Jellystone Park™ Tower Park — Hotel in Lodi

The second star is for the water park and the kind and attentive staff at the waterfront grill. I wish I could say the same for the staff at the rv “resort.” Our initial greeting was less than pleasant. We were about 45 minutes early for our check in. Rather than just simply letting us know our site was not ready yet, we were questioned why we didn’t call beforehand and huffed/puffed at because they weren’t expecting us. We had been traveling across states and there’d been no issue-no eye was even batted- when we showed up early at other sites. We knew we were early and would’ve been fine waiting if told in a respectful way instead of “well you have to pay to be early.” We were okay waiting for our site and grabbing a bite to eat. Which is what we did. Thats where the restaurant staff saved the day. When registering, questions were being answered with attitudes/power trips, followed by a not so understanding tone of “I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.” Try to get a call back from the staff. Still waiting for my voicemail to be returned about renting a boat. Our friends who were meeting us also experienced this. They were put on hold for 15 minutes, dropped during one call, left three voicemails with no call back until I said something at check in. Pictures are not what they seem. They must have been taken when the park was just built and have not been updated since. For the price you pay per night you would expect cleaner sites, a more present staff-especially with all the rules they have- and better amenities. The picnic table had the previous tenants stains all over it. There was old animal feces on the grass. Swimming pools were dirtier than a Saturday Vegas pool but just as chlorinated. We’ve paid high prices for rv resorts that actually live up to their pricing with a well maintained park and attentive staff. We have stayed at multiple Sunoutdoors California locations (I learned this park was also under the company) and have had pleasant experiences at them. I was excited to actually hear Jellystone was under Sunoutdoors for that reason. This did not even meet the standards of the their parks we stay at, especially at the prices paid for these campsites. You are essentially paying for the water park. I could have gone to Raging Waters or Hurricane Harbor and called it a day. Lifeguards are there for show. Aside from one lifeguard who actually seemed to take his job seriously, the other lifeguards were essentially just height checkers. They also claim to be a family friendly resort. Yet they allow guests to play music as loud as possible with more obscenities and cuss words than you can imagine. I’m not paying $200+ a day to listen to that all day and night. Still waiting for a call back from the manager regarding this as well. Golf carts. They don’t allow you to bring personal golf carts unless you have a medical necessity for them.They expect a doctors note AND auto insurance. Yet you can rent a golf for $100-$175 per day without needing a medical note. It’s all a ploy for money. Unless you are in a “red carpet” (their words, not mine) spot right in front of the water park/pools, expect to walk or bike because the parking in front of these “amenities” is golf cart parking only. Such a scam as it is not marked that way on the “resort” map. So they expect families with young, young kids who can’t afford-or simply don’t want to add an extra $300 minimum- to rent a golf cart to walk 10-15 minutes. That’s what the front office staff said it would take to walk to the pool and they weren’t wrong about it. We were there in 110-113 degree weather with young kids but we couldn’t use our own cart or be fined with a ticket. They try to make it so you have to rent a golf cart. Not having a golf cart could slide in cooler months but when you’re in peak summer heat it’s a downright shame they do this. It also makes no sense… when they are renting golf carts out!! We definitely felt the need to explain this one but if one word was needed to sum this experience up it would be: Disappointed.

UPDATE:...

