Castaway Bay, January 2012

(Repost from my blog.)

After our successful trip to the Great Wolf Lodge last year in Washington, and Simon's recent love for playing in the bath tub (and getting me soaked), I've been anxious to get back to an indoor water park. Plus it's cold. We figured we'd give Castaway Bay a shot this time. As you might guess, I can't not compare to Great Wolf (in Washington).

First off, I was really impressed with the theme throughout the hotel. It's fairly well executed, and not cheap looking. They even have a little animated show in the lobby. My last visit to that hotel was probably ten years ago, when it was still a Radisson. The exterior looks a little weathered in places, but the interior feels fresh and warm throughout.

Our room was clean and in good shape, and I'm usually pretty picky about that. The furnishings were in pretty good shape, and generally better than what we had at Great Wolf. The thing you typically ask yourself about the indoor water park hotel is whether or not the room rates are worth the room and admission, and I would say they're absolutely pricing it right. The only thing I could really pick on is that I wish they would use real glasses instead of those individually wrapped plastic cups.

The water park is very well suited to a family with a toddler. It's not overwhelmingly huge, and that's a good thing. We started at the wave pool, because that's what Simon seemed to enjoy the most last spring at Great Wolf, but he wasn't really having it. I think some of his apprehension comes from having to wear a life jacket, which they require at his height. That just seemed to generally make him uncomfortable. It's a small-ish wave pool that probably gets crowded at busier times, but has solid wave action.

The toddler pool has a number of splash elements and spouts with a zero-depth entry, perfect for the little ones. Simon took to the big squid thing with a slide on it, and it was definitely the thing that made him comfortable there. Unfortunately, its lowest step is way too high for a toddler, so he needed some help to start climbing it, but particularly when it wasn't busy, he owned it. Later he graduated to the two bigger slides at the other end of the pool, and kept going around over and over. He really enjoyed it!

The big play structure with the bucket was impressive, and after seeing the bucket dump a few times, he was totally into watching it. He traversed much of the structure with our help, but his favorite spot was a group of spouts in the floor and a valve that controlled their spray height. He went completely ape**** over them! I did one of the body slides off of the structure, and was impressed with how fast it went, given its younger targeting.

There are a few activity pools along the one side of the building that are really geared more toward tweens and teens, but they did seem to be a hit. Back in the corner, almost hidden, is the entrance stairs to the three big body slides that can be seen on the outside of the building (they could really use better signage for them). Diana and I both took spins on these, and they're seriously intense. There aren't enough body slides out in the world anymore, that you can do without tubes. By the time you get to the bottom, they pull some serious G's. Excellent!

Neither one of us got up to do the water coaster, which is unfortunate, but I'm so tainted by Wildebeest at Holiday World that I'd probably find it lame anyway. It'll be fun for Simon once he grows a few inches, I'm sure.

Overall, the water park is really nice, and very right-sized for a family with a little one. I suspect older teens wouldn't be as into it, which is OK by me. Other than the toddler pool, it seemed like the water could have been a few degrees warmer, especially in the play structure. Maybe I'm just too used to the hot tub. They have a snack bar in there too, where you can apparently charge back to your room with your wristband, but we didn't get around to that. They also have a small food shop and a restaurant open for breakfast, but we didn't go to either one of those. We did go to the attached Friday's, and it wasn't bad at all. I haven't been to one in probably two years because they sucked, but what I had wasn't bad. Plus one to the manager, who refilled Diana's draft cider after a chain reaction spill that started with Simon's milk.

I don't know that Simon will remember his visit there, but I know his parents had a good time! We had a nice little getaway there, in a comfortable room and perfectly sized water park. I can definitely see another visit in our future, and likely for years to come while our little guy remains little.

Castaway Bay is a nice place. The rooms are nice and the waterpark is big enough to provide something for all ages. It's really good for younger kids. Sure it's not Kalahari which is just so huge and is geared more towards older kids. My boy is 13 and still loves the place. CB is also not as hectic with swarms of kids running all over. It's much more manageable. Don't get me wrong I love Kalahari too. We stayed at CB over New years and had a great time. A nice thing about CB is Platinum Pass holders can get a day pass for $15. Sometimes we'll drive over during the winter and spend a few hours taking advantage of that price.

Jeff, about those plastic cups. They are a good thing. A few years ago some news show did an uncover report on hotel cleanliness. They went to a nice chain hotel in Atlanta. Not to gross you out, but the hidden camera showed the maid washing out the toilet. Next she took the glasses and coffee maker and washed them out with the same brush and sponge she had used in the toilet. Ever since I saw that report I always bring a few plastic cups with me just in case they only have glass cups. I don't drink coffee, but I always think of that report when I see the coffee maker in a hotel.

Regarding the maids, I would think that would be the exception, not the rule.

Jason, I hope you are correct, but seeing that happen once is enough for me. I doubt that was the only time that happened. Maids are in a hurry to clean those rooms. I would bet many do what is the fasted way to get the job done and that may not be the most sanitary way. I don't want to take any chances. It's easy enough to pack a few plastic cups.

No, plastic cups are just cheap. If a place is nice enough to keep the rooms clean, they're nice enough to keep glasses clean. I've stayed in my share of five-diamond hotels. :)

I would rather have plastic. I always fear one of my kids will break one of the glasses. Or maybe it is because we drink out of plastic cups at home and that is just what I am used to.

I'm with Jeff. The cheap plastic cups they hand out in the economy section on airplanes are just lame compared to the nice glasses they give you in first class.

Count me in on the plastic cups preference. In addition to the possible cleanliness issues, I inexplicably just prefer to drink water out of plastic cups.

I've not stayed at Castaway, but the water park is indeed very nice. Much nicer than Kalahari in my opinion. I just find a lot more to keep busy with at Kalahari, whereas I get bored after a few hours at Castaway. Of course, the swim-up bar at Kalahari is a major plus. Castaway should get on that! :)

Usually my wife and I take a mid april trip to CB when we get our passes processed. The past few years we tried to do it and they were closed when we wanted to go. I guess they only are open during the weekends during the winter months leading up to opening weekend. We have a good time in the waterpark. We also take advantage of CP not being open to explore other things in the area. We last time went out and found wineries in the area. I can honestly say that one we found was Mona Mi. It was one of the greatest lunches i had in the area. It just goes to show you that there is more to sandusky than just cedar fair. The only gripe i had about our trip was not even the hotel, but was cedar lanes. We used the free games they give you at your meal. I didnt have any cash on me unfortunately so i used my card to rent shoes. Turns out they charged my card an extra 0 so they hit me for 450.00 for renting shoes. I had that fixed promptly. Other than that I love going to CB in the winter. Especially the weekend of an off season tour.

I would hope that was more than one extra 0. $45 to rent shoes is nearly as outrageous as $450. :)

Yeah, my bad. That would be 2 extra zeros. I was tired when I wrote that.

I also stayed at castaway bay halloween week and had a blast...the water coaster is pretty awesome for its size, has a nice drop and inside,outside ride, I'm sure ull appreciate, too bad u didn't get to ride it, next time definitely

Jeff said:
Diana and I both took spins on these, and they're seriously intense. There aren't enough body slides out in the world anymore, that you can do without tubes. By the time you get to the bottom, they pull some serious G's. Excellent!

No joke! I was lucky enough to try them out before the park opened back in `04 and let me tell you, it was intense. Nothing is more fun then riding new slides for the first time after they received a few waxings. Still to this day they are my 2nd favorite body slides, after the body slides at WWK of course.

Jeff, I didn't see you mention the hot tub at Castaway Bay. It is a very nice and very large indoor/outdoor tub. The indoor part is long and fairly narrow and it spreads out to two or three large sections outside of the building.

Hot tubs are not generally interesting to me when they aren't mine. I appreciate the care that goes into them, and don't trust others to do it. That, and having a toddler pretty much takes away from your tub time in water parks. :)

I rode the water coaster there also, It was fun but wouldn't stand a chance against Wildebeest or Mammoth at Holiday World.