Mattel Play! Liverpool

Baby is really into trains (choo choos) at the moment, and she's at the stage where she absolutely loves exploring, so with Daddy still on annual leave, we thought we'd take a trip to Mattel Play! in Liverpool.

A relatively new addition to Albert Dock, it's based on three popular characters: Thomas the Tank Engine, Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder. The three rooms are each based on one of the characters, with a shop, green screen experience and cafe, as well as party room, completing the offering.

At the time of visiting, there was a midweek offer on for one adult and one preschool child, costing £10, with additional adults charged at £2, so for the three of us the total cost was £12. The website advertises two hour slots, starting every twenty minutes, however as it wasn't very busy the time limits didn't seem to be being enforced. We entered at around 10am, and it proved to be an ideal time, as for a good ten minutes or so we had the Thomas section all to ourselves, and then the same as we moved on to the Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam sections. Even when a few more families arrived, it was still so quiet that it didn't feel crowded at all.

The first item to catch the eye as you entered the Thomas the Tank Engine section upstairs was Thomas himself. With steps either side, children could go in Thomas' cab, to press buttons and pull levers. If Thomas was full, Rosie was on the other side of the room for an alternative.

The floor was decorated with various train tracks and paths and the (overly loud) music playing was all Thomas themed. The entrance to the room was through Knapford train station, which included a chalkboard timetable, ticket counter, waiting room, and various Thomas themed puzzles.

In between Thomas and Rosie was another, square, train, lying on its side. Possibly Diesel, it was filled with blue foam blocks for construction. And facing Rosie was Percy, or at least Percy's face, in front of a turntable which was movable.

In the back section of the Thomas room was a huge blue ball pit, centred around Harold the helicopter, which also contained a slide, and a rather arctic feeling 'coal pit' which housed numerous large foam blocks (the coal), with the idea being to fill a silo, which could then be emptied.

The last area of the Thomas room was themed around McColl's farm, and essentially just contained a 'vegetable patch' which had plastic vegetables to be picked, then slotted through the correct hole.

The real piece de resistance of this area was a train circuit featuring two little trains, Skarloey and Peter Sam, which could be 'ridden' by the children. The trains had hand operated levers to get them round the track, but Baby couldn't reach them, and nor it seemed could many other children, so I had to push her round. This was a huge hit, Baby went on it several times, and because it wasn't too busy she barely had to queue.

The Thomas room was definitely Baby's favourite of the three. Aside from Skarloey and Peter Sam, the surprise hit was the vegetable patch, even if she didn't manage to get them in the correct slots! One thing that did surprise me was that the steps up to Thomas and Rosie weren't very toddler friendly, and Baby also couldn't climb from the ball pool into Harold by herself. The theming was excellent however, and the staff here were brilliant, always friendly and willing to push children round on the trains if parents couldn't.

Next up was Bob the Builder. The centrepiece of the room was a large Scoop, which children could sit on, with the other activities placed around the sides of the room.

There were diggers in sandpits with faux boulders, pipes to be joined together to allow a ball to pass through, and foam bricks to construct walls.

There were also tables for drawing construction designs and boxes of duplo style blocks, as well as a kitchen which featured a large statue of Bob, hi-vis jackets and hard hats.

I was slightly disappointed that this room also contained a large TV screen with beanbags in front of it, which felt slightly out of place in an attraction designed to help kids be active. Other than Scoop, Baby showed very little interest in this whole area and I suspect it was designed with slightly older kids in mind. She couldn't operate the diggers as the levers were too heavy, and she didn't have the comprehension or coordination required to attempt the pipes or brick laying. We barely spent ten minutes in this area before we moved onto Fireman Sam, but I can see that older children would love building walls and working the diggers, though two of the four diggers were out of order for our visit.

The Fireman Sam area was back on the ground floor, with a wall of helmets greeting you at the foot of the staircase. Immediately the eye was drawn to a boat, and to Jupiter, the fire engine, both of which were accessible, though the steps up to Jupiter were again too difficult for Baby to manage by herself.

Jupiter featured a long seat so Daddy could get in with Baby. There were various buttons and switches which operated sirens and lights, as well as the engine, and of course there was the all important steering wheel. One side of the fire engine featured even more switches and buttons, as well as hoses. It certainly made for some excellent photo opportunities.

The boat also featured a steering wheel, of course, and Baby loved that she could walk all the way around the wheelhouse. At the bow of the ship was what I presume was a wind blower, but it wasn't working for our visit. At the back there were three 'water' cannons, which could be used to put out a fire on a screen on the wall.

