Slide the City, a Review

A Review of "Slide the City" 

  A week ago my daughter and I got together with some friends to have a little good clean fun! We signed up for a city wide event called "Slide the City". It's a 1,000 ft. long slip n slide built for those that are brave enough to be silly, and put their pride aside for a few hours.  We all recently had participated in a 5K Color Me Rad, and they gave us a discount code. Of course, as soon as, our little racing buddies saw the post card ad they were all about this event. If you would like a short version scroll to the bottom for my event grade. 

  They offer a few different options for the day, and we decided that we would sign up for 3 slides. We thought we would want to do it at least that many times and since we were getting a rate discount it seemed like a great plan. And a bonus, they gave us an inner tube to use and keep.

  We arrived all decked out in tasteful, but appropriate waterpark attire, others didn't mind standing around a public park in their swimsuits. Our girls were ready to get in line and get the water party started. After check-in, a very painless process, we were directed to the line. Our hearts dropped when we saw the end of it! But, hey we were there to have a good time with friends. We were also instructed to blow up our "free" inner tube while we waited. 

 So my friend and I blew up 2 each and I had a funny feeling mine might have a leak in it, but the check-in line was so very far away from where we were. And I managed to get it inflated enough; or so I thought. By now we could see the people actually tubing down the giant slip in slide. It was huge with 3 lanes; the one in the middle being a triple wide. What we saw made us uncertain of our fate. 

People were not able to coast smoothly down the lanes. They had to slide about 10 ft, then stand up and "try again". The Slide took up an entire width of a street and at the very end was a large pool that collected the runoff. The street it was set-up on had a good bit of a grade, but I think that was one of the issues, there was not enough water flowing to make a steady stream. The surface of the slide appeared to be very slick. We saw many people, grown ups mostly, falling flat on their behinds. And if you stood up to walk but someone behind you was sliding good, you might get knocked down from a collision. This happened a few times while we waited. 

Next, we saw event volunteers with water hoses, they were spraying people as they went by them on the slide. We even got sprayed while waiting, and it sure helped to cool us off since most of our wait was in the hot sun with little shade! 

Another thing we didn't think about were keeping our keys dry or cash/credit cards....no lockers, no others in our group, and if you have electronic keys UH OH SHAGGY! We had to get creative, but we had plenty of time to figure it out in that long long line. Did I mention the line was really long? 

We ended up getting a Slide the City cinch top bag. It was used to hold flip flops/shoes, keys, sunglasses, wallets etc.  . .the bag itself was okay, but remember those water hoses? Our floats were in plastic packaged bags so we made use of that and carefully wrapped our keys in it. Since we paid for 2 spots we got 2 bags. We placed our keys in one bag and then put that in the 2nd bag. So at least we had a few layers. 

We FINALLY made it to the top of the hill, end of the line and beginning of the slide! Our kids were so excited to try this gigantic slide and get wet! A lady watching the event, asked us how long we waited. . .. .a quick time check later and we figured the wait was 1 hr and 30-40 minutes, give or take! We started off pretty well, but quickly realized it was going to take a minute to get to the bottom in one piece. Our group was able to go all at the same time.  I realized one of the problems is the road we were using was slanted to the right. So the water was great if you started on the left side, but you inevitably you will get pushed over to the right and wall will bring you to a halt. My float was doing fine until I had to stand up a few times and hurl myself down the slide. I noticed half way down my float was getting wimpy wimpy wimpy. At one point I did a split on the slide (I can't do that in real life) but my friend and I managed to stay close together. She kept getting attacked by a guy on a String Ray float. Despite the event people staggering sliders it gets crowded. 

I was about 3/4 of the way down when I had the idea that I must look so silly rolling around on this half deflated float trying to inch my way down to the end! Listen up, I am not a tiny girl, nor am I a big girl. But I can honestly say this is the SILLIEST thing I have found myself doing lately. I felt like a wet pig rolling around and the lack of water only added to this humiliation. At the end there is practically no water flowing. 

My friend and I both had other things we were expected to do that afternoon. So we both decided to forgo the other 2 slides. With a wait time of 1 hr and 30+minutes we weren't going to be able to wait again. In the end this was not the most horrible way to spend my day. Yes they offered an early rider ticket, as well as, the one ride option. But the thing I loved about this was the hysterical memory that I will never forget of hanging out with my daughter and our friends! Just a few fun loving Nuts willing to try anything! Id't do it again, if they can work out some of the kinks....

