Best Cork city Santa

fieryfox

Any good Santa's to visit in Cork City? Taking my 2 nephews by train to Cork and was hoping to get in a Santa visit. Took them to the Santa Experience (top floor Dunnes) last year and they loved it but fully booked for the day i'm going it seems

Any help? City preferably as we're getting the train up rather than driving.

Thanks

fieryfox

Surely some's visited a santa in Cork city ??

pwurple

I was going to say the Santa on the top floor of Dunnes! I've been to a few Santa's around (fota house, some of the hotels at work events, douglas shopping center santa) but the only one in the city I've been to is Dunnes.

Glow Cork is on Friday, Saturday Sunday from 4pm in bishop lucey park, kids LOVE that. Takes about 30 mins, and if there is a queue it moves along fairly quickly. 4 - 4:30 has the shortest queue. Get a hot chocolate and head up the big wheel afterwards.

28srf0c

Go to the Santa in Irish Guide Dogs on Model Farm Road of a weekend. Good craic for kids. Plus doggies.

Roger Hassenforder

Went to Cork North Pole yesterday.
Kids really enjoyed it, but I've mixed feelings.

Positives:
Very friendly staff, lovely cosy place, slick and well presented.
Some make and do as they went around
Very nice Santa, came down a chimney and all, kids very impressed.
Kids got to choose their present*

Negatives:
*Fairly rubbish present for the price!
10euro for the foto at the end, I assumed (naively? Is this the norm?) it was included in the not cheap price.
Several families in the room with Santa at same time; strange getting your foto taken with 4 or 5 families looking on.


Anyone else been?

.red.

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Went to Cork North Pole yesterday.
Kids really enjoyed it, but I've mixed feelings.

Positives:
Very friendly staff, lovely cosy place, slick and well presented.
Some make and do as they went around
Very nice Santa, came down a chimney and all, kids very impressed.
Kids got to choose their present*

Negatives:
*Fairly rubbish present for the price!
10euro for the foto at the end, I assumed (naively? Is this the norm?) it was included in the not cheap price.
Several families in the room with Santa at same time; strange getting your foto taken with 4 or 5 families looking on.


Anyone else been?

We went there 2 years ago We thought it was very good. The price was steep but no more than other places like Fota, Leahys etc. The photo is never included, anywhere we've gone its been extra.
When we went they had Elves running a litttle toy shop with all the available presents and the kids got to chose their own, nothing there to get excited about, there never is but it was a nice change than being handed the junk in a parcel.
The group of families was a bit strange alright but Santa still spoke each individual child and family and it didnt bother us too much.
We loved it and tried to book again this year but it was full the few days we were able to go so booked Griffins. Its meant to be lovely and we had change from €30 for 2 kids and a photo. Adults are free. I was surprised somewhere that gets such good reviews was such good value.

Padraig Mor

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Went to Cork North Pole yesterday.
Kids really enjoyed it, but I've mixed feelings.

Positives:
Very friendly staff, lovely cosy place, slick and well presented.
Some make and do as they went around
Very nice Santa, came down a chimney and all, kids very impressed.
Kids got to choose their present*

Negatives:
*Fairly rubbish present for the price!
10euro for the foto at the end, I assumed (naively? Is this the norm?) it was included in the not cheap price.
Several families in the room with Santa at same time; strange getting your foto taken with 4 or 5 families looking on.


Anyone else been?

Was there Friday. Enjoyed it but not worth the money (although I doubt any of the 'expensive' places is). However, the path back to the car park after was ridiculous - basically an extremely muddy path through woods. I nearly fell several times - thought it was a bit dangerous (and mucky!) TBH.

Roger Hassenforder

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Was there Friday. Enjoyed it but not worth the money (although I doubt any of the 'expensive' places is). However, the path back to the car park after was ridiculous - basically an extremely muddy path through woods. I nearly fell several times - thought it was a bit dangerous (and mucky!) TBH.

How does it compare to the other "experiences"?
God be with the days you just went and got a foto and toy for a few quid, none of this other nonsense*


*that kids love

Forgot about the path, I was in hiking boots, grand. Kids and herself slipping and sliding a lot

Padraig Mor

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

How does it compare to the other "experiences"?
God be with the days you just went and got a foto and toy for a few quid, none of this other nonsense*


*that kids love

Forgot about the path, I was in hiking boots, grand. Kids and herself slipping and sliding a lot

It was somewhat better than the Dunnes Santa in town (where we went the last couple of years) - but not forty flipping euro better!

pwurple

Is Cork north pole the place at Cuskinny?

We went to the halloween thing there, kind of as a tester for santa. The walk to the carpark was definitely wrecked back then. I think it's more of an interactive show or a play with actors. Mine are still too small to get any value from it.

Truckermal

Padraig Mor wrote: »

It was somewhat better than the Dunnes Santa in town (where we went the last couple of years) - but not forty flipping euro better!

We went to Fota on Saturday actually I was going to ring you but we were there for ages. It was amazing and we'll worth the money the amount of thought that went into it was unbelievable making it a fantastic experience for everyone.

Fine hotel too actually we would have stayed only I had work on Sunday.

.red.

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Was there Friday. Enjoyed it but not worth the money (although I doubt any of the 'expensive' places is). However, the path back to the car park after was ridiculous - basically an extremely muddy path through woods. I nearly fell several times - thought it was a bit dangerous (and mucky!) TBH.

The time we went it was wet but they had a little road train that collected you at the car park and dropped you to the house and back down when we were done. No mucky paths to deal with that i remember. Maybe we were parked in a dry spot?

Roger Hassenforder

pwurple wrote: »

Is Cork north pole the place at Cuskinny?

We went to the halloween thing there, kind of as a tester for santa. The walk to the carpark was definitely wrecked back then. I think it's more of an interactive show or a play with actors. Mine are still too small to get any value from it.

Aye, a train up, but feck off on your own back down the mucky path.
My youngest is 3.5, a lot of it went over her head, but she lived the "baking" and "toy making".

Don't know what has me annoyed most, all the families in the room with Santa, ****e present, or the price gouging for the foto at the end ( although this seems normal). At €20/sprog x 3, and €17/adult, I wasn't expected to have another tenner extracted from me for a foto of my fat face and gurning kids.
So possibly this.