A Trip to the North Pole Experience in Greer, AZ

Recently, my family and I went to The North Pole Experience in Greer, AZ.  We had a wonderful time.  We got a Blitzen package, which included a night’s stay in a private cabin, dinner, and breakfast for our family of four.  Greer is about a five hour drive from the Western side of the Phoenix area, where we live, so we were thankful that it is a very scenic drive, passing through Payson and Showlow.

The Cabin

Our cabin was in Antler Ridge and had two small bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a great room--it was the perfect size for our family of four.  The bedrooms each had a double bed, a small dresser (night stand size with three drawers), and a luggage rack in the closet.  We brought our pack n play for the baby to sleep in.  The great room had a fire place (they provided firewood and newspaper under the porch), a TV with Dishnetwork (Food Network!) and a DVD player, a pull-out sofa, coffee table, end table, and lamp.  The kitchen had a small table (seats four, but there were two additional folding chairs for our use), stove, refrigerator, basic dishes and pots and pans, and dish soap.  In the bathroom they provided soap and TP as a hotel would, but not shampoo, conditioner, facial tissue, or lotion.  We brought our own, so it wasn’t a big deal—I only share so that if readers decide to go, they know what to expect.  Our cabin did have a night light and a child safety gate, but I do not assume this is true of all of the cabins since they are privately owned but run by the rental agency.  Wi Fi was free to renters.  Cell service was pretty much non-existent. 

The only complaints I have about the cabin are that (1) the heaters in the bedrooms were too efficient and (2) the hot water heater was set too high.  If the bedroom heaters were on, they were too hot.  If they were off, we got too cold.  They were baseboard heaters (also used in the great room), so if you have a young child be warned that you will need to be vigilant as the heaters get hot.  Our one-year-old touched them and got upset (but no visible burn), but he kept trying to go after them again.  As for the hot water heater, it had a note on it not to touch it, so I don’t know if someone prior to us ignored the note and ramped it up or if the rental company keeps it set high in the winter (which wouldn’t make sense since it’s a legal liability), but I almost scalded myself in the shower.  I am just glad it wasn’t one of the kids.

Our Evening at the North Pole

After checking in for dinner at the Molly Butler Lodge, we got to sip hot chocolate (or other drinks) around a fire while we waited for everyone to check in and for the dining room to be readied.  The buffet dinner  includes standard fare such as salad and fruit as well as children’s favorites such as macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets and adult fare such as baked pork and prime rib.  The food was all pretty good.  There was pudding and a variety of cakes for dessert.  After dinner, an elf came to get us and we all boarded a trolley bus to the North Pole.  We had an elf driver and an elf guide.  Our guide explained what would happen when we reached the North Pole while working to ramp up our excitement and enthusiasm.  We sang a carol, and when it was time to go through the “portal,” we got to help the elf with the incantation.  We arrived at Santa’s Workshop, and after exiting the trolley and using the secret knock to gain entrance, we entered the toy museum, where Santa displays toys he invented.  These include things such as Lite Brite, Slinky, and the Red Ryder BB Gun from “A Christmas Story.”

The door to Santa's Workshop

After looking around the museum, the two elves who met us at the door got us ready to meet the head elf, Alabaster Snowflake.  He came out and showed us the compass that spins in circles, proving we were at the North Pole.  Then we went into the toy workshop to build toys.  Tink got to help dress a teddy bear, then put together a “Ram Rocket” which she then got to test by shooting the elves (the one rule was no head shots).  When toy-building was done, the kids got to eat sugar cookies with “snowman soup” (hot cocoa).  Then, it was on to “Elf University” where they learn some important rules about being good people.  Next came Santa’s office.  They had the opportunity to draw pictures for Santa or write him a note while asking questions of one of the elves.  The elves all had very good answers to the tricky questions about how Santa does what he does.  After Santa’s office, each family had a turn to go sit with Santa and have their pictures taken—with your own camera so there are no sales pitches. 

Mistletoe the Elf answering questions in Santa's Office

A toy mobile in Santa's Workshop

After photos with Santa, we loaded back up on the trolley.  The elves entertained us while we waited for everyone to get done with Santa.  On the way back to the Molly Butler Lodge, we sang carols.  Once everyone was back at the Lodge, there was an opportunity to listen to Mrs. Claus read stories while coloring.  Our family chose to skip this in order to go back to the cabin to roast marshmallows, especially since Ace was super tired.  At the cabin, we enjoyed a very nice fire after putting Ace to bed, and we all went to bed stuffed with s'mores (we brought the makings and the roasting forks).

Breakfast with Santa

The next morning, there was a breakfast buffet back at the Lodge.  They had just about everything you could think of—omelets, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks, yogurt, cereal, and pastries.  While Santa waited for people to finish so they would come out to have pictures with him, he walked around talking to everyone to see if they were having a good time.  A couple of the elves came by as well.  Tink was kind of shy with both Santa and the elves, but they persisted and got plenty of smiles out of her.  We took pictures with the elves and Santa before leaving.

All in all, the experience was very fun and worthwhile.  The kids really enjoyed it, and everything seemed magical through their eyes.  The elves and Santa were all good at keeping everyone in the spirit.  Our favorite elves were Sparky (who could do gymnastic flips) and Mistletoe.  The only downer the entire trip came from someone else's rudeness, but you have to expect you might encounter at least one such person in a large group.