Aquatica Questions

[squirrel]

I see that Aquatica offers an all-day dining deal at one restaurant, does anyone think it's a good deal?

It looks like you can't bring in much food from outside. Anyone know what prices are like for food?

How much are locker rentals and towel rentals?

Are lifejackets provided or is there a charge for them?

Any tips or other information that you have will be appreciated.

 

[Jessica0711]

I have annual passes to SeaWorld/Aquatica and have never gotten the all-day dining meal. I figured that it would be worth it if I were planning on eating two meals while at Aquatica. We don't stay very long when we go so I don't feel it would be a good deal for me.

Snacks can run anywhere from $4 for a 3-pack of cookies to $10 for chicken tenders.

We forgot our towels at home last time and had to rent - $5/each. We rented a locker the first time we went, I can't remember exactly how much it was but a portion of it was refundable.

They have life jackets everywhere around the park and they are free!

I hope that helped!

 

[squirrel]

Thanks! I'm planning two weeks of fun with my niece next year but she will be 10 so an adult for tickets and food plans. Lots of planning since I haven't been to Aquatica, Bush Gardens or IoA before.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

My trip report from August 2014 included several photos and a full write up of the all day dining plan at Aquatica, if you would like to check it out. You can find it here:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/su...-summertime-sabbatical-at-svr.3303855/page-31

...and the all day dining pics are featured in post 611.

Your other option for food is the Waterstone Grill. We have also eaten there on past Aquatica trips, and the Waterstone Grill is a nicer dining option than the Banana Beach Buffet. Its less chaotic, you can take your food out of the dining area and back to your beach chair or cabana, and the food itself is better quality (though still Quick Service....definitely not fine dining any way you slice it). But, its generally a little more expensive than the buffet unless you don't plan to eat more than one meail while you're at the park. Banana Beach Buffet is a better "value" (all you can eat all day long), but Waterstone Grill has a nicer atmosphere and better food.

If you are considering locker rentals:

http://aquaticabyseaworld.com/en/orlando/park-info/know-before-you-go/?m=1

Lockers
Self Service ALL-Day rental for a small locker is $10 and large locker is $15. Three Self Service Rentals are located throughout the park: by IHU Breakaway Falls next to Kata's Kookaburra Cove, near Walkabout Waters across from Adaptations gift shop and at our Main Locker location across from Kiwi Traders gift shop. Picnic lockers are available at the front gate and must be rented from a ticket booth. Picnic lockers are also ALL-Day access and are $20 + a $10 key deposit. Prices are subject to change; please check park for updates.

....and towel rentals (quoted by Jessica as $5 each), I would suggest you also price out a cabana rental. It comes with a supply of rental towels (6 or 8), a large locker inside your cabana PLUS 12 bottles of Dasani water, your own fridge in the cabana, and the private space for the day. You also get 20% off in park purchases on the day of your rental (souvenirs, photos, etc.). Some of the November and December cabanas are only $49, so when you factor in the price you would already pay for a locker rental and towels, and your supply of waters for the day, the cabana would be almost be free (and they are sooooo nice to have.....the best splurge ever).

Aquatica is a great park, our favourite waterpark in Orlando (just a smidge ahead of Typhoon Lagoon for us....it edges into first place for Roa's Rapids and their affordable cabanas). I am sure you will love it!

 

[squirrel]

Thanks!

Found a few more questions. Can you get free ice water like at Disney and US? Do you recall if there were chicken breasts available at the buffet? If not, then it's probably not worth paying for the all-day dining for me to eat pizza and corn.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks!

Found a few more questions. Can you get free ice water like at Disney and US? Do you recall if there were chicken breasts available at the buffet? If not, then it's probably not worth paying for the all-day dining for me to eat pizza and corn.

Chicken breasts, no. Barbecued chicken legs, yes.

I don't know about the free water.....we have always had a cabana which comes with the 12 bottles. They do have a refillable cup/sports bottle program which is quite affordable.

 

[Jessica0711]

We have the refillable bottle that we bought from SeaWorld. They do not charge us for ice water when we go to get refills, we do have to pay for soda or Powerade.

 

[squirrel]

Thanks!

 

[NorthshoreTigerFan]

We spent two full days at Aquatica earlier this year, one day we got the all day dining and the other day we didn't. The food at the buffet is just ok, nothing special. Gina's recap and pictures in her review that she linked are spot on. But one thing that we enjoyed with it was when we walked by the restaurant we usually stopped in for a cookie, soda, or water.

Economically, if you plan to pay for 2 meals (or one meal and a couple of snacks) at the park then it makes fiscal sense. If the menu turns you off, then the decision is an easy one. For us, we had 3 kids so they were perfectly fine to munch on pizza, chicken legs, mac-n-cheese and salad all day so it worked for us.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

We also do a cabana and the all day dining. The cabanas at Roa's Rapids is close to the Buffet, which I refer to as a drink buffet. Food is average at best, I make sure I eat well the day before and after, but is nice to stop in for an Arnold Palmer about 10 times a day...well, maybe more like 6 or 7, but it pays for itself that way.

 

[squirrel]

The problem is my niece turns 10 before we arrive so we have to pay for two adults if we do the all day dining. I think it would be cheaper for us to do lunch and a snack or two and then have dinner outside the park. Wish they would do a junior rate for the dining, I know some 10 yr olds could eat as much as an adult. But I don't eat that much in one sitting and neither does she.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The Banana Beach Buffet has been offered at a discount on previous Blue Friday sales (held annually on Black Friday). It might be worth keeping an eye out to see if its featured again in 2015.

 

[scdak]

In addition to what others have listed for food at Banana Beach there were hotdogs, pulled pork BBQ, a couple of desserts plus cookies, meatballs in marinara sauce. I second Gina Gina Bo Bina's suggestion for a cabana - its money well spent! We choose to pay the higher price for one near Roa's Rapids and we had #13, the first one over the bridge near Banana Beach Buffet - it was great to walk over and grab soda's often! Roa Rapids are AWESOME by the way, we couldn't get enough of it!

 

[scdak]

OP - not sure when you are going but we were told that they were planning on adding breakfast to the Banana Beach Buffet "within the next few months" on days that the park opens at 9am. I will say that currently the buffet opens at 10:30 and stops serving at 4:30pm even though the park was open from 10am to 5pm.

 

[squirrel]

September is when we are going, doing US/IOA (Cabana Bay) starting on the 4th and we will switch hotels on the 13th (haven't booked yet). How early do you need to book a cabana? Do you get a discount on the buffet with the cabana rental?

The plan is to stay at a SeaWorld partner hotel with a free breakfast. Since I started looking a few weeks ago the price has increased about $40 a night.

 

[squirrel]

How early do I need to book a Cabana? We don't have our exact dates, just a week that we can do the three other parks-Bush Gardens, Sea World and Aquatica.

Do we get bracelets or something with the all day buffet? If so, do we have to go to the restaurant to get them or do we get them at the same time as we enter the park?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

How early do I need to book a Cabana? We don't have our exact dates, just a week that we can do the three other parks-Bush Gardens, Sea World and Aquatica.

Do we get bracelets or something with the all day buffet? If so, do we have to go to the restaurant to get them or do we get them at the same time as we enter the park?

You can book a cabana as late as the day-of, as long as there is availability. That's always the biggest concern....how soon will they sell out?

Yes, you do get bracelets for the Banana Beach Buffet . We got ours at Guest Services when we checked in for our cabana (we had pre-purchased our dining vouchers before our trip), but you can also purchase them at the restaurant.