In Reply to: Another great JBR...??'s posted by beceth on Monday, 28. January 2008 at 11:28 Bali Time:
Hi yes it is worth it to get to waterbom early and get a cabana. If your after 10am you will miss out and you cannot phone and book them as we know people that tried. I knew thanks to the forum that it was 1st in best dressed !!
They have family size ones and normal size. They were (I think) about 50,000rp for the day ($6) but you have to pay a 50,000 refundable depost. The family size were 100,000 per day but there were only 2 of those sort. The family size one is way too big and we took a normal one which was plenty big enough for us as the kids are gone most of the day on slides etc. You can choose where you want your cabana (if you get there early enough of course and their not all taken). They are placed about the park in different locations. We took one right opposite the kiddyland so i could watch my youngest and i thought it might be too noisy with kids shouting all day but it wasnt at all.
We easily filled the whole day there, I just took my book and lay back and cruised (when i wasnt going around the lazy river) and the kids did all the water slides with Pa and followed the teens around when they could catch them!!
The zoo was about 1 hrs drive and was only a half day trip. We walked around and didnt rush and had lunch at resturant and were finished in 3 1/2 hrs so it is not a huge place. You could easily make it a full day out and combine it with either the reptile park or bird park or monkey forests, all of which are recommended but we didnt do them.
The Safari park is a must do day all by itself and leave early so you have time to do the safari tour twice and you need at least an hour or so for the kids to splash about in the waterworld after seeing all the animals. It was a nice way to cool off and refresh at the end of the day. Just remember to take a bag with bathers and towels. We didnt see any lockers anywhere but i am sure they would have some. As i said it was quite new and still finishing off and their signage is poor so you need to ask all the time.
We took our own driver and he followed us around all day (they let him in free) and even carried the swimming bag !!
The resturant closest to the waterplayground is much cheaper to eat at than the Lion in the windows one, and even the shops had some good buys. My younger two both got huge stuffed tigers (one about a metre long) from the shop (for only about Au$12 - which is really cheap as you couldnt by them in Aus for that price) which they had to take as carry on luggage and no one questioned it, they were busy admiring them, and they worked a treat as good sized pillows for the flight home for them to sleep.
My younger two where well occupied with their nintendo Ds machines in the van trips so we didnt have any dramas with the long drives and of course they were always sound asleep on all the return journeys. Think about purchasing some junior versions of hand held games for little ones, there are lots about like Leap star and fisher price stuff etc.. it will occupy them on drives and the plane. Take some books and car games and dont plan too many days out in a row as they need recovery time.
happy planning
cheers Deb