Review Wrap Up:

Cleanliness: B        It's hose water from the city

Entertainment C      

The local radio station was out spinning records, but it's supposed to be family friendly. He played a few songs that were not appropriate for young ones to hear. For Example, "I don't Mind"...Remember your AUDIENCE PEOPLE!!!

Organization  B       

They had 3 lanes but only 2 were open. More WATER, More WATER, More WATER. Maybe even a flatter surface would have helped. Lines were so so so long-maybe offer a fast pass option with a window of time to show up. Races do this in "waves" could easily be done with this event as well. 

The Snowcone lady, Chick Fil A and Country's BBQ were available. An ATM was on site, but we walked a good distance from our car and were not about to walk there and back 4 times. It smelled great though! 

Value B

I think if were able to get in our 3 rides, YES it would be.  Because I can honestly say after that 1 time, all of us were wiped out! I wish I had not paid for the 3 ride, and I wish I would have brought our own floats. Mine was defective....They did replace it after I was done, but since I had to leave that did not help me that much. 

FINAL GRADE: C-

It was the first time the City of Columbus tried this event. It was a novel idea and has plenty of potential and room for growth. Could easily turn into an annual festival event. The kids absolutely had a blast. I would do it again with the right friends to keep me company. But I would modify my plans a little. 

Thanks for reading StMS

Universal Studio's Island's of Adventure, a Review

A Review of Universal's Islands of Adventure

  This is a review of my recent trip to Universal's Islands of Adventure. I have a family of 4, a 3 year old and a 7 year old, myself and my husband. He and I wanted to try Universal since we kept seeing all the commercials.  The day we visited was a Saturday, and it was crowded. But the weather was great. The day before we played at Universal Studios Florida. For a review of that park you can go here USFL Review As always if you would like a quick summary scroll to the bottom to get my final grade. 

   We stayed the night at the Hard Rock Hotel which is on the property of Universal Studios. We took a short walk to the park from the Hotel. And staying at the Hard Rock automatically upgraded us to Unlimited Express rides. For my Review of that Hotel click here Hard Rock Hotel Orlando


    We started our day at Marvel Super Hero Island. Our first ride was the Incredible Hulk Coaster. It was an Excellent rush and if you enjoy coasters, DO NOT miss this one! While my husband Express
 passed it, I took my kids on the Storm Force Accelatron. It's a speedy version of the classic teacup ride. They loved it!




We linked back up and walked over to Seuss Landing. I quickly realized that we were at another theme park filled with water features. I'm really ok with kids getting wet, but walking around in swim suits I don't understand? I didn't bring my kids swim suits, so we had to forgo, "If I Ran the Zoo" --a play ground area.

My sweetie pie daughter, spotted the Cat in the Hat and jumped in line for a quick autograph and picture. Then we all walked over to the Caro-Seuss-el, where we chose our "beast" and enjoyed the breeze of the merry-go-round. Some of them open and close their mouths, and eyes.

Next up was The Cat in the Hat ride. I rode with my daughter and my son and husband hopped on a fish, at One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, and Blue Fish. Yes this is a water ride, but if you listen closely to the song you can avoid getting totally soaked. Some water is okay, but drenched is not, haha!


When they were done it was time for a show at, "Oh! The Stories You'll Hear!" My daughter was standing waiting for her brother when "Sam I am" took her by the hand and brought her over to see him! The park characters were so sweet to all the kids. They made sure that they gathered all the kids in the area to come see the show about the Lorax! I was so amazed by how they interacted with everyone!! My son made it over, but he was being really shy. So he was not as thrilled at the characters as his sister was. He didn't even want to go near Thing 1 or Thing 2!


Once that was done; we split up so my husband and daughter could ride, The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! A ride that again I thought my son could have handled, but to ride you must be 40" I think this park needs a serious over hall of their height requirements! So he and I walked around the area and he chased a birds. He chased it inside Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous, we ended up sharing a pizza and getting our Freestyle Cups activated.

The Freestyle cup is a great value. The cups have microchips in the bottom and must be purchased that day. They will be active for 16 hours (longer than the parks are open). Throughout the day you can refill them all over the parks. I will say some of the machines were empty of ice and that made it a pain to track down. But still over all the way to go. I bought 2 the day before and we brought them back the next day to be reactivated.

