Enjoyable weekend
After reading some of the negative reviews the week before we went, I was a little hesitant to go. We had been there a few years ago, and I didn't remember having a bad experience, although I did remember waiting in line at the elevator a little bit, and some of the patrons were a little shady. But some people seem to wait for things to complain about (like waiting 20 minutes for the elevator, and then getting on and pressing "3". Really, you spent all day walking up and down steps at the waterpark, and you can't walk 3 flights of stairs to your room?).
Anyway, we arrived on Saturday, March 3, at around 1:00pm. Only one person in line ahead of us. Within 5 minutes we had our passes and room key. Thankfully, our room was ready early, and we were able to put our stuff in the room, and change. We had a Villa (2 adults and 4 kids). It was great. The waterpark was a little crowded, but it was a Saturday in March. If you were patient, you could get a tube or a raft within 5-10 minutes, and by keeping the numbers limited, once you got one, you didn't have to wait forever in line. There were a few people who hoarded them, but all in all, most people shared. Around 6pm the crowd started to thin out a little, and tubes were easier to come by. $6 for a pitcher of pop (enough for 6 medium cups) and $2 refills wasn't bad. We left the waterpark about 8. The kids (11 through 13 year olds) went to the arcade. They enjoyed it and seemed to get a lot of good prizes for the $ they spent. We didn't get food from the hotel. We ordered delivery pizza, and made a run to the grocery store for drinks and snacks.
Beds were comfortable, and by 10pm it was pretty quiet for a hotel full of 100's of sugared-up kids. We went back to the waterpark Sunday morning from around 11 to 1. It was not very crowded, and you could do just about whatever you wanted with no more than a few minute wait.
All in all it was a good experience. All staff we interacted with were courteous.
Things that could be better:
Very strong chlorine smell in the waterpark. My kids have asthma and had to take a few breaks and use their inhalers.
Put a couple clocks in the waterpark!! I didn't take my watch or cellphone in so they wouldn't get lost/damaged, and had to keep asking people what time it was. Also, it is nice to be able to tell kids "meet me here at this time".
Train workers to be a little more proactive and assertive. Sometimes people weren't sure what was going on, like knowing which lines went to which waterslides, or whether a table was being used, or how to get a tube. This can lead to frustration. It can be hard for a 16-18 year old to tell adults what to do, especially when they are jerks, but if they had someone walking around just asking people if they had any questions or problems, it might alleviate some potential issues.
I did notice that later in the day, the line to check-in got really long.
I stood in line about 10 minute to checkout (we didn't get a receipt under the door like a lot of hotels, so I figured I needed to). Most of the people in line were checking in, so the line moved slow. When I got up to the front, all they had me do was drop my key-cards in a basket. I wasn't the only one who waited. The guy in front of me did the same thing, and he was late trying to get his kids to some sort of tournament. A simple sign at the front of the line, or an "express check-out" lane would have eliminated this.
All-in all a good experience.