Deluxe Disney Dining Plan - Actual Cost comparison

Ok so I just planned our dining for an upcoming trip in 2018, family of 3.  We are not drinkers so I never even looked at the drink prices but for a 4 night 5 day stay the difference for paying out of pocket and the deluxe dining plan was going to be $165 more than oop.  Then I calculated the refillable mugs and snacks to be a $150 value, and we would have 7 additional dining credits to utilize while onsite (we will have some others joining us for some of the time so we can pay for a meal and utilize the credits).  If we utilize 5 of those credits at whispering canyon like we are currently considering that meal will be about $237.  Now that is a majority of character meals, but my point is just do the math.  Pick where you want to eat then check the price comparison at that point don't try to justify eating more than you would just because its a better value justify with actual numbers for me I also like its already paid for so there is less stress when we are at the parks.

Out of pocket	$924.80
Deluxe Dining	$1,090.00
Difference	$165.20
Refillable Mugs (3)	$53.97
Snacks ($4 each)	$96.00
Extra Credits Value (7)	$245.00
Total Value	$394.97

3 Adults and 1 Child

Idlewild Season Passes

I will write a full review of  soon but wanted to get a little bit of info out for those looking at a last minute trip at the end of season or are considering a season pass.

First off my two year old had a great time when we went this summer.  She turned 3 near the end of the summer so we had to determine if our daughter would enjoy it next year or not, as she was free as a two year old so we figured it was a good year to try it out.  I also bought our summer only season passes for 2017 on black Friday 2016.

I have been watching the prices for Idlewild season passes and ticket in general since the summer of 2016 as we considered making a trip last summer but the timing did not work out.  We also has season passes several years ago when our oldest daughter was about 14.  So I almost bought season passes last September when I knew I want passes for the summer of 2017 and thought we might be able to make a trip in September since they generally have a special if you buy our pass at the end of summer its good for the rest of the current season.  We decided we would not be able to make a trip in 2016 so we passed on the passes at that time.

I decided to purchase passes on black Friday 2016 for 2017.  I highly recommend saving the current year pricing and list of perks for a reference when you are evaluating the pricing offered for black Friday as they don't have a good info-graphic available then like they do other times.  Also take a look at the discount page under the plan a visit page on their page.  The discounts page is updated a couple times a month so I check it at least at the beginning of the month and also when I am thinking about planning a trip.  The extra "bring a buddy days" are generally a great day to go because crowd levels are pretty low.

I have inserted the price and benefits from the 2017 and 2018 years and a sample of the discounts available for season pass holders and the buddy discount days.  These are unavailable during black Friday shopping.  They also don't have any way to get feedback about black Friday offerings so you need know be as aware as you can ahead of time or accept a bit of risk when you make your purchase.

They also have a meal deal season pass.  It was 69.99 last black Friday and 79.99 during the summer.  It was good for 2 meals a day (4 hours apart) and a snack of popcorn or cotton candy.  It had to be purchased with a platinum pass so you also had a refillable drink cup to use with it.  If you were to purchase food at rack rate it was about $8-10 a meal so you need to be planning on visiting at least 4 times to make it a good value.  The first time we went I will admit I was not prepared for the food to be so pricey.   If you plan to go often and will be purchasing some food at the park it would be a good value, they have a large flyer of what the choices are but that flyer has already been removed off the website.  Without that flyer its hard to remember what was covered but it seemed that there was a decent amount of variety.  Next year I will have to save that as well.

So long story short if you have a toddler or young child or a child that likes water parks and are less than a couple hours away you can probably get  your moneys worth out of the pass.  They also have a payment plan option during the off season. Last year when I got 2 summer passes I just made $14 monthly payments (0% interest) it was paid for by April so when I went to the park for the first time it had already been paid in full.  Also you can upgrade your pass at anytime so if you buy the basic pass and decide you want to take someone with you later you can upgrade to the next level of pass (then use your 3 free passes and upgrade again).  They use the going rate of the pass you have to determine what you have to pay to upgrade so we got the summer pass on black Friday for about $53 but they used the $58 dollar price to to determine the cost to upgrade to the $74 dollar pass.

