A Trip to Waterworld: As Seen By the Kids......

I was recently invited to take part in a competition to find Britain's best day out. The competition is being run by Moneysupermarket.com and the Tots 100 parent blogging website and involves hundreds of tickets being sent out to parent bloggers across the country. The bloggers will then review the attraction, with the best blogpost winning a prize!

I was delighted to receive an email telling me that my family had been selected to review Waterworld, a tropical aqua park in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. This all-weather attraction is a veritable paradise for families, with attractions for all ages and abilities. Waterworld has 400,000 visitors every year and offers a great "tropical beach" escape from our dull British weather. At Waterworld, it is summer all year round.

The pool area resembles an south sea island, complete with palm trees, overhanging plants and a shallow beach area. Visitors can do as much or as little as they please. Parents can relax and enjoy the warmth whilst relaxing on a beachside chair. Toddlers can splash around in their own dedicated pirate-themed lagoon. Thrill seekers can check out the many flumes and rides, including the rapids and space bowl. The main pool area is an ideal place for young kids to practise their swimming skills under the safe supervision of the many lifeguards on duty.

I liked the fact that the slides and flumes catered for different abilities, including those who could not swim. For example, the huge rainbow slide near the entrance of the pool was a real hit with young and old alike, but had shallow water at the end, making it completely safe. The small flumes in the pirate-themed area also had shallow water at the bottom. My little boy absolutely loved them and went on over and over again.

The bigger kids headed straight for the thrill rides. One ride required riders to sit in an inflatable tube, whilst coasting high above the pool area. The flume rides varied in intensity, and my kids loved the one that was completely dark inside with pulsating flashing lights. The space bowl was another big-thrill ride, which sent swimmers swirling around and around before plunging them into a tank of deep water at the end.

Now I must confess, my choice of attraction has put me at a bit of a disadvantage to the other bloggers in the competition, as visitors are not allowed to take photographs or video during their visit. Undeterred, I teamed up with the kids and their toys to recreate the Waterworld experience in the most creative way possible. Here is the result:

According to the kids........

....the rainbow slide was fun for all ages......

....the flumes were exciting......

......the monkey bars over the water were really tricky....

.....the Space Bowl makes you dizzy.....

.....we rode the tube slides again and again.....

........and again.....

.....it was great coasting along on the inflatable rings....

......and the wave machine made us feel like we were at the beach!

In fact, the kids loved it so much, they made a pop video too.

Finally, I thought I would interview the kids to get their impressions of the visit to Waterworld.

So kids. What did you do at Waterworld?

Son Aged 12: I went on all the waterslides and ran across the lilypads. I had a swim in the pool and went on the rapids.

Daughter Aged 9: I went on 8 slides and I swam underwater like a mermaid.

Son Aged 7: I went underwater. I went on the bumpy slide, the orange one and the green one. It was fun!

What was your favourite activity?

Son Aged 12: Going on the tube slide.

Daughter Aged 9: Going on the slides with my brother.

Son aged 7: Going on the orange slide.

How would you describe Waterworld in one word?

Son aged 12: Fantastic!

Daughter Aged 9: Fun!

Son Aged 7: Brilliant!

Would you like to go again?

All: YES!!!!!!

In conclusion, we had a great day out at Waterworld and we are grateful to Moneysupermarket and Tots 100 for supplying us with free tickets. We plan to visit again in the near future. Admission to Waterworld costs £37.50 for a family of four and £47.50 for a family of five. The Moneysupermarket.com voucher site offers a range of money-off vouchers so that families can visit Waterworld and other attractions in the UK at a discounted price.