Next we decided to take a walk over to the "The Lost Continent". We stumbled upon Poseidon's Fury a special effects guided tour. We all could participate and it had Express, so we said why not? It was really crowded and my kids were not able to see much. It was a little scary in parts, but they made it through. This area of the park also had a Mystic Fountain, that was interactive. My daughter tried to tell it a knock knock joke. The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad (Stunt Show) is also in this area, but it was closed for seasonal maintenance.

Hogsmeade

BUTTERBEER!

It was time for our visit to Hogsmeade! Hogsmeade is the Harry Potter area of this park. You can pretty much buy all the same items in Diagon Alley, but they are very different from one another. We did see the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station. In order to ride it to the other park, you must have a "park to park" option on your tickets.

I was getting thirsty by then for a Butterbeer. Especially since the weather was heating up.You notice a different feel for Hogsmeade as you enter. It's not as mysterious, it's larger and more open than D.A. They both have street shows throughout the day, but different rides to experience. There was actually a small roller coaster that Sweetie Pie could ride, the Flight of the Hippogriff. But the big thrill ride was the Forbidden Journey.   This ride was my FAVORITE of all the rides in the park. It's a motion based scenic dark ride and this technology is rare in the theme park world.

The Forbidden Journey @Hogwarts

The Forbidden Journey starts with the que line to lockers. There is no loose items to be taken on the rides. A common theme for Universal Parks. Many of the rides had this rule. This ride had a few options for us such as, Child Swap area, Single Rider line, and a non motion experience if you request that. The day we went the ride was being tested, so the wait was incredibly long. But, we finally made it to the front and as we waited to be called over to load, we were passed by Sir Paul McCartney, like really! No photos since no phones were allowed in the ride area :( But pretty neat experience to see him being a "regular guy".

Then we jumped in line for the Dragon. This is a super coaster that has two ride options. You can choose the Red Dragon or the Blue Dragon. Each ride is a different experience. We ended up riding only the Blue one and it was a fantastic rush!

The ride Attendants had trouble keeping up with the line rules. As we entered the que we were told there was not Express option, and that Child Swap could be done at the ride exit. So I went through the security check point and got buzzed, still have no clue other than clip for my express pass? But, when I made it to the line que, I saw a sign and an attendant for Express. So I asked why they would say it didn't have Express, and was told, there is no Express for the Security check point....DUMB ANSWER! My Sweetheart was at the exit and there was another security checkpoint and the attendant was rude when we explained that we were doing a child swap. He insisted that we had to wait in the other line. He finally scanned my husband with the security wand and let him go. Since we had so much trouble we decided the Red Dragon would not be worth the fight and didn't try to ride it.

Jurassic Park 

From there we walked over to the Jurassic Park area. My Sweetie Pie has always been scared of the big boat and hill water rides. But, she got brave and jumped on the Jurassic Park River Adventure. She had a great time and the ride was pretty fun for it's age. I'm sure with the new movie coming soon this ride will be getting an upgrade.

In this part of the park was nothing much for my Sweet pea to do except play in the Camp Jurassic play ground and the Discovery Center. There is also another ride that he was a half inch too short for, but Sweetie Pie was able to ride the Pteranodon Flyers. This ride is a flying coaster meant for kids. Parents can ride but must be accompanied by a child 36" to 56". If your child is over 56" then they will need a child that meets the height requirement to get them on it. There is also no Express option for this ride.

We were almost done with our day, but we still needed to visit Toon Lagoon and make our way back to Marvel Super Hero Island for Spider Man. We decided to grab some snacks and let the kids play in Me Ship, The Olive. It was a Popeye themed boat playground that over looks Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges. A water ride you can interact with, by shooting the Barges with water cannons from the 3rd deck of The Olive. If you decide to ride the Barges, you will get TOTALLY SOAKED. We skipped that ride, because our little guy couldn't ride it.

