I'm sure half of you that live on the east coast may have already been. Nearly four months later, I can give an unbiased opinion of this indoor oasis.
Due to the pandemic and having a little one the places we could go were limited. We contemplated taking him on a real vacation, but at the time he was in daycare and there were strict traveling restrictions in place. After going back and forth we decided to take the 3 hr road trip to American Dream, in New Jersey about 30 mins from the city. First, let me start off by saying the water ticket prices were a bit pricey for a family of three, especially with no park-hopper incentives, we went to Nickolodeon Universe and Dream Works Water park. The cost of Nickelodeon Universe ( amusement park rides) was $59 for adults ages +10 and for ages 3-9 $49, not including tax. Dreamworks water park tickets were $89 Ages +10 and $79 for ages 3-9.
We went on a weekday at 2pm, which was perfect because it was empty and we started off at Nickelodeon Universe. There were about 30 people including the staff, they required all visitors to wear a mask and your ticket was assigned a specific time slot to make sure the park stayed within state Covid guidelines. I must say I did expect there to be more rides for the smaller kids, but there was a decent amount. I even got in on the fun and was able to get on some rollercoaster with no wait, some twice.
Now on to the Dreamworks Waterpark, if my son had to choose he would probably say this park was his favorite. I can confidently say he really enjoyed himself, all he kept talking about was the huge Shrek overlooking the park. They had something for smaller kids and water slides for adults. A lifeguard greeted everyone at the entrance of the wave pool and each water slides, providing you with a life vest if needed (even for the little ones). I didn't get a chance to see what food or drink options they had, but they did offer them inside the waterpark.
The Verdict: If you're looking for a quick fun trip with the kids or want to make a weekend out of it and drive 30 mins to the city, this place is cool. If you have kids smaller than 4, I do not think they will fully enjoy it as much as an older child would so save your money. If you are on a budget but want to see if it's worth the hype, I would say do one park and plan another visit in the future.
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