Yesterday was an absolutely crazy day as I was doing my media tour from 5A – 1P at Hershey Park (www.hersheypark.com) and Greg had all 5 kids by himself! But, we learned the best secret about making Hershey Park even better – rent a cabana on the boardwalk by the pool! It was at least 95° yesterday and it was so nice to have a private place to come and relax in some shade whenever we wanted to. When you rent a cabana you have special access to the lazy river and you can order lunch and they deliver it to you. We spent the majority of the day in the wave pool just trying to cool down.
As I had suspected, the toughest part of travelling with 5 kids is making them all happy as everyone wanted to do something different (I felt like a UN negotiator at times!) But, as I was told, we found rides for the older kids right next to rides for Hannah so we really could all stay together and take turns. I also had the chance to witness how Hershey responds when a child is lost. As we were getting out of the lazy river, a lifeguard noticed a child standing along the edge crying. I was so impressed to see how this young man was able to comfort this boy and help him find his mom so quickly. I was also impressed with how many lifeguards they had on duty – they were everywhere! We also constantly heard announcements of how the lifeguards frequently did drills and had mannequins in the lazy river to practice. And, after having interviewed the director of ride operations on my radio show yesterday, I felt extremely confident that Hershey Park places a top priority on safety.
The highlight for everyone was seeing all of the characters! Everyone (including Mom) took turns dancing with Mr. Milk Dud, Mr. Twizzler and Mr. Hershey.
Whether you stay at the Hotel Hershey or Hershey Lodge, the staff is incredible at making everyone feel welcome and special. It was so evident that every employee truly loves their job. Everyone we met and interacted with was happy and extremely gracious. Last night we went to the Bear Den for Spencer’s birthday. The entire staff, including the chef and Mr. York Peppermint Patty, brought out the most enormous brownie ice cream sundae that serves eight people and sang Happy Birthday to Spencer. Of course, now each of the kids wants to come back here for their birthday!
Alison Rhodes is the founder of Safety Mom Enterprises and Safety Mom Solutions, the premier baby proofing and child safety company in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut area. Alison is a family safety expert, TV personality and consultant.
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