Family tradition, though I think we might have missed last year, is being at the gate of Oceans of Fun at opening time on opening day. One year we even got on the Oceans of Fun blog/Facebook page (something like that/one of those things) with our pictures and comments. (I think that was Betsy and I, on a Friday, when the kids were still in school).
Anyway, so that meant today we needed to be there by 10:30 a.m. for opening. When we woke this morning to a downpour, and the forecast continually talked about T-Storms, my first thought was whether the park would actually open. But a check of their website, and Facebook page, both showed the park open today, so we decided to go.
We got there about 15 minutes early, and were checked through the main gate to wait at the gate of Oceans of Fun. And right after that they let us in the 15 minutes early that being a season passholder earns you.
The weather was misting on and off, but the temperature was in the mid-60s, and the water temperature was actually slightly warmed instead of being frigid. Perfect temperatures for playing in the water.
We noticed that they had done a lot of improvements. A lot of fresh paint was evident. There is a lot of new poolside seating, along with several new cabanas for rent. At the wave pool they even have a timer to count down the time until the waves start. No actual clocks, of course, which has been our main (though itself a minor) complaint throughout the years.
The improvements include a lot of new seating next to the Kayak pool and cleaning out the area for using the kayaks. I don’t remember exactly what it looked like last year, but the pool itself has a much cleaner, fresher, more open and inviting feel than previously, I was the only one in the family to try the kayak’s today, though the other members do enjoy kayaking.
One of the things I noticed about the improvements was that there are actually less concession stands around. Kiosks that cluttered the entrances to the wave pool and paradise falls were noticeably absent. A concession truck below the wave pool, which they had introduced last year, is still there, and seems suitable to the task. I think this improvement, focusing the refreshments into better quality and controlled areas than so dispersed, will have an overall improvement on the quality of the Oceans of Fun experience.
Last year next to the wave pool they had put up a whole new set of slides — Shark’s Revenge (tube slides) and Predator’s Plunge (body slides). When the park opened, Shark’s Revenge was still being tested, but the body slides were open. I am the only one in the family to use those body slides, so I rode each of them once. By the time I was finishing the third slide, the tube slides were open, so I motioned the kids to come on over and enjoy.
The weather kept the crowds down. That isn’t good for the park overall, but was good for us. We enjoyed being able to do everything we wanted with basically no lines.
More rain is forecast throughout the rest of the weekend. We will see what it means for attendance — ours and everyone else.
At The Rainbow 