Sarah Stringfellow

Review of KidZania London

The entire day we spent at Kidzania London yesterd...

The entire day we spent at Kidzania London yesterday was a waste of valuable time and money. Despite appearances, Kidzania does not put the child at the core of the experience.

The day started with a 25 minute queue to enter the premises despite the fact that we had already booked our tickets online. This was how the entire day carried on - lots of waiting and complete chaos. The facilities are great, but the long wait times for each activity (20-60 minutes) are completely unrealistic for children. Kids are expected to sit on benches I engaged and unentertained outside each activity and wait their turn. Sitting still for long periods of time is not developmentally appropriate for Kidzania s target age group. This seriously flawed system leaves me wondering if the creators know anything at all about children and their behaviour. It was excruciating standing there with my five year old son and his friend trying to keep them patient / entertained / sane while waiting their turn. As a result, we only got to experience a couple of things as the majority of the day was spent in queues where the kids were unengaged and bored and misbehaving as a result. The total opposite of why we came to Kidzania.

If you are considering a trip to Kidzania, please think long and hard before visiting. There are so many worthwhile attractions in London which genuinely put the child at the core of the experience.