Marilou A.
Yelp
Warning: This review is long because I searched so many reviews for party information but wasn't very successful, so hopefully this helps some caregiver out there just trying to plan a party for their kid. :)
This review is of our experience with the Aqua Adventures party packages. The last time we threw a birthday party for my son was when he turned one, so we decided we should finally throw him another party. We had attended a wonderful party at Aqua Adventures last year, so we decided to book at the park, too!
We had 140 people on our guestlist and with the help of our coordinator, Sagel, we figured out the best option for our specific needs was to book two Aqua Bash packages which EACH included: a hut (with 6 picnic tables), 2 entrees, 2 sides, drinks, and tokens for Dippin Dots for 40 people. Then for the extra guests, we were able to get a group rate on ticket prices and purchased additional food a la carte. Some people did have season passes so we excluded them from the ticket count, but we made sure we had enough food for them. The food menu for 140 people ended up being:
2 trays of BBQ beef brisket
1 tray of hot dogs
1 tray of burgers
2 orders of mac n cheese
1 order of basmati rice
1 order of watermelon
*25 extra hot dogs
*4 cheese pizzas
*4 pepperoni pizzas
*24 veggie samosas
*100 sodas and juices
*a la carte
6 days before the event, Sagel confirmed all of the details including the menu items, delivery time, etc. She even confirmed that they could put up two extra 10x10 tents for additional shade.
We got to the park at 10:40am (the park opens at 11am) and there was already a line of 15-20 people. Jas (sp?) and another sweet staff member welcomed us at the gate and wished our son a happy birthday. We were not able to get in earlier since lifeguards needed to be stationed before guests entered the park, but they were able to let us in at 10:55am. We had a lot of items with us so offered us several carts to use.
Our host, Chantel, greeted us at our huts where our food station and extra tents were already set up. She reviewed our orders and timing and continued to update us as food and beverages were getting set up and delivered. She was so great about checking in with us, got us extra hot dogs when we needed them, had staff empty our full garbage cans, and even brought over a cake cutter when we were ready for cake. They delivered our rice late, but she was very apologetic and gave us extra sodas and juices. We also had people take our tubes (which you're supposed to rent from the sun shop) so she gave us several extra tickets for inner tubes.
Other things to note:
- We had the 2 huts and 2 tents but some of our guests brought in approved pop up tents
- When we arrived, we pulled over several lounge chairs to our huts and tent area. Some of our guests also brought their own beach chairs.
- Security flagged some guests' reusable water bottles and life vests while others were able to bring theirs in.
- Some guests needed to bring snacks in for their toddlers and the park -allowed them in per their guidelines.
- MANY of our guests asked us if we had outside catering because the food was so good! We were very pleased with the park's quality of food-- even the brisket was moist and flavorful.
- They do NOT store birthday cakes, so we had a friend pick up and drop off the cake when we were ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to my son.
- If guests weren't able to attend, they were able to give exchange our tickets to anytime tickets to use at a later date.
Shout out to Sagel and Chantel for doing such a wonderful job organizing this event for us. I appreciate their attention to detail and their level of customer service. Carson was also helpful in helping me put in an order with the kitchen and finding our season passes. Overall, it was a great experience and recommend throwing a party at Aqua Adventures!