Tucked away in a corner was a jet ski, which looked great for photos but didn't do much, and two small slides. One wall featured three pieces of rope and instructions on how to knot them, and in another corner there was a fireman's pole, which Daddy thought was fantastic.

The real success of this section however, was Dilys' shop, which contained shelves of tinned foods and boxes of fruit and veg, that could be loaded into shopping trolleys and baskets, before being totalled up at a till. Baby absolutely loved loading and unloading her shopping trolley, as well as taking the trolleys for a walk around the area.

I was pleasantly surprised by how long we spent in this area, given that Baby hasn't really seen much of Fireman Sam before.

I had read other reviews which suggested that the shop was expensive, but while there were certainly items on the pricier side, there were also items that were on the cheaper end of the scale. I'd seen the green screen advertised, and was expecting a hard sell as we exited, but actually it was a do it yourself green screen, and no member of staff even mentioned it to us. The prices for the products didn't seem that expensive, starting at £4 for a keyring, but we didn't give it a go.

The cafe was in the entrance area to the attraction, and featured standards such as toasties and panini, as well as a few special options such as pasta, and children's lunch boxes. At around £4.50-£5 each they weren't cheap but neither were they overly expensive for the location. There were a handful of cakes, but they didn't look particularly appetising, though they were presented nicely in the cabinet. The cafe area was rather draughty and cold, and we struggled to find a table that didn't feel like it was in the way, but for convenience, it was worth eating there.

Although there were a few bits, mainly in the Bob the Builder section, that were too advanced for Baby at 20 months, I wouldn't hesitate to take her back again. She enjoyed herself so much, from the vegetable patch to the ride on trains, the shopping trolleys to the fire engine, she loved so many of the activities that it was £12 well spent. The only real negative was the cost of car parking. The recommended Albert Dock car park, was £7.50 for three hours, though we parked in the marginally further away Acc Waterfront car park, which was £7 for five hours.

I'm not sure I'd go on a weekend or during school holidays, as it doesn't seem like it would handle that many children at any one time without them having to wait a while for everything, but on a midweek morning it was great, and we'll definitely be back.



Key Facts

Month of visit:
April

Weather for visit:
Irrelevant

Is it pushchair friendly?
There is a pushchair park on the ground floor, which we used as Baby didn't need her pram while we were going round, though some families with sleeping tiny babies did take their prams round. There was a lift to access the first floor, and everything was accessible, however I would have thought that if too many prams were in there they would start to get in the way.

How are the baby changing facilities?
There is a set of toilets on each floor, both with baby changing. The one we used was downstairs in the disabled toilet and was acceptably clean.

What about somewhere to feed?
Lots of bench seating in each room, plus the seating in the cafe, though nowhere particularly comfortable.

Is it worth a visit?
Definitely.

Baby's highlight?
The shopping trolleys or the vegetable patch.




Mattel Play! Liverpool
Albert Dock,
Liverpool,
L3 4AA

http://www.mattelplayliverpool.com

Walton Hall and Gardens

A suggestion from another Mum on Facebook led to us visiting Walton Park one overcast but dry Thursday along with two of Baby's friends, who are the same age. Daddy had a week's holiday from work so he also came.

On the South side of Warrington, it took us about half an hour, though for Baby's friends, who don't live as close to the motorway as we do, it took about 40 minutes, so it's not exactly around the corner. Sat nav took us straight there, though it did take us through the crematorium, which was signposted as no through traffic, presumably because sat nav has a tendency to direct people that way.

The car park was large, and rather empty when we arrived just before 10.30am, but jam packed when we left around 2pm. Parking was a flat rate of £3 for weekdays, and £4 on weekends.

Walking past the ice cream van, we immediately encountered a very helpful map of the park. We were aiming for the play area and zoo, but also intended to visit the cafe for lunch. There was also an adventure golf course, plus a pitch n putt area, as well as large green spaces, and formal gardens.

The play area was fantastic; I was so impressed. It was huge, with lots of play equipment, and seemed in very good condition. Unlike some parks, there was plenty of space between the difference pieces of equipment, so even when it got busy later on, it still didn't feel too chaotic.

The usual pieces of play equipment were present: four baby swings, four normal swings, a see saw, a roundabout, climbing frames and slides. The single slide was set amongst several teletubby style hills, and there were a range of musical tubes. However, what really set this park apart was its suitability for toddlers. 

