I believe myself to be an experienced reviewer of water parks. I have been to many if not all of the parks in Florida as well as other water parks adjoined to major theme parks. If I had to name the one highlight of my trip to Pigeon Forge (other than the mountains), I would have to give the big thumbs up to Dollywood's Splash Country. This is one excellent theme park. Let me begin by saying that is great for children and adults of any age. I cannot say this about all water parks. One great option that made it manageable for my parents who traveled with me, was the retreat. A retreat rental is a nice size shelter with a table with six chairs, television, ceiling fan, sun deck, and privacy curtains. This rental - which must be done way in advance, will allow everyone in the family to stay at the water park ALL DAY without wearing out. The areas for children and small children were very nice. My five year old had many options. I can say the same about my teens who loved the more extreme slides. I must also mention that my parents, both in their 70's, listed this as their favorite water park experience. Theming is nice and prices are fair. Don't miss a day at this water park while in Pigeon Forge - it is well worth the money!

There are so many go kart tracks in Pigeon Forge so it can be hard to make a decision on which one to choose. On our vacation this August 2009, we did not make a decision, we tried 4 of them. The clear favorite of my kids aged 5-17, was The Track. They found the go kart ride more enjoyable at this location. A BIG plus was that they even had a track for 5 year olds! That was the cutest thing ever and I loved watching my daughter drive the go kart. The staff was very nice and the price was...well....pricey. That being said - all of the tracks are expensive IMO! So it was no worse than the other locations. So if you are looking for a good go kart track in Pigeon Forge, this is a good choice. My kids gave it a thumbs up.

I chose Pop Century resort because there are 5 of us (three adults) and two children and we wanted two rooms. It was cheaper for us to book two adjoining rooms at Pop than stay in one room at a moderate or deluxe. AND we get two bathrooms! Needless to say I was VERY impressed with Pop. This hotel is really eye catching and great fun for children (and that is what it is about - seeing your children happy!). The rooms did not feel that small and again - two bathrooms. We left the door adjoining the rooms open and it was almost like a suite! (sort-of). The rooms were clean, mousekeeping efficient, the pool areas were very nice and well watched by life guards. The children's pool area was zero entry and all had fun. The food court had great selections, plenty of seating, and short waits. I had always stayed at moderate or deluxe resrots before and even so, I was VERY happy with Pop. Price was right and this is a cute place to stay. I will stay here again. Oh yes, if you want stay in a quiet room, you may want to face the parking lot. Any room facing the main pool will be subject to children at play. But overall, I did not find the resort to be noisy! Remember, it is not an upscale resort, but it is the perfect fit for family fun and an all around nice place to stay. I gave this resort five stars because the fun and family friendliness supercedes the price (excellent value)!!

I stayed at the Caribbean Beach with my 4-year old and teen. I had been hesitant to stay at this resort because I heard it was quite large and spread out. Well, I found this to be true but don't let this turn you off. Even though the resort is large, there is transportation to take you in and around the resort. Actually, I found the walk fun and quite scenic. If you do not have any disabilities, the walk around should be no problem. Plus there are small pools all around the resort so you do not have to walk far to reach a pool. The best thing about this resort is the main pool. At this point in time, it has the best children's pool at Disney. The new pool was just opened in 2008 and it was worth the wait. Hopefully, Disney will update all the children's pools to be as interactive and child friendly. If you have a small child and spend time at the resort pool - this is the resort for you! Other than this, the resort was clean, staff was friendly, and the grounds well kept. The food court had plenty of options leaving everyone in my party happy. So who would I recommend this resort to? Caribbean Beach is a moderate resort and if you wish to choose from this mid-range priced hotel, certainly CBR would be a solid choice. It is great for families whose children will be spending quite a bit of time at the pool and if you are into tropical theming - this is the place for you.

My family took part in Universal Studios VIP tour during Eater holidays. The tour guide at this park was funny, knowledgeable, and really fun. We did the “two parks in one day” VIP tour. We were placed at the front of the line at all the major rides. We did IOA first and finished around 1pm. She then allowed the group to have lunch at the restaurant of our choice. This lunch was NOT included – we paid out of pocket. I felt as though this should have been included in the VIP experience. We resumed at our designated time and took a “back door entrance" to Universal Studios Here we again were placed at the front of each major attraction. The tour guide was fun and she gave us a lot of info about the park. We have taken part in three tours; Universal, Sea World, and Busch Gardens and I can say Universal had the best guide of the three. However, I would consider this the least favorite tour of the three as it was the most costly and did not include lunch. Again, we chose the two park in one day tour and I must tell you, we all found ourselves very tired at the end of the day. I would only recommend this tour for new visitors to the park during busy holidays or those pressed for time and want to get the most out of a days visit. For return visitor, I recommend the Express Pass or a stay at a Universal Resort Hotel which allows your room key to serve as an unlimited express pass. I felt that Universal should have included lunch with the tour as the others did but all in all we had a good time. I can only give this tour 3 stars because I felt it was a little over priced.