Summer Fun
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I have a plethora of nieces and nephews. This includes a couple of nieces (Ella Rae at 6 and Nora at 7) that are slowly but surely reaching the height requirement for the ‘big kid’ or ‘adult’ rides at Worlds of Fun. I know that the theme park gets mixed reviews but it was a major part of my own childhood. A bigger part than I realized until the kids started going with me. If you did not know, Worlds Of Fun receives it’s ‘theme’ from the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in 80 Days. This is the reason behind the hot air balloon and the various countries. The more you know as they say.
I have held a season pass every year since I moved back to the area. I go several times during the summer and even plan a trip for my birthday with my older nieces. I also take the older girls during Halloween to enjoy the haunted houses together. This year, since Ella Rae is getting taller, my brother’s family invested in Season Passes. I tend to have a strong stomach and it takes a bit for me to begin to feel nauseous. Part of that is a lifelong love of rides and part of that is likely due to my avoidance of sugary foods in parks.
My brother, Mick and his wife, Kristi are not so lucky. Mick gets motion sickness to the point of needing medication and Kristi has a low threshold. This means that Aunt Rachel and sister, Taylor, are nominated for rides. Ella Rae is 42” tall which means she has to ride most of the adult rides with an adult (at 61” I make the cut). Scandavia tends to have the best rides for her height. We’ve enjoyed Fjord Fjarlane, Nordic Chaser, Scandi Scrambler and the Sea Dragon! We still need to inaugurate her on the Viking Voyager and in Americana, the Mustang Runner. A girl after her Aunt’s heart, she loves the Scandi Scrambler as her top ride. She is still too small for Fury of the Nile much to Kristi’s disappointment. Kristi and I took Taylor on the Zambizi Zinger which is the first roller coaster we both remember riding.
This past weekend, we braved a cloudy Saturday to Ocean’s of Fun. Again, Ella Rae is now tall enough to ride some of the innertube slides. Ocean’s is no longer about lounging while she enjoys splash zones, it’s waiting in line for the tube and feeling nervous in the Wave Pool. She loves the Wave Pool and wears a life jacket but I still feel a quiver of nerves as the first waves break over her teeny tiny form.
I was completely unprepared for the amount of excitement and joy I felt watching Ella Rae experience these rides for the first time. It is even more special because Taylor (at 19) is joining us. She’s building her memories with Ella Rae that they’ll both look back on. I made similar ones with my brother, Mick, who is a mere 15 months older than me. All of my first memories at World’s of Fun are crammed into the rides next to him. It is likely those memories which are making these new ones feel so special. The park has undergone quite a few changes (there used to be dolphins, did you know?) but it still feels like childhood.
THINGS TO KNOW
If you haven’t been to Ocean’s in a while, please be sure to double check the requirements for children. I highly encourage you to invest in your own life jacket for any small children that meet the requirements.
You can park at either park and access both but please note that Ocean’s closes sooner.
Locker Season Passes are only good for one locker a day. This does not mean one locker at each park, it is one locker total.
The Worlds of Fun App lets you see where you are and how to get to the next location. It also has wait times for rides.
If you plan to go multiple times, invest in the season pass for drinks. You can refill every 15 minutes. Enough said.
