WildWater Kingdom
Wild Water Kingdom
Age: All Ages Time: All Day Level: Special Occasion or Any Given Sunday if you have a season pass
I do not love water parks.
I am a pasty white woman who hates sunscreen and heat, so if I never go to one again, I will be happy. Unfortunately for me, water parks are one of my daughter’s favorite things in life so off to Wild Water Kingdom we went. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the place, and the trip allowed me to discover a hidden gem that solves a Dorney Park problem, for the summer months at least. The use of the space is mostly well planned. There are a few hiccups which I will touch on, but for the most part it is a solid 8.5/10.
Tickets
https://www.sixflags.com/dorneypark/daily-tickets
Wild Water Kingdom lives inside Dorney Park and is included with your admission. The price of the ticket varies by the day, with Saturday being the most expensive. Fast passes are available for some rides at the water park, but I am not sure if I would purchase it. Full disclosure, we went on one of the hottest Thursdays of the year, so I cannot speak to crowds on the weekend. I would imagine they are inline with the ride side of the park which have never been horrible and one of the reasons we go here instead of Great Adventure.
Chaperone policy
Unfortunately, like many parks, Dorney has a chaperone policy. For the details, please click the link below. In a nutshell though, guests under 17 must be accompanied by a person 21 years and older after 4:00 pm and if they are not they could be ejected from the park. Guest 16 years and older may be asked to present ID at entry. How strictly is this policy enforced? Seems to depend on the day but people are reporting that it is increasing. Thanks bad apples for ruining it for the rest of us.
https://www.sixflags.com/dorneypark/code-of-conduct#parkpolicies
Parking
Parking is $30/day and driving really is the only way to get there. You could, in theory park outside of the park, but you must cross a very busy highway type road to get there, and it is very dangerous to try. Heck, every time I exit the freeway and must cross the lanes to turn, I freak out a bit. Just pay the money because you are worth so much more than $30.
Seats, Loungers, and Cabanas
Do you remember how I said I am a pasty white woman who hates sunscreen? That means that I must have shade and most outdoor water parks do not provide enough. Dorney was better than most, but not perfect. There were a decent number of shaded chairs available, but not enough for everyone. Even though we got there close to when it opened, the chairs were claimed and people were scrambling for cabanas.
There are two paid options available for shade. Though I don’t love having to pay for it, I do appreciate the water parks that offer shaded loungers. I think these should be free, but whatever, the parks have to make their money to stay open. Dorney parks loungers are well priced, $50 for two most days, and located in a decent location. This would be my choice for paid seating.
Since the trip was somewhat last minute, we missed out on the loungers and got a cabana instead. The basic cabana runs about $200 without a season pass discount. I do not regret spending the money on it, because shade and a table, but I can now say that they are something you should probably skip. Of the six water parks where we have rented cabanas, this one was on the lower side of cost/benefit. We got the basic cabana and maybe had we upgraded we would have liked it more, but the experience itself was, well, basic.
We got shade and a table, and it was nice to have safe and a fridge, but that was about it. The waitperson was fine, but only took drink orders and not food. Since we have the all season drink plan, this was somewhat useless to us and we had to get our own drinks anyway. Jose did order a pina colada, but like most amusement parks (not Disney), the drink was weak and expensive. Seemed silly to get one.
The location of the cabanas was okay. They are on one side of the park, pretty much away from everything except the smaller wave pool, so you are hiking to the slides and to the restaurants. This mattered when we had to trek back across the park with our food and drinks hoping that they would not be dropped. The loungers are on the opposite side of the park, which were a little closer to the attractions and food. Also, even though there was a fan, you could not open the back up to get cross circulation, nor is there a front part to close for privacy to change out of suits. Go with the loungers but be warned that they will be the first to sell out.
Lockers
Locker rentals are available, but from what I have read they go fast. They are about $20-$30 a day.
The Park Itself
I was very pleasantly surprised with Wild Water Kingdom. Even though I do not love water parks, I do love a lazy river. Wild Water’s did not disappoint. It is quietly longer than expected and had lovely water elements. My only minor complaints are that they only let you go around once, but that keeps the line from getting long, and that there is one water element that forces you to get your head wet. It was a blazing hot day so on this trip I didn’t mind.
They have a lovely mix of water slide levels which allows for your dare devils and cautious participants to find the slide to match their level of thrill. There are two different wave pools, one is notably smaller than the other and eventually the one I preferred. There was a second river that seems to be more robust and active, but I am gathering that only from the description and the reviews.
The other items of note is the life guards. I don’t know if this is a Pennsylvania mandate or a Dorney Park requirement but the life guards are trained to constantly sweep the waters to be on the lookout for people struggling. They scan to the left, scan to the right, and then sweep the area directly below them. Accidents can still happen even with the best trained staff, but the constant scanning is a little something extra that I always appreciate. They also are strict with the life jackets in the wave pool which is another action that brings peace of mind.
The Food
I don’t want to say that the shining star of the day was the restaurant we ate at, but The Tidal Wave Café was the shining star of the day. It wasn’t that the food was Michelan star amazing that made it stand out. It was more than in a park of such horrible options, here was a restaurant that had a meal that everyone loved. It was so good, that no matter where we are at Dorney, the family and I will make the hike over to the water park for our lunch or dinner. I got the fried shrimp with vegetables and French fries. Everyone else got the pulled pork, fries or macaroni. The pork was good enough that we were trying to figure out how to get the left overs home and my shrimp was so well done I didn’t feel like sharing…..and didn’t. It also came with a dinner role coated in honey butter which Abby scarfed down like she hadn’t eaten in days. It does run at a higher price point than the average meal at the park, about $20 a plate, but I also think you get more food and at a higher quality. If you don’t want to spend this amount, they also have standard offerings of pizza and chicken tenders, and from what I have read the pizza place there isn’t bad either.
Optional
We did take break and catch a few rides in the park. You certainly don’t need to leave as there is enough to keep one entertained at the water park, but it could be a nice break. However, when we went it was such a hot day that the rides were walk on for everything. Kudos to the staff at the park. Everyone managed to have a good attitude despite the heat. Even if they were miserable, they were smiling.
What to Pack
• Bathing Suit • Sunscreen • Sunglasses or visor • Hat • Cover-up • Towels • Dry Clothes • Plastic bags to store wet items • Croc like shoes you don’t mind getting stolen (Not a Dorney thing, just my advice for every water park. I have a standard pair of dollar store crocs that are just for this purpose) • Water shoes (optional, you could probably wear your knock off crocs on most things) • Snacks and an empty water bottle • Goggles (optional) • Swim Diapers for the littles • A water proof pouch for your phone and small belongings. We like the Fanny Pack style, but many like the pouch around the neck. Both styles are listed here: https://a.co/d/0a3abzUK https://a.co/d/04OMFEHI
Accessibility
Dorney park, like most amusement parks, is ADA compliant and will try to make reasonable accommodations. Ride access is a case by case basis and will be assessed at guest services. The do have an application for essentially a fast pass for guests who have mobility and cognitive issues. Again, this is a decided on a case-by-case basis. To apply online, please use the link below: https://www.sixflags.com/dorneypark/accessibility
Another item to note is that they do have a quiet room in the family care center in Planet Snoopy. There is a lot going on at the water park so this is worth noting.