Santa’s Magical Cabin – Terms and Conditions

By completing your booking and paying for tickets for Santa’s Magical Cabin, you agree to these Terms and Conditions. Please read them before you book.

General Admission

• Santa’s Magical Cabin is run by The Santa Experience (Magic Hammer Events Ltd.) at six locations: Limerick, Cork, Ennis, Portlaoise, Dublin-Ilac and Kilnamanagh D24. We operate independently of the stores and shopping centres that host us.
• Santa’s Magical Cabin is a family experience. Every booking must include at least one child or baby ticket. Adult-only visits may be possible in exceptional circumstances, but only by arrangement: please email info@santaexperience.ie before booking.
• Every child and baby needs their own ticket, booked before entry. Adult tickets are required; additional adults can be added online or paid for at check-in.
• Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. Parents and guardians are responsible for their children’s supervision and safety.
• The maximum group size is 10 people per booking. Larger families should book two consecutive time slots and email info@santaexperience.ie to add a note to each booking referencing the other. This allows up to 10 minutes in the grotto.
• Walk-ins are welcome when space allows. As every visit still requires a booking, we recommend checking availability on our website before you arrive and booking a same-day slot online. Many dates sell out, especially in December, so we strongly recommend booking ahead. We especially encourage booking children online in advance, so you can fill in their “Santa Needs to Know” details privately, away from little ears, and keep the magic a surprise.

Ticket Types & Prices

• Teenagers can be booked as a child or an adult, depending on how much they would like Santa to chat with them. A child ticket includes a “Santa Needs to Know” form and a gift, so the visit is directed at them.
• Everyone entering the grotto, including adults, children and babies, must have a ticket.
• All prices are in Euro (€). A booking fee of €4.95 applies per booking and is non-refundable.
• Tickets are valid only for the date, time and location booked.

Booking & Payment

• Your booking is confirmed once full payment is received. Card payments are processed securely by Stripe.
• A confirmation email is sent to the address you give at checkout. If it doesn’t arrive, please check your junk or spam folder.
• Prepaid extras chosen at booking are part of your booking and follow the same change and cancellation terms.

Discounts, Vouchers & Carers

• Discount codes, including corporate codes, must be entered at the time of booking. They cannot be applied after a booking is made.
• Only one discount code and one voucher can be used per booking. Codes and vouchers cannot be combined.
• Corporate codes are for employees of the participating company and their families only. We may cancel bookings that misuse a code.
• A carers discount is available to holders of a Family Carers Ireland Membership Card. Email info@santaexperience.ie for the code before you book, and have your card ready to show when you check in.

Changing Your Booking

• To change your date and time, update a child’s “Santa Needs to Know” details, or add people or extras to your booking, click “View Online” in your confirmation email, then “Make Changes”. You will receive an email to confirm it is you. Follow instructions from there to update your booking.
• Children’s “Santa Needs to Know” details can be changed up to 24 hours before your visit.
• If you need to update your children’s details within 24 hours of your visit, please email info@santaexperience.ie or speak to a member of our team on arrival. We will do our best to help but cannot guarantee changes.
• Once you have checked in, children’s details can no longer be viewed or changed. This helps Santa keep the magic just right.
• Your date and time can be changed up to 7 days before your visit. Within 7 days of your visit, your original booking cannot be rescheduled, and a new booking at the full price will be required.

Cancellations & Refunds

• You can cancel up to 14 days before your visit, no questions asked, through “View Online” in your confirmation email. You will automatically receive a full refund for all tickets and prepaid items to your original payment method. The €4.95 booking fee is non-refundable.
• Bookings are non-refundable within 14 days of your visit. As most days are fully booked, we may not be able to resell your place.
• We cannot give partial refunds for people or items that do not attend or are not used on the day.
• Late arrivals and missed visits are not refunded. Please read Arrival & Late Arrivals below.
• Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights under Irish consumer law.

Arrival & Late Arrivals

• Please check in no sooner than 10 minutes before your booking time. Early arrivals will be asked to step aside and return within their check-in window.
• Entry cannot be guaranteed for late arrivals. On fully booked days, accommodating a late arrival would delay all subsequent bookings. Where possible, we will offer an alternative time slot; however, if no suitable time or date is available, the visit will be forfeited and no refund will be issued. Availability is particularly limited later in the season.
• If you are running late, email info@santaexperience.ie as soon as possible. Our inbox is monitored during opening hours and messages are passed to the on-site manager. Please do not contact Dunnes Stores.

Ticket Entry

• No printing is required. Show your ticket on your phone, or print it if you prefer.
• If you cannot show your ticket, we can check you in with the full name on the booking, your booking number and your visit date. We may also ask you to confirm the other attendees in the booking and the email address used to book.

