Lil' Monsters In NYC: Celebrate Summer at Luna Park Coney Island & Earn Free Rides for Good Grades

Note: Opinions expressed are 100% my own, were were given media passes for a day at the park and a gift bag. No other compensation was received. 

Growing up my parents didn't drive, so over the summer there were no joy rides to Long Island to hit up the beach or to Jersey for any carnival fun, nope there was no need for any of that when a day of care-free amusement was only a ride on the F train away.

My mom would take us every Summer to Coney Island, it was a family tradition that we always looked forward to once school was over.  I remember the anticipation building up as we'd feel the sun on our face when the train would reach the stops that passed by outdoor platforms and we'd get on our knees to catch a glimpse of the rides before reaching the last stop. We loved to stroll the boardwalk while we smiled at strangers dancing with each other to the latest beats, smelled the classic Nathans hot dogs that we just couldn't resist, listened to the rattling cyclone climb it's way to the top and watched other kids spin around on rides like the Himalayan until they were dizzy.

Seeing my two lil' monsters get just as excited as we pulled into the station really brought back memories for me. My 4 year old positioned himself on his knees only to shout "mommy look the ferris wheel" and both boys leaped out of their seats before the train even came to a halt and raced to the door. Can you blame them? Alongside other NYC family bloggers, we were invited out for a fun-filled Saturday to learn all about Luna Park's awesome offerings & to try out the exciting rides.

Just yesterday we celebrated my 4 year old's stepping up from Pre-K to Kindergarten, and with most Tri-state area students wrapping up school this week and next, it's pretty great that Luna Park is honoring students with good grades by having them earn free rides. On June 27th there will be a School's Out Celebration filled with cool activities for the entire family.

In the past when we've visited Luna Park we've purchased discounted deals on sites like Groupon and Living Social for credits to ride. But no worries if you haven't spotted any of those because I'd suggest the purchase of the $35 4- hour wristband which allows unlimited rides at Luna Park {Not including extreme rides or B&B carousel}. It's totally worth it because in the 4 hours you will definitely get to enjoy the rides a few times over, even on a busy day. And if you're looking to host a memorable birthday party they've got you covered with packages starting at $449.00 and Deluxe parties for $699.00 for up to 12 guests.

The Blogger kids could hardly contain their excitement as they patiently waited to jump-start the day on the B&B Carousel which features 50 beautifully hand carved wooden horses. My oldest CJ and I thought it was pretty cool that it's listed as one of 40 prehistoric properties in New York.

It was probably one of the best days ever, and such a care-free way to kick off summer. The kids raced from ride to ride laughing and smiling as us moms attempted to keep up. The photo a few pics above, of the kids on the boardwalk {taken by Denise of Boyzruleourworld} is my absolute favorite because it just showed how with maps in hand our kids were ready to explore the park and conquer the day.

With the countdown to summer vacation being  just a week away for kids in the 5 boroughs and officially kicked off for everyone else, we wholeheartedly recommend you take a visit to Brooklyn for a day of family fun. Here's a few upcoming events you won't want to miss:

Luna Park, Coney Island Events:

•  Friday Nights from June 18th - August 29th - Enjoy beautiful fireworks 
• Saturday June 20th -  The Mermaid Parade is a day filled with sun, fun and sand with floats and mermaids.
• Sunday June 21st - Celebrate Dad with thrill rides and racing & enter the sweepstakes in the park for a chance to win a new grill n tickets to see The Mets or Brooklyn Cyclones
• Friday, June 26th - Coney Island Cyclone celebrates 88 years.
• Saturday, June 27th - School's Out Celebration w/ Jake Miller FREE concert , face painting, Zumba, Super Soccer Stars and more. Remember to bring your report cards for up to 20 FREE credits!
•  Tuesday, June 30th - School's Out last day to redeem those report cards for FREE rides.

Keep up with all of Luna Park's thrilling fun by following on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
#LunaParkNYC 

Lil' Monsters in NYC: Summer Amusement at Coney Island & The NY Aquarium

We'd been planning for nearly a month, back and forth texting ideas, surfing the web for deals as the days got closer to the arrival of our cousins and their kids from Pennsylvania and decided that we should spend part of their brief 3 day trip at Coney Island's Luna Park & the NYC Aquarium. We loaded up the Joovy and City Mini strollers with snacks and gadgets for the train ride and had a blast.

When you don't have a car and live in any of the 5 boroughs sometimes to get to your destination it may require a 35+ stop train ride, like ours from Queens to Brooklyn {last stop on the F train}. Yet there was no complaining because it gave us a chance to catch up on what everyone had been doing. 

My parents don't get to join us on excursions around the city too often because their no-weekends off jobs don't really allow for it, so it was freakin' great to have them spend the quality time with us and the kids. My dad lives for these moments and will spend the day spoiling the lil' monsters who of course don't mind at all.

If you're hanging on the boardwalk at Coney Island it's an absolute must to pick up some food from Nathan's Famous Hot dogs, in my brother Jay's case the corn dog was his go-to choice.

After the kiddies woke up from their naps we decided to head over to the aquarium. If you ever decide to stop by the aquarium on a Friday like we did for their pay~ as~you~wish {suggested $5} admission after 3pm, I'd suggest you be on line at 2pm because there was a huge crowd. Luckily for us, we had a the NYC zoo's and aquarium family membership so we could skip to the front of the line. This membership has great benefits, I promise you it's worth it if you live in the city and visit these places often like our family of four because it pay's for itself in just a few trips. 

Everyone enjoyed watching the sea lion stunts and dancing to the music at the Aquariums theater show. Tristan applauded for everything and thought it was an opportunity to take a big bath.

Before we called it a day we decided to jump on a few more rides while the sun was shining. 

Jess and Leah had every planned out intention of flying through the air on the slingshot and somehow suckered my brother and I into braving this thrill ride. In between every flip and turn we managed to laugh and scream "this is awesome" and it was by far the most amazing thing I've ever experienced as far as rides go. I'd even go as far as saying I prefer the slingshot over any roller-coaster because it's over before you know it.  

We couldn't decide whether or not to by one of those unlimited ride wrist bands at Luna park for 4 hours at $24 during weekdays or to just pay per ride at about $3 each. We bought the bands and made sure the kids did at least 8 rides to get our money's worth {Tristan being under age was able to ride 4 of the rides with a paying adult at no cost} and we even lucked out when four other visitors passed off their wristbands to us when they were done riding {just a few more thoughtful New Yorkers}.

To say the least we had a great time, we spent about 3 hours on the rides, stuffing our faces and playing games. The kids rode quite a few times, so the wrist bands were beyond worth it. The only reason we called it a night around 9pm was because it started to rain and we had a long journey home. On Friday nights at 9:30 there's a firework show that we pal to check out in the future. With about 1 hour left on our wristbands we past them on to a few kids just entering, it only seemed right. 

Coney Island's Luna Park and the New York Aquarium are guaranteed good times, hope you enjoyed the pics!

Bunches of Xoxo's
                              Dellah