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Hersheypark Just Got a Little Sweeter – Introducing BBLz ™

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pepsi and Hersheypark. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Sweet Memories

Growing up, I only got to go to Hersheypark once.  It was our 8th grade field trip.  Andrew says he only remembers going two, maybe three times. It was always weird to me that neither of us have been more often, because we both have such fond memories of our minimal experiences. Hersheypark is such a sweet place (pun intended), that I want to make sure that our girls experience it often. Last year, when we went, the baby was really too little to do anything, but Serenity had so much fun that she has brought it up dozens of times since last year, always wondering when we are going back again. It’s a much larger park than we were used too, so even with two days last year, we were all exhausted. We needed a re-do.

Planning the Sweetest Day Trip

Andrew’s work schedule has left minimal summer fun time available so far this year, but when we had a mid-week break, we went for it and drove to Hersheypark. We didn’t tell the kids until we were getting into the car and they were so excited. The baby still doesn’t really know what was going on, but her sister’s excitement got her really happy. I love seeing them enjoy thing together and I knew this year would be such a treat.

Tip: Before we headed out, I downloaded the Hersheypark app onto my phone.  It makes finding rides that the girls can do a breeze and I love seeing if there’s wait time before we head in any one direction.

The night before we left, we planned out our trip and decided on what we absolutely must have the girls do together.  We picked the perfect day.  It was literally gorgeous weather and we were so excited to do the water and dry rides together. Serenity grew a few inches over the past year, so she was able to ride the SooperDooperLooper ride, her first looped roller coaster, and her reaction didn’t disappoint.  We are so incredibly blessed to be able to make these memories together as a family.

Hersheypark Just Got a Little Sweeter – Introducing BBLz™ 

We always like to splurge a bit when we take trips like this. For example, the girls always get to pick some type of treat that they don’t regularly get to have at home- they usually pick cotton candy.  This year, before we even went, I knew what our special treat would be.  Pepsi, a proud sponsor of Hersheypark, introduced a new installment this year – BBLz™ (pronounced “bubbles”). You can easily find it directly across from Hersheypark’s newest ride – Hershey Triple Tower.

Bubble Makers (soft drink mixologists) create a unique one-of-a-kind beverage experience unlike anything you’ve tried before. Unique flavors and ingredients, including foam and candy, arend whimsically blended together for a fun treat! Each person in our family got their own BBLz™ creation.

We thought they were such a fun and unique way to combine the Pepsi brand with the sweetness of Hershey.  We definitely think everyone should have the unique experience of having their own BBLz™ too!

Even though BBLz™ are only in one part of the park, you can still enjoy delicious, refreshing Pepsi beverages throughout the park!  Try to check out the PepsiSpire digital beverage fountains where you can customize your own flavor creation with hundreds of different options! Of course, there’s Aquafina, too, which is especially refreshing on those extra hot days!

We can’t wait to hear what you do at your next Hersheypark vacation and what you think of the BBLz™ beverage experience.

Dorney Park Wildwater Kingdom

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 Check out the awesomeness of Dorney Park Wildwater Kingdom!

Growing up water parks were my jam (can I still say Jam?  Is that hip or nah?) Anywho…I loved them.  It was always a special treat to go to a water park when we were little. I waited what seemed like forever until I was tall enough that I could get on the water log rides. Imagine my excitement when I learned Serenity loved the water too. I knew she was going to be up for any water adventures in our future.  Luckily, she is and her sister has been too, though she’s still too little for most things.

SEE OUR SHORT VIDEO FROM WILDWATER KINGDOM HERE:

We were recently hosted and had the chance to check out Dorney Park Wildwater Kingdom and the girls had so much fun.  It was a bit chilly since it was early June, but after the girls warmed up to the fun a bit, they had a blast.  The great thing about Wildwater Kingdom at Dorney Park is that there are so many things for kids to do beyond just rides, especially for little ones, like our Storm. They have designated kid areas all over Wildwater Kingdom that have sprinklers, waterspouts, smaller slides, and even a submarine.

Of course, if you have older ones, there’s plenty for them to do as well, including almost a dozen rides for those over 48″.