Cyclops 

Spider-Man

Our next stop was the Amazing Adventures of Spider Man ride. Another ride Sweetpea was too short for, but Sweetie Pie was tall enough. She loved it and since it offered Express she got to ride twice. I waited with  Sweetpea for a photograph with Spider Man. He was totally excited, but Spidey showed up late and we missed getting a photo with Captain America :( and with the Green Goblin :((

Review Wrap Up:

Rides and Attractions: 

Under 35"  Storm Force Accelatron -the only requirement is you must be able to sit up without help

                   Me Ship, The Olive-a 3 story playground with slides

                   Camp Jurassic-a net, caves and splash pad playground

                   Hogwarts Express-must have park to park option to ride this train

                   Poseiden's Fury- a special effects guided tour, sort of scary for my 3 and 7 year old

                   Caro-Seuss-el -a carousel ride

                   One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish- a dumbo like ride with water

                   If I Ran the Zoo- a playground with splashpad

Over 36"    Pteradon Flyers-children must be less than 56" anyone over 56" must have a child under                                                 to ride with them

                   Fight of the Hippogriff -a small roller coaster

                  The Cat In The Hat- takes 3 slow spins (not all at the same time either) *see notes below

40"             The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man-3D dark ride, really great for kids!

                   The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!-Very slow coaster above the rooftops                        of  Seuss Landing, again I think this height requirement is ridiculous

42"             Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges -you will get drenched on this one

                   Jurassic Park River Adventure -you will get wet on this one

44"             Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls -a "log boat" water ride, you will get wet 

48"             Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey   -this ride was amazing!    

52"             Doctor Doom's Fearfall -150 ft drop 

54"             The Incredible Hulk Coaster- Such a rush!!! Do NOT miss this one if you like coasters

                   Dragon Challenge- Choose Red or Blue Dragon, each a different coaster experience 

                                           

                 

Food: B  

The food was okay but super pricey. Since we spent so much money the day before at Universal Studio's Orlando on our lunch we were trying to go a little cheaper. To start we ate a large breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel. We shared a few items early in the day and we bought the Freestyle refillable cups. Later in the day we got some snack items to tide us over until we left the park. I felt that we didn't over spend in this park on food. Since we basically snacked most of the day. 

Cleanliness: A+  

I was very pleased with the custodial staff at this park. I actually witnessed them cleaning restrooms multiple times throughout the day. It makes a huge difference. The parks were crowded that day too, so they were working extra hard! 

Attendants and Staff: C

I was disappointed with this aspect of the park. It seemed that the ride attendants were not as nice and accommodating at this park as they were at Universal Orlando. When you have a great experience at one park the day before it's easy to compare. I didn't feel the attendants knew the "line rules" or at least they didn't convey the rules in a way that made sense. You either have an Express option or you don't, you either have a child swap area or you don't. This made me lose confidence in them pretty quickly. I also don't feel like they should speak to customers in such a rude way. We pay a lot of money to be at the park, and should not be chastised by a College Student. Rules are rules and we can certainly understand that, but then the staff need to stick to one set of rules! 

BUTTERBEER!

Value B

Sure this park has the Hulk Coaster, Hogsmeade, and BUTTERBEER! But, I felt the food was too expensive, and the tickets were super pricey (especially for children). I felt this place was more expensive than other local themeparks (aka the big D). I personally could not afford to spend more time at Universal than our 2 day trip. I did feel that I was entertained sufficiently. But if you are going to charge those prices for tickets then food needs to be more reasonable or vice versa. We usually buy all the theme park photos from the rides, characters etc. . ..but I didn't even bother to look at them while we were there! 

Not a good value for children. Especially not a good value for a child under 36" and look out for that if your 3 year old is not yet 36"! I did not buy my little one a ticket and I was pleased that I didn't! 

FINAL GRADE: C

I had a good time at this park. My husband and I both agreed it would be a great theme park to leave the kids at home to enjoy some adult time. Neither of my kids got to ride or do much. And we did end up needing to buy a child ticket for my 7 year old. She was just shy of 48" :( And then my 3 year old, had just turned 3 the week before was still under 36". Technically he is supposed to pay to be there, but I am so glad I didn't buy him a ticket. He enjoyed running around the playgrounds and the splash pad areas, but we have those in our local neighborhood (for free) So my final thoughts;





wait until your kids are at least 40" to take them. Enjoy this theme park with a friend your own age or your spouse.

Thanks for reading
StMS

*The Cat in the Hat ride says 36" or taller. My 35 1/2" tall son could have ridden this one with no issues. I was told it spins 3 times. But I put him on the Storm Force Accelatron, which I rode with him, and that spun us so fast and forceful he could have hit his head on the rotation wheel in the middle. I did ride The Cat in the Hat ride with my 7 year old and after I got off the ride I was again disappointed that my 35 1/2" wasn't allowed to enjoy it! He would have tolerated the "spins" if you can call them spins, with no issues!

