White Christmas Fun at the Enchanted Kingdom

The extreme workaholic in me needed a break, so what better way to unwind than to go to a theme park and get in touch with my inner kid? So it was a couple of Saturdays ago that I dragged my harassed self to Enchanted Kingdom. I usually don’t make the effort to go all the way to places as far as Sta. Rosa, Laguna (from where I’m coming from, at least) but let me tell you, spending a day at the Enchanted Kingdom during Christmas season is definitely worth the commute.

First thing I noticed upon arriving at the park is the amount of people walking around the sprawling property. Man, it was crowded. Blame it on the holiday season; people are in a festive mood and they want to spend the entire day having fun. But the nice thing about the park is that the premises are still clean and orderly even with the mind-boggling amount of people inside it. I would like to commend the park’s maintenance staff for keeping the grounds free of trash and whatnots despite the steady rush of people going to and fro the place.

Aside from the rides, I was eagerly anticipating the unveiling of the park’s Christmas Village. After getting our adrenalin rush on the rides (my favorite was Anchors Away – I remember screaming my lungs out and checking my midsection if my stomach was still in its rightful place after being swayed left and right to almost vertical angles) we trooped to Brooklyn Place. Let me tell you, they recreated the 1930s New York vibe perfectly. Cobblestone streets, the Five n’ Dime Emporium, the Soda Fountain, and The Rialto made Brooklyn Place my most favorite area in the park (close second is the Jungle Outpost, where I had the most marvelous time shopping for tribal trinkets). The lines in The Rialto were SO long it was crazy, but I couldn’t blame the crowd for patiently taking their turn to go inside this motion stimulator theater. I would have braved the lines if I weren’t waiting for the Christmas event.

I wanted to see the Walking Belen that the park organized to kick off EK’s long list of exciting Christmas activities, so went to the bandstand to wait for the program. A few minutes later, the lovely Donita Rose, who is the celebrity narrator of the Christmas story, came onstage. After the dramatization, the troop proceeded to The Rialto to conclude the program. The choir was excellent; their heavenly voices served as the perfect backdrop for the festive atmosphere at Brooklyn Place.

The Christmas Village was finally unveiled around 8 PM. By this time, a crowd had already gathered at Brooklyn Place to wait for the artificial snow to fall off the rooftops. Christmas lights were all ablaze and the air smelled of hot chocolate and cinnamon; we were all excited! Susan Enriquez from GMA-7’s Kay Susan Tayo was there to cover the event, which added to the crowd’s anticipation even more. Soon enough, light flakes began falling from the top of the buildings of Brooklyn Place; we went crazy snapping pictures because everything was just so postcard pretty. EK concluded the event with a beautiful fireworks display, which made us take pictures even more.

We had so much fun that it was obvious that we plan to go back and take all that Enchanted Kingdom has to offer. For more information regarding the park’s operating schedule and upcoming events, you can log on to www.enchantedkingdom.com.ph or you can call (632) 830-2111 to 16 or (632) 843-6074 to 78. Enchanted Kingdom is located at Santa Rosa, Laguna, with sales office at the Biltmore Condominium, 102 Aguirre St. Legaspi Village, Makati City.