Sunway Lagoon - Tips for the Best Day Ever at Malaysia's Waterpark

As we were driving to the park, Dad asked, "How is it possible that, after all this time, we've never been to Sunway Lagoon?" I don't know, Dad, I don't know.

*Part of our family received complimentary tickets to Sunway Lagoon in exchange for a personal review. All opinions are my own.

Sunway Lagoon is a big name in Malaysian theme parks. We've heard tales of visits from many of our friends over the last decade, but somehow we've never before lined up the perfect combo of time, location, and opportunity! Rebekah was very sad that she had to go to work and missed out on our theme park adventure, so it was only Dad, MaryGrace, Sarah, and me.

Here's my advice for maximizing your Sunway Lagoon experience:

1. Note the opening hours. Sunway Lagoon is open from 10-6 year round. That's only 8 hours of daylight that you get to spend in the park, so make sure you arrive ahead of opening, so that you can get right in at 10 a.m.

2. Our family was most excited about Sunway Lagoon's water attractions, but there's a lot more to the park that just water slides and pools. I recommend checking out the Wildlife Park and the Amusement park at the very beginning and very end of the day, so that you can spend the very hot mid-day hours enjoying the water!

3. The newest attraction at the park is The Ghostbusters Adventure LIVE! released in association with the new movie. None of us were actually brave enough to attempt a visit--but if you're not the type who is occasionally frightened by not-at-all-scary children's movies, you might very well enjoy it! There were some renovations going on during our visit, and it looks like a few more attractions will be opening in the very near future, so Sunway Lagoon is a park that is always growing!

4. Hair + Skin. You'll be getting wet all day long, so don't bother with a blow-dry style or winged eyeliner. My favorite technique for getting hair to stay put all day and not require fuss, no matter how many water slides you go on, is the double french braid style, one french braid on each side of the head. For most hair textures, this will hold all day. Also, this is Malaysia, so when it's not raining, the sun is shining bright! Apply sunscreen liberally, and, better yet, wear a long-sleeved rashguard to help prevent burns.

5. Don't miss the suspension bridge. It claims to be the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Malaysia, and I believe it! Granted, my love for bridges is pretty well documented, but this was a great one, it was fun to look down on the whole park from high above!

6. Be mindful of time. We took a more relaxed touring approach to our day, and didn't manage to try every slide or ride, even though we stayed from opening till closing. There is a LOT to do, so if you're set on doing it all, know that you're going to have to plan to be efficient! On the other hand, if you're okay with not doing it all, there's plenty of places to slow down and take more time to savor the experience. My choice: the beach chairs in the sun near the surf pool.

8. Certain slides, notably the Jungle Fury, require 4 guests to ride together in one tube. The staff don't arrange the groups of 4, it's up to the guests to find a group of 4 before they'll be allowed to line up for the slide. We only had three people in our group (Dad was watching the bags), so at first we thought we wouldn't be able to ride, but then we met a family of 5, and we made a deal with them, so they sent one of their girls in our tube. It's a great slide (Sarah said it was her favorite experience of the day), so make sure to take the initiative to build a group of 4 with other guests if necessary!

7. Don't worry about food. I've been to theme parks where it seemed like just about the only food on offer was fried squid on a stick and steamed corn in a cup. There are LOTS of choices for food inside Sunway Lagoon, from their own unique restaurants (I spotted one that served Indian food), to chain outlets like Burger King, 1901 Hotdog, and Marrybrown. It was easy to find shaded seating areas where you could sit down and eat and rest throughout the day, which was really nice!

8. The most intense of rides have a height limit of 1.4 meters. Sarah was a little too short for these, and I was grateful for that, as I think I would have been pretty nervous if I'd had to watch her ride the scary thrill rides! Pay attention to ride restrictions and make sure you only ride if your health allows it. No shame in sitting out of a couple rides! (At least that's what I tell myself...)

What are your best strategies for making the most of a day at a theme park or water park? Have you ever been to Sunway Lagoon? Do you try to make it to a water park every summer?