Is Sesame Place worth the money?

[suzubell]

I'd pick idlewild and soak zone in ligonier, pa if you are coming this way. They have Daniel tiger and lots of fun kids stuff. It's cheaper and more laid back. Bonus -- we could have a Pittsburgh gtg there!

[chickens987]

I don't know about Sesame place, but we took DD to dutch wonderland last summer and she LOVED it. Definitely recommend.

[anna7602]

DD loves both Sesame Place and Dutch Wonderland (since PP mentioned that). There are a fair amount of coupons out there, but my friends in Philly are usually getting these for me. I can't remember the coupon sources or if I've seen offers up here in NY.

I have not been to Hershey Park since I was in HS, but I do remember loving Sesame Place more than Hershey as a kid.

[countthestars]

Everyone on here raves about it but I thought it was super tiny! I guess we were there in spring so the water park half wasn't open yet but I was still surprised at how small it was compared to other theme parks.

[thebreakfastclub]

May 16, 2016 11:04:26 GMT -5 suzubell said:

I'd pick idlewild and soak zone in ligonier, pa if you are coming this way. They have Daniel tiger and lots of fun kids stuff. It's cheaper and more laid back. Bonus -- we could have a Pittsburgh gtg there!

Oh I'd be in, we have season passes to Idlewild! I love how the toddler stuff is laid out, it's easy to get around and very shady and picnic friendly.

[anna7602]

May 16, 2016 11:09:25 GMT -5 countthestars said:

Everyone on here raves about it but I thought it was super tiny! I guess we were there in spring so the water park half wasn't open yet but I was still surprised at how small it was compared to other theme parks.

This is what makes it great with small kids, IMO. I feel like it's not too overwhelming. I don't think I'm ready to try to tackle Great Adventure yet with my kids.

[Deleted]

I hope so! We are going this year and the trip is costing more than we initially expected. But we did buy the fast pass like thing "Abby queue" to avoid waiting in long lines with little kids and that added a lot!

[thebreakfastclub]

I am on the other side of PA and haven't been, but I know plenty of people who go year after year and are willing to make a 6+ hour trip for it.

[moopoint17]

Sesame Place is worth it for young kids. But if you can swing buying the Abby Queue passes, I would. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience! My kids hate waiting in lines, but it's definitely pricy.

[Deleted]

May 16, 2016 11:17:41 GMT -5 moopoint17 said:

Sesame Place is worth it for young kids. But if you can swing buying the Abby Queue passes, I would. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience! My kids hate waiting in lines, but it's definitely pricy.

Glad to hear the Abby queue is worth it! It was pricey but waiting in long line with a 4yo and 2 yo sounds worse than spending the money!

[lala]

Eh, we are not huge fans. We only live a half an hour away and have never paid more than $10pp b/c my SIL has season passes and gets the chance to buy cheap tickets sometimes. Unless my kid were obsessed with sesame characters, I don't know that I'd make a special trip. I'll say, though, one reason I do dislike it is that there are so many rules w/ heights - same as Hershey Park. I'm just so used to Disney were there are only a few rides you need a certain height for.

All of that said, my kids had fun and we did still have an enjoyable time - I just wouldn't be willing to drive far, pay full price, etc.

[kershnic]

We had fun at the water park stuff last summer (my kids were 18 months, my nephews were 5). The rides were so-so, but if I were just looking for rides I'd go to a boardwalk amusement park and pay per ride instead.

[simpsongal]

I think there's a waterslide at Burke lake too - so check that out for a local event.

I don't really remember our childhood trip to Sesame Place....I think I got heat stroke though.

[auntie]

I like the approachable size for toddlers.

DS loved Sesame Place and he wasn't much into the characters. We had a season pass through preschool and often went for a couple hours in the evening after the hoards left to go home to North Jersey and New York. It was quieter and I could skip sunscreen- a win in my book.

The Halloween thing is fun, but there's otherwise kind of no point until the water features open. Best time to visit is late June; it's way more crowded in July and even worse in August.

Not a fan of Dutch Wonderland. It's changed hands twice since I was last there. It was kind of run down and creepy. DS loved Hershey from preschool on. I wouldn't do Hershey with a toddler.

Sesame has an annual Autism-friendly day. You just missed it, but it's worth looking for for next year. You can find information at their website and the Variety Club of Philadelphia.

[CloudBee]

I think bronxgirl had season passes for a few consecutive summers?

[geek96]

We've down both Dutch Wonderland and Sesame a few times. I vastly prefer Dutch Wonderland. It is an easier park to navigate and DS had a blast last summer. We are planning another trip soon.

[bronxgirl]

May 16, 2016 11:31:51 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

I think bronxgirl had season passes for a few consecutive summers?

Yes, we've been going for the last 5 summers, the last 3 we had season passes. We love it. Although it's small, I still feel like it's hard to fit in everything we want to do. They have three shows, a parade, a smaller storytime, regular rides, water rides, character meet and greets, and a climbing area that my daughter loves.  I highly recommend it.

[Deleted]

swizz I haven't been with my kids, but I have many many happy memories of going there as a child with my godparents. We went with them 3-4x each summer from age 4-8. I remember really loving it. If it was closer to us we would go for sure!