The main play area was described as suitable for children aged 3-7, with a separate, well equipped, area for bigger children aged 7-11, meaning that there were fewer older children tearing around the play area knocking into smaller children, which often happens at other parks. The roundabout had four enclosed seats, similar to those used for baby swings, and there was a separate climbing structure with just a couple of steps up, well placed handrails and small slides, that was perfect for toddlers.

Because the park was relatively quiet when we arrived, our babies were able to go on the slightly bigger climbing frame, with its taller slides, too, though they struggled to get up the steps or lower themselves onto the slides, independently.

The play area for older children was in a separate fenced area, so we didn't investigate it, but the kids in there were having a whale of a time.

The Children's Zoo was just past the playground. For a free zoo, it was really impressive. The enclosures were pretty large, and while the animals weren't particularly exotic, there was plenty for the babies to took at. It was quite a mix, with squirrels and rabbits alongside ferrets and chickens, in addition to farmyard staples such as horses, goats, donkeys and pigs. Adding something a little different, the main enclosure housed three llamas. Of all things, the babies loved looking at the chickens, presumably because they moved a lot.

When tummies started to rumble, we headed for the Heritage Cafe. It was bigger than expected, with a reasonable variety of toasties, panini, and sandwiches. There were also hot sausage rolls and pasties, and children's lunch bags ready made up, featuring sandwiches, yoghurts and jelly pouches. Three sandwiches and two drinks cost around £14, so the food prices were very reasonable.

All in all, a very successful day out. The free zoo was a lovely addition to the park, and the play area was excellent. We'll definitely be back.




Key Facts

Month of visit:
April

Weather for visit:
Overcast but dry.

Is it pushchair friendly?
Very, paths are wide and flat.

How are the baby changing facilities?
There are toilets next to the play area, and near the cafe. We used the baby changing in the female toilets near the cafe. They were acceptably clean but very cold.

What about somewhere to feed?
Plenty of benches around the park, and the cafe had some comfortable chairs.

Is it worth a visit?
Definitely.

Baby's highlight?
The swings.



Walton Hall and Gardens,
Walton Lea Road,
Higher Walton,
Warrington,
Cheshire,
WA4 6SN


https://www.warrington.gov.uk/waltongardens

Disneyland Paris

I've been to Disneyland Paris twice before, both times with my best friend. The first time was 2010, the second 2014, when I was ten weeks pregnant. This was Daddy's first trip to DLP though, and obviously Baby's first trip too!

Travel
We live in the North West, so booked flights with Air France. They stored a buggy in the hold for free for us, and by paying for the Standard fare for myself (i.e. with luggage), Baby also got a small hold case included. Their flight times were more toddler friendly than Easyjet’s, who seemed to have very early morning or very late evening flights, rather than the multiple available daytime flights AirFrance had. AirFrance partners with Flybe to run the same flights, so it’s worth comparing their prices.

AirFrance fly out of terminal three at Manchester Airport. The long stay car park is only a five minute walk from the terminal entrance, which is easier than getting the shuttle bus which is also provided. Terminal three is very small, with limited dining opportunities, though there was a ‘children’s area’ with a TV screen.

Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle was a tale of two halves. Check in, passport control and security were an absolute nightmare with huge queues. We were lucky in that we could put DD in a sling so she couldn’t run off. Through security, the terminal was light and airy, with plenty of seats and space. Easyjet fly out of terminal 2D, which I remember as being a lot trickier to navigate, with several security points, and fewer dining options.

We booked a shared transfer with RS Transports. They met us at the terminal, and dropped us at our hotel, and the same in reverse. No fuss, and it took around 40 minutes each way. There is a train from the airport direct to DLP which only takes 10 minutes, but we figured by the time we'd walked to the station, waited for a train, and then walked from the station to the hotel, it would take the same time, and be much easier, especially travelling with a toddler. And although we booked a shared transfer, we had the minivan to ourselves each way.


Hotel
We stayed in Sequoia Lodge, mainly to give ourselves the option of a pool if Baby didn’t enjoy the parks. I would always choose to stay on site for the possibility of walking to and from the parks, rather than having to get on the shuttle buses, especially with a pushchair at the busiest times of the day.

