Product
Tested By Anna-Louise Bonnett – Rebecca & Zoe – 2 years 6 Months & 5
years 6 months
Anna-Louise
Awarded The MilkyWay Adventure Park 4.9/5
I
looked at leaflets and it looked like a fun day out for the family but was
unsure about what my 2yr old would be able to do. Easy to find and easy to get
to by car. Plenty of spaces to park and well sign posted. Clearly marked where
to pay and under cover so good for busy days if it’s hot or bad weather.
Friendly atmosphere the park is well spread out so not too many overcrowded
areas. Well thought through for small children and toddlers. I liked the
separate soft play areas for different ages and the session for younger
children at the dodgems which allowed my 2 ½ yr. old to enjoy the ride. The
children enjoyed the combination of rides and active play areas both indoors
and out. My 5 yr. old enjoyed the Captain Cosmos show. As a family we enjoy days out like this
especially as there were interactive activities rather than just rides. I was
impressed with the café we went to there was just as much choice on the
children’s menu as the adults I really liked the inclusion of toddler sized
meals for smaller children. I was also impressed with how organised the staff
were and the cleanliness in café as it was very busy but tables were cleared
quickly. Toilets were clean and well maintained. We all felt comfortable and safe in this
park. All staff we spoke to were
friendly and helpful. Very good value when taking under 3’s however, it is a
big jump in price when children turn 3 as it is the same price as an adult. All
areas of the park were kept clean. We
stayed at the park for 5 hours. We will
be going again and I have already recommended.
This is a great adventure park and all areas were well maintained. A fun family day out with plenty to do
whatever the weather with plenty for both my 2 and 5 yr. old to do. I liked the
fact that there wasn’t much you had to pay extra to do and most activities were
included in the ticket price. Anna-Louise Bonnett – Rebecca & Zoe – 2 years
6 Months & 5 years 6 months
Product Tested By Sally Cowling –
Freya & Jude – 5 & 2 years
Sally Awarded The MilkyWay Adventure Park 4.9/5
I’d
heard the adventure park was good from friends with similar age children. I had
a look at the website and there was lots of useful information about the
entertainment and facilities available. It looked like a great place to take a
young family for the day. We travelled by car from East Devon. The attraction
was easy to find and it was well signposted. We went on a Sunday in August and
there was lots of parking close to the entrance. The entrance was easy to find
from the car park and, despite having to wait in a queue for a while, there was
lots of information about the attraction on the walls, which kept the kids
interested while we were waiting! There were two gates and they were well run
and visitors were let through quite quickly. The environment was well suited
for us as a family with two young children (aged 2 and 5). There was a good
variety of things for them to do and, being heavily pregnant (37 weeks at the
time of visit!) there were plenty of places for me to sit down by all the main
attractions. I can imagine this would also be good for families with babies as
it would be easy for families to breastfeed/bottle-feed while older children
enjoyed the attractions. Toilets and places to buy food and drink were all
close to the attractions which are very helpful and we rarely had to queue. We
found all of the facilities very clean and tidy. I think the park is
particularly impressive with regards to the facilities for under-fives – it is
really nice to see that toddler toilet seats were provided in the Little Stars
café. There was a very good variety of activities available for all ages and as
much of them were indoors the British weather doesn’t restrict enjoyment of the
park! Both of my children loved the caterpillar rollercoaster (I think my two
year old son went on it with my husband five times!). It was also great that regular quiet sessions
were provided on the dodgems for small children and parents as they are not
usually able to experience these in other attractions. There were three indoor soft play areas and
my children enjoyed them all. The first was in the Little Stars Café. We loved
the fact that the café and play area was gated with a push button system for
entrance and exit (operated by staff) so we could sit and enjoy a drink without
worrying that our toddler would run out the door! The soft play adventure area
was varied enough to keep both our two year old and five year old occupied for
quite a long time. There was also a lovely little area with WOW toys for the
younger children and a role play area where children could dress up in costumes
( we had a little fire fighter and a pirate!) and have fun in the role play
pizzeria. The second indoor play area was the Time Warp, which was aimed at slightly
older children but my adventurous two year old son loved going down the big
slides several times in a sack with my husband. This play area also
contained Toddler Town, which had wooden
play houses to explore, soft blocks and a ball pit so younger children could be
kept entertained while older children played in the more adventurous parts of
the time Warp. Most of these were a little too much for my more tentative five
year old daughter, but she did enjoy playing in the wooden houses and firing
balls from the blow guns! The third soft play area was next to the stage and
contained the Fantasy Farm which had ride on tractors and soft blocks for
younger toddlers to enjoy. There were regular shows on the stage but
unfortunately we didn’t get round to watching them. Outside there is also a
great train ride, which gives a lovely tour of the park’s grounds and provided
a good opportunity for a rest after some of the more physical activities!