Review: Sunset Beach Park, Claysville, PA

GPS: 40.131623, -80.371125
Address: 4185 State Route 40, Claysville, PA 15323
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Visit Day and Time: August 21, 2017 from 11:30 am -1pm Eclipse Day
Temperature at visit:  Cloudy but warmer probably low 80s.
Crowd level: Very low, about 3-4 families in the low end and a couple more in the deep end it felt very empty (school had started back at most places and other pools in the area had already cut their hours back to weekends only or limited hours in the evening).

Pros

• Very large pool
• Interesting add-in features

Cons

• The pool floor was very rough.  I always have swim shoes on my toddler but I don't generally wear them, next time we go I will have to have them for this pool.
• Some of the add-in features were closed or not functioning.  Some of this could have been to limited visitor/staff.  The water slide was closed and the dumping water bucket was not working/running.

Cleanliness

• The space was clean but dated.

Adult Info

• This is a cash only location.  They have an ATM onsite.
• There was a food concession area onsite but I never checked the prices.

Access

• The way to get into the toddler area was a couple of awkward large steps with no rail.
• There was a zero entry area on one side of the pool.
• The entire pool is gated with a main entry exit area.
• Parking is on grass with a basic gravel road down each lane.  

Restrooms

• Stalls were very tiny, clean but dated.

Misc

• This pool would have value as a day trip but for the cost of admission it would be hard to justify just stopping in for a couple hours.  The only reason we did was my daughter was in for Germany and we had planned to visit a different pool this day but it was already closed on the weekdays for the season.  My sister told me she always just packed a picnic lunch and they stayed for most of the day. 

Pricing

• This is a cash only location.  They have an ATM onsite.
• Adults $9
• Children 4-11 $7
• Children 3 and under free
• Season pass options are available more info on their website.

Review: Olgebay Outdoor Pool

GPS: 40.104540, -80.658365
Address: 465 Lodge Dr, Wheeling, WV 26003
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Visit Day and Time: Friday August 18, 2017 at 6pm until 7:30
Temperature at visit: Probably low 80s after a warm day
Crowd level: very mild

Pros

• Splash pad area (new as of 2016)
• Ramp for easy entry
• Blowup activiy are a for older kids or adults
• Wall climb area
• Large swimming area
• Lots of very nice seating

Cons

• Changing area needs updated (Men's area does not have curtains in the showers or changing stalls)

Cleanliness

• General pool area was good
• Again the changing areas could us an update and that would help with the dingy feeling

Adult Info

• Our toddler was cold and tired by about after 1.5 hours so for the first time go in the evening for their discounted entry price of $3 per adult.  Its a good test to see if you and your child will have fun.

Access

• Splash pad was zero entry
• Ramp access the main pool
• The splash pad area is fully fenced from the rest of the pool so you can feel pretty comfortable knowing you only have to watch for one exit to the main pool and one exit to leave the pool completely 

Restrooms

• Restrooms were very tiny (very difficult to squeeze a toddler and mom in, I actually let my toddler use the potty with the door open it was that small and there was no one in the area)

Misc

• There was a concession stand, it was overpriced.  A soft pretzel was priced at $3.75, when we left we went to the playground and the concession area near it a pretzel was $1.75.

Pricing

• Evenings (after 5 pm) $3 per adult $1 per child
• I cant quite remember but I think it was about $9 per adult unsure about the child rate

Zoo: Oglebay’s Good Zoo, Wheeling, WV

 Address:465 Lodge Dr, Wheeling, WV 26003
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Visit Day and Time: Monday May 29, 2017 10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Temperature at visit: 72 degree dry and sunny
Crowd level: Moderate it was memorial day and there were a good crowd of people at the zoo but it was still a very manageable crowd

• Pros
• Small zoo very manageable for a couple hour adventure
• Nice train ride
• Feeding goats is permitted ($.25 - quarters needed for dispenser)
• Feeding the lorikeets is permitted ($1.03 for a cup of nectar cash or card)
• Cons
• Zoo path is pretty hilly so be prepared for some hill climbing
• Range of animals are pretty limited

