Review: Standard Disney Dining Plan

Disney offers 3 different types of dining plans, Quick Service, Standard Dining Plan, and Deluxe Dining Plan.  This is a review of the Standard Dining Plan.

The Standard Disney Dining Plan includes:

• Per Night each person receives
• 1 Quick Service meal
• 1 Table Service meal 
• 2 Snacks per person
• Per your stay each person receives
• 1 refillable mug

A couple things worth noting when you have a child (9 or under) on the plan they have to order off the kids menu at table service restaurants.  This will have a relatively mild impact on your planning especially if  you have a child that wants to meet characters as those meals are generally a high priced buffet or family style option anyway.  Children (9 or under) on the plan can order anything at Quick service locations.  In other words Disney lumps all your Quick Service credits together to use as you see fit.

So for this review I will give you an idea of how we used our credits and also what those credits included. 

• 2 Adults and 1 child (4 years old) for 7 nights
• 3 refillable mugs 
• 14 Adult Table Service credits
• 7 Child Table Service credits
• 21 Quick Service credits
• 42 snack credits

How did we use those credits?  Mostly character meal dinners or "experience" meals so that adds to the cost, there is no cheap way to eat at Chef Mickey so that make the dining plan a better option for those meals vs other menu order table service options.  First we will look at what were our table service meals.

• Garden Grill Dinner
• Whispering Canyon Dinner
• Tusker House Dinner
• 50's Prime Time Dinner
• Coral Reef  Dinner
• Hollywood and Vine Dinner
• Chef Mickey Brunch

We had planned to have a guest with us at Chef Mickey so I set aside a Table service credit to use at that meal.  I decided that at 50's Prime Time my husband would order the sampler, and a milkshake and a dessert, I would order the wedge salad appetizer and a iced tea.  We swapped the milkshake for the tea and I had the meatloaf from the sample with my salad.  That meal ended up with terrible service issues and they comped the drink (and my daughter ended up with a giant cup of sprinkles to take home since she fell asleep waiting on her ice cream with mickey sprinkles) so it was $9.10 out of pocket there.  Ended up that our guest did not make it to Chef Mickey so we used the credit for last minute snacks which was not a good value however I it made much more sense to pay $9 for a meal than $45 brunch buffet.  We really enjoyed Garden Grill and Whispering Canyon and our family is not a big fan of buffets so those meals were just ok.  We had a long slow meal at 50's and probably would have felt better about that meal if we had not overheard the tables around us discussing getting an anytime fastpass because of their issues.  However, we did not get charged for a drink and my daughters upgrade to a sundae, but like I said she never took a bite of the ice cream because she fell asleep, that also the reason we were so patient because she needed the nap and we had a comfy place to sit while she slept.

Now for the quick service credits, remember we had a toddler with adult credits.  Also our toddler is more likely to nibble off our plates rather than eat a full meal.

• Breakfast - Be Our Guest - 2
• Lunch - Pecos Bills - 1
• Lunch - Santuli Canteen - 1
• Lunch - Back lot - 1
• Lunch - Be Our Guest - 3
• Lunch - Wolfgang - 3
• Breakfast - Pop Century  - 1 
• Dinner - Liberty Tree Tavern - 2
• Breakfast - Art of Animation - 2

So you can see that a lot of the time we just split a larger portion meal like the fajitas at Pecos Bill or the chicken and beef salad at Santuli Canteen.  Even at breakfast we could split a bounty platter or at Be Our Guest we could easily share with our toddler.  I do wish we would have picked up a few more quick service meals to at least try a few more places.  Our surprise best meal was at Liberty Tree Tavern in the American Pavilion at Epcot.  That was a selection my husband made looking through the app while we waited at Character Spot.  I got the Cobb salad and he got a Crispy Chicken sandwich and we got a cupcake to split.  When we finished my husband said "I could eat that meal again right now it was so good".  That night we realized that the kids meals had our daughter's favorite drinkable yogurt in them and I think looking back I would have ordered her a few kids meals here and there to get some kid friendly items just on our trays since we had extra credits anyway.

