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Experience a Magical Disney Christmas at Changi Airport

Gigantic Spanish  Mickey and Minnie at Terminal 2

Gigantic Spanish Mickey and Minnie at Terminal 2

Looking to experience some Disney Magic?

Come on down to   Singapore Changi Airport

 The Magic of Disney can be felt this festive season as the airport comes alive with figurines of Mickey , Minnie and the friends.

From now till 5th of January 2015 Changi Airport has been transformed int a a magical holiday wonderland with various Disney themed set up.

The side view of the magical castle at Terminal 3

The side view of the  Neuschwanstein  castle at Terminal 3

The kids and I were invited to experience some of the Disney magic this school holidays .  The kids love Disney and had a blast when we brought them to Tokyo Disneyland  last December.

This year we didn’t have any Disney trips planned for them and  it was really great that they  were able to experience Disney magic  here in Singapore.

Tiger girl outside the Bouncy Castle

Tiger girl outside the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Bouncy Playground

The kids couldn’t wait to try out this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Bouncy Playground which was located near Check in Row 11 at Terminal 3.  There  clubhouse has  a 3 Meter high slide, sticky velcro wall and ball pit within the setup.

Open daily from 12pm-10pm, one just needs to present any same-day receipt ( minimum spending of $30) for a single entry 15 minutes play session.

Do note  that your child has to be between 1-1.5m and under 55kg  to be able to gain access into the playground to play.

 

The upper level at the Neuschwanstein Castle

The upper level at the Neuschwanstein Castle

It was unfortunate that the playground was closed, as it was break time for the  airport staff, when we were there so we headed over to  view the Neucschwanstein Castle instead.

The boys at the moving train windows inside the castle.

The boys at the moving train windows inside the castle.

It was really crowded at the castle as everyone was busy trying to snap shots of their favourite  Disney characters and the exterior of the castle. We headed to the interior which was replicated to look like the cabin of a train instead for a tour.

A Wefie with Monkey boy and Tiger girl

A Wefie with Monkey boy and Tiger girl

Instead of trying to capture parts of the building with the growing crowd miling around waiting for the Interactive storytelling show, I decided to take a picture of us instead.

The kids experiencing the

The kids experiencing the “snow” at the castle

After waiting for awhile the Multi-sensory show  begin.  The kids experienced having “snow” falling on them at the end of the show when the castle started spurting out soap suds.  The kids didn’t stay long to experience the snow as we headed back to the Mickey Playgrounds as it had open for play by then.

Monkey boy being stuck  on the velcro wall

Monkey boy being stuck on the velcro wall

Doggie boy having his turn to be stuck on the wall

Doggie boy having his turn to be stuck on the wall

The boys couldn’t really stick themselves on the wall as the suits were heavy and rather large for their size. Being a bouncy playground, the structure that they were in was constantly shaking so it was difficult for them to get a proper foothold to be able to propel themselves onto the wall. They had to be placed up there by the airport staff instead.

Tiger girl inside the ball pit

Tiger girl inside the ball pit

This was Tiger girl’s favourite place in the playground. It was really cosy inside and roomy enough for 4-5 kids to play simultaneously together.

The kids at the activity corner beside the Clubhouse Playground

The kids at the activity corner beside the Clubhouse Playground

If you’re visiting  the airport during the weekend you maybe able to watch stage performers by professional ventriloquist puppeteers, French visual performers and contact juggler.

The kids can also have a chance to make their own crafts on the tables in the area.

If you are looking to take a photo with Mickey and Minnie there will be Mickey and Minnie Mouse meet -and-greet- sessions  on the 19, 20 and 21 December if you are interested. (Do refer to the Changi Airport website  for the specific timings)

Tiger girl with her Minnie Mouse posing with Daisy

Tiger girl with her Minnie Mouse posing with Daisy

 For Disney fans you can collect  a full set of six limited-edition Christmas plush toys featuring  Mickey and Minnie Mouse from Germany, USA and Spain.
Shoppers and diners can purchase each of these plush toys for S$3 when they spend a minimum of S$60 in a single receipt in Changi Airport’s public area, or S$100 in the transit area.
Disclaimer: We were invited by CAG  for a fun  Disney experience. All opinions are 100% my own.

