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| - Groupon had a great deal for over half off on general admission to Big Surf Waterpark (www.bigsurfaz.com), only $13 each! We bought four and headed out for some fun. It had been almost 15 years since my last visit on a Texas high school band trip. No more hot sand to walk on!!!
It's always nice when your kids are excited about a family adventure, but today I thought our son was going to literally cry for joy & excitement! He loves the ocean & roller coasters. What better combination then Big Surf's wave pool & numerous water slides!
We did the economic thing, and ate before we left for the park. We knew there would be looks of junk food available and you aren't allowed to bring in any outside food, only factory sealed water is allowed. They checked our bags, although not as thorough as the TSA and no pat-down either. We did take about eight bottles of water, about two shy of what we could have used.
We lucked out and had an overcast day. Overcast day in Phoenix, how does that happen? We not only ate before we left, but we put our first of multiple coats of sunscreen on as well. It's really easy to forget sunscreen when the sun is hidden by clouds, but you can still get burnt even if you can't see the sun. Always wear sunscreen when you have an outdoor activity!!
We easily used our Groupons and entered the park. A lot had changed in 15 years! IMO (in my opinion) the best upgrade are the palapas and removal of all the sand. The grass and water paths feel much better on your feet than red hot sand any day.
We rode the slides until we couldn't see straight and then headed for the wave pool. They rent rafts for $5 plus tax. It sure would make it easier if they figured the price with tax included. You get a dollar back when you return the raft, bet you don't get the tax back from the difference on $4 instead of $5. I'm sure that adds up over hundreds of rentals per day! They also rent boogie boards and surf boards for the wave pool.
The inability to bring in your own food also gives them the monopoly on food pricing. Some of the items were decently priced and others a bit out of hand for a family of four or more. We had two personal pizzas, 3 tacos & a serving of watermelon for just under $20. I can't imagine the cost of eating if both our children were Tweens or older, we'll enjoy it while we can.
Overall we had a good time. The staff was all very friendly and respectful. The grounds could have used a bit more cleaning and maybe sweep the standing water off the low areas, they made for an eye-sore and we avoided them as much as possible. They were extremely dirty and steaming hot too. There could have been more lounge chairs available as well. All of this was tolerable, but not having enough tubes for the slides is inexcusable! The park wasn't swamped by any means and there still wasn't enough tubes to accommodate the slide participants. If you were lucky the person getting off the slide would do the right thing and give it to the next person waiting in line for a tube. If you weren't so lucky you got side-swiped with that tube you were waiting for as the current holder zoomed past you for another turn.
If you can get a good deal and have enough sunscreen, we highly recommend visiting Big Surf Waterpark. They do offer summer passes as well.
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