• Cleanliness
• There are trash cans around to use one of the liners had fallen in the can but generally the park is very clean
• There are chickens that roam the zoo and seem to have the popcorn clean up job
• Adult Info
• This is a pretty stress free zoo because its easy to keep an eye on your little one while still giving them the freedom to walk with you
• Access
• This zoo can make it hard to get around if you are pushing anything heavy because of the hills in the park
• The leg room is pretty limited on the train
• Restrooms
• There are restrooms in the main building
• There is a restroom at the barn (I have not been in this one)
• There is a single restroom at the Lorikeet landing building
• Misc
• Train runs on the hour and half hour
• There are some animal encounters available 
• They were walking the tortoise in the zoo and allowed visitors to touch the its shell
• They seem to get a different animal each year so there is some variety for year to year visitors
• The playground was very wet due to some recent rains be on the safe side if you plan to play and bring extra clothes/shoes 
• Pricing
• $9.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids 3-12 More Info
• Zoo admission is included in the Oglebay activity band ($18.95) More Info
• Membership start at $73 for the basic family pass for the year 
• The zoo also participates reciprocal zoo listing so if you are a member of another zoo check to see if you can get discounted admission

The train room is one of the first things you see if you take your stroller down the elevator

Lots to see here if you are a member use a rainy day to enjoy the train room

Some of the indoor space this area was remodeled this spring

Stuffed animal care area we are waiting for a rainy day to spend some quality time in this building

Just a pic with a fake crocodile

More inside exhibits

More inside exhibits

The tortoise taking a walk 

Barnyard area

Feeding the lorikeets

The playground was very wet due to some recent rains

Arts and Crafts: Fired Up Pottery Studio

GPS:
Address: 4151 Washington Rd, McMurray, PA 15317
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Visit Day and Time: Friday May 25th at 11 am -12:30pm
Temperature at visit: about 65 degrees cloudy
Crowd level: 3 other families with kids and two sets of adult patrons

• Pros
• Fees are all inclusive no hidden costs
• Staff was very friendly and helpful
• Lots of selection
• Cons
• Have to come back in a week to pick up what you paint
• Prices are a little higher than the Wow factory in Morgantown, WV
• Space is a little small so if it was crowded could be a little harder to enjoy
• They have their paints in small containers and they are used and reused as opposed to getting paint on tiles like at Wow Factory.  Feels like there is a greater chance fore paint "contamination" and not as easy to blend colors  
• Cleanliness
• Very clean space and well organized
• Staff made it very clear to us how to deal with dirty brushes and other supplies 
• Staff said don't worry about the mess we clean it up (nice to hear when you have a toddler) 
• Adult Info
• Definitely a good place for a day trip adventure you could spend as much time as you needed to complete a project.  
• It was a little hard to find this place as the turn is before you see the location and their sign is red on a redbrick building so it does not stick out.   Take a few extra minutes and look at the google street view before driving 
• Let the staff know your ideas and paint order and see if they recommend any changes they know what they are doing so ask for assistance and recommendation 
• Access
• Its in a shopping plaza so standard access and parking
• Restrooms
• One restroom (lock was broken) was clean and well stocked all the way in the back of the space
• Hand sink in the front of the store
• Misc
• They are open to you bringing in food if you plan to spend a long time in the shop
• They have a lot of events scheduled on their website and Facebook page prices seem very reasonable for their classes
• While we were there a little girl kept checking to see if her items were dry in the drying station (couple fans) and at one point she touched one of our items with wet painted fingers so just be aware I had to wipe it and touch up the paint.  Same little girl dropped her sisters item and the staff worked to get a new item to the sister
• Pricing
• 4x4 tile was $8
• 6x6 tile was $10
• Animal figures were $15 for 3-4 inch size 
• They had a 40% off sale when I was there until May 31st for item they were discontinuing.  They posted that on their Facebook page so keep an eye out for sales

Our creations before firing

Some of their pet options

Some of their pet options

Playground: Oglebay Park, Wheeling, WV

GPS: 40.097827, -80.663141

Visit Day and Time:Wednesday May 3, 2017 from 2:59 pm until 3:02 pm
Temperature at visit: Cool
Crowd level: Mild (There were several families there for a total of around 7-10 kids all kids were under 4 years old)

• Pros
• Large playground with multiple play structures
• Area for small toddlers
• Plenty of various types of seating
• 
  
• Cons
• Could be hard to keep an eye on your child if they move from structure to structure
• My daughter fell several times going between play areas (luckily the rubber turf kept her from getting hurt) so some kids might have a hard time adjusting to the rise that the rubber turf creates
• Trash Info
• Several trash cans available 
• No loose trash
• Shade Info
• There is some shade over some of the adult seating areas 
• Play structures don't have a lot of shade
• Adult Seating
• Several benches
• Several Picnic tables
• Access
• There is a sidewalk from the parking area to the playground
• Multiple access entries (stairs, pipe climber, and chain ladder)
• Misc
• Rubber flooring under play area
• Broken equipment
• None to note

