Quick Dutch Wonderland review

Since a lot of people ask about it I figured I'd post a short review. We went with my 2 year old DS and 11 year old SD.

We knew going in that DW was not geared towards my SD, although she did enjoy the trip - especially the pool and the outlet shopping.

Dutch Wonderland - I ordered tickets online and printed them out before our trip. I got a discount code for $7 off per ticket. There was a $1.25 fee for buying online, so the savings was less, but still worth it. The code is 2012750. I just did this Saturday so it's probably still good.

The park is as great as everyone says it is - clean and easily navigable. I second what many said about the lack of lines and crowds even on what should have been a busy day. The employees were all really pleasant and helpful too. It's perfect for ages 2-8 or so. There is a water section, but it's more like a spray park. We did the preview the night before and a full day the next day (with a mid afternoon break) and there were a few rides we didn't even get to go on. Granted, we're a slow moving group by the time everyone goes to the bathroom and does what they have to do, but the same is probably true about everyone with young children. There were also a few rides we went on more than once because DC loved them.

I read so many people say that their toddlers could go on almost every ride. While this is technically true, I wanted to add a few caveats to that just from my experience. Some of the rides that are good for any age (except hand held infants, which were often not included) are sized specifically for little ones and the adults can't go with them. So your child has to be emotionally prepared to ride alone. There was one ride where DS was literally the only person on the ride. He was okay for a bit then looked around and realized he was alone, then freaked out. Fortunately, they let us go grab him.

Also regarding ride accessibility: If you want to get the most out of the trip, your DC will be able to go on almost every single ride except maybe a couple if he/she is 36" tall. And yes, I saw them checking.

We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites across the street. It was great - clean, nice room, comfortable beds, ample breakfast. I loved being able to walk across the street to the park. We just loaded up the stroller and went. It seemed so much easier than loading and unloading the car.

Every chain restaurant is nearby, including Sonic 1/4 mile away (which I had for the first time after hearing people rave about it and I was unimpressed.) DH and SD were adamant about no Amish food so I got outvoted on that so we ended up with Cracker Barrel and fast food. I decided not to fight that battle too hard because I love Cracker Barrel and it's not local. We only needed two meals a day anyway since we had the continental breakfast.

We stopped at a few places in kitchen Kettle village, picked up some shoo fly pie, and hit a few outlets. The Rockvale outlets have a few options that Tanger doesn't have so I was looking forward to that.

I guess this wasn't that short after all!

Re: Quick Dutch Wonderland review

Thank you for the review! I've never been, but DH and I were considering taking our little cousin for the weekend and we're not so sure if it's worth it. She's 8 so right on the cusp, but she's tiny so I'm sure she'll be able to go on most everything. We took her to Dorney park last year and she enjoyed the children's part of the park much more than the adult part, but she's also grown a lot this year. We may just do Dorney again since DH and I (and the munchkin) love the water slides and it sounds liek DW is lacking in that respect. Thanks again!

Re: Quick Dutch Wonderland review

Posted by jilliibabii

Thank you for the review! I've never been, but DH and I were considering taking our little cousin for the weekend and we're not so sure if it's worth it. She's 8 so right on the cusp, but she's tiny so I'm sure she'll be able to go on most everything. We took her to Dorney park last year and she enjoyed the children's part of the park much more than the adult part, but she's also grown a lot this year. We may just do Dorney again since DH and I (and the munchkin) love the water slides and it sounds liek DW is lacking in that respect. Thanks again!

Re: Quick Dutch Wonderland review

I have a teenager, and he can go on most of the rides at Dutch Wonderland, so your 8 year old will be fine.