Like any longtime Las Vegan, I eagerly anticipated the opening of Wet ’n’ Wild. I couldn’t wait to cross the gates and see how the new water park would compare to the one from my childhood summers.

But weekend after weekend, I didn’t go. All of a sudden, September was here—and just last week the seasonal closure announcement came.

I refused to let a day at Wet ’n’ Wild escape me, though—so two friends and I set out for the park this past Saturday, suited up and ready to get our feet (and everything else) wet. It was a great day to discover Wet ’n’ Wild. The cool, fall air kept crowds away (one reason I avoided attending early on), and while the water was a bit chilly, it wasn’t unpleasant.

I had heard mixed reviews of the park from friends and acquaintances—that its size disappointed (it did), that the wave pool was extremely small (it was), but that it was also much cleaner than the previous incarnation (a major bonus) and that new amenities made the experience more enjoyable (floats in the lazy river and Disneyland-esque “fast passes”).

After a day of slipping and sliding down nearly all the rides (the park’s answer to Der Stuka, the Canyon Cliffs, fazed me yet again), I can confidently say that Wet ’n’ Wild deserves a day during summer 2014. Improvements will be made during the offseason, too, so there might be even more reason to go next season.

And those Canyon Cliffs? Come next spring, they’re mine.