Next to discuss snacks, our trip before this one I found us using snack credits on things we wanted but that were not a good value use of a credit.  We used all of our snack credits through out our trip and I even paid out of pocket for a cupcake to take with us on the way out.  What I did this time was I purchased $35 worth of snacks from Amazon Prime Now.  That included 12 bottles of water, a pack of bagels, bananas, strawberries, grapes and similar items.  I also brought granola bars and fruit snacks in our luggage.  So I was able to utilize our snacks for much better value items but I had a ton to use at the end of the trip.  I used 20 snack credits at Goofy's candy company in Disney Springs which was fun and made for a good value as the check out price was over $110.  

Even doing that we still had 5 Quick Service and 1 Table Service credit we had to convert to snacks.  We used our snacks to create a better buffer between our meals we would get a snack at 10-11 am then we could eat lunch at 2pm.  This was good and bad for our toddler she would share the snack, say a pretzel or the mac and cheese (at AK Smiling Crocodile) and last a little longer then be asleep before we sat down for lunch.  That was part of the reason we had left over Quick service credits because had she been awake I would have been more likely to purchase a second meal but with her asleep we would share one and pick up something small or she would have a granola bar after her nap. Then she would last until our early dinner ADR usually between 4:30-5:30 pm.

The refillable mugs are a blessing and a curse, by that I mean having unlimited beverages are great but the refillable mugs leak and get cumbersome if you take them to the parks with you and don't actually hold that much.  So here is how I handle them.  I brought refillable water bottles to take with us in the parks.  I would take our three mugs and our two water bottles with me in the morning I would make fresh brewed sweet tea for my husband (because he hated the fountain sweet tea).  He ended up with a water bottle full of sweet tea and I had my bottle with unsweetened tea that we would take with us each morning and a bottle of water.  That easily lasted until lunch and we would refill our water bottles at lunch if we could.  So we really limited what we had to purchase as far as drinks by being a little more prepared.

Here is what the numbers ended up looking like.

• 2 Adults and 1 child (4 years old) for 7 nights
• 3 refillable mugs - $60.68
• 13 Adult Table Service credits & 7 Child Table Service credits - $829.36
• 16 Quick Service credits - $290.94
• 5 Quick Service credits converted to 15 snacks - $66.85
• 1 Adult Table Service credits converted to 3 snacks - $15.00
• 42 snack credits - $220.78

• Was it worth it?
• The plan cost $1,237.11
• Cost of the items we purchase $1,483.61
• Value? We saved $246.50

Could that number have been more?  Yes it could have been, it also could have been less.  With any Disney Dining Plan  you can not leave credits unused, when you do Disney wins.  Also, the dining plans now include a "specialty" beverage that can include alcohol, we don't drink alcohol so we can't tell you much other than if you do you will save more because alcohol at Disney is expensive.  Ask your server what is included and sometimes you can get the "fancy alcohol" drinks without the alcohol but still with the light up glow cube.  

In full disclosure, we got the quick service dining free with a free dining discount and paid to upgrade to the standard dining plan.  I really think this is the plan that we will use more regularly moving forward.

Review: Disney World - Tony's Town Square

We had dinner with a group of 3 (including one 3 year old).  The food was pretty average to below average.  We had a calamari appetizer and it was chewy and ended up being left mostly untouched by our family. 

Our waitress was very kind and we discussed if the kids Ariel cup was considered a specialty beverage and she said there was discussion last week that it was but if its not she would not charge us.  She confirmed it was not considered a specialty beverage but did not charge us so my daughter was a happy camper.  She also suggested we get our daughter an adult appetizer because my husband and I both wanted a salad bur wanted to try the calamari.  She even reminded us that we could order my daughter an adult meal (since we were on the deluxe dining plan) but she was happy with the kids pizza.

We have been to Tony's a couple time before and really enjoyed our meals. However, this meal was not worth the price at all and I would have been even more disappointed if I had paid out of pocket because the check was one of the most expensive of our trip.  So, I have to agree with the reviews of hit or miss with this place. 

Not a specialty drink

Review: Disney World - Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

There is a check in station near the main walking path toward the lake side.  Its easy to walk past it if you only are looking for the restaurant sign and then you have to head back toward the lake and look for the check in station again.

We had dinner with a group of 6 (including one 3 year old).  The food was good standard breakfast food.  My family is not adventuress enough to try the lunch or dinner options so we stick to breakfast here.  Its a good mix of buffet and family style where you can go immediately to the buffet and they bring your table the warm options of eggs, potatoes, bacon and sausage.

