A day with Thomas! {Santa Cruz}

Disclosure: We were guests of Holiday Out With Thomas, however all opinions and pictures {except for the first one} are my own. 

Last Saturday we had a terrific adventure, we spent the day with Thomas on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and had a blast! We arrived early as our departure time was 12:30 p.m. and had to be there at least 15 minutes prior to boarding. While we waited we enjoyed some family fun on the activity area setup next to the Santa Cruz beach.

There were train tables with trains for children to play with, this was one of the most entertaining activities for our toddler son  -who is a Thomas and friends fan. While he was playing, our daughter did some stamping and coloring her make and take ornament. You can also decorate cookies, have your face painted, Santa Claus walks by and greets the kids. One of the most special moments was Santa Claus playing trains with the kids. 

Time went by faster than we thought and before we knew it, it was time to board the train. We loved the views from it as we sang Christmas Carols and had a visit from Santa who was giving each child a DVD with episodes of Mike the Knight. The elves were really nice too, they were giving out stickers and blowing bubbles. Half way through the ride we got "snow"! Our daughter was very excited about this.

After our train ride you can take pictures with Thomas, he is decorated for the holiday season and looking great. It is the perfect photo opportunity to get up close and you can use it as a family card too! 

We also rode the merry go round, it was lots of fun seeing how kids would try to get a brass ring from the ring dispenser on the right side. The trick is to get as many as you can and after riding the carousel you throw them at the clown's mouth to see him light up. It was the first time we'd seen something like this. It was certainly fun to watch kids try to make the clown light up.

Included with your Holiday Out With Thomas ticket is your choice to a round of miniature golf, laser tag or 12 tokens to the arcade. Our daughter and I chose to play miniature golf. It was lots of fun and a great way for us to bond. Our toddler son and Dad chose the tokens and enjoyed some arcade fun.

This was a great day with Thomas, one that makes a special memory for both our children. Riding on a Train with Thomas, meeting and chatting with Santa Claus and enjoying some family fun that is what the Holidays are all about!

Tickets for this fantastic event are $24.00 per person. Ticket price includes the round-trip Thomas train ride departing from the Boardwalk featuring interactions with Santa and his elves and all the fun mentioned above. 

The 2012 Holiday Out With Thomas dates are: Saturdays and Sundays starting on the 8th and ending on the 23rd. Train hours are: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. 

For more information about Holiday Out With Thomas visit the official event webpage or call TicketWeb at (866) 468-7630. Parking is a breeze across the street from the Boardwalk {Please keep in mind parking is separate cost and is $6.00 per car}.