot cocoa. The kids said that the cookie with the M & M’s was the best and I found the hot chocolate delightful.
Santa’s New Workshop is in Dar Kastle?
This is what I was most interested in seeing. Santa has been in a beautiful workshop with big windows for all the years I have gone to Christmas Town. Rarely would we go in and see him because the line was wrapped around but we would wave through the window and that seemed to satisfy the kids.
Meanwhile the team at Busch Gardens Williamsburg decided the ideal place to put Santa was inside the spookiest building on the property. It’s dark, covered in mean looking stone wolves and kind of damp on the inside.
TIP FOR PARENTS: Santa’s workshop opens at 3. The park opens at 2. The line moves quickly because of reasons I will point out below. If at all possible head over to Santa’s Workshop immediately and get in line. Not only will the kids look better in the photos but the line will be shorter. Don’t be discouraged if you are waiting in an outside line- they took in big groups.
(I apologize for the blurry picture but I TRY to not have kids in pictures I don’t know. In this case this was the best one.)
Once you get inside the building the first thing you will see is a desk. It has paper, clipboards and pencils to write letters to Santa. I have a feeling those pencils may disappear pretty quickly so you might want to throw one in a bag to bring from home. This gives the kids something to do as they wait in the next portion of the line.
By the time we had reached the front they had just finished their lists and had the perfect amount of time to look at their surroundings.
(In case you wonder what deals I am concentrating on.)
It is not possible for a building to look more different on the inside. Gone is the damp feeling you normally get in the building. Instead there is beautiful garland, twinkling lights, reindeer stalls and an actor who must go home at night and sit in a dark room by himself to recover from all the joy. Seriously this guy was fantastic talking to EVERY kid who got to the front of the line. All three kids were completely engaged.
Once the elf gives you permission to walk through you head down a beautiful long walk way with trees and beautiful lights.
Then you head into Santa’s Workshop. There are beautiful little scenes and a countdown to Christmas.
Your last stop before seeing the big man is to stop at a Soldier (who also must go home and sit in a dark room with the level of energy she has) who keeps the kids pre-occupied until their turn. She has to come up with questions to ask them and kill time- whatever they are paying her isn’t enough.
There is also a mailbox for their letters to be delivered.
When it’s your turn someone comes to lead you down a long hallway. Wondering how that line is moving so quick? Not only do you have all these great stops to keep you distracted while you wait but you will discover MULTIPLE hallways. Like, perhaps, there are MULTIPLE destinations. It’s BRILLIANT.
The Rudolph’s Movie Experience
I could not figure out from all the Busch Garden marketing material what in the world this was going to be. Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland last year was a huge disappointment so I didn’t figure this would be something the kids cared about.
I was WRONG.
As we walked into Retroville I started to hear the familiar Rudolph Song. It turns out they have set up a little outdoor theater and it’s showing a shortened version of the old Rudolph movie. But it’s also an interactive experience.
Whenever Rudolph’s nose lights up in the movie red lights fill the space. During the avalanche some mild dry ice is released. And when it snows in the movie- you guessed it- snow machines fill up the sky with soap bubbles. The kids had a FANTASTIC time and watched it twice.
Hopefully they will keep this for years. It also gave the kids a chance to sit and with all the walking it’s a GREAT pit stop.
Have fun in NYC. Christmas town in Williamsburg is Awesome. There’s sooo much more to do and see all in one location. Great for all ages too.
We were there on Saturday December 2nd it was beyond packed. All the workers said Friday is way less crowded. We did enjoy ourselves and stayed till closing. The parking was free. Don’t miss Twas the night, ice skating, with Olympic silver medallist.
We’ve never done CT, since we’re annual passholders, never felt the need to spend more money to attend the holiday event. We also leave for about 3 weeks, so it’s not worth it to us, but I’m glad to see they’ve caught onto the “multiple hallways” thing. This is how the Macy’s in Herald Square in NYC works and it’s awesome!