Parents were underwhelmed by the EuroChristmas experience yesterday despite efforts to resolve teething problems. But children seemed impressed.
The temperature had been reduced and the quantity of snow being pumped around had increased after complaints on the opening day.
But a garment merchandiser was not sure if it had been worth taking the day off to take his four-year-old daughter. 'The set-up is too basic for me as an adult to appreciate,' he said as he emerged from the Winter Magic dome. 'The snow isn't realistic enough and there's not enough of it. But my daughter seems happy.'
Visitors from Shanghai felt the same. 'We've paid $100 and we paid $25 for our son,' said Adonza Chan, who visited with six-year-old Chan Chung-ming. 'He was allowed to throw snowballs but we weren't.' Chung-ming was more enthusiastic. 'I've thrown five snowballs. I like it here because of the snow.'
Kwan Yuk-wah, mother of two children, Kong Yan-chi, eight, and Kong Yan-chak, five, said her family enjoyed themselves. 'I'm happy because my children are happy. But as far as my personal feelings are concerned, I was expecting a White Christmas, and it doesn't quite live up to the billing.'
Matthew Fok, 12, who visited the dome with his family of five from Britain, also had a good time. 'The snow is the same as at home. The only difference is that the snow is dirtier in England.' His father, Doctor Wilson Fok Wai-fung, said: 'I think they've made a great effort to recreate the atmosphere of a European Christmas.