Outside the children enjoyed having a good jump on the huge inflatable pillows
and had a dig in the sandpit, which was provided with ample toys. My children
loved visiting the park and haven’t stopped talking about it since! There was a
good variety of activities for all members of the family which made this a
thoroughly enjoyable day. We visited the Little Stars café for lunch. The café
had a good variety of things on the menu, from snacks to main meals and
provided options for both child and toddler portions. The food was tasty and
the portions were generous and good value for money. There were plenty of
places to sit and we could easily supervise the children playing from our
table. The café was clean and tidy at all times. It also provided a microwave,
which is very useful to heat up baby food, all hot drinks were served in
takeaway cups with lids which is helpful when you have young children running
around who might knock into tables and helped prevent spillage. The park felt
very safe and there were lots of staff members available at each attraction.
When a child (not mine!) had a minor accident after tripping on the stairs in
the time Warp play area a staff member came to help very quickly. There was good signage on the attractions
which explained who they were suitable for. However, we found that there was
very little that our youngest was unable to join in with! We found all staff
member very friendly and helpful. The park is value for money as most of the
rides and attractions are free once you have paid the entrance fee. We found
the facilities very clean and tidy, despite the large amount of children at the
venue! We stayed at the adventure park
for 5 hours. We will be going again and
would certainly recommend. Excellent
variety of activities for all ages and most are free! All areas in this park are kept to a high
standard. We had a thoroughly enjoyable
day and there was plenty to keep both our two year old and five year old
entertained. At nine months pregnant I was also able to enjoy watching my
children have fun while I relaxed. Sally
Cowling – Freya & Jude – 5 & 2 years
Product
Tested By Lyndsay Derbyshire – Freya, Donovan, Fionn – 7, 5 & 1 year
LyndsayAwarded The MilkyWay Adventure Park 4.6/5
Well-advertised
locally. Informative website. We drove. Very easy to find on the main Bideford
to Bude road. Ample car park, mostly all hard standing. Quite a cold and stark
entrance with two kiosks. One for general entrance, and the main desk which we
had a short queue for. No facilities outside. A large converted warehouse type
space, with separate areas for each activity plus large outdoor areas. Wide
corridors and all easy access with ramps for pushchairs/ less able bodied.
Plenty variety of activities. We used the ‘Little Stars’ area which is a safe
contained under 6’s play area. With soft play, dressing up, ride on’s and a
café before venturing into the main areas. A very large enclosed soft play with
bumpy slides and vertical slides, my bigger two loved this room, although I
found it quite dark and like many soft plays, a bit claustrophobic. There was
an area with plenty of ride on and pedal cars which my two loved. We saw two of
the ‘live’ shows, a thrill seeking escapology show with Merlin and a Bird of
Prey show, very informative. Two roller coasters, one of which is smaller for
younger riders. Indoor dodgems, which regularly runs sessions for younger
drivers to have a go in a safer non-bumping environment and standard sessions
for everyone else to have their go. Giant jumping pillows, zip wire, and a sand
pit were equally as popular with my kids. An outdoor maze, and train ride
around a small part of the grounds. A museum part of the park which had a
history of farming in the area, with old tractors for the kids to climb on and
pretend to drive. We missed the indoor ride, ‘Clone Zone’ as we just ran out of
time and a Younger Kids show. There was
the option to add a small additional fee to have a go at indoor Archery and
paint a Pot but we just ran out of time to explore these areas. The children
had a wonderful time, and didn’t want to leave. Theme parks like this are great
for families as there really is something for everyone to get involved with.
Plenty of picnic benches for picnics, both inside and out. Three separate cafés
and a kiosk which provide small refreshments to meals. We chose to picnic, but the
menu’s looked pretty standard with jacket potato, baguettes and burger &
chips type of options. Average pricing for refreshments. Toilets were adequate.
Nothing good or bad to say. We felt very safe in the park; with plenty of staff
on hand should an issue arise. Staff we dealt with were all very approachable
and friendly. Good value for money, especially as staff reminded visitors to
take a return visitors pass which offers reduced entrance fees for the
remainder of the year. Everything was clean, plenty of rubbish bins available.
Toilets were ok. Our visit to this theme
park lasted 6 hours. I can definitely
see us visiting again. I would recommend The Milky Way as a good place for
families of all ages. This did not get full marks as it just felt a bit cold
and harsh. Especially when compared to the newer Little Stars area which felt a
lot more comfortable environment to be in. The activities on offer were great,
but the building just felt stark and cold and the décor slightly out of date. I
don’t think the kids noticed, but as an adult sat watching whilst my infant
slept it was a bit drab. Perhaps some more relaxed informal seating areas, for
spectators would be an idea. The Milky Way is a great no frills family
attraction for children of ALL ages. Lyndsay Derbyshire – Freya, Donovan, Fionn
– 7, 5 & 1 year
