By Scott Cronick
When Travel & Leisure declared Atlantic City as one of the Top 25 Best Christmas Towns of 2022, I honestly rolled my eyes in skeptical wonderment.
Listed alongside holiday destinations like Aspen, Colo., Orlando, Fla., Park City, Utah, and Telluride, Calif., it seemed silly to me that Atlantic City – a city that doesn’t even have Christmas lights on the main streets – would be mentioned.
After spending a recent staycation in the city and participating in some of the great new Tinseltown activities launched this year, I have changed my mind: Atlantic City deserves to be listed. In fact, it probably should be ranked higher than No. 22.
Nearly all of the casinos have holiday-themed bars (Resorts’, Ocean’s and Bally’s particularly stand out) featuring elaborate decorations, fun-themed cocktails and special events; all of them are meticulously decorated with everything from the most beautiful Christmas tree made entirely out of poinsettias at the Tropicana to some simple decorations on the outside horses and chariot that greets you on the way into the city at Caesars.
In the Orange Loop, The Irish Pub is worth the visit alone for its over-the-top, historic display; Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall’s clever and beautiful theme includes a Christmas tree made entirely of beer kegs that “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer personally christened with a giant Faith American Brewery ornament; and this year’s Tinseltown parade was very well done including Grammer as the Grand Marshall; and local activities have included everything from holiday bazaars to bar-hopping Ugly Sweater tours on jitneys, including one this weekend organized by Little Water Distillery.
Those are just a few of the many reasons Atlantic City deserves the recognition.
Santa magically comes to Ocean
While most of the casinos have really upped the ante this year to cash in on that Travel & Leisure mention while trying to grow offseason business – a very difficult task – no one has done it better in 2023 than Ocean Casino Resort.
Let’s start with the most impressive new offering, not just at Ocean but in the whole city: Santa’s Hideaway Adventure.
I have seen similar things in other cities, but this exclusive magical experience makes its Atlantic City debut at Ocean’s Shops at the Row and will be there until Christmas Eve.
Basically, it’s a virtual adventure where you step into a “magical elevator” and watch yourself being transported to the North Pole where you meet Santa, tell him what you want for Christmas, indulge in hot chocolate and Santa’s favorite cookies and then visit a shop where you can stock up on gifts and stocking stuffers.
Ocean says it’s the only experience like it in the tri-state area, and from what I saw last weekend in person, it’s gaining some heavy traction fast. So, reservations are highly recommended. The price is $69.99 ad includes one package and admission for up to six people. If you go Mondays to Thursdays, you can save $10 by making advance reservations and using the offer code C23OCEAN. Walk-ups are available based on availability, but if you have little ones or are an adult who geeks out at Christmas, this is a no-brainer.
Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 3 to 8 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays, with special hours 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 22, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on its final day, Christmas Eve.
“We had a successful summer which saw Ocean celebrate its 5th birthday and are excited to continue the energy into the winter,” says Ocean General Manager Bill Callahan. “Ocean is a year-round resort destination with unique activations, award-winning amenities and world-renowned entertainment 12 months of the year.”
Suite idea
An equally impressive idea and new offering are the holiday-themed suites at Ocean. It’s always amazing to me that something that seems like such an obvious idea was never done before, but Ocean Casino Resort is the first Atlantic City casino to ever offer holiday-themed rooms and suites in Atlantic City. Kudos to their stellar marketing team!
Encompassing an entire floor in one of its newly constructed room floors, guests are immediately greeted by a Nutcracker scene complete with an iconic North Pole mailbox as soon as they walk off the elevator. The hallway lights on the entire floor have been changed to green and red to set the spirit, and the bungalows offer everything from fully decorated Christmas trees to Yule Logs playing on large, flat-screen TVs with accompanying holiday music, and cute trimmings ranging from large ornament centerpieces to holiday pillows.
Choose to book a One-Bedroom Suite, Studio Suite Blue, Social Suite, or a Blu Queen room. Room rates for the decorated rooms are typically about $100 more than the average room rate.
Dashing through a bar
Ocean’s Jingle Bell Bar: A Holiday Pop-Up Experience at its 1927 Lounge isn’t new, but it sure seems like it gets amped up every year with more decorations and programming.
My visit there on Saturday revealed a packed house snapping selfies as they indulged in holiday-themed drinks while a piano player elevated in the center of the room sang Christmas songs with the standing-room-only crowd singing along.
There are exclusive private areas if you want to avoid the crowd and get some special treatment, but the Jingle Bell Bar is a must visit.
’Tis the Season
Of course, Ocean offered some great holiday entertainment that will conclude this weekend with “My Big Gay Italian Christmas,” a farce featuring over-the-top characters and heated political conversations coming to a head when a snowstorm forces the Pinnunziato family indoors this holiday season. Fan favorite characters Anthony Pinnunziato and Aunt Toniann are just a few of the ingredients in this Big Gay Italian Christmas lasagna on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Ovation Hall.
And Ocean continues its philanthropic effort with a “Season of Giving” campaign to recognize and assist more than 20 nonprofit businesses across the greater Atlantic City region. Ocean team members will dedicate time and resources along with monetary assistance and donations impacting multiple causes of community concern – food insecurity, homelessness, youth support, education, family services, and health and wellness – between now and the end of the year.
While Ocean may be at the top of your Atlantic City Christmas list, I can’t urge you enough to explore the city this holiday season. And, who knows? Maybe we can get some Christmas lights on the streets in 2024!
For more information on Ocean Casino Resort, go to TheOceanAC.com/holidays. For more information on all of the Tinseltown activities in A.C., go to AtlanticCityNJ.com
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
