TR from Castaway Bay (4/6 - 4/7)

Positives:

- Indoor/Outdoor hot tub

- Rendevous Run (water coaster) I liked it...didn't love it...but it was ok. But at the same time it was my first wc experience, so what can I compare it to?

- The theming throughout the whole resort was great, (including the talking parrots & crow in the lobby).

- And Snoopy, Snoopy, Snoopy! Were Peanuts fans, so this was great for our whole family, (esp. with all the events they offered for the kids).

Negative: (Yes, there's only one.)

- This is only my second indoor waterpark, (the other was GWL @ Sandusky), but CB seemed kind of on the small and limited side to me. Maybe I'm wrong, if it is though I assume it's because they were limited on space being that it was an already established hotel before CB was built.

The whole place was very festive. The employees all really seemed to love their jobs. CP/CB still have two of the best TGI Friday's I've ever been to. The one at CB also has a childs playroom where you can leave the kids to play while you and the spouse have a meal. They give you a pager as well so they can contact you if there's a problem. There's no actual charge for this, BUT IF YOU DO GO...TIP VERY WELL, THEY DO A GREAT JOB!

We also made a traditional trip to Chet & Matt's Pizza...IMO, best pizza around! We never go to Sandusky without visiting C&M's. We also made it over to Kalahari to look around, and that place is huge! Waterpark looks like a blast...and the theming is extrordinary. And lastly, we drove over to CP to get a look at the park, but even as we approached thr park the fog was so thick, (even at 2pm), we could barely make out anything but the 1st & @ 2nd hills on Millie, some of Raptor, Wicked Twister, and Demon Drop. But no real worry, we'll be back next month for opening weekend. This was however, one of the best spring breaks in years for our family. Castaway Bay is worth the trip!

Floorless Fan, if you are a fan of water parks you need to make a trip to the Wisconsin Dells. That is where they pioneered the concept of the indoor waterpark/hotel and is also home to the lagest waterpark in the US (Noah's Ark.)

Touchdown and all, have you been to many of the Dells waterparks? I am planning a trip and trying to figure out which to visit. I have been in WI Dells before, but only drove past all the waterparks. Are the indoor waterparks worth the money? I plan on camping. Which of these gives you the best for your buck? Any other must see or do attractions?

Outdoor parks

• Noah's Ark
• Mt. Olympus
• Riverview Park

Indoor parks

• Chula Vista
• Kalahari
• Great Bear?

Yummy!.....Chet and Matt's Pizza!

Castaway Bay always seemed small to me in pics and stuff.

coasterb,

I've been to the Dells many times, and would like to share my opinions with you! Let's start with the waterparks. I've been to both Noah's Ark and Mt. Olympus many times (especially when Mt. Olympus was Family Land) and have to admit that Noah's Ark has the better waterpark. There is a greater variety of waterslides/wavepools/lazy rivers compared to Mt. Olympus. However, there are package deals available at Mt. Olympus that make the stay unbeatable.

The addition of the Triton waterslide complex to Mt. Olympus is great fun, and the Indoor Bay of Dreams is a nice, but quickly aging and smaller facility than some others in the dells...still a great place if some crummy weather rolls in. The major plus with Mt. Olympus is that with your stay at Treasure Island, you gain access the day you check in and the day you check out to use the indoor/outdoor waterparks of Mt. Olympus, in addition to the amazing Go-Carts, and rollercoasters (Hades is outstanding, and the rest aren't bad either!) We stayed at the Pleasant view behind Treasure Island which offers significantly lower rates near the end of August...i.e. a room and access to all the parks for two people for $79 total. Unbeatable in my book. The room is nothing special, but it got the job done...besides you'll barely be in it, trying to take all the attractions of Mt. Olympus in!

If you're interested in indoor waterparks, and are looking for a real retreat...think about a visit to the Wilderness Resort. Expect to spend close to $200 a night in the summer, but the rooms are nicely furnished to an outdoorsy type setting. We've been going here for years, both in the winter and the summer, and find it equally relaxing in both seasons. The indoor waterparks at Wilderness are top notch. (there's three giant ones full of slides, two wavepools, lazy rivers, treehouse play structures--the works, and one exclusively for little kids.) We've always enjoyed the freedom of wandering from one waterpark to the next. The outdoor parks are alot of fun too...very natural setting and unique attractions like a pool that you can sit waist deep in a lawn chair next to a waterfall.

The other indoor/outdoor resort we've done (three times) is the Kalahari. While we've had a pleasant experience every time, the Wilderness still offers more for the money. Kalahari does boast a water coaster and surfing machine that are neat (indoors) and the outdoor slides are geared for more thrill-seeking adults....I swear that yellow slide is the fastest I've EVER traveled on an innertube. Anybody know which one I'm talking about?

I hope that gives you some ideas about the waterparks and resorts in the Dells. Please let me know if you have any further questions and I'd be happy to answer them! Oh, and while you're in the Dells, make sure to check out Moosejaw pizza and brewery--it's a nice atmosphere with decent prices. Their taco pizza is outstanding, too!

I'm just going on all the time I've spent researching the WD attractions recently, (we had planned to go there but are going for a different this year, and utilizing our CP/PKI passes this season.) around the Dells...but Noah's Ark seems to be the park that is adding new attractions every year anymore to hold on to the crowds. Black Anaconda looks really sweet! And whenever you see the waterpark shows they seem to really love NA.

If money is an option, and luxury isn't...Mt.O has a smaller, older motel called the Pleasant View Motel right next door to the Treasure Island Resort. We were planning to go the first week of July and prices for the July 5-7 were $149 per night. To us, not bad considering you get free admission to Mt. Olypus' theme park, waterpark, indoor waterpark, and indoor amusement park for your whole stay.

Yes that Yellow Slide is killer and the Red one I fall off of everytime I go on at the Kalahari (outdoors).