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Welcome to Splish Splash! New York’s largest waterpark is located in Calverton, Long Island, NY. With a wide-array of attraction options, ranging from the gravity-defying to a serene lazy river that invites relaxation, Splish Splash is a great family-friendly destination when the days are hot and you need a reprieve. Of course, there are beaches nearby, but if you’re looking for some thrill and excitement this park is the way to go.
While I am sure you are excited for the rides, I’m here to bring comprehensive insight to the dining options that you can expect to find so you can maximize your entire visit. My hope is that this guide helps you to plan your day strategically, making the most of your time, appetite, and your budget.
Whether you’re a seasoned visitor or a first-timer, our blog post will serve as your trusted companion, ensuring your visit to Splish Splash is brimming with excitement, joy, and the satisfaction of making conscious choices for both your palate and your wallet.
Recommended Articles:
Lake Compounce Dining Guide
Knott’s Berry Farm Dining Guide
Six Flags Dining Guide
Splish Splash Season Pass Perks and Discounts
I think it’s important I start off with the season pass prior to running into the dining options. If you’re a regular theme park go-er, especially to Splish Splash, I implore you to get a season pass (and no, I don’t receive a commission for this or any other season pass mentions on this site).
For those who don’t know what a season pass is, it’s an annual ticket solely in your name that allows you unlimited visits to a specific park or group of parks during a set season (in Splish Splash’s case end of May to September Labor Day Weekend). These passes save you money on the price of a daily ticket, time, and most of all, money on food and retail. But there are more benefits, and I’ll outline them quickly below, however, if you want more information please check out the Splish Splash website.
At the time of writing, they have four tiers – bronze, silver, gold, and platinum – and if you were to buy a ticket for 2024 you receive the rest of 2023 free. What an amazing deal! (P.S. all numbers below are sale prices as of August 14, 2023 where daily tickets are normally $75).
Bronze
This tier is the cheapest and has the most blackout days (3 to be exact, all of which have already passed). Coming in at $80 plus tax, you get unlimited entry into the parks, but that’s it. If you’re looking for any great discounts, my suggestion is to look into one of the passes below instead.
Silver
The perks start at this tier. At $110 plus tax, you get unlimited admission, but they also throw in one (1) free bring-a-friend ticket and 10% off food and retail. If you plan on attending the park frequently, this is where the savings starts.
Gold
Splish Splash touts this tier as the best value – I believe if you’re only going to this park all summer, then yes, but Platinum (below) I feel is the better value what with all the perks you receive for the price. For $120 plus tax, you can have all of silver, however, you’ll have two (2) bring-a-friend-tickets, free general parking, and 15% off food and retail.
With how expensive food in this park can be, 15% on a $45 lunch order can be the difference between being able to add a beverage or not if you’re on a tight budget. Speaking of drinks, you will receive a free souvenir cup with 99¢ refills, which definitely helps your wallet as well.
Platinum
My favorite pass (coming from a Lake Compounce season passholder, anyway), Platinum is the best value for the money you spend on it. While it’s more expensive upfront ($170 plus tax), only one of you in your party needs to buy this pass. Everyone else can be on Bronze and you can all benefit from the pass as long as you’re in the park together and buying things together.
With all the same perks as Gold, you receive three (3) bring-a-friend tickets, 20% off food and retail, and your souvenir cup comes with free refills. Oh, and you get free admission to every US Palace Entertainment Park (this particular perk won’t transfer to any other members of your party though, FYI).
In other words –
Pros of the passes: Unlimited admission to Splish Splash (if you’re exiting and re-entering the parks, don’t forget to get your hand stamped) and food savings on nearly every tier. At higher tiers, you can save a substantial amount and if you’re always at this park only one person in your party needs the highest tier to take advantage of 95% of its perks.
Some glaring cons: If you’re not going to be a regular, buying a season pass makes no financial sense. Based on each tier, you would need to go to the park twice for Bronze, twice for Silver, twice for Gold, or three times for Platinum, so if you’re not planning on going at least twice there is no point. But if you are – get the pass!
Previously I mentioned in my Dining Guide for Lake Compounce that the Platinum pass has the biggest gotcha. The same goes for Splish Splash since they are under the same parent company (US Palace Entertainment Park). The stipulation with the pass is that while you gain free access to other parks under the umbrella company and free parking, the perks received at your home park do not exist when visiting another park.
Quite frankly, as a website who is trying to help people save money or make better financial decisions regarding which foods to toil over, it’s not in US Palace Entertainment’s best interest to want to do any of that.
I do believe that if they came out with a Platinum Plus pass for an extra $50+ that people would buy it so long as they received all the same perks that they receive at their home park at other parks. Maybe time will tell if they move in that direction though.
Quick Overview of Splish Splash Dining Options
One thing that truly sets Splish Splash apart from its counterparts is that they are the largest waterpark in the entire state of New York. Unfortunately, food at Splish Splash, or rather their options depending on who you ask, isn’t fantastic.
Most of what Splish Splash offers is very Americana, which is an honest shame, because they could easily lean into Long Islands cultural roots to broaden the selection. When I think of Long Island, I think of pizza. Italian food. Bagels. Jewish delis. I also think of the robust Irish, Polish, Asian, and Hispanic communities that make it such a diverse area.
I do understand that mass producing a variety of food is a challenge, but I find the lack of Italian food especially disappointing, given how widely available it is.
While I can lament the lack of options, however, I still want to run through a quick overview of what they do have.
There are two main categories of dining options at Splish Splash: Snacks / Treats and Quick Service. Of course there are beverages as well, mainly sodas, water, and beer.
