Mt. Olympus is celebrating its 40th birthday* by offering free admission to the water park for several days in July!  Free admission is available on July 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th 2010.  The free passes are for the water park only, and do not include admission to the Mt. Olympus Theme Park.  Also, you are not allowed to come and go with these passes, once you leave the park, you would need to pay if you wanted to return. 

In order to get the free passes to Mt. Olympus, you need to reserve them on the Mt. Olympus website.  Free admission is only available with an advance reservation, and won’t be available at the gate.

* I am not quite sure how Mt. Olympus came up with the number 40 for their birthday (unless the Greek gods age faster than the rest of us).  The name Mt. Olympus wasn’t used until 2004.  Prior to 2004, the property was owned and operated as separate entities – Big Chief Go Carts and Treasure Island Waterpark Resort.  In 2004, the family that operated Big Chief bought Treasure Island (formally Family Land), and changed the name to Mt. Olympus.

The all-in-one Dells attraction pass that was introduced just 2 years ago is no longer.  The Dells City Pass debuted in 2008 with 9 attractions for $79.  In 2009, the participating attractions increased to 12, and the price went up to $99. 

Although the concept of an all-in-one pass was good, it didn’t catch on with enough visitors to the Dells.  The biggest reason was most likely the price.  $400 for a typical family of four is a lot of money to shell out in a weak economy.  The Dells City Pass most likely didn’t appeal to visitors staying at any of the Dells mega resorts since there are so many activities already included in the room price.  The appeal was also limited for visitors who stay in one of the many Dells motels that include Mt. Olympus passes with their rooms. 

Another problem with the Dells City Pass was the number of attractions that were offered.  Sometimes “Less is More”.  With 12 attractions and only 3 days to use the pass, some people may have thought that they were being stretched too thin, or were paying for admissions that they never were going to use.  Not all of the attractions appealed to all visitors too.  Families with kids might not be interested in golf, comedy club admission, and a haunted house.  Visitors without kids may not have been interested in a train ride or admission to the deer park.

If you’re visiting the Dells in 2010 and wanted to buy the Wisconsin Dells City Pass, there is a good alternative.  The Dells Passport to Savings offers several attractions at a reduced price.  The difference in the Passport to Savings program is that it is ala carte – you only pay for the attractions that you’re going to use.  Participating attractions include the Tommy Bartlett Show, The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory, Upper Dells Boat Tours, Jet Boat Adventure Tours, Original Wisconsin Ducks, Adare Go Carts, Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf, Wizard Quest, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, Dells 4D Special FX Theatre, Timber Falls Adventure Park & Knuckleheads, Noah’s Ark, Kalahari Indoor Theme Park & Circus World.  The savings increases with the number of attractions you purchase tickets too.  You can save up to 35% if you buy tickets to 6 attractions.

It would be nice to see the Wisconsin Dells City Pass return in future years.  A program overhaul would be in order.  The pick and choose method of the Passport to Savings program seems to be the way to go.

The tickets to Mt. Olympus are valid from June 1st through June 30th.  When you make a qualifying purchase at Pick ‘n Save or Copps, your receipt will contain a voucher for the free water park passes.  You must bring your receipt showing the purchase and the voucher to get free admission.

The 2010 dates are as follows:

The September 10th weekend also includes a free breakfast buffet on Saturday, September 11th and free passes to the Kalahari Indoor Theme Park (all for only $109!).  There are also discounted dates available for the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio.  For more information all of the dates available and how to book the specials, check out the Kalahari Family Nights website.  Reservations can be made on the Kalahari Family Nights website, or by calling the Kalahari at 877-525-2427  and mentioning the “Don White Block” to get the special rate.

• 2 nights in your choice of hotel room
• Unlimited meals at the Market Fresh Buffet & Lounge and Crash Landings Restaurant
• Unlimited drinks at 2 bars
• Unlimited use of the Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark

The special rate is valid for Sunday – Thursday night stays through January 30, 2010 and is based on double occupancy. Children between the ages of 3 and 21 are an additional $46 per night, and children under the age of 3 are free. Blackout dates are December 23rd through January 3rd and January 17th.

