We took off just after 8am, since the park opened at 10am and it would take us 1 1/2 hrs. to get there. It was a fairly easy drive to Madison on I-94 then up to the Dells on I-90. We found it with no trouble at all and since the park is on the opposite end of the Dells, the kids got to see all of the attractions in between. I think we'll have to plan a week-long family trip there in the future.
The company paid for our parking, our wristbands to ride everything, and our lunch. So thankful for how much they paid for! We got out and sunscreened our faces, then hit the park just as they opened the gates. Matt was tall enough to ride the big coasters, so he and I hit Zeus first thing. He was rather terrified when he got off the ride and I, the roller coaster enthusiast of the family, was laughing maniacally the entire time! We then found Pegasus, the roller coaster Anna was tall enough to ride. The kids had been pumping each other up all week looking at the map we got with our wristbands and watching You Tube videos of the ride. So Ben and Anna got on the roller coaster without a single qualm. At the end, however, Anna said, "Thank goodness I was strapped in!' and wouldn't go on anything big for the rest of the day! We had told them ahead of time that we wouldn't make them ride anything they didn't feel comfortable riding, but it was a little like leading lambs to the slaughter on that first coaster, lol!! Matthew loved it but Ben wasn't too sure.
Right across from it were three kiddie rides, so they went on those. And then we tried to hit a go kart track as a family. Matt was tall enough to ride on his own, but did not feel comfortable doing so. Rob took each one individually around the track while I put the other two on more kiddie rides and bought a $3 bottle of gatorade. (No carry ins so parks can charge an arm and a leg for hydration, Sheesh.) By the time all three had ridden the go karts, it was time for lunch. G & V had reserved a special pavilion and we enjoyed burgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, chips, and veggies. It was a HUGE lunch and almost carried us to supper!
After eating, Rob took our valuables (camera, keys, etc) back to the van and got our swim gear while I took the kids to meander towards the water park. We hit the kiddie roller coaster (still too fast for Anna) and an intermediate go kart track that I THOUGHT was the kiddie track. The boys did just fine, but Anna got scared half-way through and an attendant had to bring her back, crying. She was crying so hard that a park employee stopped to make sure she was okay and offered her an ice pack. We explained that while she was tall enough for the ride, she was obviously not OLD enough. And then I saw the kiddies carts. Oh well.
We took off for Posiden's Rage, the big wave pool. Rob found a spot for our stuff (and we lost Ben, then found him with a lifeguard. Poor kid got mesmerized by the water and wandered that way) while I went to change. Everyone else was already in their suits. We greased everyone up and headed for the wave pool. I had been warned it was powerful, but words really can't prepare you for the seven foot wall of water coming toward you at a powerful speed. Crazy! We did okay when the first wave hit because Rob and I were both holding Anna. But only I had her on the second wave and I went back about five feet, Anna close to 15 feet! Of course she was crying again, so I found a spot much further back for she and I to sit in. We had a ball and before too long, she was standing and taking the waves like a pro. Matt got pretty scraped up but still had a blast.
After awhile, we decided to explore some more. We found a play area with smaller slides for the kids, so they had fun doing that while we sat on chairs to rest. The lines for the big water slides were all over an hour long by that point, so we didn't worry about pushing for them. We hit the indoor waterpark (another play area for Ben and Anna, waterslide for Rob and Matt) and then reapplied sunscreen and went to the "lazy" river, which was rather fast and not at all lazy, lol!! That was a fun one for all of us and then we found ANOTHER wave pool, but much gentler than the first. Anna went right up to the rope for that one and all three kids (five, really) had a grand time!
We hit the snack bar (paying $17 for two nachos and two slushies, yikes!) and then Rob and the boys decided to brave a long line for a slide while Anna and I went to another kiddie area. There were smaller slides there and she had a blast! The boys came down after the slide declaring it was NOT worth the hour they had waited. It was almost five o'clock by this time, so we made our way back across the park to the van for supper. We all changed clothes and walked up the steepest hill I have walked in ages to get back to the van. I was exhausted by the time we arrived there to eat our supper. Ugh!! Why on earth would a park have a hill THAT steep???
We ate our supper and then headed back into the park to ride more rides. I was really done by that point, so Rob rode the Cyclops coaster with Matt while I took Ben and Anna back to the kiddie rides. Matt rode another coaster solo while we continued to rest up. We meandered back to the kiddie go carts and Anna loved them! The boys road the bumper boats, although they had a super long wait in line, so Anna and I went window shopping while we waited for them. Then we explored the indoor theme park, which had tea cups (Anna's favorite--lost count on how many times she rode), bumper cars, two other rides, and a big roller coaster. Matt and I rode the coaster and it was a super fun ride!! After that we went back up the death walk to leave the park. close to 9pm. I can't believe my kids lasted 11 hours at a theme park!!
Other than almost hitting a deer on the way home, our ride back was pretty smooth. The kids got straight into their beds and went right to sleep. What a great day!! And I know you may be wondering about me and the fibro: I prayed that I would only be normal sore, not fibro sore at the end and that I would have a normal day. God answered my prayers! I am sore and tired still, but it's not too bad. Praise the Lord for his goodness, even in going to amusement parks! And none of us were badly burned!! Double praise for that one!
