ShawnMarie

Dutch Wonderland Trip Report with a 3 year old – a good time for about 3 hours

Aug 072011

The Dutchman at Dutch Wonderland

After my first visit to Dutch Wonderland and my suggestion that you should wait to take your kids until they are older, I began to wonder what my 3 year old would think of it. She has a “Duke” the dragon shirt we found at the Salvation Army so she had been asking to visit him so I gave in. She calls it “Duck Wonderland” and that is appropriate given how many ducks there are around.

We made the trip on a cool August Thursday arriving at the park around 2pm. The parking lot was full but I have to say that inside the park it didn’t seem any more crowded than the last day I went when the parking lot was virtually empty. It wasn’t because the water park was full either, it was really too cool to get wet.

I had to purchase a ticket for her and the best deal I could get was to use the coupon from my season pass book, $24.95. Not cheap but it works out to about 4 dollars an hour since we stayed 6 hours.

First thing in we rode the train – my suggestion so she could see the park before we started to walk around. We hadn’t been there but 2 minutes and she fell and skinned her knee. This would be a recurring theme all day and she was pretty banged up by the time we left. Dutch Wonderland has blacktop paths in most places and they have these built up “curbs” along the pathway edges. For some reason my daughter never saw them and tripped over them all the time. Not sure if other kids do that, but it was a real nuisance.

We rode the train and then walked across the floating bridge to the mill. The dutchman at the mill fascinated her and this was a sign of things to come. The “Dutch” parts of Dutch Wonderland were the things she was interested in. Not the rides – we only rode two other than the train and the boats.

Next up was the carousel. She could ride by herself on this one (the one at Hersheypark is much larger) so that made her happy. We got off and she wanted to drive the motor boats in the duck pond but they weren’t working. She went back to visit the Dutchman again. I had to pry her away.

A favorite - the candy making diorama in the Gingerbread Candy House

As we entered the heart of the park she found one of the push button diaramas showing men in a wood shop. She then found the candy house next to the Really Useful Theater with the candy diorama inside. She ran in and out of the candy house for a good ten minutes, just doing laps and chatting with kids that showed up. If you are wondering what a 3 year old will do at Dutch Wonderland, well, this is what MY 3 year old did. Pretty much the whole trip was spent in the church, the school house, the birthday cake, the candy house, the Amish buggy, the pretzel, the giant chicken etc etc etc.

Huck Finn's leaping frogs - too bumpy!

My daughter had no interest in the rides except for the new Huck Finn’s Leaping Frog ride which she tried and deemed “too bumpy.” It really does jolt the kids up and down so I’m not surprised she didn’t like it. It would have made me sick for sure.

A dragon egg!

Since she wanted to see Duke the dragon and we hadn’t found him in the park to talk with, I took her on the Dragon’s Lair ride. I was a little worried that this would go badly since she hates to sit still and we’d be stranded in a log in a lake, but she did OK. She did start trying to stand up until the very end. For those that wonder this ride is on a rail, you don’t steer. I heard several people ask that question on this visit.

We caught the Thomas the Tank Engine show twice and she did sit through most of both shows and she did interact with the cast. The audience was much smaller at these shows than the last time I was there and I think that helped keep the kids interested though plenty still left in the middle.

Awesome fries - get cheese and gravy!

I do have to make a correction to my previous trip report. I did find something amazing to eat at Dutch Wonderland – Potato Patch fries. My daughter and I were taking a short cut over the potato patch patio and as we went down the stairs I caught a whiff of some tasty smelling fries. I turned around and asked the couple enjoying them if they really were that good. To my delight they produced an extra fork and told me to dig in to the cheese and gravy covered fries. After making a mess of myself with the cheese sauce I did indeed have some of the best fries I’ve eated in awhile so that is what dinner was. (Thanks Elizabeth for sharing!) We got 5 chicken tenders, a huge boat of fries with gravy and a child’s cup with drink for $11.05 with a season pass discount. This is easily enough food for 3 people.

