Dreamworld with Under 5's

I first visited Dreamworld around 12 years ago, which might as well be 100 years ago for all my dim recollections, so it was a lot of fun to revisit.  I'm no adrenaline junkie, so my excitement wasn't diminished by the idea of taking kids.  In fact, I imagined it would be MORE fun with the babies.  This was mostly accurate, though our early morning wake-up (2am, thanks!) definitely started having an effect on our littlest guy.  Tantrums aside, we had a great time, and even won him over eventually (thank you, big sleepy tigers).  

Unsurprisingly, we didn't cover heaps of ground during our visit and could easily have spent another couple of days at the park.  Even so, it felt like we got our moneys worth with the amount we packed in.  We skipped Whitewater World entirely (though our pass covered entry) :-( and instead spent our time in the Dreamworks Experience, followed by some toned down afternoon fun in ABC Kids World (both in the circled portion - full map available here).

Despite covering so little ground, and even though Garland fell into the lower of the height brackets, there was still SO much to do!  We enjoyed a little sit-down break while the Madagascar live show was running, and spent the rest of our time flying between rides and photo ops, and even fitting in a little shopping too.

Food was definitely expensive, but that came as no surprise.  I was happy to see some healthy options, we dined on some pretty average sushi but the fruit salad was yum!  Around that point Garland starting hitting the upper limits of his cray, so we left the dining area pretty quick and hunted down the tigers.  Thank the stars for the tigers.  Amazingly, they had an ADORABLE tiger cub when we visited, awwwwww!  We got an up close look, but were torn away because EVEN MORE AMAZINGLY our kids really didn't care about the tiger cub, and wanted to see the boring old BIG tigers.  So weird.

I think (actually I know) that I was more of a scaredy cat than Eleanor, most times.  Like watching her on the sword swing - oh my heart!  She wanted to ride again immediately, meanwhile I needed a cup of tea and a little sit down to sooth my nerves...  We rode Escape from Madagascar together and both screamed the entire way.  Incidentally, we were the ONLY ones screaming.  #noshame

Dreamworld was crazy and fun and I'd love to take the kids back again next time we visit Queensland. Sure, there were a couple of low moments, but a few tantrums are par for the course, and we definitely hit our stride post-lunch. I think our little guys were well catered for in terms of rides and entertainment, and I felt zero disappointment about missing the thrill rides.  Zan was able to sneak away and do some of the fun rides too, so we were all winning!

Cost: Expensive!!!  We purchased 4 World Passes for the price of 3, but even so.  The bonus was that by visiting during Zan's birthday month, we were able to offer my bro and his family half price day passes, which they could then upgrade (for maybe $30) to world passes.  Or something like that.  Anyway, it's not a cheap day out, but worth it if you can make good use of your year long pass.

Highlights: Watching Eleanor's confidence grow, ride by ride #heartswell.  And Garland's face when he spotted the Bananas in Pajamas lolol. 

Lowlights: Much to her bummage, Eleanor didn't figure out the Dronkey ride first time round. It was a downer that she soon made up for by riding every single thing her height allowed!

Expectation vs. Reality:  It's definitely bigger than last time I visited, so the reality was better. 

Worth repeating: For sure!

What we'd do differently:  Sneak our own snacks in (they didn't check, and for picky eaters I'd definitely do this).  I'd also arrive earlier and spend some time at Whitewater World, or schedule an extra day or two to spend at the park. 

24 Hours in Brisbane City pt. 2 (with Novotel Brisbane)

After wandering around Brisbane for several hours, we were so ready to escape the heatwave and recline in the air-conditioned rooms of Novotel Brisbane.  My nerves were a tiny bit tender following a brief journey in the Wheel of Brisbane (I hit the emergency button after one rotation), but the walk through town was settling, and we arrived peacefully and ready to relax.

Novotel Brisbane definitely provide family-friendly accommodation.  Our children were greeted with warmth and were immediately offered a soft toy to keep, before they hit the kiddo space for a little play. The transition from streetside to roomside was thus sweet and stress-free, and I swear those little softies were two of the most favoured toys during the rest of our trip.

Once we reached our rooms I drew a bath for the babies, and then we all breathed that deep sigh of utter happiness that only a sparkling tidy hotel room can offer (I mean, when on earth is any room in our own house that tidy???).  

The Rooms: We are used to sharing double queens, but you've gotta love a king sized bed!  The rooms had plenty of space for the kids to play while we kicked back.  They had a comfortable design with a little nook in the King room that provided a bonus space, perfect for play, or for (re)packing (I did a lot of this, all holiday).  The bathrooms were perfect, amazing shower pressure and super cute complimentary items :-)

We didn't hear any noise from our neighbours either, and though I requested a lower level room, we still had a sweet view of the city.

The Facilities: We loved the Novotel rooftop pool!  Crowned by palm trees and complete with sun loungers.  The gym faced out to the pool and was extremely well equipped.  We didn't take advantage of the pool nearly enough, but our rooms were too cosy and comfortable, it was hard to step outside at all. 

I have to say, the kids space was such a winner!  The following morning entailed a bit of a wait for our pick up, but the kids were sweet as! The space (located in the lobby) had more than enough entertainment to keep them happy for the best part of two hours (yep), and luckily I had my phone to keep me busy (and free wifi to keep me instagramming)...

Check out more of their facilities here.

The Service:  The Novotel staff were super lovely, and we were never left wanting.  That said, we were largely left to ourselves and had a quiet, private stay, which was absolutely perfect.  We were asked if we would like to join the Accor club upon arrival, which gave us free internet for our stay, and access to cups of tea or coffee while we waited in the lobby :-)

The Location:  Novotel was a short distance from the CBD and walkable from South Bank, where we started out (with two kids, mind, and plenty of pretty sightseeing along the way).  If you want to head out in the evening, there are plenty of bars and eateries in easy distance, something we would definitely like take advantage of next time.

The hotel is easy to access by vehicle, also, and we had no trouble finding our way onto the Bruce Highway following check-out. 

Food: They had a seriously impressive breakfast buffet at Novotel Brisbane.  I've gotta say, it was the best yet.  Not only do they cater to various food intolerances, but they have organic juices, heaps treats on offer (donuts for breakfast?  Oh heck yes), and a coffee machine for your morning fix.  As usual Zan went for the big breakfast, while the kids and I taste-tested everything from croissants and fruit salad, to waffles with the works.  We each had about five different breakfast drinks, and guess which family didn't even feel a hunger pang come lunchtime!  Boom!  Winner.

Perfect for: Families!  For sure!  Everything is set for ease of stay, and our bunnies were in hotel heaven.  We spent the majority of our 24 hours within Novotel's walls, and we really had no good excuse to leave.  There was some vague plan about going out to find dinner and check out Brisbane at evening-time, but the kids were so lax-happy, and the beds were begging us to sprawl out and read magazines, so we ordered room service (yeah we did) and really only left our room to eat breakfast and check out the pool.  

Brisbane is a fun city, and perfect for visiting with kiddos.  With South Bank, ferry boat tours, the Wheel (for people other than myself to enjoy), and a bunch of as-yet-untested-by-us attractions, there are plenty of activities to fill your stay.  Even though it was a short taster of a visit, I'm glad we had the opportunity to see a bit more of Brisbane, this time around.  And just quietly, Novotel Brisbane was quite a lovely place to spend a large portion of that time :-)

Novotel Brisbane provided us with a complimentary night's stay in return for an honest review.  Thanks, y'all! x