The girls (and their friend) loved the water spouts and trying to hide them or sit on top of them.  Another fun spot was the wave pool.  It’s always funny to me to see how much my girls love the waves.  To me, it seems, at that age, it might be a bit scary but they love it.  Next up in the kiddie area, was this insanely fun submarine where kids can go down a host of different slides and actually walk around inside the submarine. 

Lastly, is this gated (which I love as a parent) area called Water Works.  The girls ran around dumping and pouring water, going down slides, and more.  At the end of the day, they loved relaxing in the sun (Serenity says “sunbathing”) until they dried off.

They were all sad to go home, but we promised that we would be back around soon!

As always, Dorney Park pleases the entire family. Head to DorneyPark.com for ticket purchases.

Want to know more about Dorney Park?  See our adventures of past trips here.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY CEDAR FAIR ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN CONJUNCTION WITH BLOG MEETS BRAND, AND I HAVE BEEN COMPENSATED FOR MY PARTICIPATION. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Dorney Park – Our First Park Friend Experience

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Dorney Park holds a special place in our hearts. It was the first place that we went that had something for everyone and catered to our family’s needs. It’s our youngest child’s first amusement park trip and now, with this recent hosted trip, holds the place as the first place we took a friend with us.

See our fun trip in the video: 

I remember growing up that I always wanted to take a friend places with us.  I remember my sister being able to do it, but rarely remember being able to do it myself. There’s something so magically special about being able to experience fun with a friend. Andrew and I both knew that it was something that we wanted our girls to experience. Thankfully, we were able to sooner than later and it was everything I hoped for in a friend trip.

Side note: This trip to Dorney Park was also the baby’s first time riding a roller coaster! She’s hooked!

We allowed Serenity to take one of her best friends to the park and the joy of this first experience was magical. The joy on their faces throughout the day was something you hope stays everyday of their lives. They rode as many rides as they could across Planet Snoopy.  One reason that Dorney Park is a huge hit is that kids are able to ride everything in this one area.  It’s amazing as a parent because it reduces the heartache of having to tell them no to certain rides as we pass them by as we are walking.

Another reason we love Planet Snoopy is that the lines are short because it’s catered specifically to smaller kids, so there’s no reason for huge lines. Bigger kids are in other areas of the park riding bigger coasters and rides. There’s so many things packed into this area that you can quite easily spend the entire day just here. Between the rides and the shows, it’s endless entertainment.

****D E A L     A L E R T ****

June is the perfect month to head to Dorney Park. They’ve teamed up with Alex’s Lemonade Stand to host Lemonade Days. Every online ticket purchase in June is kid’s pricing. That means you pay $39 per ticket – a $19 savings from buying tickets at the gate – PLUS $1 of every online sale goes to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Everyone wins!

Bonus Tip: Purchase the All Day Meal Plan online. It’s $31.99 per person and you can get a meal every 90 minutes. If you plan to eat inside the park, it’s really your best value. You can also save by grabbing the souvenir drinking cup! It’s just $10.99. Don’t forget, all tickets include access to Wildwater Kingdom! Rides + water = endless fun!

Head to DorneyPark.com to plan your trip today!

Upcoming trips for you to attend at Dorney Park:

  • Father’s Day Beef & Beer – June 18
  • Independence Day Fireworks – July 4
  • Christmas in July Breakfast with Santa – July 25
  • Food Truck Rally – August 26-27

What are you most looking forward too at Dorney Park? Leave a comment and tell us! Hope to see you there soon!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.

7 Tips to Maximize Your Experience at Diggerland USA

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We received complimentary tickets in exchange for our thoughts in this post.  All thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Have you heard of Diggerland USA yet?  It’s such a unique place unlike anything you’ve been to before. This amusement park is guaranteed to be a unique experience for the young and old members of your family.  Since Diggerland is just down the street from us, we’ve been here a few times. First, when they opened and then a few times since. Now that our oldest is 4.5 years old, we finally feel like we found the perfect age to go. Don’t get me wrong, even the little had fun at almost 2 on our recent trip, however, for maximum experience, we think we’ve found the best time.

