Organisers of a Frozen-themed attraction have reacted angrily after disappointed parents told a newspaper the event was 'a joke'.
Mums told the Daily Mail they 'could have done a better job at home' after being told the event at an Essex hotel would recreate the magic of the Disney blockbuster.
Adverts promised children could 'let their imagination run wild as they enter the magical Frozen wonderland'.
But after paying £15 per child and £5 per adult for tickets for the event at the Orsett Hall Hotel, parents complained the event was 'a waste of time'.
One mum, Nicky Hopkins, posted a picture of a meagre-looking paddling pool with bubbles, adding: "What a waste of time."
Another parent told the paper: "This is a joke."
And Katie Barnes, 35, from Hertford, added: "I could have done a better job at home."
The other in-house attractions were also criticised.
Parents were charged £25 to send their daughters into the Princess Parlour, a 'beauty salon' where staff do face painting and dish out a plastic tiara and certificate upon completion.
Louise Clarke, 34, from Wickford, described the attraction as 'appalling'.
She added: "My daughter was too short to see the show, there was no snow and nowhere to sit.
"£15 for that? It's a joke."
One visitor, Kelly Hirst, said the event was 'false and fake'.
Another took to Twitter to write: "The Frozen event at Orsett Hall - What a waste of time and money. Awful! Complete rip off."
However, Tom Kenbery, director of HotHot Events, reacted angrily to the coverage, accusing the newspaper of having an 'agenda'.
He told Mirror Online: "This was a local event, and it was very much advertised as a local event.
"We are really disappointed that a journalist has come down with an agenda, expecting a £200,000 production, because we never pretended to be offering such a thing.
"On the first day there were some teething problems - we did not have enough seating for example, but these issues were quickly rectified.
"We did initially advertise that we would be having real snow, but we realised that would cost £10,000 and we don't have that kind of production budget."