London Calling

Not much will get me out of bed at 4.30 on a Saturday morning. But after our last trips to Shrek’s Adventure on London’s Southbank we were very excited to see how their Christmas grotto would compare to others we’ve been to and believe me we have tried a few in the last 7 years.

Surprise Surprise

We’d told the kids that we were off to see Shrek again as were unsure what exactly to expect with the grotto experience. If you haven’t tried Shreks Adventure yet you should for the fantastic characters alone. It starts off with a 4D bus ride, before what I can only describe, as a walk round theatrical experience where the attention to detail of the set is second to none as well as the magical special effects. Check out my first review for more details.

Magical Experience

With Wilba now 3 and The Boy 7 we knew this might be one of the last years that he would still ‘really’ believe in Father Christmas so unfortunately the garden center Santa wasn’t going to cut it this year.  An extra special adventure was called for!  The Grotto experience can be booked as an add on and is good value you for money when purchasing the tour.

Online savings

Don’t worry if you haven’t booked online though. You enter into the grotto after the tour and there is a ticket booth in the departures area of the Dreamworks adventure. Like most attractions its always cheaper to book online, Shreks adventure do lots of different packages for other attractions and merchandise too so its definitely worth being prepared.

What to expect

The Grotto is decorated with the same level of detail as the rest of the attraction. I don’t want to give too much away but you will see some popular Dreamworks characters in there and an adorable Shrek snowman. The actors are always enthusiastic and entertaining and the elves helping at the grotto are no exception. They spent ages talking to Wilba and stopping to pose for photos before we met the big man himself.

Father Christmas was welcoming warm and Jolly. Wilba took no time in reeling out her wish list as the others looked on patiently. We crammed in with Ruth and Lisas’s family (dont forget to check out their reviews too) as we had come together, but still took time to speak to all the children. After high 5’s all round the visit ended with Father Christmas handing out gifts, beautifully wrapped in Shrek-themed wrapping paper. I wont tell you what the gifts are but we did see ours later in the gift shop for more than the ticket price alone!

How to book

The Kids always love meeting Shrek at the end of the Tour but there’s something about that big Green onion shaped Ogre in a red hat and suit that makes it even more magical. I can highly recommend the Tour and the Grotto is a fabulous add on!

You can book a visit to Santa at Shrek’s Adventures online in advance on the day as an add on to your child’s admission ticket. Prices start at £20. 50 direct from the website and  24.50 with Grotto experience. Pre-booking is strongly advised to save money and avoid disappointment. Dont forget a Merlin Pass will get you into all these attractions for the year. I hear there’s a Black Friday sale on. If not as mentioned there’s packages on the website including other attractions like the sea life center which is still firmly on my list of things to do in London. Whats on yours?

Disclaimer: We visited Shrek’s Adventure! London and the grotto as a gifted trip for the purpose of this review.