I know some people rave about Sequoia Lodge’s theming, but to be honest it didn’t do anything for me, and I’m not sure it would appeal to children either. The Cheyenne (Wild West theme) or the Santa Fe (Cars theme) would have been much more appealing for her, especially given her love of Cars. But there is no pool at those hotels, nor are they as close as Sequoia to the entrance of the parks, though it is a scenic extra ten minutes of a walk. So I guess it’s a choice of deciding your priorities.

There was a ‘children’s corner’ at one end of the lobby, but whenever we passed by there was nothing there but a few children sized tables and chairs, often occupied by adults waiting for their transfers.

The lobby was on level 2, with rooms on levels 1 upwards. The restaurant was on level 1, but it wasn’t accessible using the main lift. With a pushchair, to get to the restaurant, and the main exit to the parks, you had to take the main lifts to level 2, then take a tiny single lift, with room for only one pushchair at a time, to the restaurant level. To get outside, you also had to battle through the long queues outside the restaurant at breakfast and teatime, which was not easy with a pushchair. We found an alternative route a few days in, which was to take the main lift down to level 1, then go along the room corridor until you found an exit door, which would take you out of the side wing of the hotel. For this reason, I would hesitate to accept a room on level 1, if it was on this main corridor, as I suspect it gets a lot of through traffic.

The room itself was comfortable, with two double beds, though we put one of the mattresses on the floor for DD, who is too big for a travel cot but not yet in a bed at home. The bath was a good size, and there was a reasonable amount of storage for all DD’s clothes. There weren’t enough plug sockets though for all the appliances we needed (monitor for lullabies, Groegg, phone chargers etc. Take an extension lead (not a power cube, they don’t fit in the most convenient socket underneath the TV). It was extremely warm in our room, the Groegg said 22 consistently, despite us having the thermostat set to 18, the lowest it would go. Baby was in her 1 tog sleeping bag, rather than the 2.5, so I was glad we’d taken both.

Locationwise, Sequoia Lodge was great. Obviously the Disneyland Hotel has the prime spot, but at the edge of Lake Disney, we were only a fifteen minute walk (ten at my pace) from the park entrances, and going back to our room for a little break during the day felt completely doable.

We’d paid extra for a Golden Forest room, and we found that it was well worth the money. The separate breakfast room meant no queues, which was extremely useful with Baby, as the queue for normal breakfast was extremely long whenever we passed it. The Golden Forest lounge also gave us an extra space in which to relax, and for Baby to run around in, in addition to our room. Plus we found the hotel fast passes invaluable when riding the thrill rides Baby couldn’t do, as we could just pop and do these whenever Baby fell asleep in her pushchair, without having to schedule in a return time.

Disneyland Parc

We’d taken Baby to Alton Towers CBeebies land and to Winter Wonderland, so we were pretty confident that she’d like (or at least wouldn’t hate) the rides. She’d also come across a couple of large characters previously, without screaming, and her favourite cuddly was Minnie Mouse. Excluding those rides she was too little for, her reactions were as follows:

Fantasyland
Snow White - We didn’t try this as we thought it would be too scary, and always had 40 minute queues.
Pinocchio - As for Snow White.
Dragon’s Lair - It was too dark for Baby to be able to see anything, and we didn’t experience the dragon making any kind of noise.
Peter Pan - The safety bar was at face height, and the jerky ride meant Baby was in danger of head butting it at every turn. She wasn’t happy by the end of the ride, trying to get onto my knee for a cuddle.
Dumbo - No reaction whatsoever.
Carrousel - She loved watching it, but the long wait to start caused her to grow restless.
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle - She enjoyed looking at the stained glass windows.
Tea Cups - Complete indifference.
Alice’s Curious Labyrinth - She enjoyed this to begin with, but was in danger of being pushed over by bigger kids running past, as most of the paths aren’t too wide.
It’s A Small World - Baby’s favourite ride. There was so much she wanted to look at she didn’t know which way to turn.
Meet Mickey Mouse - We met Mickey during EMH so didn’t feel the need to meet him twice.
Princess Pavilion - Baby has no interest in the princesses so with 2 hour waits we didn’t bother.
Adventureland
Swiss Family Robinson’s Tree House - We didn’t get chance to experience this.
Aladdin’s Passage - Baby was asleep while we did this.
Adventure Isle - Not pushchair friendly at all and the multiple entrances to the dark caves didn’t make it very toddler friendly.

Discovery landBuzz Lightyear - Complete indifference, despite loving the Toy Story films.
Orbitron - Baby loved it, particularly feeling the wind in her hair.
Les Mysteres du Nautilus - Nothing caught her attention, we were in and out within five minutes.
Autopia - She loved it, especially looking at all the scenery.

