BUCKLE UP!!!
Sesame Place: quite possibly the world's worst…read morewater park.
I genuinely cannot understand how this place is being operated this poorly.
I first came a few weeks ago with my 3-year-old son. He is exactly 42 inches tall and appeared to meet the posted height requirement at the entrance to one of the slide towers. Because only ONE of six slides was operating, we waited over 1.5 hours to get to the top--only to be told he was too short to ride. So after the signage at the bottom indicated he was tall enough, we wasted nearly two hours in line just to be turned away at the top.
The line was made even worse by kids continuously entering the Quick Queue/Fast Pass line without actually having Quick Queue. Employees weren't verifying anything, so the regular line barely moved.
We tried another tube slide: again, one slide operating and another 1.5+ hour wait. I asked a supervisor if more slides would open and was told they were waiting for employees to return from lunch. They never did. Season passholders we spoke with said this apparently happens all the time.
Then the children's water play area closed for maintenance for over an hour, which pushed everyone into the lazy river. They ran out of tubes, multiple other attractions were closed, and we spent most of our "water park" day standing around waiting.
I contacted Guest Services afterward. Their automated response said I'd hear back within 5-7 business days. Nobody ever contacted me. I eventually called, waited on hold for 30 minutes, and was promised four replacement tickets and a parking pass within 20 minutes, plus a follow-up call. Neither happened. I called AGAIN, waited another 30 minutes, and finally received the tickets.
So yesterday we decided to give Sesame Place another chance.
THE REPLACEMENT TICKETS THEY SENT ME DIDN'T WORK.
I literally had to purchase tickets on Groupon to get into the park.
And somehow, visit #2 was even worse.
The park wasn't crowded, yet ALL WATER ACTIVITIES WERE CLOSED.
At a WATER PARK.
We tried to stay patient and went on the few dry rides. After about an hour, it was hot and my 3-year-old was understandably begging to go in the water while lifeguards stood in front of completely blocked-off water attractions.
Eventually they opened ONE tiny toddler water area--for basically the entire park. You can imagine how packed that became.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the wave pool and Count's Splash Castle finally opened. The other waterslides never opened at all.
When the lazy river finally opened, they were allowing a maximum of 10 people at a time, everyone had to remain together in a group led by a lifeguard, and you were allowed ONE lap. We waited over 30 minutes, reached the front, and were told my boyfriend couldn't join me and my son because he was person #11. So after even more waiting, we finally got our turn.
And honestly? The lazy river was DISGUSTING.
Trash. Dirty Band-Aids. Plant debris everywhere. A nasty film on the water. It genuinely looked like a bacteria-infested cesspool. Count's Splash Castle wasn't much better--we literally saw Modelo beer cans floating in the water.
I repeatedly asked lifeguards when the remaining attractions would open and was assured they should open later. They never did. One employee told me attractions were closed because of poor water quality--which, after seeing the water, certainly seemed believable. But considering how attractions were being staffed, it also appeared there may have been a significant staffing shortage.
Tickets here can run around $100 per person, plus $36 for parking. For those prices, families should not arrive at a WATER PARK to discover virtually every water attraction closed with no meaningful communication beforehand.
I understand water parks are seasonal businesses and many employees are teenagers. That is exactly why competent adult leadership and operational oversight are necessary. The teenagers working there aren't the problem. The complete lack of management, staffing, communication, cleanliness, queue control, and consistency is.
Two visits. Two absolute disasters.
The first time, nearly everything was closed.
I complained and was given replacement tickets.
The replacement tickets didn't work.
I paid AGAIN to return.
And on the second visit, THE WATER PARK HAD NO WATER ATTRACTIONS OPEN.
You genuinely couldn't make this up.
One star only because Yelp doesn't allow zero.