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.
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
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
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