Today, I wanted to share with you how to make the most of your trip to Diggerland. After going a few times, we think we have the expertise to let everyone know how to get the most for your money at Diggerland USA. For us, cost versus benefit is a big factor in where we go as a family. We know it is for our readers as well.

Watch our trip:

How to Maximize Your Trip to Diggerland USA

  1. Save on Tickets

    • Buy tickets online. You automatically save $5 on most tickets just for purchasing online.
    • If you are planning to go more than 2 days during the year, or during your trip, look into buying a membership BEFORE the season opening – you can typically purchase for around $50.
    • Check for Discounts on-line – Military, First Responders, and AAA members get discounts off tickets. Students who bring a report card showing straight As also do.  Additionally, seasonal discounts are offered like Free Mom’s Admission on Mother’s Day.

  2.  Get there Early, During the Week

    • Pick a day that you can get there around 10am and plan to spend at least 4 hours there.
    • Ideally, if you want to do every ride, you can maximize the full day of 10-6.
    • Go during the week instead of the weekend.  Weekday waits for us have been about 1/3 of the weekend wait times, especially on the more popular waits.

  3. Pack a Lunch

    • You can’t bring food into the park, however, the park has picnic tables set up outside the gates. There is a concession style stand there, but the prices are typical amusement park prices.  Save money by packing a lunch.
    • If you do want to buy lunch, we recommend getting the whole pizza combo that comes with a 16″ pizza and (4) 21oz drinks for ~$30
    • There’s also numerous fast food and sit down restaurants within 5 miles of Diggerland. You are allowed to come and go during the day of your pass as long as you have your wristband on.

  4. Have an extra adult for smaller kids under 36″

    • There’s only one actual ride that a child under 36″ can get on currently.
    • Many of the rides for kids 36-48″ needs adult supervision.  Even if babywearing a smaller baby, they will not let you be the adult on the ride with a child if you have a young child under the height requirement with you.
    • Once your child hits 42″ they can pretty much do everything with an adult helping them, so we preferred this height to go if paying to maximize the experience.

  5. Take a break while they play at the park

    • The Kid Zone is a large park with steps, slides, and activities built in throughout the area. There’s also four “baby-style” swing with a canopy. Benches throughout the area allow parents to relax for a bit in between rides while kids an still play.

  6. Wear tennis shoes/closed toe shoes

    • I really can’t stress this one enough.  A lot of the rides have this as a requirement, so if you don’t have closed toe shoes on, then you won’t be able to get on the ride.

  7. Coming from out of town? Check out the hotel partners which gives you a packaged deal with tickets and your hotel stay.

    • You can find those partnerships listed on the Diggerland USA website here.

BONUS TIP! Check for special activities going on at Diggerland USA.  Recently, WHYY was there and brought Buddy from Dinosaur Train with them! It was a special surprise and our littles were so excited.ama

Dorney Park Bands BBQ and Brew Fest

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dorney park fun

In May, we had the opportunity to be hosted at Dorney Park. We absolutely had a blast. For the first time our toddler was able to get on some pretty big rides. Once we got home, she didn’t stop talking about it.  Every other day, she begged us to go back to Dorney Park.  After almost every meal, she said that she was getting bigger now and would soon be able to ride the bigger roller coasters. She’s dying to get on the really big coasters. Thankfully, Dorney Park graciously welcomed us back recently. I was a bit nervous that she was going to freak out about still not being able to get on the really big roller coaster rides, but luckily she didn’t.

dorney park snoopy

Fairly early into our day, Skibbles was selected by Snoopy to be the train conductor for the day.  This is a random act that happens in Dorney Park that I had no clue about, so we were really excited to learn more. She got a certificate and a conductor’s hat. Then, she was able to skip the line for the train and got to sit in the conductor’s seat to drive the train.  So much fun!

dorney park train

One of our most favorite memories this time was Wildwater Kingdom. When we went in May, the waterpark wasn’t open yet, so this was our first time here.  Both girls had a blast. As a parent, I loved how many areas were set up for smaller children.  I was worried that we would be stuck around a ton of people, but there were multiple areas for their size that allowed us to enjoy the water without being crowded.