I think the Height Requirements at this park need a serious overhaul. As you can see they are spaced out so far apart that for some kids it would mean each year they could get one more thing to ride. I see that is good for business, but when thinking of value I would skip this park for a while. 

Universal Studios Florida, a Review

   A Review of Universal Studio's in Orlando, FL. 

      My family and I have enjoyed living in Middle GA and visiting FL for the past few years. Our kids are young enough (3 and 7ish) to still love meeting characters, staying in a hotel, and riding what they can. We decided to forgo the traditional Mouse land and give the "other whitemeat" a chance.  If you are looking for a quick summation scroll to the bottom of this post :) 

      We all were super excited to try out Universal Orlando for a day. Currently they are selling a 2 day ticket with a 3rd day free option. The ticket prices made me gulp a little. Our family only had enough time to do US one day and Island's of Adventure the next day. But, my sweetheart and I had one ticket free for each of us. My 7 year old didn't have any tickets and my son had only just turned 3. He was supposed to pay to get in, but he is a super little guy (under 35")  and we didn't know what he could ride before we got there. Fortunately, we were able to get a room at the US Resort Hard Rock Hotel on the property. That room got us unlimited Universal Express lines. This ended up being a great savings and each person in our party had one. For my review of this hotel click here  Hard Rock Hotel Orlando

       We were so close to the park we could walk from our hotel and we were able to leave our vehicle in the hotel parking lot, for a daily fee, while we were in the park having fun. Even the day we checked out our vehicle was safe in the hotel parking lot. This gave us great peace of mind! 

        We arrived at the park and got a 2-Park Guide Map. This is the most critical info guide to success at these parks. The map shows information for each park and dates for that week. It's a little confusing, but not too hard to figure out. 

       Our first characters we met were Scooby Doo and Shaggy in front of their Mystery Machine. Shaggy was pretty cool to the kids. Next, we walked up to Minion Mayhem and saw a street performance with all the Despicable Me characters! Sweet Pea was okay with Gru, but he was scared of the "Garls" This was followed by my husband and daughter getting on the ride. Sweet Pea and I watched the Studio Brass Band walk by, and met Woody Wood Pecker, and Homer and Lisa Simpson. We did buy signature books for the characters, and some signed with our pen; others used a stamp. 
  
      
*I loved how the characters
interacted with my kids :)  

         Next, the whole family rode Shrek 4-D and then we decided to grab lunch. My sweetheart snuck away and got on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. One of the parks only outdoor coasters. I don't know why I didn't get on that one? He said it was very fast and you get to choose the music they pump through your head rest. Anyway. We took the kids on Twister and then we went over to the Transformers the ride-3D. We 

Certificate to ride when you reach
Height Requirement

knew Sweet pea could not ride, but he was given this cool certificate to bring back when he was 40" This certificate can be used as a fast pass for him and up to 5 people to ride. The employee said all the rides had these certificates, but he was the only one that offered us one. He and I chilled out in the A/C inside the Child Swap area while my sweet heart and sweetie pie rode and then we "swapped out". 
    
      We headed over to Woody Woodpecker's Kidszone.  And on the way we caught a street show from the Hop Characters. My Sweet pea enjoyed the music and dancing but he was not feeling the Giant Bunnies and Chicks! At Woody's, Sweetie pie and I 
got on the Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse coaster. You must be 36 inches to ride. So my Sweet pea could not ride :( He did find Fievel's Playland to his liking. There is a great water slide that he was tall enough for.  Sweetheart and Sweetie Pie went to ride E.T. while he and I stayed in Fievel's Playland. The kids finally got to see SpongeBob Squarepants. We saw Curious George with Woody WP in the Curious George Goes to Town area. 

      Friends we were not prepared for our kids to get soaked. So we did not hang out for long in the Curious George area. His "town" was a interactive water playground. We moved on from Fievel's and around to Kang & Kodo's Twirl'N'Hurl. We all were able to enjoy this one. And then we headed over to Alien Attack at Men in Black. This is a shooting game you play while taking a 3D trip through the alien infested city.  Another wait in the Child Swap room for Jack and I. 
  

