Alright folks, pulled off our Raging Waters trip yesterday and figured I’d dump my notes here. This ain’t some fancy guide – just real stuff that helped us survive the Utah heatwave without losing our minds or wallets.
First Move: Ticket Hustle
Checked their dang website Monday night – shocker, prices jump $15 if you buy same-day. Slammed that “Buy Online” button faster than my kid grabs ice cream. Got two adult passes plus one kiddo ticket for under $100 total. Protip: Wednesday afternoons? Dead empty. Zero lines for slides.
Packing Chaos
Threw this garbage in our trunk:
- Dollar store towels (they will 100% get stolen)
- Old sneakers NOT flip-flops (concrete scorches feet by noon)
- Ziplock bags for dead phones
- Full sunscreen jug – sprayed three times still got burned
Forgot bandaids. Big regret when my toe bled after stubbing on Wave Pool concrete.
Parking Nightmare
Rolled up at 10:30AM. West parking already stuffed. Circled like vultures for 15 minutes. Finally squeezed into East lot – walk’s longer but shade hits different when you’re dragging coolers. Saw seven cars fighting over one spot near entrance. Morons.
Locker Game Strong
Dropped $18 on a large locker near Tornado slide. Jammed all wallets/keys in there. Saw some dude crying when his backpack got jacked at lazy river. Keep that combo code memorized or tattoo it on your arm.
Slide Survival
Made beeline for Tsunami before crowds hit. Climbed those eternal stairs – calf workout from hell. Lifeguard yelled at me for crossing ropes wrong. Waited 20 minutes while watching teens belly-flop off Boomerango. Worth every second when that drop hit.
Food Situation
12:30PM stomachs started howling. Pizza line wrapped around building. Tore open our PB&Js near kiddie area. Watched families drop $60 on nachos and sad hotdogs. Frozen lemonade stand saved our lives around 3PM though.
Exit Strategy
5PM mass exodus began. Dragged soggy kids towards car. All towels reeked like chlorine and feet. Found note under wiper: “You dented my Silverado”. Bull. Peeled out before Karen could appear.
Final tally: $127 total, 2 minor sunburns, 1 near-divorce over map reading, 7/10 would rage again. Next time? More snacks, earlier start, and definitely stealing my neighbor’s water shoes.
