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| - I have never stayed at this property. I live nearby and only come here for the yearly Christmas at the Princess event, therefore my review is based solely on that experience.
My family and I have always had a great time at the Christmas event. The grounds, the decorations, the lights and displays are all magnificent. The Nativity Garden and Lagoon Lights are my favorite displays, but there are displays all over the property. There is a lot of walking involved, so if you have small children and don't bring strollers, you'll hate yourself. After you've done all that walking, the Princess Express train is a great way to relax and ride around the lagoon. The lines for the train used to be insane and the wait time could be around 30 minutes or more. They've added a second train this year, so that should help.
The addition of the 2nd train isn't the only change they've made this year. This year, it costs $20 for an hour long ice skating session, plus the $5 skate rental fee (the latter of which isn't bad). I honestly don't recall paying that much last time, so that must be an increased fee. Also, now you must have a wristband in order to ride the train and to enter the new S'mores Land, which is basically the area that used to be open for all to sit around the fire and chill or roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Now that area is blocked off and they've added a couple of rides, like the glacier slide, which looked about 4-5 feet tall (I may be exaggerating, but it was a small slide). Santa's Secret Headquarters (which is super cute, btw) is new and there is a mailbox for you to mail off those letters to Santa. For a charge, you can take a photo with Papa Noel.
There is a $35 per vehicle charge to self park; $55 for valet. Everyone in your vehicle receives bracelets/wristbands which you'll use to ride the Princess Express train and to enter certain areas, like the new S'mores Land. We've never paid for parking because we've always just walked to the property. There was no charge to roam the property or ride the train, so we only had to paid for food, drinks, and DD's ice skating session, which has always been a separate charge. The necessity for a wristband in order to ride the train is new, as it wasn't needed the last year that we were here. If you don't drive or stay on the property, you can purchase wristbands for $10 per person. For a small family, this isn't too bad. But if there's a Brady Bunch, you're better off cramming into the minivan and paying the $35 per vehicle instead.
If you're short on cashola, there are still things that you can do with the kids for free here. You may still walk and enjoy the lights and displays, like the Lagoon lights and the Nativity Garden. There are also singing trees and a 12-foot Chanukah display (I don't really know how large it is; apparently, I just like to concoct imaginary figures), which includes a menorah and dreidel. Also, you can walk to all of the places that the train goes, so you're not really missing anything if you cannot afford the train ride.
So despite the fact that the Fairmont is certainly milking it with all these extra fees and charges, I still enjoy Christmas at the Princess. Let's just hope they don't go full money-mode and charge for everything next year.
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