So the review is a little old, and almost outdated as we are approaching the warmer weather. However, with the way the temperatures have been the past few weeks here in NY, I thought we could all still benefit from this. Plus, I’m sure it would be equally as useful during a rainy summer day.
Coco Key is a chain of indoor water parks. There were two about the same distance from us — one in CT and one in NJ. For whatever reason we went with the on in Mt. Laurel, NJ — Coco Key Mt. Laurel. Turns out we drive past it on our way to Philly for the Adventure Aquarium and the Please Touch Museum (see my previous post).
A quick hour and a half from NYC, the water park is connected to a hotel if you choose to stay the night. Truthfully, if the drive isn’t far, there isn’t much need to stay. The park consists of an area for smaller children, a water basketball area, a lazy river, an aquatic jungle gym, an activity pool that uses balance and strength, two tube water slides and a hot tub area for adults. There is also a place to get food and a full service bar.
The area for small children has a wading pool, a small slide, a couple of fountains and some infant bouncers. The water basketball area is a pool that has four baskets in the middle and a bunch of balls. The lazy river is a loop along the back wall of the building with some fountains. The tube slides are just that. The activity pool is a series of floating lily pads with a cargo net over head where kids can walk across the pads using the net for leverage. The biggest attraction is the jungle gym.
For anyone who has ever been to Sesame Place in PA, the aquatic jungle gym is essentially The Counts Splash Castle. Well, not essentially, I’m pretty sure it IS the Splash Castle just painted differently. it has all the climbing areas with the water spraying from all directions. It has three slides with varying height requirements and the giant bucket on top that fills with water and pours over everyone at regular intervals.
We got there early, which I would recommend for ANY activity. We were able to check in, get a locker, get changed and get situated before the crowds showed up… and the crowds did, eventually, show up. The first thing we noticed was the heat. All the reviews we read talked about how hot and humid it is inside. And it is. And it should be. What we did not read was that as hot as it was in there, the second you get wet you are freezing. My son spent most of the day shivering with blue lips (not that it slowed him down any).
The second we noticed was the staff. There were so many life guards and staff members walking around, watching the different areas and overall just helping out and providing a nice experience. We felt very safe. And each one was more pleasant than the next. We were immediately impressed.
We had gotten there early, so the place was very clean. But even at the height of the crowds I only ever saw one piece of garbage on the floor, and it was immediately picked up. The staff kept this place immaculate throughout the day. I almost could not believe it.
The dining area is your standard theme park fare — hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, pizza. It was expensive, but not more than any other place where they have a captive audience. And, truthfully, in terms of theme park food, it wasn’t bad. The lines do get long for the food, so next time I might try eating a little early, or holding off the hunger with snacks and doing something a little later.
The hotel/water park also has a game room, which was nice. I had read in one review that it worked like a charm to get your kids dried and dressed. Just tell them you will take them to the game room. From there it just becomes a matter of getting them out the door.
All in all it was a great experience. I think next time we might try the CT one, just to see the difference. But I would highly recommend Coco Key for a cold or rainy day adventure.
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