Longgang Children's Park: Red Flag! Don't Get Fleeced (My Unfiltered Review)
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Sure, no problem! This park sounds like a bit of a letdown. Let me rewrite this experience so that foreign friends can easily understand it while avoiding the pitfalls!
I've uncovered some unpleasant surprises at the Longgang Children's Park on my behalf, and I must share them with you all!
Recently, I saw many recommendations on some Chinese social apps (similar to your Instagram or TikTok) about a new children's park that recently opened in Longgang District, Shenzhen (one of Shenzhen's districts). It looked pretty fun, based on the facilities in the pictures.
Thinking of taking our children for fun and to experience a great day out, I arranged to meet up with a friend. Concerned about crowds during holidays, we even woke up early to get there.
However, we underestimated the situation! By 9:30 AM, there were already huge crowds at the park entrance (literally as many as mountains and seas), with ticket purchase lines stretching long.
After coming so far, we couldn't return empty-handed! So, all of us gritted our teeth to buy a 680 yuan RMB membership card. The card contains 238 game coins (like tokens used to play attractions), imagining that this would finally enable us to have a grand time!
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Pirate Ship Experience (Pure rip-off):
* Queue for half an hour.
* Ticket price: 39 RMB/person, members (that is, the type of membership we bought) priced at 29 RMB/person.
* Thrilling moment: We had barely prepared ourselves to experience the ship being rocked nearly at 90 degrees and not even shouted our first scream, when the ship stopped! I estimate it lasted about tens of seconds!
* Our two adults and three kids spent over 100 yuan (roughly around 15 US dollars), which was quite a blow. Ridiculous! -
Roller Coaster Experience (Queuing Two Hours, Thrills for Half a Minute):
* This project had the most people, as my children insisted on trying it out. So, we had to force ourselves to queue up to play.
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️ Important note: Queuing areas were extremely sunny, with no canopies for shading! We waited for nearly an hour and a half!
* Thrilling moment: It took 36 seconds to go all the way around! Another 29 RMB per person, and another 100 gone. I couldn't help but complain inwardly. -
The Park in the Afternoon (Crowded, Even Making it Hard to Use the Restroom):
* As it approached noon, crowds grew, so dense that you had to wait a good thirty minutes or more just to use the restroom!
* My friend and I immediately decided: Let's spend our remaining membership card balance before exiting the park and never come back again ever! -
Other Activities and Conclusion (Out of Money, Not All Projects Played):
* Other projects that we played afterwards also concluded in about one minute or less each; our game coins were quickly depleted, yet many attractions remained untouched.
* Later, children chose to play at free facilities that didn’t require machine operation, however, the “Fairy Forest” area happened to be closed, preventing amusement.
* After a whole day's hustle and bustle, we adults collapsed from exhaustion, and we felt short-changed (as if we had become fodder for the "cutting"). -
Sincere Advice and Warning:
- Honestly, if it’s just the motive games that you want to play (like pirate ships and roller coasters), Shenzhen or other cities have many options, likely at better prices, with shorter lines.
- The non-machine operated facilities (free-of-charge) are okay, but:
- ️ Important warning: Never visit during holidays or peak hours. The crowd will make your experience terrible!
- ️ Note: Children especially bear the brunt. While big children run around crazily, smaller ones are prone to being pushed or tripped over. We saw police cars arrive there; we’re unsure whether it was because parents reported a lost child. Do watch your children closely!
These are my sincere experiences, and pictures attached don't have filters added (unbeautified pictures). I hope they serve the purpose of alerting friends headed there and encouraging them to think twice before heading over.
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I've fallen into this trap: the money you load onto the card actually has an expiration date. No refunds when you return the card, and the balance gets wiped out upon expiry.
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Wow, can they really get away with that?!
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Go for the Ferris wheel (
). One rotation lasts over ten minutes, so it's better value for money. -
A friend told me that if you're going for the surrounding views, you'd be better off riding a Ferris wheel in the Greater Bay Area.
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We went today and mostly stuck to the unpowered play areas. It wasn't too crowded, and my child had a blast.
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You were really lucky then! We went yesterday, and in the unpowered play area, there was nowhere for parents to sit. We had to just sit on rocks at the bottom of the hill waiting for our kids. It was awful.
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Strongly advise against going.
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Oh, how can I borrow it? I'm planning to go on May 2nd.
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We live nearby and often take our kid to the unpowered play areas. Sometimes we even pop over for a bit of fun after dinner.
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So jealous!
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The rollercoaster really isn't worth it. Kids can't even ride alone, and you're off before your seat even gets warm – it's about 40 seconds. Definitely not recommended. If it did two laps, it might just be acceptable.
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A classmate's mom filmed the entire ride. From boarding to arrival, it was exactly 36 seconds.
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You can borrow my card if you like. It's expiring soon, and my kid is under 1 meter tall, so there's a lot they can't do on it anyway.
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Hi there! I'd like to borrow it. How does that work?
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We went yesterday – it's not great value for money. The Ferris wheel is 99 yuan per person, so that's nearly 300 for a family of three. It's not really worth it unless you top up a card, but then there's no point topping up if you don't visit often. Plus, the free attractions aren't even open yet.
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When I went during Chinese New Year, the Ferris wheel was 158 yuan per person, and you had to buy tickets a day in advance just to get on!
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Do you have to pay if you only want to use the unpowered facilities?
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The unpowered ones are free.