This past weekend I had the opportunity to take my two youngest sons (12 & 14) and a friend (14) to Water World for the day. We had an amazing time and cannot wait to go back. Before heading out, I attempted to prepare myself for what to expect out of the day, but I learned a lot more once I was actually there. If you plan to take active teens to Water World this summer, and I highly recommend that you do, this article is for you.
Looking at the website I was concerned about having a place to keep our stuff, so I rented a bungalow at Cowabunga Beach.
I was excited to see the option of Pharoh's Feast, an all you can eat all day option for a decent price. I mean, I was taking three teenage boys, this is a clear win right? Unfortunately, we went on June 4th and that option isn't available until June 7th. Once it's open, it goes through about mid August. As that wasn't an option, I considered packing a cooler and taking everything with us. On the website it says picnics are welcome, which is a nice change from most public places that prefer you purchase with them. The map on the website, while colorful and interactive doesn't really show, logistically how things will work. After a lot of browsing, I ultimately decided to rent a bungalow so we would have a place for our stuff, and I opted to just buy food at the park, since we didn't have anyone to go with us to watch our stuff, and frankly, I've had a hate hate relationship with soggy cooler sandwiches since childhood.
Once we got there we realized that Cowabunga Beah is primarily for younger children, so not an ideal place for lounging with teens. It is also right at the entrance to the park and not in a central location. We found our bungalow, which was actually pretty cool, two chaise lounge chairs with a small table, and a huge umbrella that covers everything and rotates two directions so you always have shade. Here's what we did, what we learned, and what we'll do differently next time.
LOGISTICS
1. Scrap the bungalow. While the idea of having a place to keep your stuff is a good one, the reality is that this place is HUGE, and active teens are not going to want to stop and walk half a mile back to the bungalow for more water or sunscreen.
2. Instead, pack light. All you really need to take with you around the park is towels, (optional, because you will literally be wet all day and the water is still dripping off of you when you get on the next ride) sunscreen, water, (I recommend disposable bottles. You can refill them all over the park, and there are recycling bins everywhere for the end of the day.) and small snacks.
3. Take a small, rolling cooler, (you can even buy ice at the park if you need) and a small bag for your water, towels and sunscreen.
4. Get a locker for your keys, wallet and phones, unless you have a waterproof case. You won't need them all day.
5. Rather than having a "base camp" to go back to, just bring it with you. Every section of the park has grassy areas with trees, picnic tables, and benches. There is always somewhere to put your stuff down, and it makes a lot more sense to walk to a section, toss your stuff down, and ride all the rides in that section before picking up your stuff and moving to the next section. Everyone does it. Your valuables are in a locker, and no one wants to steal your sunscreen. They brought their own.
6. Get splash cash. When you first arrive to buy your locker, you will get a water proof wrist band that electronically opens your locker. Very handy, nothing to carry! You can also purchase other things, and load them on the wrist band. Splash cash allows you to pay any vendor without the need for cash or a debit card. Just decide how much you want to spend, load it up and have fun. Also on the wrist bands are things like Pharoh's Feast, and tube valet. More on tube valet later.
RIDES
1. I can't imagine anyone being able to hit all the rides in one day. Did I mention this place is huge? If you are out of shape, or have asthma, go slow and bring your inhaler. This is a high altitude water park and even the teens got tired. Prepare yourself for a LOT of walking, stair climbing, and tube carrying, unless you have tube valet.
2. TUBE VALET! I cannot recommend this enough. Because pretty much all the rides are slides of some sort, and the best ones require tubes to ride, you will be carrying tubes uphill a LOT. The tubes themselves certainly aren't heavy, but they're unwieldy, and again, if you're out of shape, well, it's a lot of work that just slows you down. Lines get extremely long, especially for the most popular rides. Tube Valet saves you from all of this. You get to cut the line, and grab your tube at the top. I bought this on a whim, (it's not explained well on the website or when purchasing) and it is probably the best purchase of the entire day. There were a couple of rides without a tube valet option and it was exhausting enough in the heat, that I didn't even want to ride those rides again. Maybe I'm a wuss, but I mean, if you've got teens, it's not like you're a spring chicken, am I right?
3. The ones we enjoyed the most were the ones all four of us could ride together, and there were a lot of options. There were so many options, that we never even made it to several sections. Our favorites, included:
- Lost River of the Pharohs a little creepy, and a LOT fun. (we went on it twice)
- Voyage to the Center of the Earth, dinosaurs, need I say more?
- The Storm, which we all wanted to go back to, but we ran out of time. Most of it is in the dark, so be prepared.
- The Revolution, a lot of anticipation with this one. At one point you get flushed like in a toilet bowl and you can see it coming! Eeeee
- Lazy River, so relaxing. I lost track of the number of times we went around, but be warned, getting into the tubes can be a pretty awkward and it's easy to get separated. Most of the time the kids were ahead of me enough that I couldn't see them, so if this makes you anxious, make a plan to stay together by holding onto each other's tube handles, at least until everyone is in their tubes.
- Mile High Flyer, I am not a roller coaster person at all, but we loved this so much we went on it twice
4. The rest of the rides had mixed reviews, but mostly very good.
- Thunder Bay Wave pool was fun, but sometimes the wait between waves can be very long, and unless you are, and have with you, extremely strong swimmers, it can be more than a little nerve wracking.
- The boys loved the Zoomerang and went on it several times while I watched from the sidelines. I was so tired by this point.
- The river section is also fun, but mostly individual tubes, or 2-3 people, with no tube valet. I'd recommend this section first, when you have the most energy.
- We enjoyed the Funhouse Express Gondola ride, but we did it backwards, I recommend walking down to the fun house and riding rides along the way, then catching the gondola back up once you're worn out.
- The only ride I absolutely did not enjoy was the Double Dare. It's a fairly short slide, that is suppose to be like a race. Two people get in a blue tube, one in front and one in back. Four people go at once, in two different tubes, and race down. The problem is that the water pressure is so high that it's very hard to hold yourself in place while getting in the tube, and the tube is difficult to get into. I was nearly swept away without my second rider because it took a lot of strength to hold on while the second rider got in. The other people in the other tube are having the same problem, and the attendant can't help you all at the same time. Not one I would go on again, and it's also why I didn't ride the Zoomerang. Same tubes.
Over all, this was one of the funnest things we have ever done and we can't wait to go back! Next time, we wait for Pharoh's Feast, pack light, and carry our things with us, section by section. Hope this helps you plan your day when you go!
