How we capped off this year’s Halloween celebration
October is a time to maximize opportunities to wear costumes. Unfortunately, I had to attend to other matters leaving us with almost no chance to join those Halloween events in Manila. But, I realize it was a good idea to wait it out since the nicest one was actually in the (farther) South.
My toddler would often ask if it’s Halloween yet for weeks. But the last week of October was physically draining since we had to commute to Baguio and attend two events. Because of it, we missed all the trick or treating activities in Manila. She was disappointed when she saw the Halloween displays were taken out from the supermarket just a few days before the end of October. Luckily, there’s still one more place where Halloween was set to happen – Enchanted Kingdom. With her old white angel-like costume, we drove to Sta Rosa to join this year’s Halo-ween Heavenly Costume Party.
What to bring
Enchanted Kingdom is an open theme park in the South, so expect round-the-clock of fun from Sun up till Sundown. So, manage your expectations and prepare to sweat a lot. Bring only the necessary items to keep yourselves fresh the whole day without overpacking. Pack some extra clothes, face towels, sunscreen, cap, umbrella, water bottle and insect repellant. We have a video clip below showing why you should pack an insect repellant lotion too. And remember that there are items that you can’t bring inside the theme park also.
Here is the list of what you can’t bring inside the theme park:
- Guests are not allowed to bring food and drinks. The good news is that there are restaurants and snack bars inside the park.
- Pointed and harmful objects are not allowed, but I didn’t expect that I also had to leave my pen at the entrance. And NOPE they didn’t guarantee to return my pen anymore.
- Pets are not allowed except for guide dogs.
How we got there
We leased a car to get to Enchanted Kingdom, but there are also other ways to get to the theme park through a shuttle service. There’s a shuttle service in Makati for a roundtrip fee of Php 360 or one-way ride of Php 180. You can also take the shuttle service at Starmall Alabang for Php 100 one-way. For a hassle-free commute, call the shuttle services at (0998) 849 4357, (0917) 825 6824, (+632) 8 830 3535 local 37 or email reservations@enchantedkingdom.ph before you leave.
The Halo-ween experience at Enchanted Kingdom
We arrived at around noon, so the Sun was at its brightest. It wasn’t long ’till my daughter asked for a fan and umbrella. Luckily, the Halloween program was held in an air-conditioned Eldar’s Theatre. Everyone was settled when we arrived, so we took the seats we found available. From there on, my daughter was watching the whole talent show segment of the top 3 winners. And I think she was impressed with the boy who played Señorita on the saxophone. After an hour and a half indoors enjoying an unexpectedly fantastic show, the crew rallied the young crowd to line up for the trick or treating activity. There was a little bit of confusion on where to line up. But eventually, we managed to be first in line for the treats.
The program started with a talent show before heading out for trick or treating. The kids were given a white mesh bag and visited more than five stations to collect their treats.
After the “trick or treat” activity, everyone was invited to return to Eldar’s Theatre to watch the Enchanted Kingdom Story Musicale with a cup of ice cream.
To end the program, the host invited the kids to come on stage for a photo-op. Then we hurried to get onto the nearest rides. We rode 5 out of 12 rides for children 40″ and below.
We took our lunch at Amazon Grill,a fully air-conditioned restaurant in the middle of the theme park. We had a bake macaroni and cheese, a roasted chicken and rice with a corn side dish and orange juice for Php 405
“I told you there are animals here, mom!”, she said when she found this Gorilla. And yes! This kid wouldn’t want to miss the chance to ride the Gorilla’s back.
While most children’s rides have a short queue, the Wheel of Fate was another story. But they did warn us about an hour of waiting in-line. So, our time was mostly spent waiting to ride the ferris wheel and then we went to see the whole theme park walking together.
For desserts, we had a chocolate ice cream at Boulderville Avenue and waited for the 8:15 PM parade.
Enchanted Kingdom isn’t just about the rides and attractions. The theme park has some beautiful things going on like the fantastic performers who made every minute of our stay super worth it.
After the parade and fireworks display, I ran to Realto 4D Theatre to catch the Happy Family, a Halloween-themed animation. It’s Kerrigan’s first time to experience a 3D show that has an element of 4D. So, she got surprised at some of the scenes.
What are the height-appropriate rides available for children
Enchanted Kingdom has 25 rides and attractions for the whole family. Print out this free downloadable form to see all the suitable rides for your children from 16 years old and below. You can also request a copy of the Height Restriction Form at the Admissions office.
What’s awesome…
- Because we participated in the Halloween costume, I only had to pay for myself, which was Php 720 while my daughter got in for free.
- We didn’t have to line up because we were part of the Halloween event. But we did wait for a bit at the admissions office.
- There are strollers, lockers, and if available, there’s also a wheelchair. Luckily, my daughter was too excited to walk and explore the park.
- The theatre actors who performed in the Enchanted Kingdom Story the Musicale on November 2 was surprisingly amazing. My three-year-old toddler watched the entire show.
- Enchanted Kingdom is well-kept to this day. And I’m happy my daughter gets to enjoy it with me.
- With Enchanted Kingdom’s Halo-ween Heavenly Costume Party, we got to enjoy a musical show, a trick or treat activity and rode as many rides and attractions we could.
…and what’s not!
- Food and drinks are not allowed. I had to be discreet with our water bottle the whole time we were there.
- Some rides and attractions for children weren’t well lit, so we had to skip the ride to avoid getting mosquito bites.
- There were just way too many insects in the Wheel of Fate ride. My daughter was so bothered about it; she rarely glanced at the beautiful view of the park.
So, are we going back next year?
Absolutely, yes! Half a day isn’t enough to try all the rides and attractions at Enchanted Kingdom. The musical show and other activities made the whole Halloween experience worth every penny.