Frontierland
Phantom Manor - Complete indifference, despite the macabre sights. Some kids screamed and cried in the stretching room though.
Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing - We didn’t manage to fit this in due to the torrential rain we had every day.


Walt Disney Studios Park

Production Courtyard
Cinemagique - I didn’t think that Baby would sit still for the duration of the show so we didn’t bother.
Disney Junior Live on Stage - This was great for toddlers. They got to dance with Princess Sophia in the waiting room, then watch puppets of various Disney Junior shows, whilst having the opportunity to let off some steam. Plus it was indoors, so a good place to dodge the rain.
Stitch Live - We didn’t get chance to see this.

Backlot
Moteurs Action - Baby loved the Cars segment, but it was too brief and she lost interest in the rest of the show.

Toon Studio
Cars Quatre Roues Rallye - Excellent theming, and a faster ride than anticipated. Baby loved it.
Flying Carpets - One of the few rides open before official opening time, it had too long a queue for us to give it a go, especially given DD”s non reaction to Dumbo.
Art of Animation - We didn’t think Baby would sit through this.
Ratatouille - Baby really didn’t enjoy this. It was a smooth ride but perhaps the effects were too much for her, or maybe she didn’t really appreciate them because she couldn’t wear the glasses.

Toy Story Playland
Toy Soldier Parachute Drop - We didn’t try this as Daddy was worried about Baby falling out of the restraints.
Slinky Dog - Baby absolutely hated this.


Characters
The characters were all wonderful with Baby. They are obviously well used to toddlers, and crouched down once they saw Baby approaching them. They let her come to them, so she could approach them at her own pace, and were more than happy for her to pat their nose, touch their whiskers, give them cuddles etc. Baby absolutely loved them all, apart from Eeyore for some reason.

Baby Changing
We didn’t use the baby care centres in the parks, but did use the changing facilities which are present in all toilets throughout the park. I’d read that all toilets, male and female, had changing facilities, but Daddy always said the toilets he used didn’t have them. Make of that what you will. Essentially the changing facilities were just a space next to the sinks, with a lip to stop your baby rolling off. No cushioned pad etc, and some of them weren’t really long enough to accommodate a baby.


Food
We didn’t have a meal plan, and we only had one reservation booked, at Inventions, as we didn’t want to be tied to eating at specific times.

Inventions was incredible in terms of character interaction, and being able to meet multiple characters without having to queue. It was very expensive, but for a one off so Baby could meet Minnie it was absolutely worth it, even if the food was a bit hit and miss.

We ate at counter service restaurants for lunch, trying to eat around 11/11.30, when the restaurants first opened, to beat the lunch time rush. Counter service allowed us to share meals, and pick and choose what to buy. It wasn’t the best quality but it did the job.

Evenings we tended to avoid table service restaurants as we didn’t think Baby would do too well being confined to a high chair for too long. We ate at Earl of Sandwich, McDonalds, Rainforest Cafe and Vapiano. Earl of Sandwich was great, McDonalds as expected. Rainforest Cafe had excellent theming and decent food, though it was expensive, and Vapiano was disappointing, but I’d give it a second chance, sitting upstairs near the children's area, and ordering pizza, not pasta.


Summary
We had a wonderful family holiday and I would recommend, without hesitation, visiting DLP with a toddler. Baby may not have enjoyed all of the rides as much as I had hoped, but her absolute delight at seeing the characters, Minnie in particular, definitely made the trip worthwhile. Baby might not remember it but Daddy and Mummy will always remember her face when she first spotted Minnie, and we've got some wonderful family memories.

Key Facts

Month of visit:
February/March

Weather for visit:
Warmer than expected, we didn't need our ski jackets and snow boots, but torrential rain most days, though the day we left was sunny and bright.

Is it pushchair friendly?
Very, though you'll have to leave your pushchair in the parking areas before going on all rides, and experiencing some attractions.

How are the baby changing facilities?
Plentiful throughout the park, though a bit basic. There are baby care centres in each park which I believe are very well equipped and comfortable.

What about somewhere to feed?
Lots of benches about, if you're comfortable feeding in public, or there are the baby care centres.

Is it worth a visit?
100% 

Baby's highlight?
Meeting Minnie Mouse



Disneyland Paris
Marne-la-Vallee,
Paris,
France

http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk