Mike Fiedler

Review of Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Res...

This was our first time ever to a Schlitterbahn an...

This was our first time ever to a Schlitterbahn and our expectations were high. We are pretty seasoned water park veterans having visited several in Orlando and Wisconsin Dells. I can honestly say this Schlitt is not the best park in the world.

We arrived on a Friday morning at 10am, opening time, at the original park and quickly found a parking spot in one of the lots close to the gate. They had parking attendants directing you, so that was helpful. I have to assume they offer free parking because the lots are scattered kind of throughout the neighborhood area and trying to have them be staffed for paying would be extremely difficult. After these lots fill out I am not sure where you would park if you arrive later in the morning.

We already had our tickets in advance but still had to stop at the window to exchange them for a wrist band. They then direct you to a staff person to help put them on properly so you don't lose it. From there you get in line with your cooler and bags to have them searched. This entry process took about 15 minutes. It's nice they allow you to bring in your own food and drink, but man, some people are wheeling in huge coolers. Obviously you cannot bring in alcohol or glass containers. Of course, there were idiots that did that so that held up the line.

We finally entered the water park area and found the place packed already by 10:30am. We went up and down several flights of stairs making our way to the main area where there were some tables and the locker areas. The line to get a locker had already grown to about 25 people and guessing it would have taken close to a half hour to get one. So we decided to leave this park and headed to the new section via the tram. Let me say also that this original water park is old, and it shows. The place is worn and just looks old and original from the late 70's/early 80's.

So we waited in line for a tram and went to the new park. Upon arrival we once again had to have our bags and cooler searched, although the line was shorter there. We also were able to get a locker without a wait. We put our valuables into a locker and then put our pool bag on a table. It's now about 11:15 and we are finally ready to head to the lazy river. I will have to say the lazy river is amazing. After awhile we decided to dry off and get some lunch. We came back to our table to find our pool bag had been stolen. So we had no towels or sunscreen now. I'm guessing that theft cost us about $100 between what was in the bag and now having to buy overpriced sunscreen there. Fortunately our phones, wallets, and keys were locked up in a locker. The lockers are small so you will only be able to put a small bag in with a few items. Locker cost was around $12 but worth it since theft seems to be prevalent there. When I filed a report at the customer relations desk, the guy in front of my also had a bag stolen. Of course I never heard back anything as follow up.

Overall we had a good time on the lazy rivers and wave pool. They were crowded but we found our place. The slide lines were long and only went on one. The place needs more help in the area of cleanliness. We never once say anyone sweeping or cleaning anything. The trams running between the old and new parks run often and had no issues with that. A little extra level of security is also needed. Seems like things getting stolen there often, as I have seen in some of the other reviews.

If we are ever in this area of Texas again, we would not come back to this one and would instead drive a bit further to Aquatica in San Antonio.