We also had a Dole Citrus Whip which is still tasty, though the vanilla “ice cream” is still weird. A hint for the Dole Whips, they are pretty big. I got mine in a dish with a cone on top so my daughter and I could share. I spooned some of the whip into the cone so she had her cone and then I had the dish. We each got appropriate sized portions and we spend less than $2.50 with my season pass discount.

Let’s see, the diving show was great. We saw the frog prince. A big warning to folks who sit front and center. A poor family didn’t seem to see the splash zone signs and they got soaked by a wave of water during the high dive – soaked to the skin, purse, backpack and all. They took it well, but I’m sure some things got ruined in their bags.

Relaxing on the Lady Gay - nap anyone?

We did both boat rides and they were wonderful breaks on the trip. The Lady Gay ride was great with just our family and another on it. So much great interaction with the boat captain (who really does steer the thing!) Our ride on the gondolas was made more fun by the commentary of the father in front of us. He must have been from the South at some point and it was so refreshing to hear an accent other than PA Dutch for a change. He explained everything to his daughter who I’m guessing was just shy of 2 so it was like having a tour guide on our boat.

After one of my daughter’s many spills she actually found herself in front of the Knight of Dutch Wonderland. He made a big show of helping her up and brushing her off and then we got a great picture of him while my daughter held his shield.

Our trip was dotted with great interactions with both guests and the cast and that made all the difference. Nice people make for a pleasant trip.

We played the duck game for $2 and she won a duck. All games I saw were $2 and she was much more interested in playing games here than at Hersheypark. Dutch Wonderland offers a game package where you purchase them in bulk and you do save a bunch of money if this is something your kids like to do. We’ll probably do that next time.

Oh, and did I say we fed ducks? We fed ducks again and again. And fish. And geese. And birds. Make sure you pack lots of quarters for this. My daughter and another little girl shared handfuls of duck food and it was a nice time for them to be together. Her mother and I talked and it was just a great moment in our trip since we were both alone with our girls.

So around 5 my daughter started to get antsy. She had had a nap on the way down, but I could still tell she was getting worn out. The next 3 hours were not nearly as fun as the first 3. She started refusing to do things she had done earlier and there were quite a few tantrums and tears. I practially had to drag her to the last diving show but once she was there she had a great time. We left after that.

We picked up a really nice souvenir called “A Kingdome for Kids Game.” It is basically Candyland with a Dutch Wonderland theme. No reading required, just colored cards. It is on sale now for $14.99 and I think it was a much better buy than the $22 stuffed Duke she had her eye on. I’m sure she doesn’t agree but we’ve played the game every day since we’ve been home so it is a nice reminder.

When I asked my 3 year old if she liked Hersheypark (which she has been to at least a dozen times) or Dutch Wonderland better, her quick answer is Dutch Wonderland “Cause that is where Duke lives.” So I guess we have a winner here.

Some things to keep in mind if you’re traveling with a 3 year old:

find the bathrooms early in your trip
buy the kids cup – it is a great value and you can get it filled with water
don’t expect them to ride much, they might but then again they might not
bring bandaids for skinned knees
bring quarters for feeding ducks
leave your stroller in the car (we did just find without it and you can move so much faster on foot)
make sure they wear something you can pick out in a crowd – there are paths everywhere!
you don’t need to do Duke’s Lagoon to have a great time, staying dry is fun too
share a Dole Whip for a cheap treat
expect them to wear out before the day is over so try quiet things like the boat rides to refresh them
One last thing, if they ask you to get into the birthday cake with them, think very carefully on this. It is a lot easier getting in than getting out. (I thought they’d have to slice the cake to get me out!)

The Birthday Cake: getting in easy, getting out? Not so much.

Hersheypark Mini-trip report 7/14/11

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Jul 152011

New Tram lines

Yesterday I took all three kids to the park and we were there from 4 to a little after 9. What a long day that was with me being the only one with the two toddlers most of the time.