 

 

Traveling Solo with Young Kids

Tiger girl and Hello Kitty

Tiger girl and Hello Kitty

Two weeks ago Tiger girl and I went on our first  Mom and Daughter bonding trip. Ever since I read the book  We always have Paris I have been wanting to go on a trip with her without the boys.

I was glad that I had the opportunity recently to travel with her to Taipei, Taiwan. We were there for about a week visiting friends and relatives.

Our snack while waiting to depart from Changi Airport

Our snack while waiting to depart from Changi Airport

Even though it is not the first time that Tiger girl is travelling on an aeroplane it was a exciting experience for her as she had me to herself for the whole duration of the trip. There was no need to have to jostle with her elder brothers for my attention like our last trip to Hong Kong.

I chose  to flight on a full  service  carrier instead of budget with her. I compared  the prices for full service and budget flights to the same location across different airlines and  was surprising to note that it was more costly flying budget then full  service carriers and there wasn’t any savings at all. In fact there were more inconveniences flying budget due to their weird flight timing and lack of amenities on board.

For those that haven’t traveled solo with your kids here are some tips for you to make your trip enjoyable for both.

1. Plan your trip with your child.
Let your child know where you are visiting and what there is in store for them when they get to the venue.  For my 4 yr old I told her that we were going to a city and she could try out various activities and visit places of attractions when we get there. She wanted to go shopping and visit various kid friendly places which we added onto our itinerary . We also had a wet day itinerary just in case the weather changed and we couldn’t go along with our original plans.

Tiger girl enjoying her snack and doing some coloring before we boarded the plane

Tiger girl enjoying her snack and doing some coloring before we boarded the plane

 

2.  Make sure that the child is well fed and rested

I ensured that Tiger girl was not hungry and grouchy before we took off. I checked in early so that I did not have to rush her through the immigration. We even had some time for her to play at the indoor play structure in Terminal One while we waited to board our flight.

3.  Travel light and minimise the number of  hand carried bags.

I had to handle both Tiger girl and the luggage this time without extra hands and it was important that  I was able to manage both the luggage and her weight together if she happens to fall asleep when we arrive at our destination.  I had a backpack with me where I packed our important documents, extra set of clothes for her, coloring book, story books and pencil case and jackets for both of us besides the essential toiletries.  It freed up my hands so that I could have one hand on her while the other pulled out luggage.

The things that I had in the backpack also came in handy when we were caught up in traffic or had to wait for our lunch when we were on holiday.

4. Fly during the daytime when possible.

It is always easier to put a kid to sleep then to keep her awake while travelling.  Tiger girl only fell asleep during our journey  to Taiwan and she didn’t even sleep on our return flight back to Singapore.  During the flight she busied herself reading her story books, doing coloring and watching the cartoons and movies that were available as  part of our in flight entertainment.

5. Dress your child in comfortable attire.

I bet you didn’t noticed from the pictures of Tiger girl shown above that she was wearing her pajamas at the airport. Even though our flight lasted on 4.5 hrs it was essential that she was wearing something that didn’t restrict her movement.

6. Book your seats and check in online if possible.

Nowadays I book all my air tickets online. I find it is great that you can choose your seat and even your meal preference online. This ensures me that we get seats together and she gets a child meal instead of an adult meal.

7. Bring along a favourite/ comfort toy. 

Tiger girl was allowed to bring along  her favourite Eeyore  which she calls “Moo-Moo”  in my backpack .  It made her more comfortable during the flight and throughout our trip with it’s presence and she got adjusted to her new surroundings rather easily.

 Do you have any other tips to add on?