Lagoon - the boring info

When I first got the e-mail announcing "Stake Lagoon Day" I was pretty skeptical.  I worried my stake was doing some no-no turning a blind eye to the handbook.  I found out later that this is a "Utah thing" and specifically a SLC county thing.  Every stake gets a Lagoon Discount on not so busy days in June.  It's still promoting one business over another, technically, but I can see how it could be construed a family memory building opportunity.  The discount wasn't spectacular - it still cost $31 per person to get in!  Not to mention the $10 for parking (even if it's an hour) which is robbery.  The one nice thing associated with the Stake Lagoon Day discount is allow people who aren't going to ride any rides to get in for free.  Then those people can decide to purchase individual ride tickets if they want to go on a ride or two. 


Things we did that I liked  and things I wished I had done
 

1. No babies or toddlers for most of the day.  We decided to really get our money's worth and not make the day a slice of hell with a little horrid on the side, I would take Stephen and Lincoln for the whole day and Dan and Alexander would join us at the end and we'd get a few ride tickets so Alexander could have a little fun.  The plan worked out really well, I thought.  Alexander was a little late with his nap and then he fell asleep again so he and Daddy didn't get there until 7:30ish which was pretty late.  My hope was that we'd leave by 8:30 or 9, but we didn't get out of the park until 10.  The poor kids weren't asleep until nearly midnight because they were hungry and totally wired. Next time have daddy come earlier.
2. Brought our own Food and snacks and left it at our Stake Terrace. Food prices are outrageous, of course, so we brought lunch, lots of water and snacks.  We left it at the terrace our stake rented, although I think I would have put the snacks and water in a cheap locker which was more accessible than having to walk all the way over there each time.  
3. Had the boys wear swimming suits the whole day. This worked out well.  I brought a suit and had to change which wasted a lot of time.  In the end because Lincoln didn't want to do any water slides and I couldn't leave him alone I didn't get wet at all - just hot and sweaty.  Maybe drop our swim gear off in a locker by the pool before heading off to rides so it would be easy to get later.  The other thing I would for sure do is have the boys wear rashguards and swim shoes of some type that would still be comfy to walk around in. 
4. Took lots of pictures - of course ;).  I just wished I had taken more and longer movies, the boys always enjoy watching themselves and reliving the experience.
5. We went in June and on a Tuesday.  This meant it wasn't as crowded as it could have been.  We usually waited at least 3 but not more than 10 minutes in a line.  Near the end of the night we didn't wait at all.  Going in July it would be hotter and more crowded - same with August.  September might be a good month to go. Although I have to say, Lagoon has a surprizing number of trees so it stays cooler than most theme parks. 
6. We stayed in KiddieLand most of the day.  We wondered over to the Ferris Wheel toward the end of the night where all the big kid rides are.  It was more crazy over there and the line for the ride was forever long.  Next time I think we should just stay put in Kiddieland, the water park is close, the two easier to handle roller coasters are right there as well as the entrance to the pioneer area and those rides.  No need to venture out and expose the kids to alluring games for prizes - I hate that part of Lagoon!  
7. We did the water park from 2-4.  This worked out perfectly.  We needed a break from all the rides, it was getting hot and when we came out the park had kinda thinned a little and the lines were a little shorter than they were when we went in.  It was the water park where I needed another adult, or at least a cousin or friend to be with Stephen.  He went on the water slides totally alone.  I did see him now and then, but that freaked me out.  It freaked me out more to leave Lincoln so I think I did the best I could have done.  I don't see Lincoln wanting to go down a water slide for some time - he gets far too nervous.