wildwater kingdom dorney park

But the main purpose for the day was to check out the Bands, BBQ, and Brew Fest. Andrew and I were really excited about this because typically when we go to an amusement park, it’s all about the kids.  This gave us a little relief during the middle of the day to enjoy something for ourselves, even if it was still as a family. We were able to meet with Chef Jones who explained about the process of cooking some of the food and the work that went into making the pork. They were smoking a whole pig at the event and Skibbles thought it was fascinating.

dorney park bbq brew fest

There were three stations set up for BBQ – Pork, Chicken, and Beef. During the day we tried the Pulled Pork Sliders and Roasted Corn, as well as the Pulled Chicken Tacos and Shredded Chicken Nachos. All of the food was outstanding. Bands, BBQ, and Brew Fest features unique BBQ pairings, cooking demonstrations, sample craft beer, and a variety of music including blues, jazz and country bands. Each weekend is different! Skibbles had fun dancing to the band!

bbq brew fest dorney park

Alcohol is served via the craft beers, but guests under the age of 21 will only be welcome to enjoy the food and entertainment of the event.

dorney park brew fest

Check out what’s happening this weekend at Dorney Park and get discounts on Dorney Park Tickets by visiting them online today.

Here’s a video of our day!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.”

Dorney Park First Timer

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dorney park dorneyparkfirsttimer

Close your eyes.  Think back to those times as a child when you were able to go to the amusement park.  If you were anything like Andrew and I, it didn’t happen often – we were lucky if it occurred once a year. Now, think about the feeling you had when you got onto that first roller coaster or first ride every time. There was something magical about the feeling that you got.  Excitement. A little nauseousness. Fast pounding heart. Cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It’s something, as a child, that we yearned for all the time.

Now as an adult, I yearn for being able to experience it from my child’s viewpoint. Watching their excitement is a remarkable gift that we’ve been given as parents. We were recently invited to Dorney Park and I couldn’t wait to get there to get on rides with Skibbles, our toddler. I was also excited about taking our 11 month old daughter because it would be the first chance that she’s ever had to ride on any rides.

charlie brown at dorney park

As soon as we got inside the park, we were greeted by Charlie Brown himself.  Skibbles has never met Charlie Brown, so this first time experience was so much fun for her. We had taken the opportunity to check out the map and website for Dorney Park beforehand, so we knew right away that we wanted to head to Planet Snoopy, a theme park just for kids! It has super fun rides, including a kid sized roller coaster that Skibbles just adored.  There’s also live shows and the chance to meet with PEANUTS characters throughout the day.  We spent most of our day in this area of the park.  Andrew has been to Dorney Park once before as a teenager, but for the rest of our family it was our first time, and I have to say, it has been our best park experience so far.  Everyone was so friendly and there was so many attractions for us to enjoy, even as a family together.

planet snoopy dorney park

roller coaster dorney park

I had to laugh though at a ride called the Monster (Skibbles called it an octopus) that we just HAD to ride twice.  It was the only ride she asked to ride more than once and she even told me that it tickled her belly! It gave me that sinking belly feeling, so I know that’s what she meant!  What I loved though more than anything else during the day, was taking the baby on the Zephyr, a scenic ride aboard a miniature train. It was her first ride and her smile made the whole day an incredibly memorable experience.  We also got to learn so many cool facts about the early days of the park’s opening and history throughout the last 150 years!

dorney park baby rideducks and fish at dorney park fun with baby at dorney park

babywearing dorney park

The girls quickly fell asleep once we got into the car, but as soon as Skibbles woke up, she couldn’t stop talking about it.  We can’t wait to go back soon to check out Wildwater Kingdom, the water park side of the area.

sleepy babies dorney park

Check out our fun video to see the great time we had!

You can head to Dorney Park now for their “Battle of the Bands” event and check out the event calendar to see what else is coming up soon! Grab your Dorney Park tickets today and meet us there soon!!

dorney park fun

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.

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