View of lake from one parking area

View of lake from one parking area

View of the playground coming from one of the parking areas

Newer play area to the right coming from one of the parking areas

Playground: Good Zoo, Wheeling, WV

GPS: 40.096943, -80.666360
Address:465 Lodge Dr, Wheeling, WV 26003

Visit Day and Time: Wednesday May 3, 2017 from 1:33 pm until 1:39 pm
Temperature at visit: Cool
Crowd level: We were the only visitors at the playground there were a few families in the zoo in general

• Pros
• Low/No crowds
• Plenty of Adult Seating 
• You have to pay zoo admission to use this playground (so no one just hanging around without a purpose)
• Cons
• You have to pay zoo admission to use this playground 
• Some broken equipment
• Some parts of the structure have large drop offs
• It is a little hard to see the kids when they are playing on the backside of the playground

• Trash Info
• Low (a bottle and a food wrapper)
• Trash cans available 
• Shade Info
• Shade trees for the adult seating area and the small kids play area
• Not much shade directly over the main playground
• Adult Seating
• Four benches
• Picnic tables very close 
• Swings
• 2 little kid swings
• Slides
• Large tube slide (very fast my toddler ended up on the ground the first time out, I caught her early the second time)
• Large open air twist slide
• 2 mild straight slides (side by side)
• Small straight slide for little ones
• Access
• 2-3 tenths of a mile walk from zoo entrance (if you exit the main building and head right
• Kids need to do a little climbing to get on the equipment
• Misc
• Lots of active climbing for your kids so they need to be aware not fall off the areas where there are high entrance and exits 
• Broken equipment
• One of the logs on the side of the swinging bridge is damaged
• Older kid play area is older but very functional

Entrance coming from the long way (standard zoo path)

General view of the playground (the white tube slide is super fast)

General view from the adult sitting area

Side view

Note the broken post on the right part of the platform before the sway bridge

Due straight slide

Fast tube slide and note the picnic tables in the back

Adult sitting area and trash cans

Little kid play area

Little kid swings (only swings available)

Little kid play area

View from the little kid area

Playground: Dallas Pike, WV

GPS: 40°00'53.3"N 80°31'37.3"W

Visit Day and Time: Sunday around 3:01 pm until 3:47 pm
Temperature at visit: over 80 degrees (Hot for the end of April)
Crowd level: We were the only park visitors

• Pros
• Low/No crowds
• Good line of sight from the adult seating to the play areas
• Cons 
• Lots of boring bees buzzing around and some wasps
• Some broken equipment
• Getting to the tube slide could be difficult without help for little children
• Trash Info
• Low (pair of socks and a couple other pieces food wrappers)
• There was a trash bag tied to a pole (that had some trash it)
• Some minor writing on the interior of the higher club house
• Shade Info
• Adult seating in the sun
• Open air slide in the sun (it was hot to touch the day we were there so my toddler preferred the tube slide
• The club house area is covered 
• The tire swing is under the play structure
• There was some shade in the swing area because of the club house
• The picnic area is covered
• Adult Seating
• Wood bench with movable back to sit facing the playground or the basketball court
• Wood bench (no back)
• Composite bench glider
• Picnic tables at the shelter (6 tables)
• Swings
• 3 standard swings
• 1 baby swing
• 1 tire swing
• 1 rope disc swing
• Slides
• Open air gentle grade slide
• Tube slide (access to this slide is difficult for little ones to do on their own)
• Access
• Climbing chain ladder
• Pipe ladders
• Tunnel to climb from one platform to the other
• Pipe handle/stair to access the tube slide (could be difficult for little ones to do on their own)
• Misc
• Telescope 
• Lower level play house (might have been a sandbox at some point)
• Broken equipment 
• Steering wheel in the club house
• Baby swing was in need of repair but functional
• Rope disc swing seat was pretty worn
• One of the benches back support was gone

View from the parking area

Shelter (I think this is associated with the Dallas Pike community center)

View from the far side of the playground 

Swing area

Basketball court

View from the newer bench area

View from the clubhouse are near the tube slide

View of the area where you enter the tube slide (note the yellow pipe is what my toddler used to climb to the platform)

View from the clubhouse (note the broken steering wheel area)

Parking area