3/5 Daniel C. 1 year ago on Google
3.5
stars,
but
definitely
not
4.
This
is
going
to
be
a
bit
of
a
strange
review.
Largely
because
this
place
has
some
really
good
high
points,
but
some
seriously
low
points.
For
anyone
who
wants
the
short
version,
it's
this:
were
it
not
for
the
Cool
Box
experience,
my
review
would
be
scathing.
Firstly,
we
arrived
on
a
July
Wednesday
at
10:30
AM.
The
line
up
to
get
in
was
brutal
(which
is
so
strange,
because
when
we
left
on
Thursday
at
the
same
time
there
was
no
entry
lineup
at
all).
The
parking
lot
is
a
gong
show
and
the
parking
spaces
are
so
tiny
that
many
people
just
take
two.
Walking
through
the
gates,
the
first
impression
is
of
a
place
that
is
dated
and
has
been
let
go
and
the
entry
is
eerily
devoid
of
any
life
or
excitement.
Wander
up
a
ways
and
there's
a
food
court,
per
se,
with
only
one
functioning
restaurant
and
an
ice
cream
bar
(which
was
out
of
order
on
day
2).
Continue
up
the
path
and
you
pass
some
jungle
gym
play
structures,
some
of
which
are
barricaded
and
out
of
commission,
on
your
way
to
the
water
park.
The
water
slides
were
okay
for
my
8
and
6
year
old
kids,
but
kids
older
than
that
would
likely
be
bored.
Follow
the
narrow
path
which
is
mixed
with
tube
riders
and
clothed
people
trying
to
get
to
the
zoo
exhibits
(total
lack
of
planning
there).
When
you
arrive
at
the
large
cat
enclosures
it's
not
clear
at
all
which
route
one
should
take,
so
you
will
inevitably
end
up
either
double
back
or
skipping
a
section
or
two.
The
lion
exhibit
is
quite
cool
with
the
glass
tunnel.
And
while
the
animals
were
lethargic
in
the
mid-day
heat,
going
back
in
the
evening
is
well
worth
it
to
hear
them
call
and
to
be
there
for
feeding
time.
The
rest
of
this
section
is
mediocre
at
best,
with
not
much
variety
of
animals
and
no
real
sense
of
organization,
so
I
won't
elaborate.
The
deer
section
is
great
for
kids
to
be
able
to
hand-feed
the
fawns,
but
get
there
early,
as
by
the
late
afternoon,
they're
stuffed
and
bedded
down.
Up
to
this
point,
I
would
have
rated
this
place
2
stars
max.
But
then
we
checked
into
our
Cool
Box,
which
is
a
well-designed
living
space
built
in
a
wide
sea
can
-
think
tiny
house
bungalow
-
with
lots
of
kids
running
around
and
playing
in
the
adjacent
field.
What
really
changed
the
level
of
entertainment
was
the
bird
of
prey
show
after
dinner
and
an
evening
walk-through
of
the
deer
zone.
Both
were
great
fun.
The
10:30
curfew
ensured
that
there
were
no
late-night
shenanigans
that
would
have
kept
the
kids
up,
so
that
was
appreciated.
In
the
morning
of
day
2,
the
pressure
from
staff
to
get
you
moving
and
checked
out
was
annoying.
Especially,
since
we
ended
up
standing
around
waiting
for
the
safari
team
to
get
ready
and
get
their
security
staff
deployed.
They
really
need
to
improve
this.
As
for
the
safari
itself,
the
vehicles
were
fine
and
the
ability
to
see
the
animals
fairly
up-close
made
the
time
spent
well
worth
it
(but
for
the
annoying
wait
to
get
started).
Feeding
the
giraffe
after
was
also
a
hit
for
the
kids.
One
pleasant
surprise
was
the
giftshop.
The
contents
were
pretty
decent
and
the
prices
were
far
more
reasonable
than
most
giftshops
I've
been
in
(except
for
the
stuffies,
but
they're
always
overpriced).
So,
in
summary,
I
would
recommend
this
park
with
the
Cool
Box
experience,
but
just
barely.
Without
the
Cool
Box,
I
definitely
would
not.
Lastly,
the
fact
that
there
is
ZERO
recycling
in
the
entire
park
is
an
abomination.
A
place
that
draws
in
this
many
people
and
drives
all
that
waste
to
landfill
is,
quite
frankly,
disgusting.
While
the
place
still
has
the
feel
of
1988,
we
are
living
in
2022.
Shameful.
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