Stayed a week at Blue Mountain village, at Historic Snowbridge. Experience in a nutshell: potential for a great family getaway; but (especially if it's your first time) be prepared for a learning curve!! The information you need for an excellent experience the first time around just isn't provided. From lack of helpful signage, to no dedicated guest services area, they need to be more thoughtful about what would make for an enjoyable experience.

Purchasing passes: there is advertising about purchasing passes online saying it is cheaper. My partner and I are quite comfortable with the online option, so we proceeded in this way. We found the website to lack intuitiveness. Further, we STILL had to go into their ticketing building and stand in a long line to wait for them to print our wristbands. Suggestion: make it clear from the beginning of an online ticket purchase that you will still have to wait in line to get wristbands printed. Also, provide a dedicated line for online purchase wristband printing.

Activities: If you have a group ranging in size, age, and capability, be prepared for a lot of waiting around or doing activities each on your own. More enjoyable for a family with young adult children, where everyone is of equal size, age and capabilities to enjoy activities together. Our 3 children range in age from 4 years old to 14 years old. I am not one for strenuous activity, and so my husband took on the role to do activities with the kids. This meant he could only do activities with one, or two children at a time. My 14 year old was able to do zip line on her own, while my 11 year old needed my husband to accompany on coaster. My 4 year old needed someone to go on cocoon climber w him - thankfully they allowed my 14 year old to do this. My husband went on the Skywalker climber with 11 and 14 year old while I stayed with the 4 year old. Suggestion: if this is going to be the way it is, designate a green space for families to set up "camp" or "home base" while everyone goes off here and there to do activities. There are no benches or picnic tables anywhere and shade is only here and there. You can SEE that quite a number of people are sitting on the ground in the shade near the bottom of the zip lines - what a perfect place for some benches or seating spots of any kind. Ever heard of using "elephant tracks" to dictate planning? Look it up. Also, Blue Mountain needs to drastically improve their maps and signage. Not all activities are indicated on the provided map (ie. Plunge pool), so while you know it is an included activity, you have no idea where it is in relation to everything else. The activity information you have provided is not helpful, especially on a hot day traversing up hill across this large complex. Need to have more relief provided within activity area on a hot day (ie. Water stations, more shade, more benches or seating, maybe a misting area would be a nice addition).

Shuttle service: hit and miss...was more miss than hit. We booked a shuttle so we could go to dinner in the village. We could see the shuttle making it's way to us on the online map. Then, we saw it drive by where we were on the map, then it was abruptly cancelled. We called a shuttle to pick up my in-laws from the village to bring them home and they waited over 30 mins (it's a five minute drive back to our unit).

Food: my children enjoyed cherros on more than one occasion during our stay. Magnone's was the shining star of our experience. The service and food was impeccable. They are the reason this review is at least 3 stars and not 2.

Tip: if you are looking for a cool area of relief on a hot day, there is a "waiting room" style area located down a walkway behind the guest services building - there will be signs for the bathroom leading you there. There are benches (which are old ski lift benches) and extremely cold ac available, plus washrooms.

Summit View restaurant is worth it. Sour cream glazed donut dessert is delish and the view is beautiful.

Community pool in historic Snowbridge is ok.