If we had gone on a mellow Tuesday night, probably totally worth it. The actual thing itself was very neat to see and cool but what we had to go through to get there....................no ma'am.
It was soooo crowded. So we get there and are welcomed by a line I swear was a football field long. It was only by chance that we heard someone in the line say "Can you believe this isn't the line for tickets?! This is the line to get in. The ticket line is over there!" Thank goodness she said that....
So we go to the ticket line. At this point is had to be 5:45 or so. While in the line, an announcer tells us that they are sold out until the 6:30 showing. When we finally get to buy our tickets, they are actually sold out 'til the 7:00 showing. So we buy our tickets and decide we will all go find something to munch on. I was already a little concerned about Alex. I knew putting him in a 9 degree room could go entirely wrong, but waiting around a boring crowded place for a couple of hours and THEN putting him in a 9 degree room could go really wrong. Especially since I didn't have a full diaper bag. I was only planning on being gone 2 hours max.
Shame on the Gaylord for the way they handled this. There was one regularly priced restaurant available. (The rest are their fancy schmancy steakhouse type places) The wait for this was an hour and ten. Then they had a coffee shop. No way we were all going to fit in there. Then they had a vendor type stand out. I don't even want to get started here but all I will say is the gal behind the counter was strug-uh-ling. We finally get our food and there is absolutely no place in this entire hotel to sit and eat it. I mean they are expecting hundreds upon hundreds of people to show up and there is the line a mile long with nothing but masses of empty floor space around it, and not one chair in site. I mean everywhere you look; empty floor space. So, we found a set of carpeted stairs leading up to a ballroom and sat on those with our makeshift dinner.
It is now almost time for the 7:00 showing so we get up and get in line. And we wait. And we wait. Finally we are allowed into a room. BUT! Then we get in line there. We wait in line to get out of this room only to turn the corner and wait in another line to get the jackets they issue before you go in that room. In the middle of this line is where I was told strollers are not allowed in. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT! So all of things I had to keep Alex and myself warm, my purse, etc. had to be carried the entire time?
We finally get our coats, and poor Alex is winding down. Putting this thing on didn't help. He was already irritated and then putting a jacket on him that basically made him move like the kid in 'A Christmas Carol' except Alex had an even greater disadvantage of his hands not even coming out of the sleeves. Too add to that: put on a puffy nylon full body jacket. THEN , put your toddler in the same thing. THEN try to pick him up. Good luck. It really should be part of one of those crazy Japanese game show challenges.
We did finally get inside and it was pretty neat, but like I said, what it took to get there was not worth it on a Sat. night. If we had gone on say a Wednesday and waiting a half hours for this adventure, then maybe. PLUS, we were very lucky that Alex was having a very good night and exited the entire thing with at least a smile on his face once we got him out of that jacket.
SO! Don't go. I'll save you the trouble. See pictures below!
This was right near the end. I am fine. Alex, however, is doing the famuos toddler move called "arch you back to make things even more difficult"
Daddy and Alex
Zachary and the dog!
Amanda, Jason, and Tristen
A Who
The ice tunnell
Again, the dog.
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch......
Whos at the train in Whoville
Dad and his twin brother, The Grinch
The Nativity
