I%26#39;m trying to plan a short vacation w/ my husband %26amp; our 2 young children ages 3 yrs %26amp; 1.5 yrs old. I feel that the Hersey Theme park will be a waste of money since most 3 yr old are too frightened of rides. Hubby %26amp; I would like to find nice, reasonable Hotel w/ indoor pool %26amp; comp. breakfast (again, my 3 yr old will eat a half a bagel so why pay for some fancy breakfast buffet?) Is there anything geared towards young children? Any family type activities, programs, attractions that will hold their attention for more than 5 min. ? We need some ';down time'; and a suite (crib rental needed) w/ indoor heated pool would be great. But we also want to do outdoorsy type activities. Hersey Hotel %26amp; their Lodge are very pricey! Any advice? Willing to travel to Hotel accomodations 30 min ride from everything - that%26#39;s OK as long as it%26#39;s a nice suite that meets our needs %26amp; our price. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Planning our 1st trip with our toddlers age 3 yr %26amp; 1.5 yr.
There are a few kids rides at Hershypark, so it wouldn%26#39;t be a total waste of money. There is also a zoo that is included in the price of Hersheypark, but you can also get a seperate admission if you want to avoid Hersheypark and just see the animals. You should definatly see Chocolate World, where there is a Disney type ride that shows how chocolate is made. There is also a spot where kids can pretend they are working in a chocolate factory. Hershey owns another theme park called Dutch Wonderland, that has mostly children%26#39;s rides and family rides. Their website is here: http://www.dutchwonderland.com/
Planning our 1st trip with our toddlers age 3 yr %26amp; 1.5 yr.
Travelling with little ones I would say go to Dutch Wonderland. Don%26#39;t get me wrong, Hershey is a lot of fun but Dutch Wonderland is geared for the little ones. All the rides are like kiddyland rides-set up for the younger crowd. Theres also an area called Dukes Lagoon which is a great place to play in the water and cool off. Last year when I went , the lines were short, parking was free and my son loved it. We ended up staying 2 days instead of spending the second day at Hershey-my son thought DW was more fun
I agree with swim. I think your kids would love Dutch Wonderland. They have things to do other than rides. The high dive act, reading with the princess in the theater, mid-evil interactive that involves knights, and princesses and goblins, bubba the bear sing a long, etc. I personally would never spend the money for Hershey Park for children that young.
Hotel: Definitely Willow Valley Resort. They have a great indoor water playground as well as outdoor pool.
Hope you have a great time which ever you pick.
All the respones I recievd were very much appreciated ! Thank you all ! I have narrowed it down to two hotels. I%26#39;ve spend hours reading reviews and I%26#39;m not sure which one to choose. Either the Willow Valley or The Best Western Revere Inn. Please reply with your opinions/reviews. Leaning towards Willow Valley...
Well Pattie you certainly picked two good ones. They are in different locations around Lancaster so that may be your deciding feature. I really don%26#39;t know which one I would go for. Should I give you a couple of pro%26#39;s and con%26#39;s?
Willow Valley: Pro: Indoor water playgound. Outdoor pool. Very well maintained. Less crowded area but because of that...
Con: ...Car will be needed almost everywhere you go.
Ask for a room that does NOT look out onto palm court. I have never stayed in one of those but we eat at the Sunday buffet quite often and always think to myself how noisy those rooms must be. (I don%26#39;t know this first hand but if you look at the web site you will know exactly what I am talking about)
Best Western Revere Tavern: First I must say, I have a soft spot in my heart for this restaurant because my husband proposed to me there! Food is wonderful. Now to the hotel.
Pros: Very well maintained, continental breakfast included, indoor and outdoor pools, has rooms, suites, as well has mini apartments, close to outlets, Dutch Wonderland, Sight and Sound, restaurants
Con: It%26#39;s right on route 30 which is going to make the area crowded. Traffic is a bear on route 30.
Post and let me know which one you decide on! Have a good trip.
What a BUMMER! Now both Hotels are booked June 15 %26amp; 16 due to Thomas the Tank ! I am back to sq. 1 looking for Hotel kid friendly, indoor pool free bkfst. Called PA tourism # they said the only hotel left which meets criteria is Lancaster Host resort. I%26#39;m looking into it. Your thoughts Mom? Can%26#39;t thank you all enough for the advice. My free time on %26#39;puter is so limited w/ 2 toddlers. I%26#39;ll check back asap ! thanks a bunch- Pattie
Yeahh- I booked the Amish View Inn %26amp; Suites in Bird-in-hand PA. It looks really quite nice on website- brand new- nice indoor pool %26amp; included hot breakfast ! Under $200 a nite. We are staying June 15-16 I will let you know how it is %26amp; I%26#39;ll even post my first hotel review. Cannot find any discounts for Dutch Wonderland- Any ideas?
I just came back from hershey this past Friday and it was great. I have 3 children 7, 3, and 1. We stayed at Rodeway Inn which is about 1/2 mile from the park. The staff there was great. indoor pool, internet access, cont. breakfast. We stayed there from Monday through Friday. We bought the 2 day pass on Tuesday night for 2 adults and 1 child. Great savings we also got the free preview on Tuesday night from 730-1000pm along with validated parking. We paid that night for parking but got the next day free. There were zero lines that night. It was great all my kids enjoyed it. The next day we arrived at the park at 10am it was very hot the lines were short till about 1130 then forget it. There were a ton of field trips but once they bused out of there around 600pm there were once again zero lines. The rollarcoasters are great and they offer family swap when you wait in line. Both me and my wife waitd in line for the coasters and when I was done with the ride m wife would hand me the 3 kids and she would then go on the ride. Its a great thing and saves alot of time when there are lines. Good Luck you will enjoy it.
We just returned from our 1st mini family vacation in Lancaster PA. The Amish Inn %26amp; Suites was very nice (we purchased the meal plan for 2 days which was great if you really liked your carbs !) Every meal focused on the rice, mashed potatos, gravy, dumplings. Enjoyed a nice hot breakfast every morning. Had 1 $$$ but clean room %26amp; we were close to Dutch Wonderland. Spent 1 day at DW- our boys age 3 yr %26amp; almost 2 year old absolutely loved the waterpark. The little train ride was good as well. As you all know, your time is limited w/ small children. Naps, diapers %26amp; attention spans prevent you from taking full advantage of all the attractions. I missed the outlets - darn- all the tiny Amish shops- darn. But my husband and our boys had a blast and all- in- all , I did too. Thank you for all your advice. We will revisit Lancaster PA again. Next time I%26#39;ll find a little bigger room (maybe a suite) we can close the door and the kids will actually sleep. I%26#39;ll keep checking this forum for advice %26amp; tips. Be well %26amp; be happy!
Pattie %26amp; family in NJ
any luck with the crib rental? i just spoke with geawhileyou%26#39;re here.com (which was the only agency i could find for crib rentals out there) and she told me they have suspended renting in hershey this year. they will try again next year if/when they can get a better relationship with the hotels. my 2 yr old is too big for the hotel pack and plays, so i have no clue what we are going to do--possibly bag the trip.
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