Knott’s Soak City Water Park

Oh, those hot summer days of 2015, where have you gone?!? As the winter begins and we watch the temperature continue to plummet, I am sitting here reminiscing about how much fun my family and I had at Knott’s Soak City Water Park. The park is obviously closed for the winter, but I sure am looking forward to summertime fun there again!
Here’s a quick breakdown on my rating categories for this location:
— Ride excitement…5 stars
— Ride wait-time…4 stars
— Staff friendliness…3 stars
— Park cleanliness…4 stars
— Park seating options…3 stars
More detail on each of these categories follows.
Ride excitement:
This park is truly great for «kids» of all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens. At this park there are play areas appropriate for toddlers along with the immediate supervision of a parent, areas for young kids that can play without a parent immediately present, and then there are rides for older kids and adults. All areas and rides have the supervision of an appropriate number of lifeguards. The rides for older kids and adults are really exciting, and you’re bound to scream and laugh while enjoying many of them. After all that excitement you may then want to relax in the lazy river.
Ride wait-​time:
The wait time for rides can be really long if you arrive on a weekend in the summer, especially if school is out for the kids nearby. One time we came to this park when there was a school on a field trip here with a few bus-​loads of kids and it made the wait-​time rather miserable. I suspect this is unusual though. Just a tip for the wise: try to make your visit to this park on a weekday, and preferably while school is still in session. If you do, the ride wait-​time is not too bad, which just helps you maximize your fun for the day!
Staff friendliness:
Most of the employees at the park are really friendly. Unfortunately, a few of the lifeguards here are a little on the rude side, which just decreases the enjoyment for all the customers that interact with them. I realize that they are focused on keeping everyone safe, but it is also important that the customers coming here have fun. Here again, most of the lifeguards are really friendly, and only a small number of them are less than pleasant and should be weeded-​out by the management at Knott’s.
Park cleanliness:
No problems here. The employees do a great job of keeping this park clean, from the rides to the dining areas.
Park seating options:
Don’t come to this park if you just want to sit around. There are several areas to lay out in the sun, with each area having several plastic reclining chairs. This is great, but a lot of folks want the shaded areas, which are extremely limited. If you want a shaded seating area make sure to arrive when they open. The park also has bungalows that can be rented, but these are rather expensive.
In summary, Knott’s Soak City Water Park is a great place for the whole family to cool off in the hot summer sun. The park certainly has room for improvement, but overall, coming here will make for a very enjoyable and memorable day for you and your family.

We came to Soak City because while we were at Costco, we saw discounted tickets. 2 tickets for $ 50. Not a bad price at all.
It is pretty small as far as water parks go. There are a handful of attractions to enjoy. However, I felt like we were just waiting in lines all day. If they had a front of the line pass like they do at Knott’s Berry Farm, I would buy it.
All the chairs get taken up really quickly, so get there early if you want to snag a chair. Not that the chairs are that good for relaxing anyway because there are so many kids there.
I also had to keep my shoes with me all day because the ground was so hot I couldn’t be barefoot.
I have been wanting to go to Raging Waters because I hear that is the best place to go as far as water parks go but San Dimas is a long drive from Seal Beach.
We had fun on the slides we got to go on, but I am in no hurry to go back.

As for the park… who doesn’t like to have fun in the water, on a hot summer day.
What’s really crappy here is the fact your kid goes to a birthday party here and some douch-​bag from the area steals your kids Nike sandals and stuff while he’s trying to be a kid and have fun!
You would think a place, with the name Knott’s in it wouldn’t admit that they have a very high theft rate… at least to a child!
How about more cameras and security staff??? («BEWARE…THIEVES HERE»!)
At least we never heard or seen this type of stuff going on at Wild Rivers.
NEVER AGAIN!!!

I’ve had the pass for two years to this place and this is the first time I ever go to soak city everything there was great except one thing the guy working t the dip n dots stand near the entrance who was working there yesterday did not give me my change not sure if he is keeping money from the register but management should look into that asap other than that everything was great

This place was really small and I don’t feel it was worth the price. We got a deal with the soak city and knotts berry farm so it was discounted but I still didn’t feel it was worth it. The line for rides was really long. There was a toddler area but no slides that my little guy could go on as u have to be a certain height. You would think they would make a better toddler area with more to do. Just a bunch of painted turtles spurting water out of their mouths. Weak
Def would not go again and you can skip this and go to adventure city instead.

Soak City is a great place to beat the heat close to home.
* Make sure you arrive really early. The park opens at 10, but people start to line up as early as 8:30.
The shaded areas with chairs are very limited so needless to say, they go quick.
You’re allowed to bring umbrellas & chairs, there’s grass areas where you can lay out & set up your chairs & umbrellas for some shade but even those go fast.
* You’re allowed to bring in a small cooler with water, I suggest you that you do. It’s hot & water bottles are $ 4 a pop. As far as food, they have you’re average burgers, chicken tenders & pizza. I can’t comment on the quality or taste because we brought our own along with snacks.
* Most rides require tubes & they are provided on every ride, but they do run out quick & you’re stuck making 2 lines for each ride, 1 to get a tube & 1 for the actual ride. Tubes are available for rent at $ 10 each for the whole day. It’s definitely worth spending the extra cash, you save yourself some time & annoyance especially if you have kids with you.
* If you can, get you’re tickets at Costco it’s the best value. 2 tickets for $ 48.99.
In a nut shell. Get there really early, bring a cooler, spend the $ 10 to rent tubes, bring lots of sunscreen & lots of patience, it is crowded!
But it’s a waterpark & everyone is trying to beat the heat just like you are. Have fun!!!