Well they get you coming and going. Resort is using the term loosely. The reservation process set the tone for what we should have know. Would be an unpleasant experience. This was a trip with two of the top of the line cabins with hot tubs. This was a trip with seven children and eight adults. The cabins best asset is that they are well insulated - even the pot smoking neighbors partying did not drift through the cabin. You need to bring all of your own lines and pillows unless you want to pay 25 per bed and they looked to be scratchy uncomfortable thin cheap options. The floors seemed to have never been mopped. The walls had sofa or something up a wall and on the ceiling. The shower, expect it to be cold even if you are the only person showering that day, handle and tub filler may or may not come off in your hand as it pulls out of the wall as you turn it off or on and it is tiny with barely any pressure. If you are tall or big be prepared to not fit properly. The campers throw their trash around and there are cans all over. Under the pullout sofa and the main bed is a disaster so don’t look under there. The front office crew when you phone are ride. Most of the front office crew when you check in are rude. The lone security guard that we could find when a group of unsupervised children stole a key from one of our sites and )as we found out) five other sites was very nice and helpful, but it was one guard for too many sites. Also don’t worry about the rules, no of them are enforced. They told our 80 plus year old mom and my disabled husband that they could not bring their mobility scooters. So nearly seven hundred dollars later we had to add to limo carts. The carts won’t move over 6 or 7 miles per hour. Was it fun yes. Was it worth the money, not even close. Everything is expensive. The water park was fun but there are so many people you cannot relax at all. Expect for kids to shoot you with water cannons and none of their parents to encourage respectful behaviors. There were electric scooters, personal golf carts, electric bikes, power wheel vehicles and any other motorized vehicle that you can imagine all over the place. Kids on bikes and no one keeping an eye on their kids for the most part. The restaurant food was fantastic and Kendra was amazing. The food is so expensive though so be prepared. Water park and pools are included. The park is included. Laser tag costs extra, however, the guns are amazing and the kids had a blast, come there with tennis shoes though as the area is wood chips that you run through and buy tickets the day before or you won’t get to go. The mini golf was free, however there is little shade, it was hot and there is no staff there manning any of it so you are on your own. There are several wasps nests all over, be careful. The golf cart parade is fun and they do have some fun activities but again, be prepared with a credit or debit card as none of the shops or activities accept cash. We had fun but was it worth the money, no. Do you get resort service? No, not even close. The gift shop is so over priced that a souvenir was not worth the trip to the store. The ice is crazy expensive as well, figure a dollar a pound at least. All in all we will not come back. The good did not outweigh the bad. Especially from the staff. We were there Thursday to Sunday and honestly we could not...

We spent 2 nights in a cabin and had a great visit. We went in what would be considered off season, right after Halloween. Initially we made reservations for a Boo Boo cabin. Unfortunately we didn't realize until we checked in that there was not a stove or oven. This was my fault because I interpreted "kitchenette" to mean it had a full kitchen. Instead it has a microwave and smaller refrigerator, and plates, bowls, chips, etc... since we weren't prepared to cook in a microwave or on a fire, we called up to the office to see about being moved to a cabin with a full kitchen. While the park was mostly vacant (in the middle of the week in of season), the cannons are limited to what is ready for guests. Anyway the gentlemen in the office was super helpful and they were able to upgrade us to another cabin- Ranger Smith cottage. And the cost was barely more. This unit was very nice and a better fit with a full kitchen. They provided some cooking utensils, 2-3 pots, 2 pans. There were glasses and coffee mugs, a coffee maker and toaster. Plates, bowls, silverware... They do NOT provide hot pads, or oven mitts, or anything to cook in the oven with (like a baking sheet), Also no pizza cutter or ice cream scoop. There was paper towels, a new sponge and dish soap. They also provide bar soap for bathroom. The place was clean but the floors, while swept, were dirty and turned socks black on bottom of feet. The bed in bedroom was very firm. The bunks were perfect for my kids. We also used the pull out bed in living room. This bed was not comfortable at all. Very flimsy mattress, it was loud when you moved around or got up. There was a TV and dvd player in the living area, which I would have preferred not to have, but some people like to have it. It only had a few stations through antana. There was split a/c with one in living room and one in bedroom. It was controlled by remote. It would have been helpful if there were instructions on how to use it and what all the symbols mean. Since it was off season and starting to get colder, the waterpark areas were closed. The pool was open, but we did not use it. My kids loved the mining for gems, you purchase the dirt and gems at the store. Unfortunately the jumping pillow was closed (not sure why). There is free mini golf, which was great fun. Although the course could use some TLC. We also did the laser tag, which was not over priced. We were the only ones in the activity. It was outside. The store was way expensive (a pint of ice cream cost $9.99). I liked that they have yeah pick up everyday, you just leave the bag of tasty outside and they pick it up. Although it would be nice if there were more trash cans around. The staff were super great and accommodating. We set the smoke detector off cooking something on the stove top (that should have been cooked in oven, see comments above), but once we got it to stop going off, it started beeping and telling us low battery. We called the water house number and they sent someone to take care of it. All the staff we interacted with were...