Zoombezi Bay | 614 Mom | Summer 2017
A few weeks ago my husband and I took our two oldest kids to Zoombezi Bay for an adventure that was all about them. The last few months we haven’t been exploring as much, and when we’re home we have many times that we have to play quietly or go in a different room so the baby can (finally) sleep. The kids have been so good to their little sister, and as far as children go have been really selfless, so we wanted to treat them to a special day for being so good. They didn’t know this going in but we knew that this was a day of “Yes!” I was so excited to take them and just give in to every single thing they wanted. We don’t do this often because I enjoy packing lunches and having healthy food on hand for them but today was a special day and I was ready to leave our packed lunches and rules at home.
We hired a sitter through Juggle, a local babysitting app, for our baby girl because I wanted someone I could really count on and trust. I was able to speak to one of the owners and I told her I wanted someone who was really confident with an infant. Our baby girl doesn’t stay with sitters very often and even a family member made me come get her early because they couldn’t calm her after I left, so I needed the best. My phone was going to be in a locker for a good portion of our time away and not having an immediate form of communication with the sitter was something I really struggled with, but I checked my phone every 1.5 hours which worked out okay because it was about the same time the kids wanted to snack. I was really pleased with our experience with Juggle and would recommend their services.
Zoombezi Bay was a ton of fun! We spent a lot of our time in the wave pool, hearing those giggles made my heart so happy. Emmalyn and Owen were so happy jumping around in the water, on such a nice day. We definitely got a locker for the day ($15 for the day) and I’m glad we did, the lockers are operated by pin numbers so no need to carry around a key or anything like we used to do.
Our Favorite Spots
Baboon Lagoon is designed for the kids but our whole family had a blast in this space. Between the numerous slides, the climbing net, and the 1,000 gallon bucket that tips over every 30 minutes, there was fun for everyone. My husband and I felt comfortable allowing our kids to safely explore on their own a bit as long as we could see them, and they loved the freedom. Off to the side is a tiny pool, that’s not very deep where my son and I played sharks...the giggles. Oh how I wish I could go back to that moment with him.
The Lazy River - There is nothing lazy about this river but it was fun nonetheless. We tried to teach our kids about the simple pleasures of relaxing in an inner tube as it takes you calmly along but they wanted no part in that. We had to give our tubes to other people and try to chase our kids through the water. Have you ever tried to run in water? I also found it very crowded which meant if my kid got too close to a group of people in tubes before I could get too close he was getting bumped around (which did happen) and I had to quickly grab him. It was a fun spot but we had to be on our toes at all times.
Overall we had an amazing time at Zoombezi Bay and can’t wait to go back next summer. We will probably get the Gold Pass next summer for each member of our family, as it includes a membership to Zoombezi Bay and the Zoo, plus all of the rides in Jungle Jack’s Landing.
See you in 2018, Zoombezi Bay & thanks again Juggle!
