Hitting the water park without breaking the bank

I'm getting excited! My oldest's birthday is next week and to celebrate we are going to have a family day waterpark day thanks to Schlitterbahn! Ever since we moved to San Antonio, I've been excited about how close we are to Schlitterbahn. Yet I've spent many of those years either pregnant (who wants to hit the waterpark but not be able to enjoy the rides?) or with an itty bitty so we hadn't made it there yet. This year it's on! Abby is tall enough that she can go down ALL the slides and Micah can do all but 4 - that's pretty impressive! 

We still have to make the visit budget friendly though as this will be our family day and Abby still wants to celebrate with friends (aka have a party) and of course presents. So here are a few ways you can enjoy your day without a high price tag. 

1. Free parking! 

That's right no parking costs for Schlitterbahn. If the park you choose has free parking that's a quick way to save some money! 

2. Free tubes and life jackets! 

I remember heading to a water park with my parents when I was younger and we had to wait in line to rent a tube(s) deciding how many, having to keep up with our own at all times and carrying it around the park wasn't that fun. Schlitterbahn solves this by offering free tubes! 

For the littles and for anyone who feels more comfortable in the water with an extra safety net there are also free life jackets. You don't have to worry about bringing your own or renting one. 

3. Bring your own cooler! 

This is my favorite - you can bring in your own lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks. Wheel in your cooler - it doesn't even have to be a tiny 6 pack sized one, set it up in a shady picnic spot and lunch is ready when you are! You can skip the food line and have saved money to splurge on a tasty treat if you want. No glass bottles or alcohol is allowed but other than that you can pack what you want to eat. 

4. Free refills! 

If you purchase a souvenir cup, you get free refills all day long! After that you can bring the cup in for .99 cent refills. (Don't forget to hydrate with water too though!) 

5. Discounted admission after 3 pm 

You can purchase discounted tickets after 3pm and stay until close (they are open until 8pm every day until August 17th) Totally your choice here but Schlitterbahn is huge so in my mind it's worth it to go for the full day and not just the afternoon to be able to ride everything you want to ride. 

If you are planning a trip to any of the Schlitterbahn parks you can save  $5 off regular admission or a discount on a 2 day admission (and that second day can be used any later day in the same season) by going here and using these promo codes: 

The promo code for the 2 day $7 Off discount is 299000334 

The promo code for the $5 off discount is 299000335

Valid at ALL Texas Schlitterbahn Parks!

disclosure: I received free tickets for our family for sharing this deal with ya'll but all opinions are my own. 

Waterpark Survival Tips

*This is a post sponsored by Schlitterbahn

1. Put your best foot forward  

Or in this case - wear the right type of shoe. Flip flops or water shoes are best. Waterparks, especially Schlitterbahn are large and not all areas are shaded. Your feet will thank you for not burning them walking between slides and your tennis shoes will thank you for not being soaking wet by the time you leave! 

2. Suncreen

Don't forget to apply sunscreen, even if you think it's overcast because the sun will get through. You'll want to make sure it's waterproof and reapply often! I prefer to use a mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, especially on my kids. Every summer (since companies often reformulate their sunscreens) I check here for the safety of the sunscreen I put on my kids. I am really liking the Honest Company sunscreen this year for my kids. 

3. Pack food

Swimming leaves my kids starving! Seriously you'd think I hadn't fed them in days so I always pack tons of snacks. Schlitterbahn is fantastic in that you can bring in your own ice chest filled with the food you want so you can save money and your kids will thank you when you have snacks ready and available to them right when they are hungry. You might want to save some room for a funnel cake though! 

4. Safety first

Having worked as a lifeguard in high school, I am always concerned about water safety. I know things can happen in an instant and am always on guard watching my kids in the water. Schlitterbahn does have life jackets available for use and also kids tubes with bottoms! I always bring Micah his puddle jumper because I feel that gives him more control to swim in the water than a traditional life jacket does.

The fact that Schlitterbahn life guards are certified through Jeff Ellis & Associates gives me an extra degree of comfort. Having been certified through both Jeff Ellis & Associates and Red Cross in my life guard days I trust the Jeff Ellis & Associates certified guards a little more since they regularly audited the guards and required continuous practice on their skills. The Red Cross certification may have stepped it up since I was a life guard but that was my experience. However nothing will replace your (the parents) careful eyes on your own littles. 

 5. Hydrate 

Sure you are in the water and cool but being out in the sun for hours (or all day!) takes a lot out of you. Make sure you are replenishing your body by drinking lots of water! 

6.  Plan your day

Most parks, like Schlitterbahn have a map online you can access before you go. This can help you plan your day out and see what rides you might want to hit first and what you want to make sure not to miss. The map can also tell you the height requirements of rides (which at Schlitterbahn only 4 rides have a height requirement of over 42 inches. This will be perfect for us because it means Abby can go on all the rides she wants and there will be tons of rides Micah can go on. We've been other places where he can only do the small slides while Abby does others or only one or two rides. I know he'll be thrilled because he is my daredevil that wants to do rides!) 

7.  Set a check in spot

If you are going with a group, or especially if you have kids that are old enough to go ride the rides on their own then you might think about setting a meeting spot and time for snacks, lunch, sunscreen re-application. If you have littles, you'll want to prep them for what to do if they are separated from you. Teach them what the employees (and lifeguards) look like and also never to leave the park without you. You might want to also write your name and phone number in sharpie on their arms or a wrist band they won't take off. 

8.  Get their early

Arrive when they open if you can. The lines will be shortest at the beginning of the day and you can start your day with a few rides with less waiting. 

9.  Protect your gear 

Test out your waterproof case and make sure it's foolproof or leave your phone, camera, ect in a locker to prevent a disaster of a waterlogged phone during your day! You might consider investing in a waterproof camera if you really want to get some fun water shots of your day and are a family that spends lots of your summer in the water like mine. 

10. Have fun!  

If you are planning a trip to any of the Schlitterbahn parks you can save  $5 off regular admission or a discount on a 2 day admission (and that second day can be used any later day in the same season) by going here and using these promo codes: 

The promo code for the 2 day $7 Off discount is 299000334 

The promo code for the $5 off discount is 299000335

Valid at ALL Texas Schlitterbahn Parks!

Also don't miss your chance to win using the Rafflecopter below! Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Schlitterbahn and I received a family four pack of tickets but all opinions are my own