Our waitress was good just as you would expect.

The characters were good and spent plenty of time with us. They have a princess parade which my toddler enjoyed but it was a little odd because she was big enough to want to participate but not big enough to go on her own.

Overall this is a good use of a Disney dining credit and a good option if you cant get an ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) at Cinderella's castle. 

3 Adults and 1 Child

Review: Tucker Boulder Park

Tucker Boulder Park, Appalachian Highway, Davis, WV, 26260
GPS: 39.132675, -79.473774
Website

Visit Day and Time: April 6, 2018
Temperature at visit: 50-65 degrees (mild but warm enough to enjoy it)
Crowd level: None

Pros

• Very unique park 
• New park
• Nice seating
• Multiple levels of climbing from little kids to adults 

Cons

• If you have a hard time letting your kids climb and fall it might be a stressful park for you
• If your child climbs up and panics might be hard to get them back down

Trash Info

• No trash around
• Trash Cans available 

Shade Info

• There are a few trees around so probably some shade for the benches but the climbing rock are out in the full sun.

Adult Seating

• Several nice metal benches available 
• Bleachers are near by at the baseball feild

Swings

• None

Slides

• None

Access

• Handicap Parking very close 
• Pathways are only gravel and might be harder to navigate

Misc

• There is a donation box onsite to collect funds for Rock #3 so be sure to take some cash with you if you get to enjoy this park or better yet donate online via their website.

Broken equipment

• None

Rock #1 basic climber

Rock #2 Complex Climber

Climbing Park 2 Rocks with room for one more

Benches and Trash

Parking is pretty close

Review: Grand Vue Park Playground

GPS: 39.940031, -80.729304

Website

Visit Day and Time: Thursday 5/10/2018
Temperature at visit: Hot
Crowd level: Low

Pros

• New play structure 
• Lots of variety in the activities 
• Music based play spaces

  

  They had these drums and an electric piano activity.

Cons

• All of the the play structures are out in the sun, so my toddler complained the slides were hot.
• The road getting to the park is narrow in some spots and is generally very out of the way.

Trash Info

• There were several cans along 

Shade Info

• There is a covered picnic structure but otherwise not much shade for the play structures. 

Adult Seating

• There are several benches around the play area.
• There is a covered picnic area with multiple tables at the front of the park.

Sheltered area with picnic tables

Swings

• There are several swings including a couple accessible swings.

Unique swing

Slides

• There were six open air slides.

  

   Slides in the younger children section

  

   Slides in the younger children section

  
  
  
  

  

   Slides in the younger children section

Access

• Accessible swings available.
• There is a sidewalk all the way around the play structure.

Misc

• Restrooms were onsite at the entry to the play structure.
• There is also a pool very close to the play ground.  Check it out here.

Broken equipment

• None

Climbing structure in the older children's area

Climbing structure in they younger children's area

Lots of parking

As you enter from the parking lot there is a building with restrooms to the left

Review: Idlewild

GPS: 40.262589, -79.276311
Address: Idlewild & SoakZone, 2574 U.S. 30, Ligonier, PA 15658
Facebook
Website

Meet and Greet with Daniel Tiger

Pros

• Little kids can join parents on most rides
• Lots of spaces for preschool age kids
• Plenty of active play areas
• Seem to be play spaces with limited entrance and exits to make it easier to keep track of your kids
• Variety of food onsite
• Refillable drink cup options
• Crowds seem manageable (when we have been there especially on the extra bring a buddy days)

Cons

• Park is pretty old and some areas really show their age
• Sometimes their staff is limited causing rides or booths to be closed (especially when the local schools go back in late august)  
• Food onsite is pretty pricey (combat this by bringing your own or getting the season meal pass)

Cleanliness

• Its pretty clean but older so some areas seem dingy even though there is not trash littered around

Adult Info

• The younger your kids are the more they will enjoy themselves
• If your older kids like water parks they will probably be happy as well 

Access

• There are gravel paths and some steeper inclines in areas so be area when we have our stroller they suggest going in via the parking area immediately to the left after the gates.
• Some of the restrooms are smaller (due to their age) and you might need to be aware of that.
• Wave pool is a zero entry pool as far as I could tell from passing by it.
• They do have wheelchair rentals available. 

