We are having a heatwave right now on the East Coast! Anyone else experiencing temperatures in the 90’s this week?! To beat the heat, my kids have been cooling off in the awesome Blast Zone Crocodile Isle Inflatable Water Park and Slide!
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| Photo Credit: Blast Zone |
Blast Zone is the leading manufacturer of bounce houses, inflatable water parks, inflatable slides, and inflatable bouncers! The Blast Zone inflatable line includes small Indoor Bounce Houses, large Commercial Grade Bounce Houses, and everything in between! The Blast Zone company has manufactured safe, fun Inflatables and Toys for over 16 years.
I was sent the Blast Zone Crocodile Isle Inflatable Water Park and Slide (free of charge in exchange for my honest opinions) and my daughter was PUMPED when it arrived at our door! We loaded it into the minivan the following day and headed to Grandma & Grandpa’s house. Why their house? Well, that’s the first thing I want to talk about with this water slide: It. Is. BIG!
The Crocodile Isle, when fully inflated, measures approximately 22 feet across, 14 feet deep, and 8 feet tall. Those of you who have followed my blog for a while probably have heard me mention that we live in a townhouse. Due to the fact that we have a garden in our already small backyard, there was just not enough room for this slide at our home, unfortunately. I am, to put it lightly, heartbroken that it won’t fit in our backyard, because I know my kids would be out there playing in it for hours, daily, if they could! However, Grandma and Grandpa only live a few miles away, and they were glad to let my little ones enjoy this toy at their home!
When we arrived at my in-laws’ home, my kids could not wait for us to get the water slide inflated and ready to go. For our first time setting up the slide, it took about 15 minutes. Everything you will need (except for a water hose) is included in the box. It comes with a blower, instructions (including a DVD), carrying bag, stakes, and the inflatable. First, you will need to find a large, flat area. Now, as you’ll see in the pictures below, we had a hard time finding an area that was perfectly flat, so the water level in the pool was effected (This had no effect on the fun however!). It just took longer for the water to fully cover the entire pool area.
We unrolled the inflatable, hammered the included stakes into the ground, then attached and turned on the blower. Within seconds it was standing and ready to go! Before I forget to mention it, we decided after the first time to not use the stakes anymore. If you plan to fill the base up with water, it’s not blowing away! The only exception would be if we were having a very windy day, then we may put 2 or 3 in when the inflatable is drying.
Once it has inflated, you will need to attach the pieces that squirt water onto the slides. I climbed onto the slide to do this and it was extremely easy. Literally, all you need to do is attach it to some velcro, and you are ready to go.
If possible, I’d recommend having two hoses. Use one to continuously squirt water onto the slides, and the other hose to fill the bottom of the pool. It might not look like much from the pictures, but the bottom of this is rather large and will take a LONG time to fully fill with water. Typically what we do now is inflate it first thing in the morning and fill the pool with water. This takes a good hour or more. Then, by late morning or early afternoon, the water in the pool is warm and ready to go. Of course, my kids did not want to wait for the pool to fill completely OR for the water to warm up before they started playing. Can you blame them?!
I think it probably goes without saying that my kids had a blast! And, yes, I’ll admit it, I had a fun time myself! My daughter was still a little timid to slide down by on her own, so she and I would climb it and slide together. The manufacturer recommends that the users of this product should not exceed 100 pounds, however our combined weight is around 135 pounds. So far, we haven’t had any issues.
The climbing ramp is easy to use, and my 3 year old can do it without assistance. The slide, though fast, is not too fast. I love the fact that the bottom fills up with just enough water that even young children who might not be ready to enjoy the slide (like my 14 month old son) can still get in on the fun!
When it is time to put it away, cleanup is easy, yet time consuming. First, you’ll want to turn off the blower and let the slide begin to deflate. Water will almost immediately begin to drain from your water park. After most of the water drains, I used my arms to push most of it out, and then we brought a few towels from the the house to dry it. This is where the time consuming part comes into play–in order to store this, it must be COMPLETELY dry, or you will end up with a moldy slide. And really, no one wants that! In order to dry, you’ll want to turn the blower back on (after emptying the water) and let the slide sit in the sun for a few hours. Make sure you check all of the seams and inside the foot holes of the climbing ramp to ensure all of the water has dried. When it has, you can then begin to fold it. I folded ours in half, and then in half again. Then I rolled it. Once rolled, you’ll insert it into the carry bag. I had my doubts that it would fit…but it does! If possible, putting this toy away should be handled by two adults. I was able to successfully put it away on my own, without help, but it was hard and very heavy (about 80 pounds!). The blower does not fit in the bag, but it was shipped in its own box. That is where we store ours.
Overall, we love our new water park and slide! It is SO much fun on hot summer days, and my kids could play in it for hours! Your house will be the favorite hangout spot in the neighborhood with one of these in your yard!
Connect: Visit the Blast Zone website to see all of the great inflatables they sell, then like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Buy: You can purchase the Crocodile Isle Inflatable Water Park and Slide directly from the Blast Zone website. It is on sale right now for $669.99!
Win: One lucky reader will win their own Blast Zone Crocodile Isle Inflatable Water Park & Slide!
If you’d like a chance to win, just enter using the easy Giveaway Tools entry form below. Open to US only. Ends 8/2 at 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!
