A mother has delivered a candid assessment of her family's trip to the renowned Lapland UK attraction in Ascot, detailing a day filled with festive magic that was ultimately compromised by significant queues and a disorganised Santa visit.
A Festive Wonderland
Charlotte Briscoe documented her experience on TikTok after visiting the Berkshire site with her young son. She described the attraction as absolutely beautiful, praising the meticulous staging, elaborate costumes, and immersive theatrical elements that created a gorgeous fantasy world.
The day began with collecting passports for various activities. Charlotte highlighted the toy-making session with elves as an adorable and sweet experience, watching presents head off to Santa. Her son's favourite activity proved to be cookie decorating, which featured wonderful actors and generated tremendous fun and excitement.
The Magical Experience
The family explored multiple attractions within the elves' village, including an ice rink, sweet shop, gift shop, and café. Another cherished moment involved children writing letters to Father Christmas using provided pens and pencils before posting them in a beautiful postbox.
Charlotte emphasised how the detailed storyline made all the children's eyes light up, calling the overall setup magical. She acknowledged the event as a fully immersive theatrical experience lasting up to four and a half hours, exactly as advertised on Lapland UK's website.
The Disappointing Reality
However, the experience took a negative turn during the highly anticipated Father Christmas meeting. Despite arriving during their designated timeslot, they encountered very long queues and were told to come back later.
Charlotte reported chaotic organisation with staff calling for children who didn't exist and crowded waiting rooms. She expressed disappointment that despite the sold-out event and known attendance numbers, the Santa visit involved being herded around and waiting in cramped conditions for extended periods.
In her video caption, Charlotte summarised that while the event was beautiful with incredible detail, the queues spoiled it for them. Considering the ticket prices, she felt the waiting and crowding was unfair, though they still had a wonderful time overall.
Mixed Reactions from Other Visitors
Responses to her review revealed varying experiences. One TikTok user attending the same location reported no issues with their 4:00-4:30pm Santa slot, describing it as the best part of their visit with an excellent Santa.
Another visitor acknowledged a minor issue with name pronunciation despite prior clarification. A third commenter who had visited Ascot multiple times noted they'd never encountered Santa queues but wouldn't be happy given the high ticket prices.
A fourth user suggested queues typically build when attendees don't stick to their designated village departure times, expressing sympathy for Charlotte's disappointing conclusion to an otherwise incredible day.
Lapland UK, which describes itself as a fully immersive theatrical experience where children help elves make presents and meet Father Christmas in his snowy log cabin, was approached for comment regarding these queue management concerns.