Super fun if you have little ones. We had a blast. It was a pricey day, but one has to expect that since it’s an amusement park.
We’ll definitely be back.

THERE’S NO DISCOUNT AFTER 3PM! Best thing to do is buy tickets online and save or at Costco. No discounts at window. Parking is $ 17. Lockers are expensive as well as food.

It’s been a while but soak city came up in a conversation and made me think 2 things.
1^st thing it made me think this place was so much when we went here.
2^nd thing was I should write a review to let people know how much fun it is.
So it has been a while but when we went we had a blast. There are so many water attractions. East sprinklers and shallow pools to keep the Lil 1s happy. And then t h e bigger slides and big wave pools for those who want a little more excitement. All the way around they have everybody covored for a great time

Yesterday was the first time I had been to Knott’s Soak City in over a dozen years; if I don’t go back there for another dozen I won’t consider it any great loss. If I had to narrow down my complaint about this place into a single statement, it is that Knott’s Soak City seems wants to charge the same prices as the typical Southern California amusement park, without providing anywhere near the same level of entertainment as many of their competitors.
It starts as soon as you drive up with the $ 17 fee to park. Sure, if you go to Disneyland or Universal Studios you will be charged similar rates (or higher) but at least at places like that you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth since you can legitimately spend a whole day at those places, unlike here where there just aren’t enough rides or attractions to spend more than a few hours.
Next, the absolute cheapest locker rental, which fits about one backpack, is $ 15, so you are already in for $ 30+ over and above the price of tickets (which are about $ 30 ea if you can find a decent discount online) before you’ve even gone on a single ride.
What’s striking about this place is how little there really is to do. There are maybe like 5 (?) actual water slides in the whole place (plus a lazy river, wave pool and kids play area). What that means during a hot weekend Summer day like yesterday is that there will be far more people at the park than there are things to do, so lines for every attraction will be super long. I get that this is a for-​profit park and the more people they squeeze through the turnstiles the more they make, nonetheless, it seems really unethical to me that they allow so many people in the park that by definition the majority of any given person’s day is going to be spent standing in lines. Sure, other amusement parks can also get crowded; the difference here is that there is so little to do that there is no option to look for a shorter line at another slide since there just aren’t enough slides, period, to split the crowds. In a little over 5 hours at the park, I think we went down about 4 slides total.
Food is another aspect where there are both too few options and what they have is super expensive. There are only 3 places to eat at the whole park, so expect to wait wherever you go. We went to Longboard’s Grill, waited between 30 – 60 minutes to get to the front of the line and then had the pleasure of paying $ 15 and change each for the equivalent of a value meal at a typical fast food place. I get that the food at any amusement park tends to be overpriced, but seriously, 3x the price of an equivalent meal outside the park? Then expect to wait again for a table, since the park provides far fewer places to sit than there are people at the park. Once you do finally find a seat, expect people to be constantly hovering over you waiting for you to get up for the same reason.
There are signs all over the slides stating that line jumping or saving spaces is not allowed and is grounds for being kicked out of the park, but it seems as if enforcement of that policy starts and stops with the putting up of those signs. On many of the slides there is one line to get an inner tube and then a separate line to get on the slide after you already have your inner tube in hand. I noticed lots of people getting in line for the slide while having another person in their party wait for inner tubes and then jumping the line to get with the rest of their group without consequence.
Generally when I leave an amusement park, I leave feeling like I’ve had a memorable (if expensive) experience that will be a lasting good memory. When I left Knott’s Soak City yesterday I felt like a sucker.

If you go on a day where it isn’t crowded, it is totally worth it.
I would suggest getting a locker, unless someone will be sitting watching your stuff the whole time. My friend’s phone was stolen from her bag. :(
Tammy was so nice at the pretzel stand !!
It was very nice of the employees to refill our water bottles with cold water from the machines, rather than the metallic tasting water fountains.
This water park is more for the younger kids, but if you go with a fun group you’ll have an awesome time.

ROADSIDE STAND is the place to eat here. So much better than the gross chicken strips and only half the price. 8.95 for carne asada fries w/​guacamole & sour cream. The service is better too. It’s a food truck next to the wave pool.

never been so disappointed in an amusement parks policy as I am with theirs. I have a deaf/​quad son that I wanted to take with my family so he could watch everyone having fun BUT when I found out they charge FULL PRICE even tho there isn’t one attraction he can use, I was shocked. talked to customer service and a supervisor and was told this is «knott’s policy since they are full service amusement places». I explained they don’t charge children under 2 and said «why is that» and she said, «they can’t use any of the attractions» and I said my point exactly! she would no waiver and I was extremely upset, disappointed and still can’t believe they do that!!! I will never give them one more dime of my money!!!

