SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Summer fun is back in the Lehigh Valley, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. “We’re excited for our guests to enjoy our world-class water park,” Jessica Naderman, the park’s vice president and general manager, said in a news release. “Wildwater Kingdom has something for everybody, from three unique bars to top-notch dining. It’s the perfect place to cool off this summer.” Wildwater Kingdom will be open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, then close until Saturday, June 3. It will operate daily seven days a week after June 3, according to its website. From Friday, May 26, through Monday, May 29, all active U.S. military members will get a free ticket to Dorney Park when they present valid U.S. Military ID. This year is the first with the park’s new chaperone policy, which states that all visitors 15 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone after 4 p.m. Dorney Public Relations and Communications Manager Ryan Eldredge said in a previous interview that the new policy likely will not affect visitors who are not being disruptive. This year, there are two new bars in the Wildwater Kingdom called Schooner’s Cove Bar and Surfside Bar. The bars will serve cocktails, beer, wine and frozen drinks. Schooner’s Cove Bar is near Wildwater Cove, and Surfside is next to a stage that will offer live music from a band called The Coastal Currents. The park also added new deluxe cabanas for visitors to rent in the Wildwater Kingdom. The cabanas are 10-by-20-feet, semi-private covered areas with cushioned outdoor seating. Up to 12 people can rent the deluxe cabanas. They will include a family-style meal that serves up to 12 people, delivered directly to cabana, with a mini fridge with unlimited bottled water, a 40-inch television with cable programming and a welcome tote bag with a bottle of sunscreen and a souvenir towel per checked-in guest. The park also is renovating two of its three Chickie’s & Pete’s restaurant locations — implementing a buzzer system for picking up food rather than the current system of servers taking guests’ orders. “This is not a place where you want to sit in the restaurant,” he said. “Guests want to get back out there and experience the park.”