We were able to find close parking since some folks had left already which was nice, but I had problems with our stroller right away, I couldn’t really turn it so that made things tough until I figured out the front wheel brakes were on. (I didn’t even know we had front wheel brakes!)

I finally got a picture of the new tram lines they are using. These are very helpful and make getting a tram to the parking lot a lot easier - especially for folks with strollers. There are only certain places you can put a stroller and some people used to try to take them on where you weren’t allowed to. The stroller section of the tram line is now clearly marked so you get to the right place. There are lines for people to wait in now too which keeps the mob scene to a minimum. One thing of interest is now they only have one tram in at a time. They used to bring in two if it was busy, but not now. I’m guessing things move faster with the new line system so the wait is probably the same.

The plan was to take the two little ones to the zoo first while the oldest did her thing. Well, the little ones wanted to ride and not visit the zoo so my plans were scrapped. They rode the Bizzy Bees, the Tiny Timbers, Convoy, the mini Pirat and the small swings before heading to ZOOAMERICA.

Ranger Scratch and friend

Once we got to the zoo we ran into Ranger Scratch. The little ones were afraid of him for some reason and he played along that he was hurt and disappointed that they wouldn’t shake his hand, but I’m sure Ranger Scratch will recover.

We all shared a Pepsi ICEE before heading back into the park.

We did the Dry Gultch Railroad next. I’m very happy to see that they did some improvements to the scenery here. New paint and some updates make it seem like less of a dying attraction. Every park needs a train ride in my opinion and this one is not too bad. If you ride this and are afraid of snakes, be sure to sit on the side of the car that is closest to the station. There is a bit of theming (with some spraying water finally again) that is snake related on the side of the cars that is farthest from the station.

Somewhere in there was a ride on the Carrousel and the mini-himalaya. Then I took the little ones for some dinner – around 7pm – while Sheridan left to meet up with her friend Sparky who works at the park and was getting off her shift.

A nice sized BLT Chicken Wrap

The kids and I ate Boardwalk Fries and a Chicken BLT wrap from Gourmet Grille. I believe this is the same wrap sold at the Mixed Grill in Pioneer Frontier but the size of this wrap was nearly double anything I ever got there. There actually was enough food in this wrap to feed myself and the two children with me having to really work to eat the last part of it. A filling meal that kept us from needing ice cream later. I had stopped at the vending machines next to the Flying Falcon to pick up a bottle of chocolate milk for the kids ($2). This is the way to go if your kids want chocolate milk since what you get at the eateries that have milk is a milk box and it has about a third of the amount of milk in it and costs nearly as much.

A word here about Boardwalk Fries. Boardwalk Fries uses peanut oil so it can be a source of allergy problems for some people. Our son has a very mild allergy to peanuts and we have always given him these fries with no problem, but others with a more severe allergy may not be so lucky.

After dinner we went to the arcade and playing some 21 ball – not sure what it is really called but you roll balls down a ramp that has holes in it and try to reach 21 so you win. Alyn and Sterling both won this but really it is just a low key game to keep them busy for awhile.

Back to Founders Circle where we rode the mini-train and the traffic jam until we left a little after 9pm.

Not too crowded, lines were short and the weather was gorgeous. Maybe was a little too long as people started to get cranky near the end of the night (namely me when our son wedged himself inside the caboose of the little train and I couldn’t get him out!)

The kids and I ate for under $20 on this trip which included: water in refillable cup (free), soda refill, chocolate milk, Pepsi ICEE, regular boardwalk fries and a chicken BLT wrap. It was plenty of food for us for a nearly six hour trip over dinner. Some people would balk at the price but if you took your kids to a fast food joint you’d spend that much easy, and this food was better.

