Yesterday, the monsters and I got our butts up early, packed a cooler of food and drinks and headed for Gulfport, MS to the Gulf Islands Waterpark. It was only an hour drive from Mandeville, and a very easy one at that. The park opens at 10 and I wanted to be there early so we could ride the good rides before it got crowded. They have a 2 for Tuesdays deal (buy 2 tix – get one free). We met up with 2 other families, so it worked out for us. We did have difficulty finding the passes (participating gas stations are listed on the website). I struck out after 2 stops, but a lady in the parking lot gave me some extra ones. My kids are all over 42″ so we pay the full price $27.95 plus tax (parents have to pay too).

We sunblocked up in the parking lot – bought our tix and a locker and the boys were on the big slides as they opened at 10. We got a good hour of non-stop riding with no lines….then the lines came. Not horrible, but not great. A couple of field trips can really fill a park. Also, I would suggest they have more than 3 rotating rafts on the Camille Cutter.

In a nutshell: this is by no means a huge waterpark. It really has 4 big slides and tons of interactive play and a huge lazy river. It was enough to keep the kids busy for 4 plus solid hours. I am glad we packed our lunches – the lines were enormous for food. PB & J and Abita root beer in that car (front parking space) and everyone was happy. It is a very safe and clean park. I actually felt comfortable parking my butt from time to time on a lounge chair while the kids played. I think it is a little overpriced for what they have to offer, but we all had a great time. I like the fact that if your child is over 42″ they can ride everything as there aren’t any more height restrictions on anything. We probably won’t return this year as it was a pretty expensive day. I also can’t say I was sad when the clouds rolled in and we were packing to go anyways. It made it the perfect excuse to leave without complaints:)