Some people go for the weed, while others go for the jerk chicken, the beach, or the reggae. Those, I’m sure, are all excellent reasons for going to Jamaica, but one of my top reasons is the Cookie Monster. After all, as a mom, there’s nothing quite like seeing my kids’ faces light up.
Photo Courtesy Beaches
Cookie Monster and the rest of the Sesame Street gang make their home in Jamaica at Beaches Ocho Rios, and there is a whole slew of adorable ways for guests to interact with them. Here’s the word on the street:
Stage Shows
Six evenings a week, the Sesame Street characters pull out all the stops to put on a musical. The stories that unfold are sweet and lively. In one, for example, Big Bird—with a little help from his friends—faces his fear of swimming at the beach. After the show, kids are invited to get on the stage for their very own dance party, and this is fun for grownups, too, since the DJ doesn’t play squirrel-like kids’ music, but rather adult dance hits like you’d hear at any happening club.
Character Parades
Once a week, the Sesame Street characters lead a parade of feather-clad dancers to the festive beat of island tunes. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be totally charmed by the cool moves of Elmo, the Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby.
Photo Courtesy Beaches
Themed Activities
The kids camp at Beaches Ocho Rios is included in your stay and offers age-appropriate activities for newborns to teens. For small children participating at the kids’ camp, there are daily fun activities with Sesame Street characters. Alternatively, you can accompany your children to the activities yourself. There is bird watching with Big Bird, a treasure hunt with Abby Cadabby, puppet making with Bert and Ernie, a super science fair with Super Grover, and whole lot more. My family particularly loved baking—and eating—cookies with the Cookie Monster.
B is for Beaches! C is for Cookie! Photo Adan Cano Cabrera
Night Night, Sleep Tight with Sesame Street
For an additional fee, your child’s favourite character (or characters!) can come to your hotel room and tuck your child into bed with some relaxing stretches, a lullaby, and a bedtime story. At other Sesame Street events at Beaches Ocho Rios, the characters try to spend a little time with every child so that no individual child can have their attention for too long. A tuck in is a wonderful and unique opportunity for more one-on-one time with a character. We didn’t tell our kids that Elmo was coming because we wanted to see their surprise and amazement!
Sesame Street Breakfasts
Twice a week, for an additional fee, your family can attend a special buffet breakfast with the characters. The vibe is that of an intimate party with the light-filled restaurant festooned with balloons and colourful Sesame Street tablecloths. The characters work the room, enthusiastically posing with everyone who wants pictures, so make sure you bring your camera. As a bonus, my two-year-old daughter loved her dessert—a cupcake frosted to look like Elmo.
