Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland - Worth all the Fuss?
So Christmas 2016 came and went (very fast) which means so has the opportunitiy to visit Winder Wonderland, well, at lease until the end of the year.
A lot of people always ask "Is Winder Wonderland really worth the money?" or "Isn't it just for kids?". I am amongst the majority who feel that Winter Wonderland is totally worth the money - if you spend right, that is!
Iv'e been to Winter Wonderland a couple of times now and each time was a little different. The first time was with Rashad a couple of years ago and the second was more recently with my three nephews, my mum and sister.
Winter Wonderland is set up in London's ever famous Hyde Park which means that it's quite easy to get to from all over London. Since the park is so large, there are several bus stops near by, as well as stations which include Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line), Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line), Queensway (Central Line) and Lancaster Gate (Central Line). Unless you live near by, I would say train is your best bet with transport.
We had pre-booked circus tickets so made our way straight to the circus tent upon arrival. As well as Zippo's Circus, Winter Wonderland also offer pre-bookable tickets for another circus show, Ice Bar, Magical Kingdom, Ice Skating, Dancing on Ice and a few other attractions. Don't worry if you're not a "pre-book" kind of person, you can also turn up and pay for these attractions on the day you visit - it just means seats are subject to availability and you may have to pay a little more. In my opinion, booking ahead is always the best best to avoid disappointment and to get the best price!
The circus show was really good but also really short. We chose Zippos this time as we thought the kids would really love it - which they did! If you are planning on visiting with kids, Zippos is your best bet as they are more of a "family circus". There's a lot of audience interaction and panto-style acts. There were acrobatics, juggling, magicians, motorbikes, a range of different hosts and dancers also. If you are visiting without kids, you may want to ditch Zippos and watch Cirque Berserk - a more adult-like show with less juggling and more gut-wrenching performances! For all the snackers out there, don't worry, they have you covered! Snacks are sold inside of the big tent and include candy floss, popcorn, crisps and drinks. However, if you prefer to nibble on something warm, you can buy hot food and drinks outside of the tent at any of the stalls. Beware though, nowhere within the park accepts credit/debit cards so you may want to take your money out beforehand, otherwise you will be stuck looking for a cash machine within the park - and there aren't many!
As well as both circus shows, I also tried out the ice skating rink with Rashad. Now this wasn't my first time skating but it sure did feel like it. Because of the time we visited (right after two nights of torrential rain and 2 degrees weather at the best of times) the ice was extra slippery and dangerous - it was also full of water and I mean FULL. So much so, that you could not quite tell where the water started and where the ice finished. People were holding the edges of the rink and slowly dragging themselves across the slush in attempt to stay uninjured. When I say 'people', I mean us too lol. I don't think Rashad had been skating in a while and now I don't think he will skate again for a much longer while! It wasn't the best experience and I'm a little surprised Winter Wonderland didn't have any rules in place for trying to clear the water, or at least some of it. I think there was only one (or maybe two) moments whilst we were skating when I actually took my hands off of the edges and went from one side to the other - which is not like me - I love ice skating (not that I am the best by far) but I don't usually hold on to the edges. We also saw a little boy take a really hard "thud" kind of fall and then literally glide along the rink on his stomach in attempt to get back up - it was like watching Bambi trying to stand up.. on ice.
After the show, we ventured out into the rest of the park to grab some lunch and boy, was there a lot of choice! I'm talking burgers, hot dogs, chips, soups, falafels, wraps, kebabs, mulled wine, hot drinks, cold drinks, fizzy drinks, jacket potatoes (all the stuff you shouldn't have basically)! You can also bring your own food if you prefer. We settled for some burgers and chips and headed off to find somewhere cute to eat where it wasn't too cold. We found a nice sheltered dining hall, wooden with no doors, plenty of benches and a large log fire to heat you whilst you eat - very long cabin-y. From there the kids made it pretty obvious what was next - R I D E S !
The rides varied from kiddie trains to roller coasters to fun houses to big wheels. All rides inside the park will accept either tokens or tickets - no cash - another reason to make sure you withdraw money before visiting. Tickets cost £1 and each ride costs generally between 3-7 tickets/tokens. If you're a roller coaster like me, you will want to queue for those rides early as the queues are crazy, like, Thorpe Park crazy! Kinya (my oldest nephew) and I actually gave up waiting and left the queue. At least I know now for next year! Unlike most funfair rides, you really do get your money's worth as the rides are not short and actually go on for quite a while.
If you're not really into rides, there are a lot of other things to do like sampling mulled wine, walking around, shopping (there are loads of stalls selling all kids of weird and wonderful things), you could watch a show, grab some lunch and so much more!
That being said - I am definitely one of the people who are of the opinion that Winter Wonderland is totally worth the money - as long as you use that money well!
I'll be uploading another post shortly about how to enjoy Winter Wonderland on a budget, money saving hacks if you will! But in the mean time, what are your thoughts? Do you think your last trip to Winter Wonderland was worth it? Let me know!