Hersheypark Mini-trip report – 07/12/11

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Jul 132011

Kiddie Rides in Founder's Circle area

Took the kids to Hersheypark for a few hours last night. It was really hot and humid so wheeling them around in the stroller was a workout. We started off at the Founder’s Circle kiddie rides and they rode several more than once since lines were non-existant.

Then we picked up some water (free in a refillable cup) to cool us down and went on the Tiny Timbers ride. I was a little disappointed with the attendant at this ride. Here I was trying to get two toddlers into the boat and he offered no assistance whatsoever. You need to be careful when boarding this ride because there is a 2-4 inch space between the platform and the log boat and the kids can get their feet stuck in there and twist an ankle. Eventually I got both kids in and settled and we enjoyed two turns on the ride without getting off since there was no line.

This ride has long lines most days because it is slow loading and there are only ten boats or so. You don’t really get wet unless you were in a boat like we were that was much heavier on one side than the other. My son’s foot got soaked with the splash on our side of the boat after the hill.

Then we went on the Dry Gulch Railroad, another first for the kids. This went over well but my son did not want to stay seated past a certain point. If you have antsy kids be sure to choose the train cars that are more enclosed to keep them from trying to escape. They were running two trains so at the end of the ride we had to wait for the other train to load before we got off. This did not go over well with Chubs, especially after he say an employee get off the train as it was waiting to pull into the station. No screaming though, just trying to climb out.

Water fun next to Tidal Force

After that we went to play in the puddles at the side of Tidal Force. Not sure if people are reading it here or finding it themselves but there are more and more toddlers in this section each time we go. Makes for great fun in the puddles without having to go to the trouble of a bathing suit.

Then we got some ice cream – small twist cones for everyone $6.02 with my pass discount – and went home.

Not crowded at all. Only line I saw was for Fahrenheit but that is normal. Storm Runner had a line at times too, but not very long.

What can my little kids ride at Delgrosso’s Amusement Park?

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Jun 282011

Kids Kingdom entrance and ticket booths at Delgrosso's

Delgrosso’s Amusement Park is one of those great parks that has a special section devoted to smaller children. Their kids area is called Kid’s Kingdom and it features rides that are available to nearly all children. My one complaint is that many of the rides do not accomodate parents so if your child is very young or is a hesitant rider, you may have trouble getting them on the rides alone.

Delgrosso’s Website features a ride/height listing here and each ride sign at the park posts who can ride it. This information is not in their park brochure.

Here are the rides in the Kid’s Kingdom with their height requirements:

Whale ride - under 52 inches, no parents

Boat Ride - under 52 inches, no parents

Helicopters - under 52 inches, no parents

Turtle ride - under 52 inches, no parents

Elephant ride - must be under 52 inches, no parents

Dizzy Dragons - over 36 inches tall with adult, 42 inches w/o adult - only ride parents can ride in Kid's Kingdom

Corvette Race Cars, under 52 inches, no parents

Fire Trucks, must be under 52 inches, no parents

I unfortunately don’t have a good picture of the Kiddie Carousel, but it too has a height limit of under 52 inches but parents can accompany the child to hold them.

There are other rides at Delgrosso’s that younger guests can enjoy outside Kid’s Kingdom as well depending on their height. Rides guests 36 inches and taller can ride are the full size carousel, scrambler, flying bobs, train and wacky worm. Free fall is available for those 38 inches and taller. For a full listing of rides at Delgrosso’s with their height requirements and limitations, check here.

Can my kids ride the Pipeline Plunge water slide at Dutch Wonderland? Read here to find out.

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Jun 282011

Pipeline Plunge ride requirements

Dutch Wonderland’s Duke’s Lagoon features a waterslide called Pipeline Plunge. Above you can see the sign stating the limits for who can ride. They are both height and weight dependent.

This ride uses rafts and each raft must weigh between 90 – 350 lbs. Riders 48 inches and under must ride with a responsible rider (older sibling greater than 48 inches or a parent.) If your child is under 90lbs you will need to find someone to go with them.