#12  Grimmauld Place

    Then we were off to Diagon Alley to get our first taste of BUTTERBEER! This was so delicious and I can't exactly put my finger on the taste. It was the color of Cream Soda and it was topped with a white sticky layer of butterscotch flavored foam/cream. I've never had anything better! It is served 3 different ways, chilled, frozen or hot. I tried the first 2 ways but not the hot, as it was May and pretty hot outside.  We also ordered Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice, (just in case we didn't care for Butterbeer *gasp) it was very refreshing, a little ciderish, and sticky. Another delicious treat we had to wrap our lips around was the ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. Does anyone remember the old chocolate ice dream from the original Chick-fil-a? Well they have a chocolate syrup swirled ice cream at FF that is reminiscent of that but the ice cream is so rish and dreamy! You know it's going to be good when there is a line around the corner to place your order 

  We could not leave Diagon Alley without Escaping from Gringott's! This ride offered a single rider line and we took advantage of it because there was not Express pass for it. Both my Sweetheart and I traded turns while one waited with the kids. Sweetie Pie could have ridden this one, but she wanted ice cream instead. I got both, Ha! 

By then we were getting close to park closing. So we made our way back over to the Simpson's ride to try and fit in one more thing.  This ride was pretty funny and filled with Simponisms! My Sweet pea didn't get to ride this one either, but we made it up to him by waiting to see Optimus Prime on our way out of the park. 

   
   We were all exhausted by the end of the day with hurting feet. We had another big day planned for tomorrow at Universal's Island's of Adventure. It was time for the walk back to our hotel and a dip in the pool! 

*********************************************************************************

REVIEW WRAP UP:

Rides and Attractions:

Under 35"             Shrek 4D   A   

                              Twister      *this one was scary for my kids  B- 

                              Kang & Kodo's Twirl'N'Hurl   A

                              E.T. Adventure (34") B

                              Fievel's Playland waterslide *they must be able to sit up and hold on A

                              

Over 40"              Despicable Me Minion Mayhem      A+

Under 48"            Transformers the Ride 3D                A+

                             Men in Black Alien Attack               A

                             The Simpson's Ride                          A

                             Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster B

                             Escape from Gringott's                     A+

Over 51"              Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit           A+ *there is a height limitation on this one

Under 79"            

Food           A      

We had lunch at the Classic Monster's Cafe, I thought for the price the food was just okay. We had Butterbeer and ice creams and they were outstanding! We also purchased the freestyle refillable cups. I bought 2 so we could share the drinks throughout the day. This worked well until the machines were out of ice.

Cleanliness  A    

Parks and restrooms were clean and the staff worked very hard to maintain during the busy day. 

Value          B-    

I'm not gonna lie, the tickets were pricey as all get out. We were entertained for the day, but the food prices were exorbitant. If I decided to go back, I would leave my kids behind with a sitter. I think this park would be best to serve 7 year olds and above. I would not bring my kids back until my youngest was 42" or taller. I don't think it's a good value for them. Definitely fun for teens and adults. A fun weekend alone with your Sweetie :) 

Final Grade: B

Attractions we missed out on: 

Revenge of the Mummy

Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue

Disaster!

Fear Factor Live

Animal Actors on Location!

A Day in the Park with Barney

Curious George Goes to Town

Terminator 2: 3-D 

Horror Make-Up Show

Quick tips
1. If you have small kids, bring swim diapers, swim suits, water shoes, towel and change of clothes, other than shows not much else for them to do.
2. Every ride that has a height limit has a certificate for anyone that is not tall enough to ride. If you would like one, find a staff member and ask them to give you child under height requirements one. You can bring it back each year and have it documented. Then once your child reaches the right height they and 5 other people can skip the lines to ride.
3. Eat lunch early in the day rather than later. Lines were really long after 1pm for food and drinks
4. Grab a 2-park guide map as early as you can. Maybe even the day before. It has showtimes, character stops/times, food and restaurants, as well as, Freestyle refill locations!  Those cups are a great value IMO!

We were visiting the park while they were setting up for the upcoming 2015 season of American Ninja Warrior. The area in front of the Mummy ride known as New York was filled with set equipment, tractor trailers and no one could get through. So we missed out on the parade, as well as, the evening show was canceled. But it was still a fun day and we were worn out! 

Thanks for reading StMS!