This is a very popular promotion, and some dates will sell out quickly.  Reservations can be made on the Chula Vista website, or by calling Chula Vista at 800-388-4782.

There is a great deal available at the Kalahari for the night of September 11, 2009. For $109, you get your choice of a Hut or Desert Room and a breakfast buffet the next morning (other room types are also available at additional cost). As an added bonus, for just $5 more per person you can get passes to the new Kalahari Indoor Theme Park. Typically these passes are $20 each for hotel guests.

This deal is available through the Kalahari Family Nights program.  In addition to the September 11th date, several other dates are available for the reduced rate of $109:

• Friday, September 18, 2009
• Friday, October 9, 2009
• Friday, November 13, 2009
• Friday, December 4, 2009
• Friday, December 11, 2009
• Friday, December 18, 2009

The breakfast buffet and $5 Indoor Theme Park special is only available for the September 11th date.  Additional specials are available for certain dates including a Saturday night stay available for the same rate, and another free Indoor Theme Park offer on the weekend of December 18th.  Check out the Kalahari Family Nights website for more details on those offers.

Noah’s Ark Water Park in Wisconsin Dells is offering $10 off an All Day Unlimited Use Pass on Sunday, August 9th. The regular price of an All Day Unlimited Use Pass is $35. To receive the special offer, you must print the coupon, which is available on the Noah’s Ark website.

This is an incredible savings over the $40 admission price that is charged at the gate.  The 48-hour sale ends soon though – at 2:20 P.M. on Wednesday, August 5th. 

The discounted passes are good for the 2009 season, which runs through September 7th. Admission to Mt. Olympus includes 4 different parks – Neptune’s Outdoor Water Park, Zeus’ Outdoor Theme Park, Medusa’s Indoor Water Park and the Parthenon Indoor Theme Park. More information including details on all of the Mt. Olympus attractions can be found on the Mt. Olympus website.

Some of the more notable coupons are:

Attractions

• Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park - Buy One Get One Free admission
• Noah’s Ark – Buy One Get One Free admission
• Pirates Cove Adventure Golf – Buy One Get One Free
• Riverside & Great Northern Railway – Buy One Get One Free
• Riverview Park & Waterworld – Buy One Get One Free admission to Waterworld
• Timbavati Wildlife Park at Storybook Gardens – Buy One Get One Free admission

Golf

• Christmas Mountain Village Golf – Buy One Get One Free
• Coldwater Canyon Golf - Buy One Get One Free admission

Lodging

• Baker’s Sunset Bay Resort – Stay Two Nights, Get One Free
• Chula Vista Resort – Stay One Night, Get One Free
• Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus – Stay One Night, Get the Second at Half Price
• Polynesian Resort – Stay One Night, Get the Second at Half Price or  Stay Two Nights, Get One Free

Camping

• Dell Boo Camprground – Stay One Night, Get One Free
• Sherwood Forest Campground – Stay One Night, Get the Second at Half Price
• Jellystone Park – Stay Two Nights, Get One Free

Dining

• The Cheese Factory – Buy One Entree Get One Free
• Damon’s Grill – Buy One Lunch Entree Get One Free
• Marley’s – 10% off Food Purchase
• Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co. – 10% off Food Purchase
• Paul Bunyan’s – Buy 2 Adult Meals Get One Kids Meal Free
• River Walk Pub – Buy One Entree, Get Second one Half Off

The book can be ordered on The Original Wisconsin Dells Coupon Book website for $19.95, with free shipping.  You can also buy the coupon book at Stop N’ Go convenience stores throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, and several different locations in Wisconsin Dells.  For a complete list of locations, click here (the website says that prices may vary if you are buying the book at a pickup location).