Daddy took a day off so that we could go on a Friday, and at 4pm, so that we wouldn't be home too late to put Baby in bed, and in the hope that it might be a bit quieter than on a weekend or evening.
You book a specific timeslot, in an attempt to distribute visitors evenly throughout the evening, and there is a one way route to follow, though once you're in, there's nothing to stop you going round the trail as many times as you want to. There were different packages on offer, from just a ticket, to a package including a meal and a day's entry to the zoo. We opted for the ticket + meal option, thinking that prepaying might offer some advantages on the day, and would mean we didn't need to think about tea when we got home.
When we arrived it was very cold and windy, though thankfully not raining, so we bundled Baby up in multiple layers, including her snowsuit, and put her in the carrier. We also took the pram in case it got too cold or Baby started to get fed up with the carrier, but we thought being in the carrier would give her the best vantage point.
There were many people congregating at the turnstiles, and a few members of staff walking around offering free shortbread biscuits in Christmassy shapes. At 4pm, those of us with that timeslot on our tickets were allowed in. It wasn't quite dark when we entered, but by the time we'd finished it was dark. We quite enjoyed this, as it meant we were able to see the sights both in the light and dark.
As we began the walk around, we were handed a lantern. This was a large cloth pyramid, with a light inside it (though our light went out before we'd reached the halfway point), on a bamboo pole. Whilst a nice idea, to create a parade of lanterns in the dark, especially with the wind we found it annoying and I tucked it into the pram so I didn't have to carry it. Children could carry their own much smaller lanterns, which I imagine would lose their novelty before the end and be given to parents to hold!
What the advertising hadn't really shown was that the animal lanterns were only a part of the route. The FAQs on Chester Zoo's website suggested 90 minutes to complete the route. We actually only took 45, and we stopped to look at everything. Unfortunately the additional bits that were supposed to round out the route, felt very much like afterthoughts to pad it out, and most could be seen in two seconds, before moving on.
The animal lanterns however were amazing. In most cases they were life-size, and although there were clearly teething problems with some of them, as a few bulbs seemed to have not lit up, they were spectacular. I just wish there'd been more of them. With the exception of one or two, they were gathered on the lawn outside Dragons in Danger.
There were also some 'lanterns' that were moving lanterns, i.e. they were operated by people. These included flamingos, giraffes and penguins. The flamingos were on the lawn with the other lanterns but were interacting with all the children walking the route. We came across the penguins on the wooden bridge as we were reaching the end of the route, and they were very good with Baby, which was a lovely touch.
We also saw Father Christmas who was driving around on his sleigh; his elves were handing out sweets to visitors he passed.
The route was mostly well marshalled, with staff pointing you in the right direction, which was necessary as occasionally it went back on itself. We were also marshalled through various sales points, including having obligatory photos taken on green screens, and walking through the snack hut selling hot chocolate.
When we reached the end of the route we found ourselves surprised that we'd finished already. Had Baby been a bit older, and had it been less cold, we might have walked around again after eating, as I think seeing the route in the dark would have been an interesting comparison to seeing it in the fading light.
The pre booked food was served in Bembe Kitchen. Despite the confirmation email saying that we would receive vouchers at the gate, staff there told us we could just show the email on our phone to the serving staff. Whilst this proved correct, the serving staff were at first unsure about this and didn't seem to be aware that this was the process.
We both had the pulled pork roll, which came with chips. It was very tasty, but could have been a big bigger. I had thought that there might be an advantage to prepaying, but we didn't get priority or a discount, we could have bought exactly the same meal at the same price on the day.
We were lucky with timings in that because we'd finished the route quickly, the restaurant wasn't very busy at all. I imagine that later on it would get pretty hectic. Baby was out for the count by this point so we were able to eat in peace!
All in all, I would go back again next year because the animal lanterns were so good, but at least now I know what to expect, and will spend more time looking at the lanterns, rather than thinking there would be more ahead. And of course Baby will be able to walk around herself next year, and I imagine will very much enjoy them too.
Key facts:
Month of visit:
December
Weather for visit:
Very cold and windy, but thankfully dry.
Is it pushchair friendly?
Very, everywhere was accessible, though we used the carrier.
How are the baby changing facilities?
We didn't need to use them on this visit, but there seemed to be plenty based on signage.
What about somewhere to feed?
Too cold to feed on one of the many benches outside, but the restaurant was nice and warm.
Is it worth a visit?
Yes, just make sure to take your time viewing the lanterns.
Baby's highlight?
Interacting with the penguins.
Chester Zoo
Upton-by-Chester,
Chester,
CH2 1EU
http://www.chesterzoo.org
No comments:
Post a Comment