I do think that they have a pretty decent selection of snacks and treats, ranging from popcorn, cotton candy, and pretzels, to your everyday theme park foods like chicken tenders, pizza, and cheeseburgers. Practically everything in the park is kid-friendly, so that should help in your decision making. They cater to what an American family would definitely expect to find at a theme park and they do a fair job at putting out food your child will eat.
The do have one unique option though, and that’s the Wafels & Dinges located in the Funky Pirate at the top of the park, near the exit. I am not exaggerating when I say I have never seen an offering like this at any theme park I’ve ever been to. They have a build-your-own Belgian waffle along with some legendary classic options that could be very tempting for those looking for a different kind of sweet to sink their teeth into.
Healthier Choices for Conscious Eaters
Theme parks are notorious for their greasy, incredibly unhealthy foods, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel if you’re looking for healthier choices. Splish Splash doesn’t have a lot, but they at least have some options!
At the Snack Shack, you can find items such as their:
- Chicken Caesar Wrap
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Beyond Burger
I wasn’t able to find anywhere that sold fresh fruit or any other vegetables, so if you’re looking for that I highly suggest you pack a cooler with these and take a mid-day break in the parking lot.
Any Vegan Options?
The Snack Shack is the only spot available for a full vegan meal with their Beyond Burger. There are fries, however, just about anywhere if you just need to nosh. If you are vegan, I can’t stress enough how great of a solution it is for you to bring your own food. They don’t allow outside food into the park, but you can take a break and eat outside the park at a number of picnic tables. Just get your hand stamped and you can re-enter freely.
You’ll have plenty of beverage options, but you need food, not just to stay hydrated.
I believe that Splish Splash is really missing out on vegetable items in general. Yes, it is a theme park, but a balanced meal should still be present for those wishing to have it.
Unique Culinary Experience
I mentioned earlier that there is an interesting food experience – Wafels & Dinges. If you like waffles and/or build-your-own options, this is a fantastic spot to try! If you’ve never tried a Liege waffle, this could be your perfect opportunity to do so.
I am an avid nom-nom’er of Liege waffles (I even have the pearl sugar at home for making traditional and delicious ones in my own kitchen), but I found Wafels & Dinges late in my visit and did not get a chance to eat anything there. What sets Liege waffles apart from Belgian waffles is that Liege waffles are made with dough instead of batter. The pearl sugar also gives them a sugary crunch. ?
These are an oh-so special and spectacular treat during a fun day in the sun, made all the moreso by the fact that the remainder of the food is normal carnival fare.
You can customize your waffle however you like with dinges, or toppings. Beware that every topping outside of the first is an additional charge (yes, additional) $1.99 per topping – and that is expensive! The selection is fairly broad, though, they even have cookie butter spread (known as Spekuloos or the Biscoff cookie to some of my readers), which I used to obsess over years ago.
Tips for Enjoying the Dining Experience
The dining options don’t roar to life until roughly an hour after the park opens, giving the kitchen staff time to crank out some food before the masses arrive.
Since I was taking photos during that first hour and cruising along the Lazy River, I was able to catch the kitchens right as they were starting to serve food. I will say that the lines then started to pile up a little bit, but for the most part, it was relatively slow by the time I left for more rides.
It wasn’t until coming back to the area an hour later – think 1-2 PM – that the lines were really crazy.
My best advice?
- Avoid the lunch rush like the plague. The wait times between 1 and 3 PM were horrendous.
- If you’re looking to save money, pack your own food. Again, you can’t bring outside food into the park, but there are a number of picnic tables in the parking lot that are easily accessible. You can always re-enter as long as you get your hand stamped.
There are a number of ways to pack for a hot day. Personally I recommend at least having an insulated cooler for perishables and drinks. If you enjoy cold drinks and don’t want to spend $5 on a soda or $14 on a beer, this is the way to go! An insulated cooler with ice will last for hours, but you can also use smaller camper coolers, or heck, even lunchboxes.
I wanted to point out that I have seen people sneaking into Splish Splash with food (party size bags of chips, cases of juices, etc), however, you run the risk of getting kicked out of the park. I wouldn’t risk it when tickets are so expensive and you can have those juices in a cooler with ice and it will be more enjoyable outside of the park anyway.
- If you have a picky eater or someone with a food sensitivity or allergy, check out the menus for what could work for everyone involved. I also suggest coming with a couple plans just in case one plan doesn’t work out.
- From what I could tell the most popular spots are on “Food Row” on the patio. Snack Shack, The Chicken Coop and The Grill had the longest lines out of anywhere in the park. If other places are open, like Las Olas Tacos, Clucks & Hops Wing Bar, and Johnny Rockets, I would definitely try those if you’re looking to get back to rides faster. To Splish Splash’s credit, there are a lot of places to sit and eat, so you should easily find somewhere to enjoy your food without too much hassle.
- I do want to warn you against leaving the park completely to get food. You can step out to find much more affordable restaurants a couple miles away. Not only will this you save money, but you’ll be able to better aid with dietary preferences, as well. If you don’t have a season pass, however, there is no vehicle re-entry, whether your hand is stamped or not, so you’ll get hit with another $30 charge to park. Season pass holders have an advantage here, but if you’re only going to Splish Splash once this year, you should prepare accordingly.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for that traditional carnival/theme park fare, Splish Splash definitely will not disappoint. But if you’re looking to save some of your coin, because there isn’t really anything that piques your interest or that works with your diet, you have several options to still make it a memorable and fun day. I hope that this helps you make some great decisions for your family.
Thank you for taking time to read this guide. If there’s anything I missed, or you need (or want) an answer to something, let me know! I might even add your question into an update for the guide.
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