Restrooms

• There are plenty of restrooms around but some are older so they are little and kind of dingy (but they free of trash)

Misc

• We enjoy this park with our toddler.  I like using the bring a buddy days to drag along friends and relatives that are not sure the park is worth it.  
• We had passes several years ago with our older daughter one year.
• We have had passes for 2017 and 2018 with our toddler.  
• I purchased one of the 2018 All Season Dining Pass on Black Friday for $69.99 I will try and report back on the value of this as the season goes on.  Comment below if you have any questions.
• There is a Chick-Fil-A about 30 minutes before you get to the park (coming from the west) and we would get sandwiches and put them in a cooler and have after we spend a couple hours in the park.  
• We tend to get to park at opening and stay until 3-5pm so we can make it a day trip (we drive about an hour and 40 minutes to get there)

Pricing

• At the gate price is $44.99 - DON'T pay that you can get it as low as $29.99 for just ordering online before you go or a 4 pack starting at $114
• Season passes start for just $59.99 (This is a great option if you are planning on going a couple times during the summer)
• If you plan to go during the week you can get the platinum or gold pass and use the buddy passes for someone in your family.  (Example family of 4 could get 2 gold passes for $74.99 each and take 2 trips (Monday - Friday) and end up paying $18.75 each for the two trips.  If you can squeeze a trip on the extra bring a buddy days you can keep bringing that price down.
• You can always pay the price difference to the next level of pass and get more buddy passes.  NOTE:  I bought a pass on Black Friday and upgraded it and they only charged me the current difference from the price of my current pass to the one I upgraded.  So don't worry if you get a great Black Friday deal you don't lose any of that discount.
• Towards the end of the season they will offer discounts to purchase a season pass for the following year and you get the rest of the current year.  I actually renewed my summer only pass at the end of august to the gold level season pass for next year and got buddy passes for the current year and next year.
• In 2017 my summer only pass was also given access to the fall leaf weekend for no additional charge (September weekend but not the Hallowboo weekends.) So make sure you follow them on Facebook and check to see if any additional bonuses have been added to your passes.
• Tickets and Passes

Review: Disney World - The Garden Grill Review

First off this was the best character meal we had during our last visit.

We had dinner with a group of 6 (including one 3 year old).  The food was great, basically all of it.  More specifically the meats were great even the french fries were amazing.  The broccoli was great too.  The mac and cheese was extremely cheesy.  Honestly all the food was good standard home cooked food.

Our waiter was amazing had been working at Disney for something like 26 years.  My family is a bunch of jokers so we had some great moments of banter.  He was funny and very attentive we never had to worry about our drinks going empty.  Additionally he confirmed that Garden Grill is one of the few places on property that brews their own sweet tea.  That's huge plus for my husband as he drinks a ton of tea and was bummed by the gold peak tea everywhere else.  So as a part of our waiter's joking my husband ended up with multiple glasses of tea at a time which was great because he drank the majority of them or filled up our portable travel bottle when we left.

The characters were great and spent plenty of time with us and even a couple even made it around more than just once.  Which was great because we were not waiting on that last character when we really wanted to be on our way.

This was the first time we ate here but definitely will not be the last.  We already plan to stop there on our next trip.

3 Adults and 1 Child

Value of Deluxe Dining Plan 2018

We are back from our January 2018 Disney trip.  We added the Deluxe Dining Plan to our trip because the math worked for us.  You can see the pre trip numbers here.

Our meal schedule was heavy in the character meals as it was our 3 year old's first trip.  My mother-in-law joined us in the parks for 3 of our days, that is really where our value was added by having deluxe dining.  She used 6 of our credits, without her there those credits would have had much less value.  Generally speaking we would have used those credits but probably more as a shareable lunch at a quick service instead of a full table service meal. So those 6 credits would have gone from a $35-49 value down to $20-25.  We would have still saved some money, so its still good to do the math.