This is the 2^nd year I’ve bought Gold season passes for my daughter & I. We live about 15 mins away so for me, it’s absolutely worth it. Yes most of the staff is immature & has no idea how to solve your issues sometimes. I’ve had a couple things happen but what do you expect at a water park where high school kids are working for the summer?
My daughter is 5 & loves spending the day here. We do it the smart way & bring our own snacks/​water bottles & eat an early lunch before we go. We also purchase the souvenir cup at the beginning of the season & pay $ 1 to get it refilled all year. You don’t have to make this an expensive outing every time you go. We go to Knotts for a couple hours after Soak City closes. Or whenever we have some free time, we go to Knotts and get on a few rides! It’s actually a really nice thing to have if you live close by!

Long story short
1. Incompetent staff. Unprofessional, untrained, bad attitude, flat out rude.
2.beware the lazy river is only 2 feet 6 inches. I’m 5’4 and I couldn’t swim without hitting my knees.
3. Wave pool is 3 feet in the main area, 6 right by the wall, but they won’t let you go near it.
Got asked if I wanted my change after purchasing cotton candy by the teen working the stand. Asked me three times because he really wanted to pocket it I’m pretty sure.
Bought a souvenir that was faulty so literally went right back in to exchange and they weren’t sure what to do. although we had the receipt. tried to make us wait for the manager until I had to tell them we don’t have time for him to come back from his break… we had to get on the road!
Stood in line for 20 mins for an open air slide, when we got up there they didn’t let us choose which was odd bc all the others we could with a brat comment of «you’re not the only one here, there’s a line, you don’t get to choose blah blah».
Overall, very unprofessional and childish atmosphere from the staff.
Also, SO MANY LIFEGUARDS and they walk by counting haha:) looked silly.
Life jackets to all under a certain height
Thought this was odd. What’s if you’re short but on a swim team?
Lastly, it states on their website that there is no saving spots in line. They of course don’t monitor this, people send their kids in, that stop somewhere random in the line and then go themselves saying the have kids up there. Really???

Had a great time with my son all the staff members were kind and helpful. Even with the day being hot and the park busy it was kept clean and enjoyable.

We randomly decided to go so we checked for tickets online. We saw that they had a pass for soak city and knotts berry farm for $ 112. You could also make payments of $ 43 for four months. Not a bad deal coz its a pass for the rest of 2015. If you bought each pass separately, it would probably cost you more. This way, you have something to do for the entire summer!
I haven’t been here in years and my
Only complaint is that the wave pool needs
To be colder. We expected it to be cold but it was pretty warm. It was very refreshing to be in there with so many other people.
Other than that, we had fun! We went for about 3 and half hours and we were able to get on a lot of slides. We weren’t worried about doing them all coz we’ve got all summer ;)
If you live close by, I would suggest getting the pass. They also have a parking pass that you can add to your pass. If you plan on going many times, it’s better to get this deal. Parking each time is $ 17!
Beat the heat and enjoy!

The food is great. The service in the cabana areas are excellent. And they give us plenty of ice water with cups. I will definitely get a seasonal pass. I love the water.

Nice quiet place with cool stores and food. Love the water slides, it’s been a fun day. Employees are very friendly, glad i got my pass for both parks this year.

I have lived in this area my whole life and today was my first time coming to Knotts Soak City. I have always looked at this water park and thought it was too small and looked a little beat down. Of course it didn’t look as nice as Raging Waters did nor was it as big. I can say that if I was still in High School I may have not enjoyed it as much since you are looking for those big daring rides.
If you are in High School or that age or whatever age you are and are looking for the big rides they do not have that many here. They have a couple big slides but this park is very small. They also look like they cannot hold a lot of weight which freaks me out with how many people stand in those lines.
The only reason that I really enjoyed this park was because I have 2 little girls and I thought that this water park was perfect for them. Since it is not big I could keep a good eye on them and there were two kid play areas that were really fun. One was smaller that had a couple kid slides and water splashing out everywhere which we stayed the most. The other had an bigger slides for kids like 6+ seemed to like it more there. They have 3 big buckets that fill up and then pour out which is awesome. There is also a lazy river which felt like it went on forever because you could only enter and exit in one spot. It was enjoyable and relaxing though. They have a tidal wave pool which is really fun when it is going but it doesn’t last long at all. The water is suprisingly warm, which felt good but makes me wonder why…
The price to get in here is like $ 30 or $ 26 for kids and like $ 100 for the year pass. That is really high since you could go to Raging Waters for $ 60 for the year and have a bigger park with lots more to do. If you buy these passes for the summer season with your Knotts Berry Farm pass they are cheaper. It would be a good deal if you did it that way.
In the end I had a great time here and plan to come back next year.