Enchanted Kingdom, Sta.Rosa, Laguna

I remember having fond memories about going to Enchanted Kingdom back in college with my barkada.

So when we had a free afternoon one Sunday (and the skies looked clear, the day bright), I suggested to my hubby that we make our way to Sta. Rosa to check out the country’s “undisputed” theme park, this time with our little baby daughter.

I was returning to EK after 10 years or so, and I didn’t know what to expect.  But for sure, I did want to experience “the magic” with my little family.

On the way there, we took note of a government vehicle being used as an excursion car, right in front of us as we entered the gates.  Couldn’t help but take a photo of the car. How sad that government vehicles are being used for personal purposes. But that deserves another blog entry entirely.

Here are a few things I observed about Enchanted Kingdom, and what’s become of it today:

1. There are more rides (there are rides and new attractions like Junior Go-Kart Racing, Pop Noggins, Triassic Tag, 4D Discovery, and Xtreme Paintball).  It looked exciting for the bigger children and the adults.

2. There haven’t been any new food items apart from the usual popsicles, ice cream, potato chips, cookies, and juice sold at the park, and the usual “canteen” style resto that has the roast chicken. We settled for the usual mini-donuts and potato chips and juice on a nearby bench.

3.  There was a magician from Las Vegas standing on the corner, waiting to be noticed. It would have been nice if they had more ways of encouraging the patrons and bystanders to check out the shows.

4.  They have the usual streets where you can take photos, but the buildings look old and would look nice if they took time to repaint and keep up the maintenance of the park and its aesthetic side, not just focusing on adding more rides.

5. I couldn’t help but wish there was an area for toddlers and young children, and rides that little ones could also enjoy apart from The Grand Carousel and the Boulderville Express (more like a little choo-choo train) and the token rides.

6. The appearance of a few mascots brought delight to a lot of the children there (my own, included). There was a short dance number with some “cave girls” which was okay. I only wished that they didn’t just shout “Picture-taking!” and have everyone rush to the mascots.  It would have been more organized and less chaotic to have let everyone fall in line for the picture-taking. The mascots are supposed to look like dinosaurs. They looked like cute old stuffed toys. But “A for Effort” for little dance numbers like these that brighten up the park for those who are just milling around.

7. Would love to suggest that EK management would try to come up with more enticing and better-looking stuffed-toy prizes for games like the “basketball hoop game.”  I noticed that no one really wanted to win prizes. My hubby gave it a shot though.

8. It would have been nice if there was some sort of “drama” or “clamor” that could have been staged to stir curiosity for the costumed “princesses” or figures walking around the park, so passersby or patrons would be excited to have photos taken with them. They were just walking around listlessly, but I’m glad to note that they were warm and sincere when approached and smiled their best for photo ops even in the sweltering heat. My heart went out to those walking around in costume, partly just being ignored by the crowd.  A bit more “fanfare” (like perhaps “walking bodyguards”) could attract the patrons’ attention.

9. My daughter checked out the merchandise, and wasn’t at all taken by the that old wizard. I was happy to note that they did have small sizes for these cute nationalistic-looking souvenir shirts, so I picked one out and bought it for her.  The tumblers and cups and toys didn’t look too appealing, and there weren’t that many choices.

Thoughts:

I’m a big fan of how innovative and brilliant and artistic Pinoys can be, and I know that so much more can be done to improve Enchanted Kingdom to make it more attractive and enticing to paying customers.

It isn’t just about the rides, so much more can be done to improve the quality of the shows they mount on that stage, the merchandise and food they sell, and even their customer service (When I asked for directions to a certain park attraction and another time, asked where the restroom was, one of the park attendants answered with slight disdain and she certainly looked like she wanted to time out after working so long…It would have helped to see a cheerful and helpful smile, at least to mirror their wizard mascot’s grin even for just a few seconds).

I liked what my hubby said when we were talking about our experience at Enchanted Kingdom. He said that he looks forward to us as a people having more follow-through with projects / a theme park such as this.

I personally feel that we can compete with a lot of other countries since we have a product/place like this we can promote and use…I guess we do need to brainstorm more and find numerous ways on how to keep things fresh and exciting.

As a mom of an active little girl and a parent who looks forward to spending quality family time in places that are family-friendly and (supposedly) fun, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities on how to make things better, and checking out great alternatives and options.

Our trip to Enchanted Kingdom was okay, but it’s not exactly a place we’d excitedly plan to go to so soon.

If you’re a parent with tweens or you feel like going out as a family enjoying splashy rides (pack extra clothes please) and wouldn’t mind the heat and paying for expensive potato chips and cookies, then going to Sta. Rosa for an afternoon at Enchanted Kingdom would be just the thing.

But I wouldn’t recommend it if you have toddlers, and if you have a short fuse for not-so-approachable park attendants.

I have fun just being with my hubby and daughter, regardless of where we are. But I do look forward to going to EK again and seeing changes and people enjoy themselves to the hilt, just like how we enjoyed 10 years ago.

Website Link:  http://www.enchantedkingdom.ph/home.php

EK Park Schedule: http://www.enchantedkingdom.ph/ekcalendar/

EK Ticket Rates: http://www.enchantedkingdom.ph/home.php?page=ticketrates

7 Responses to “Enchanted Kingdom, Sta.Rosa, Laguna”

1. sasa says:

   June 28, 2010 at 6:31 am

   hi mare!

   thanks for blogging about EK…and i really do agree with you…let’s just hope that EK management will be able to read this and hopefully too, they will improve their theme park (yun na nga lang ang pwede nating puntahang matinong theme park dito sa pinas eh, di pa nila ayusin)
2. Lance says:

   July 4, 2010 at 3:53 am

   I LOVE your website ! the banner is gorgeous, great shot of three of my favorite people! grabe, adjeng! keep it up! miss you, rodrin and little drian! give her a big kiss from her ninong who KNOWS how adorable she is!! let’s meet up soon!!
3. Adjeng says:

   July 7, 2010 at 6:37 am

   Hello! I do hope EK management will consider these comments, I know that constructive feedback yields good results! Thanks for commenting, dear, and keep reading!
4. Adjeng says:

   July 7, 2010 at 6:39 am

   As always, I so appreciate your comments, dear friend! Keep reading and keep giving those comments, you know I value your thoughts! Take Care, Lance! See you soon!
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