[redheadbaker]

DS loves, loves, loves Sesame Place. We spent a full 9-hour day there last summer, and went for the Halloween event in the fall. He's already asking when we're going again.

Whether it's worth the money will be kid-dependent, though. DS loves water slides, roller coasters, etc., so we go on just about every single ride, which makes it worth the money for us (actually, we're getting a season pass)

[jinkies]

I live about 30 minutes from Sesame Place. I only took my kids to there once, and I was very underwhelmed, especially for the cost. It's small, crowded, and expensive. Full Disclosure: we went in the fall, so only the dry rides were open.

We strongly prefer Dutch Wonderland. We go there every year and there are plenty of rides appropriate for a 3 year old.

[anna7602]

May 16, 2016 13:46:48 GMT -5 @marshmallows said:

DD loves the rides. There are so many appropriate for her age and I feel like that's a rarity (although I have not been to other amusement parks, haha). We get the Abby passes to skip the line and afterwards we go to the Chilis across the street for dinner and a drink (which you will need after being at Sesame Place).

Omg, you are so brilliant. Why have I just gotten in my car and driven back to NYC afterwards?

[leonard131]

May 16, 2016 11:06:06 GMT -5 chickens987 said:

I don't know about Sesame place, but we took DD to dutch wonderland last summer and she LOVED it. Definitely recommend.

This!  We were just at Dutch Wonderland this past weekend and M had the most amazing time.  It was perfect.  It is meant for younger kids and they can go on pretty much all the rides, they cute shows and it isn't huge so you don't feel overwhelmed. A PP said it seemed rundown but I have to say we were really amazed at how clean and nice everything was.  I am not an amusement park fan and I was impressed. Also wasn't that expensive compared to other parks. 

I will say don't ride the Frog  Spinning ride.  M threw up after  And this morning he was giving his nanny an earful about the "bad turtles". 

[birdmom]

If you go after 3:00 or something, the tickets are very, very discounted. If you live close (we live about 45 minutes away), this might be a thought, because the lines aren't as long, it's not as hot (in the summer), and they still have all of the parades and stuff. I think they have the schedule and pricing and hours on the website. We did this a few times, and it worked out great!

[chickens987]

May 16, 2016 14:31:10 GMT -5 leonard131 said:

May 16, 2016 11:06:06 GMT -5 chickens987 said:

I don't know about Sesame place, but we took DD to dutch wonderland last summer and she LOVED it. Definitely recommend.

This!  We were just at Dutch Wonderland this past weekend and M had the most amazing time.  It was perfect.  It is meant for younger kids and they can go on pretty much all the rides, they cute shows and it isn't huge so you don't feel overwhelmed. A PP said it seemed rundown but I have to say we were really amazed at how clean and nice everything was.  I am not an amusement park fan and I was impressed. Also wasn't that expensive compared to other parks. 

I will say don't ride the Frog  Spinning ride.  M threw up after  And this morning he was giving his nanny an earful about the "bad turtles". 

My M made H go on it three times. When she wanted a fourth ride, I spelled him and then had to go lie down on a bench for 30 minutes until the nausea passed.

[ECB]

We took Ds when he was 3. It's a great park for young kids. We've also been to Dutch wonderland. Nice park too. But ds liked the water part of sesame better.

[Deleted]

Dd loves it but I scared her with the giant water slide. I think it's worth the money. We actually got tickets through AAA and they were for 2 days. We went back for xmas. I think it's really cute and fun.

[jenn248]

May 16, 2016 11:23:24 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

I think there's a waterslide at Burke lake too - so check that out for a local event.

I don't really remember our childhood trip to Sesame Place....I think I got heat stroke though.

My main memory of my childhood trip to Sesame Place is throwing up in the car on the ride there.  

swizz, I haven't been to either in ages, but from what I've heard from friends, I'll echo everyone else in recommending Dutch Wonderland.  If you end up going to Lancaster, I think some a few of the ladies on our local board have done Lancaster trips - I want to say there's a Thomas the Train you can ride?  If you do end up going to Sesame Place and want add another day onto your trip, I've heard good things about the Crayola Experience. 

[auntie]

May 16, 2016 14:39:14 GMT -5 birdmom said:

If you go after 3:00 or something, the tickets are very, very discounted. If you live close (we live about 45 minutes away), this might be a thought, because the lines aren't as long, it's not as hot (in the summer), and they still have all of the parades and stuff. I think they have the schedule and pricing and hours on the website. We did this a few times, and it worked out great!

This.

I lived in Langhorne when DS was little. We did Sesame instead of a pool club. DH traveled a lot, so DS and I used to hit the park with a picnic dinner around 4pm; it was so much less annoying later in the day.

[bronxgirl]

May 16, 2016 15:17:56 GMT -5 jenn248 said:

May 16, 2016 11:23:24 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

 If you do end up going to Sesame Place and want add another day onto your trip, I've heard good things about the Crayola Experience. 

We did that one year- a day at Sesame and a day at Crayola. It was really fun. The two places are an hour apart, but I think we spent the day at SP than drove to Easton at night, spent the night there and went to Crayola the next day.

[memenee]

My kids prefer Dutch Wonderland. I found sesame place gets crazy in the summer with bus loads of campers.