Summer Fun Series: Celebrating a Birthday at Sesame Place

My son turned three last week and we decided to take a family day trip to Sesame Place to celebrate.  It seemed fitting since last year, we celebrated his second birthday in Disney World.  We’re beginning  to think we very well may be on to an annual tradition here…

Familiar with the opening line of Sesame Street’s theme song?

“Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away…”

Well, not quite for the mom a la mode famiglia.

But we didn’t let a little gray sky (and later, rain) or cooler temperatures stand in our way of having fun.  In fact, we were somewhat grateful for the inclement weather, as it kept away the massive crowds and allowed us to enjoy the park without oppressive heat and long lines.

So here’s the scoop: Sesame Place is equally divided into water park area and amusement ride area. I’m not sure if it was due to the weather or just being a bit overwhelmed with all that was going on around him, but Roc wasn’t too into the water park. In fairness, there were only two or three areas that he could be an active participant, as the slides weren’t quite his cup of tea at three years young.

My kid is a rides kid.

So off went the swim diaper and on went the pull up, and off to the rides we went.

My son loved the rides.  We spun around in hot air balloons, flew around in flying Elmo fish, took several spins around the carousel and jumped around arguably the biggest bounce house we’ve ever experienced.

We also loved the “Dine with Me” Lunch with Elmo and Friends – a hot buffet lunch held indoors (read: air conditioning!) complete with a rousing dance party.  DON’T MISS IT!  The food was surprisingly tasty – our group loved the fresh turkey, mac n cheese and pulled pork – and the characters and contemporary dance music is a ton of fun.  And there’s even a dessert bar, complete with freshly baked cookies, cupcakes and a soft-serve ice cream machine with toppings.

Because it was Roc’s birthday, we pre-arranged for a special mug and balloon to be delivered to our table, along with a cupcake with candles. (Note: you could also order a birthday cake, which would be suitable for a party of six or more)  And each child gets to take home a “Dine with Me” sippy cup with their meal.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

–Half of Sesame Place is a water park, so plan accordingly: swimwear is a must. We saw many people walking around both sides of the park in different iterations of swimwear and coverups (read: it’s a relaxed dress code). You might consider doing the water rides first so you can dry off the remainder of the day.

–Comb through the website prior to heading to the park. There are many amenities, special programs and ticket packages available.

–Book your character dining experiences prior to your park visit.  I can’t thank my friend Julianne enough for this tip.

–Visit the Welcome Center upon arrival.  If you have guests with special needs (disabilities, allergies and even birthdays), the Sesame Place team can make special accommodations for you.

-There aren’t a whole lotta rides, so familiarize yourself with the show schedule and map out how you’ll spend your day.

–Don’t miss the Parade down Main Street..  Plan to set up your beach towel alongside the parade route 15-20 minutes beforehand for optimal viewing.

A question I’ve been getting from a few friends is “How did Roc do with the characters?” And my response is, a heck of a lot better than he did last year at Disney World, at two years old.  Last year on his birthday, we booked one of those lavish character breakfasts and didn’t get to enjoy it because the minute Mickey Mouse entered the room, Roc went berserk.

What a difference a year makes.

This time around, he was perfectly content being in the same room as the big, fuzzy monsters of Sesame Place, and ate like a champ.  He just didn’t care to be right next to them and forget about hugging or even dancing with them.  My Roc is a cautious boy who loves to have a good time once he’s warmed up to a situation.  It helped that his uncle, grandparents and parents were all ga-ga for the characters, slapping them high-five, dancing with them, etc. as they made their way to our table. It helped to build our boy’s confidence with them and show him that they’re not all that scary.

And it also helped that they pumped amazingly fun pop music from the speakers, and we were all dancing in our seats!

oxox

-mom a la mode

{I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  I received one complimentary park admission and three half-price park admissions for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are solely mine.}