For the past 18 years, Enchanted Kingdom (EK) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna has always been on the Filipino family's list of places to visit during the holiday season. Its proximity to metro manila and other nearby provinces make it a convenient choice for a family roadtrip. Kids, teens and even thrill-seeking moms, dads, aunts and uncles continue to love this world class themed park south of Manila. Currently, Enchanted Kingdom enjoys the reputation of being the "Disneyland" of the Philippines.
The stokedtraveler has already been to EK a couple of times. It hasn't changed much since his first visit except for some minor additions to park rides. The layout of the theme park remains the same. The park features still look like they are well maintained. Even after more than a decade, EK still looks almost the same as it was when it first gained popularity back in the 90's. A feat that is not very common for locally managed parks/tourist spots.
It was a day after Christmas when the stokedtraveler visited EK. They arrived at around 10:20am (just a few minutes after opening time). The parking lot was almost full and there were already a queue of people at the entrance of the park. Perhaps Christmas holiday season isn't the best days to go there. But just as Pinoys love to go through the Christmas shopping rush, going to EK was always best saved during Christmas for his family (as part of the Christmas effect).
It was the kids' first time to go to EK. Naturally, they were excited about the idea and was looking forward to being on a lot of rides. To their disappointment, the height restriction applied and they were limited to a few rides only. It was probably better though. Safety should be of utmost importance.
Here are the only park rides that the kids were able to ride that day. It is a shorter list than what the park can offer but it is a realistic one due to the long queues for each park ride. Take note that the group arrived 10:30am and left EK at around 10pm with only one major break in between (lunch). Lunch at the Amazon grill was fine but being the only fully airconditioned restaurant there, it was jampacked and having your turn to be assisted with your food orders can take forever.
These rides were taken up in the order that it is written:
1. Grand Carousel. It is the centerpiece of EK and the first park ride that you will see upon entering the premises. It is part of Victoria Park zone which gives a grandiose feel to this section of the park. It is a kid-friendly ride. The queue wasn't very long that time so even the grown ups joined in for the ride.
2. Up up and Away. This ride which is visible from the Grand Carousel belongs to the Midway Boardwalk section of the park. The ride is all about having the experience of being on a hot air balloon which rotates while going up above the ground. It looked boring at first but eventually the kids said they loved it. Its speed was just right for the kids not to feel nauseous but still get some thrill out of the experience.
3. Roller Skater. Also within the Midway Boardwalk section, this ride is also a kid-friendly one. Just as with any other high-speed ride, adults need to ride with the young ones below 48". It is a good first time roller coaster experience for kids without it being traumatic. Some rides when not taken in the right pace can cause various forms of fears at an early age. The roller skater was just enough for the kids. It gave them enough of an adrenaline boosting experience as the coasters went rolling up and down and turning sharp corners at high speeds.
4. Skill Games. There are lots of skill game booths just outside Amazon Grill and was the most convenient thing to do after having lunch. Skill games come at an extra cost (P50 per turn/ball etc) but are just as fun to do as the rides. There's no long queue to worry about too. Kids will love to have their shot at the variety of game options. Some booths will have nice stuffed toys which can be won either by default or as part of a real challenge. Having kids around mean that they will want to take home some souvenir right? What better souvenir than something that you sweat it out for rather than just paying over the counter.
5. Swan lake. Unfortunately, the pace of the turnover for this ride was really very slow. There was no means for the park marshalls to control how much time is being spent by each guest on the swans. The result? So much time was wasted waiting. Line reservation was also not allowed so everyone was killing time hoping that other guests will go back to the docking area and give way to others. The kids still liked it though. For the adults, well it was a tiring experience to navigate the swans and really so much time was wasted.
5. Dodgem. The stokedtraveler and his family passed through Brooklyn place and watched some short street shows before heading back to Midway Boardwalk for the Dodgem ride. Basically, it's a bump car ride. Driving them is just so hard (even for real car drivers) because the controls seem messed up. You will often find yourself stuck within that few short seconds of the ride. It is fun to bump and get bumped a lot though. Kids 47 inches in height are allowed to drive their own bump cars while those who fall a few inches short are allowed to ride with an adult. Those below 40" are not allowed at all. Brief the kids on what to do and what not to do when they drive the car themselves. The stokedtraveler's nephew stepped out of his car when it get stuck causing the marshalls to sound the alarm and stop all other cars. :(
6. Air Pterodactyl. As the night falls, there are more and more people willing to queue in for their favorites rides. Fortunately, the Boulderville kiddie rides are often available without having to wait. Most guests, avoid this section because all the rides with Boulderville are just for kids. This makes the entire zone kid-friendly. Although less attractive, Air Pterodactyl can keep the fun going for kids. It gives kids the feeling of flying their own plane while seated on colorful airplane replicas which rotate in a counter clockwise direction.
7. Dino Soar'us. One good thing about kids is they get tired after a few rides. They get to be less picky about which ride they will be on for as long as they haven't been on it yet. Dino Soar'us is almost similar to Air Pterodactyl. The main difference is that instead of airplanes kids get to ride on dinosaurs. Kids brought up to love dinosaur toys and cartoons will surely appreciate this ride.
8. Wheel of fate. The tallest ride in EK. This was one of the few remaining family-friendly rides on the park. It was also one of the rides with the longest queues. The kids were already sleepy halfway through waiting for their turn. The stokedtraveler and his brother had to carry the kids while they were sleeping all throughout the rest of the wait. The fun this ride should have given is easily shadowed by the pain of having to wait for a long time just to get on it. There's nothing much to see up there other than the park. In fact, when you're up there, you'll realize that you wish you were down there to see the other more interesting activities going on around the park.
9. Jungle log jam. Rio grande rapids (aka Portabello) was sure to wet anyone who takes that ride. The park conveniently placed a drying station at the exit of Rio Grande Rapids. Anyone willing to use it will have to pay P150! That said, the stokedtraveler advised his brother to take one kid to the Jungle log jam instead. Thinking it was more of splashing water than getting a shower in rio grande, he eagerly recommended the ride. Too bad, his brother and nephew ended up getting just as wet after all. His brother was not too happy about it but his nephew was all charged up and wanted another round. It was a sure hit for the kid but perhaps not so much for adults. There's also no safety straps on the logs. Instead, kids will have to hold tight to metal rails on the side of the log coaster. That can be a hazard especially for very young kids.
10. Rialto 3D. This 3D theatre combines sight, sound and movement to come up with the 3D experience. The seats are computer-controlled to simulate the feeling of being immersed into the what is happening on the screen. While this is kid-safe, height restriction still applies. The stokedtraveler's 39" niece was not qualified to get in because the safety belts will not yet be able to hold her properly.
There are other activities in store for kids in EK. The real problem is how much time one has to enjoy all of them. For those who really want to have the full EK experience, try visiting the park outside of the Christmas season. Surely there will be less people piling up on each ride. However, for those that already made a tradition out of going to EK every Christmas, the best advice is just to enjoy the time at the park. Have fun with whoever you are going with and never sacrifice having fun at the park with the feeling of having to take full advantage of the entirety of the park's features. There will always be a reason to come back next time. As they say, "The Magic Stays With You"
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