Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine review and tips

phillymm

I just wanted to say that our day with Thomas the Tank Engine in Strasburg, PA was a smashing success. ?DS is not even two and was the youngest of the kids we went with and he had a great time. ?We only went on the twenty minute Thomas train ride. ?There was an option to add on a longer trip on the official Strasburg train, but we thought one train ride was plenty. ?The event was well organized. ?Even with the train departing every half hour, it was organized chaos if you were paying attention to the boarding announcements. ?Of course, some guests were confused, but they figured it out eventually. ?There were many tents set up with activities, all train related and mostly Thomas themed. ?We avoided the merchandise tents, but there was anything you ever wanted for your Thomas fan! Clothes, toys, accessories, and fair food were plentiful. ?Arriving the hour before boarding as recommended by the ticket was perfect, but if we had had to eat, I would get there two hours earlier than your train ride.?We arrived at one and left at around four. ?We rode the train, walked around and took a lot of pictures. ?Tips for an easier day:-Leave your stroller behind if you can. ?Very few, if any activity areas allowed them and they had to be parked to the side. ?I have never seen so many strollers in my life in one place. ?-We were with a four year old, a two year old, and a 15 month old. ?I think the two year old had the hardest time. ?We had some waiting to board the train and some waits for taking some pictures and he was not that thrilled to wait.-There was a lot of impulse food and toy buying. ?You may want to eat before like we did to avoid your DH...I mean DS from wanting tons of funnel cake and ice cream.-You can take lots of great pictures with a little patience. ?We figured out places and times to get great pictures with Thomas without waiting in the official "picture op" line. ?Only downside of the day? ?You guessed it! ?Rude adults! ?Listen people, it's not rocket science...there is a giant sign that says "Board here for Thomas". ?You don't have to panic! ?Also, there are kids everywhere, everyone is here to take pictures of their kids, and we all (apparently) love Thomas. ?So, come on, let's all take turns. ?And, yes, given Strasburg's location, I was making JK+8 jokes and pointing out every woman I saw with the "angry soccer mom" haircut. ?What a great time! ?I hope you have as nice of a day as we did. ??