Tulleys Christmas Santa Experience — Local services in Mid Sussex

Prices were £70 per child and £40 per adult. There were 4 us. Tulleys communications say allow 4-5 hours to experience everything because there's so much to do. We spent 90% of our day queuing, and very little time actually 'doing'. If we could have walked onto each activity with either no or minimal queueing we would have done every included activity in less than 2 hours. A pretty expensive 2 hours. Tulleys needs to not be so greedy and let in less people per day so that those are there can have a better experience.

The Santa experience was poor. Wait 15 minutes minimum to get pushed onto a packed trailer with another 10-12 families, and then all go and see Santa together. He'll tell you a story, you'll get a quick photo (which will cost you a minimum of £25 to buy, and you're not allowed to take your own), and then off you go outside to wait 20 minutes for the packed trailer to take you back. Hmm. Why are we waiting outside for the trailer? If the wait is that long why is Santa not spending that time talking to the children and making it a more personalised experience? Without doubt the worst Santa's grotto experience we've done.

There are trip hazards everywhere and it's really hazardous. At the entrance, in broad daylight, it is pitch black with no lighting. There is a step down that literally every person tripped down. My son, in a wheelchair, almost tipped out of it. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen - why are there no lights?!

Shows are awful. At the 'tree-mendous' show, our children wanted to leave after 10 minutes. I'm no prude, but there were numerous adult jokes that were just not funny and really out of keeping.. One of the trees was arguing with the other that she liked an angel tree topper over a star because she "likes it when ladies sit on my head". What the hell? One of numerous jokes that went down like a lead balloon with the audience and might just about be acceptable in a panto but not at a small children's santa experience day.

Staff are happy, but clueless. I overheard one lady ask a staff member when it closes, and she happily, but dimly, told her she had no idea. "Maybe 6pm?" She said. I stood queuing (again) for mulled wine in the place with the huge signage advertising it, only to get to the front and be told they don't sell mulled wine there.. Went to the sausage stall and asked if they were gluten free without the bun. The girl told me she was 99% sure they were. I told her I had coeliac disease so 99% wasn't really good enough. I asked for a packet I could look at the ingredient list for or an allergen list, she said no. The other girl said she was pretty sure that they were gf without the bun. I reiterated that "pretty sure" wasn't really good enough where allergies are concerned. Server 1 then makes a mystery call and assures me they are gf. Such ill informed staff and a lackadaisical approach to allergies is another lawsuit waiting to happen. They've got signs up saying please inform us about allergies - are they just hoping that no one asks?

Approach to disability is appalling. We queued (yes, again!) for 25 minutes for the circus, to get to the front and be told there was no wheelchair seating available so we'd need to come back to a later show. Kids were gutted so we said fine we'll go in and carry our son up the steps to the other seating. Low and behold when we go in we see that the disabled seating has been given to customers who don't need it. Disabled seating should be reserved for disabled customers, not given on a first come first served basis. If your policy means that in order for disabled customers to see the show means they have to be first in line or miss out, but able bodied people can turn up at the last minute - this is the definition of discrimination. For bear making there is no disabled access unless you specifically ask someone, then get taken in the exit against the flow so everyone has to move out the way and a spotlight is on you. The opposite of inclusivity.

Activities were poor, but I've run out of space. Avoid...

We went for my daughters birthday and wish I could give it more stars but honestly can't.

The pros: The kids enjoyed most of it. The build a bear workshop was cute. The staff were all incredible and in character. The toilets were comfy and clean. The Circus was short but really good. The site itself and decorations etc were good

The cons: The price for what you get is really high considering the prices once you're in there are astronomical too.

Santa visit is in a group; after a very crowded tractor (sleigh) ride lasting all of 2 minutes, a group of people go into the cabin to wake up santa who then tells us a story. Kids get to have their picture taken (you are not allowed to take your own so you can then buy the one they take, not even a professional photographer but taken with a booth). No chance for the kids to tell Santa what they want; but they get a token which then they can use to either build a bear or pick a toy from his workshop.

The discovery your inner elf was literally a queue to get into another queue to walk through an indoor Christmas tree path collecting stamps for the kids then to get a plastic badge telling them what kind if elf they were.

The secret elf garden was another queue to then queue through yet another indoor tree pathway with special paper glasses which make the Xmas lights appear as either santa or snowmen. You don't even get to keep the glasses.

Reindeer food making was a one for all of tablets set up with a seeds/corn etc for the kids to fill up a small plastic bag and then a lovely lady tied them up with ribbon. It felt like carnage.

Ginger bread cookie decorating. 1 stale ginger bread man, 1 small tube of icing and 1 pot containing 8 small sweets. Also felt chaotic, crowded and rushed.

The 3D cinema was perhaps aimed at younger kids but my 11 and 8 year old thought it was naff.

All in all, after paying over 200 quid for the experience I was expecting a little more. The food and drinks were ridiculously overpriced and other than the toy they got to make it was all a bit dissapointing. There's a competition to find hidden elves throughout the park (14 of them) and if you get them all you get a prize, a small christmas themed rubber duck.

Ice skating was extra, the rides had to be paid for, the photo with Santa isn't cheap etc.

I think next year for a bit extra we will to Legoland or Chessington and at least get to go in some rides/see...

I wanted to give more stars, but it was just so overpriced and disappointing! Maybe it’s because we came so near Christmas and everyone is just tired?

Once you enter you still pay for basically everything, and the main Santa experience was so… mass-produced like a conveyor belt experience with just so little magic.

On the plus side, the apple juice cider was nice but a thimble sized cup for £4 is silly.

Gravel was hard to push a buggy around on, and under 3s really should be cheaper as they can’t do a lot of the rides or entertainment, but a positive was that the loos were kept clean and staff were kind and friendly.

Jeez.. the circus was.. I mean the man was bouncing a football at one point.. that’s not a circus act come on. The outfits again, repurposed from any old show.

So so over-sold that the ques made it miserable for young children to wait for everything including the toy - after the awful thin 21 year old Santa in a cheap suit and crap wig (nice though he was) the story was terrible, then that’s it.. !? out the back door all 25 of you go to just…stand there queuing yet again, such a bizarre flat experience.. all that money for a tractor that looks like a tractor with a basic sleigh picture stuck on the side… off we toddled back onto the overcrowded naff tractor then to wander about trying to find where to go to.. you guessed it- $$ buy $$ a photo from our “experience” with crap Santa. All the decor is repurposed from other yearly events obviously cutting down costs (clever business-wise but seen one event, seen it all essentially), elves off duty just wandering round out of character, rides cost money, even the marshmallows are £1.50 each (how lovely would it be to give everyone a complimentary marshmallow to roast on entrance.. would cost pennies...