Be ready to open your wallets wide.
This is my second year as a season pass holder and I went today with my son for the first time this summer. Kudos for getting rid of the $10 parking fee. It was ridiculous that they charged for parking in the first place. NO ONE charges for parking in Spring, TX. Downtown? Yes, but it's not as if Spring is competing for parking lot space with other businesses. So, yes, I was happy to hear that it is now free to park.
I became more than a little irritated that all of the water fountains in the park were no longer working and if you don't want to become dehydrated or risk heat stroke then you must pony up $3.75 for a bottle of water. I bought a small 12 oz fountain drink and it was $3.50!
The locker rentals are $13 for access to a small locker ($5.00 refundable). Really??? Eight dollars just to borrow a locker for 4 hours?
My son and I had fun as always and we will most likely go 1-2 times a week until school starts. I have developed a plan to save money after today.
1) If you must bring your credit card and DL then put it in a zippered pocket. Leave you non-valuable items on a lounge chair and forget the lockers.
2) Buy the souvenier cup. The 20oz refills are $3.00.
3) If you plan on spending the entire day there get your hand stamped and walk to Wendy's. It's about a 3-4 minute walk just outside the park and you can cool down in the a/c and feed all the kids the same type of food you would receive at the park but at a fraction of the cost.
3) Forget about renting a tube. You can only use them in the wave pool and in the lazy river, neither of which you really need a tube to participate.
Overall, since we live so close it is convenient for us to purchase the season pass and go several times a week. It's a good way to cool down. We usually go from 10-2 during the week and beat most of the crowd. Today we didn't have to wait in line for any ride longer than 5-10 minutes.
Now, if someone from management happens to read this, please fix the water fountains. This shouldn't be a money issue for you but a health issue for your guests. It is easily topping 95 F everyday and it's not so easy to fork over the money every time we want a drink of water.