Big things to remember when thinking about the difference of the deluxe dining plan and the quick or standard plan is that deluxe included an appetizer and desert for table service meals.  Our 3 year old also was not required to eat off the kids menu (I think that is not the case for standard dining plan table service).  Only 3 of our meals were not buffets the first one I did not realize that she could order a standard meal/appetizer, the second we ordered her an adult appetizer (after the waitress suggested it) but a kids meal and the third (Be Our Guest) I did not order her a meal she shared with us.  It's my understanding that for quick service the meals are all grouped together and kids are not required to order kids meals so that makes for much better value.  I would recommend knowing where the best shareable quick service locations are to maximize your value.  We used one of our credits at Flame Tree BBQ and shared it between 4 people (toddler included) because we got the chicken, ribs, and pulled pork combo.

I will admit that I did not maximize our snack credits  because I had just intended to use them instead of spending any money on snacks.  Looking back I wish I would have gotten water to take into the parks as I bought several bottles of smart water, at $4.5 a bottle its a good value but if I would bought it before hand at $1.50 a bottle it would have freed up several snack credits.  Even if I only had a bottle a day to start our day with it would have given us 5 extra snack credits.  I only purchased one cupcake out of pocket when we were leaving the hotel so our credits really covered our needs just not anything extra to take home.  I also wish I would have had a better plan to have a grab and go breakfast in our room for my husband.  A bag of bagels would have saved us a lot of stress.  I had planned several late breakfasts so that we could ride stuff first then head to breakfast on those days we really needed something to take with us for he and my daughter to eat at the bus stop or walking through the park.

As I look back the best advice I can give you is check the numbers based on what you would order at each location you want to visit.  If you plan to have two rooms really check the value of one room with deluxe dining and one room with a different plan until you find a combo that will benefit you.  Be creative if you planned on having two rooms one with 2 adults and one with 2 adults and 1 child it might make more sense to have 3 adults and 1 child on the deluxe plan and the other adult on no plan.  You have to be careful because this affects your room entry but if your all going to be together or if  your rooms are adjoining keep the door open and it wont matter.  When doing the math it always makes more sense for kids to be on the deluxe plan rather than an adult.  My sister and I have discussed this option and really think the next time we visit it will be the way to save money.  What you need to do when you plan ahead is to be sure that the standard dining plan is used for buffet meals and the deluxe is used where at non buffet table service options.  You also need to be sure that you plan if you all wont be dining together that someone has meals on their account to use.  I would also have a written plan of what room will pay for which meals so that you don't have to think about it once your there.

Day 1:
Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic Package) - 3 credits
Sci-Fi Drive In - 3 credits

Day 2:
Crystal Palace - 3 credits
Tony's Town Square - 3 credits

Day 3:
Akershus - 4 credits
Garden Grill - 4 credits

Day 4:
Be Our Guest - 3 credits
Cinderella's Royal Table - 8 credits

Day 5:
Tucker House - 4 credits
Flame Tree BBQ - 1 credit

Out of pocket	$1,339.86
Deluxe Dining	$1,090.00
Refillable Mugs (3)	$53.97
Snacks ($4.50 each)	$96.00
Total Value	$399.83

3 Adults and 1 Child

Disney Dining Plan 2018 - Specialty Drinks

So as of January 1, 2018 the Disney Dining Plan includes specialty drinks.  We just finished a 5 day trip on the deluxe dining plan under the new specialty drinks plan.  Short version: If you drink alcohol you will get great value from the new plan, if you don't you will have to be aware that there is not much for you that changes other than the price of the plan.

In previous years you could get a milkshake for your drink if you asked (or had a waitress/waiter that suggested it for you).  So that makes the value added for milkshakes not anything new.  Previously you could also get flavor added to your drinks as well, I remember getting several vanilla cokes the last time I was at Disney.  So what can you get?  If you were hoping for some new line of specialty non-alcoholic drinks available for all the kids and non-drinking adults you're out of luck.  I was hoping for some specialty coffee drinks or additional flavor options but none of that either.

What was there?  The alcoholic beverage menu that you used to have to pay to drink off of is now available to choose items.  You can order virgin items off of that menu if there are options like the pina coloda from Sci-Fi or other locations.  Also, remember that if its merchandise it is not included so no glowing lights for the kids or souvenir cups.

So if you were going to pay for alcoholic beverages you will benefit from the new change to the dining plan.  Otherwise if you decide a dining plan is a good value for your family then take a minute to ask your waitress what non-alcoholic drinks are available to you before you order.

Not Included - Merchandise 

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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Website

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