Your Visit

• Please allow 15 to 30 minutes for the whole experience. Your time with Santa in the grotto is about 5 minutes.
• The experience includes time with our elves, who entertain families before they enter the grotto, and the photo sales area, which is also decorated and staffed by elves.
• If there are delays beyond our control, we will do our best to let you know, but we cannot guarantee entry to the grotto at the exact time of your booking.
• Santa uses your “Santa Needs to Know” details to personalise your visit and will do his best to include everything provided. If there is something of particular importance you would like Santa to mention, such as a birthday or a special surprise, please email info@santaexperience.ie before your visit. While we will always try to help, we cannot guarantee that requests outside the standard visit can be accommodated.

Accessibility, Buggies & Additional Needs

• All locations are wheelchair accessible.
• Adults with additional needs are welcome to book a child ticket, whatever their age. This means they will receive their own “Santa Needs to Know” form, a gift, and a visit with Santa centred on them.
• We recommend leaving buggies at reception, usually near our staff, so you have room to move and can hold your baby for photos with Santa. You are welcome to bring your buggy through if you prefer. Wheelchairs and mobility aids are always welcome.
• If your child has additional needs, may find queuing difficult, or requires any other accommodation, please email info@santaexperience.ie in advance so we can make arrangements. There is no need to book a specific time. On arrival, please make yourself known at reception, even if you have already contacted us, so our team can put these arrangements in place. We may not be able to accommodate requests made on the day without prior notice. 
• Assistance dogs are welcome if they wear an identifiable harness or lead; otherwise we may ask for proof of registration with an Irish assistance dog organisation. No other pets are permitted.

Photography

• You are welcome to take your own photos in reception, the corridor and with the decorations in the photo sales area.
• Please do not take your own photos or videos in the grotto. The grotto is a professionally designed set and forms part of the experience you have purchased. Our professional photographers are on hand to capture your visit, allowing everyone to be fully present with Santa.
• Please do not photograph the screens or monitors showing your photos at photo sales.
• Please do not photograph children who are not in your group.
• Every family is invited to have a photo with Santa taken by our professional photographer. If you have not prepaid for photos, you can buy them after viewing your images. Extra photos, reindeer food and USB upgrades can also be bought then. Cash and card are accepted.
• Photos taken by our photographers remain our property until purchased.
• If you bought a USB or digital copy and lose it, we can resend your images free of charge until 31 January following your visit.

How We Store Your Photos

• Photos are cleared from our camera memory cards during your visit.
• If you buy a USB or digital copy, we keep a backup until 31 January following your visit in case anything happens to your files, and we can resend them free of charge.
• Otherwise, we keep a copy for 72 hours after your visit, in case you change your mind about buying a photo or lose your print. Replacement prints or additional digital photos are charged extra. After these times, all photos are permanently deleted from our systems.
• While we take every care, in some cases photos may not be backed up due to technical issues or human error. We therefore cannot guarantee access to your photos once you have left the photo sales area, and recommend purchasing any photos you would like before you leave.
• You may request that your photos are deleted immediately after your visit and not backed up. Please let a member of our photo sales team know, or email info@santaexperience.ie.
• We will only use your photos on social media or in marketing with permission from an adult on the booking. You can withdraw permission at any time by emailing info@santaexperience.ie.

Changes by Us

• We may make minor changes to the experience, schedule, activities, characters or elements of the grotto due to operational needs. We will always try to give you notice.
• If we cancel your visit, you can choose a full refund or a new date and time, subject to availability.
• We are not liable for travel, accommodation or other costs connected with a cancelled or changed visit.

Events Outside Our Control

• If Met Éireann issues a Status Red weather warning for the area of your location, or we are advised to close for public health reasons such as a pandemic, we may not be able to open. If we cannot open, you can choose a full refund or a new date and time, subject to availability.
• If we are open but a Met Éireann Status Orange or Red weather warning is in place for your area on the day of your visit and you cannot travel safely, please let us know before your booking time and we will do our best to reschedule your booking. This is an exception to our 7-day change policy and applies only when an official Orange or Red warning is in place.
• If we are notified after your booking time has passed, for any reason including extreme weather, your booking cannot be rescheduled or refunded and a new booking will be required.
• We are not liable for disruption caused by events beyond our reasonable control.

Health, Safety & Venue Rules

• Please follow instructions from Santa’s elves and our team at all times.
• No alcohol, smoking or vaping.
• Our experience is hosted in stores and shopping centres, whose rules also apply.
• We may refuse entry to, or remove, anyone whose behaviour affects the safety or enjoyment of others, without a refund.

Your Personal Data

• We collect the information you give us at booking, including your children’s “Santa Needs to Know” details, to manage your booking and personalise your visit.
• Physical “Santa Needs to Know” forms are securely destroyed immediately after your visit.
• We handle your data in line with GDPR and Irish data protection law. See our Privacy Policy.

Liability

• We are not responsible for loss, theft or damage to personal belongings, including buggies left at reception.
• We are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss arising from your visit, except where the law does not allow us to limit liability.

Contact Us

For changes, cancellations or questions, email info@santaexperience.ie or reply to your booking email.

Last updated: 22 October 2026