Visiting Santa At Cork North Pole Outpost Experience | Review ♥

*We were given a complimentary visit to the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience. I was not asked to post or anything about our visit but it was so good that I am anyway!

Yesterday we were invited along to the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience, which, despite being situated in our hometown of Cobh, we had never been to before - shameful I know!

I had always heard great things about it, so I was delighted when were given the opportunity to go along and see what it was all about.

We went with our friends Louise and her son Luke - who has been Tyler's best friend ever since they were babies. I was going to leave Beau at home as sometimes his mood can be a bit hit and miss when we go to experiences like this and true to form he started whinging as soon as we got there because he couldn't run on ahead - the joy of toddlers eh!

Luckily he calmed down as the experience went on and we were all able to enjoy it.

Once you check in the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience (just showing your confirmation email on your phone) you're greeted by a friendly elf who asks you to write your elf name on a nametag - there are suggestions of names from the first letter of your name to choose from. The boys loved this and I had a little Tyler Twinkletoes on my hands!

We were then brought in through the beautifully decorated house door and into a stunning hall adorned with the most gorgeous Christmas tree - see above, isn't it magical? I think the mix of an old house, vintage decor and Christmas decorations was the perfect mix to make it feel like a magical North Pole.

The first room had two elves asleep in bunk beds and their job for the day was to clean up their room with teddies. At this stage Beau started having a meltdown so I had to go out into the hall with him while Louise stayed with the boys, but a friendly elf who could see that I was trying to calm him down brought him out a biscuit and I thought this was a lovely touch.

I felt like the whole time we were there that the staff (or elves!) really went out of their way to make sure we all had a lovely time and it was very much appreciated, especially when I was quite flustered trying to get Beau to calm down!

The next room on our elf mission was the workshop, which again was beautifully decorated with a real 'vintage Christmas' vibe with lots of lovely old Christmas stories and toys displayed.

There are three workstations where the kids get to build nutcrackers, building blocks and make their very own wooden Christmas decoration - which they also got to take home.

I think this is a lovely keepsake addition to the experience and things like that are always so appreciated.

Next we were brought on to an elf school of sorts, where the Nutcracker elf inspector came to test us on our elf and Christmas knowledge. We all passed I think! I was just thankful that Beau sat down with the boys!

The next stop on our elf journey was the kitchen where Mrs. Claus and an elf served the kids cookies which they got to decorate with icing and sprinkles - a great delight to them for sure!

Mrs. Claus read them a story while us parents enjoyed the complimentary coffee and biscuits that were on offer - another lovely touch to the experience.

Then it was time for the most magical part of the experience, where we were brought into a room with a fireplace. The children sat on the floor and letters came down the chimney, followed by Santa himself, which brought great joy to the kids. Beau squealed when he saw him which was lovely to see.

Santa gave a lovely speech on love, making the kids hold hands with their parents and it was really heart-warming and a lovely way of teaching the kids about what Christmas is really about.

It was then time for the kids to have a one-on-one with Santa and the two older boys happily sat next to Santa talking to him. Beau on the other hand refused and wouldn't stay still for a picture. I was getting a bit mortified at this stage to be honest! Santa then sat on the floor to try and entice Beau to sit too, but to no avail. We did get a picture in the end and although it's not perfect, I love the candidness of it. The boys look really happy in it and I love that - it sums up what it's all about really doesn't it.

Pictures are not included within the price of the experience and are €10 for 1 and €15 for 2. Louise and I got one each as a keepsake for the boys.

After saying goodbye to Santa we were taken into the toy shop where the boys got to choose their own gifts. I thought this was great and something I had never seen as part of a Santa experience before. Usually you're given a gift aimed at say 'Boy 5-7' and it can be anything - it's usually something Tyler doesn't like to be honest. So buy letting them chose their own gifts they were guaranteed to be happy.

The gifts on offer in the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience were fab too. Branded toys too, which was great to see. Tyler and Luke chose a Fireman Sam floor puzzle each and Beau chose a large car which he was absolutely delighted by. The toys really made the experience even more special for the kids and they haven't spotted playing with it since!

Overall, the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience really was a fab way to start off the Christmas festivities for us. If you're looking for a very welcoming, fun and interactive Santa experience to go to this year then I would highly recommend the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience.

I was really nervous about going to a room by room experience such as this with Beau but it was all very relaxed and the fact that he was able to play with toys, walk around, etc. really made him enjoy it and not complain too much! The older boys really loved it and loved the interaction with all the different characters along the way.

A big thanks to the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience for inviting us along. It was the perfect start to our Christmas!

Tickets to the Cork North Pole Outpost Experience are priced at €22 for a child, €14 for an adult (I appreciate that the adult tickets cost less for this as adults have to be present for these child-based experiences!), €10 for a toddler (12-24 months) and €8 for a baby with a gift included.

You can book your visit here.

Tyler said about the experience - "It was cool! My favourite bit was getting to pick my Fireman Sam jigsaw. It was funny getting our photo taken with Santa on the floor!"