A few questions about DC, and Aquatica

[brightspark]

Hi everyone, we are visiting Orlando in August. Ds1 will be just 5 and Ds2 will be almost 1. We are doing 10 days in WDW and will do Blizzard beach and Typhoon lagoon, and then we are heading over to the Sea World area for 6 days (DS1 is sea creature CRAZY).

We know he is too young to swim with dolphins , but we plan on doing a day at Discovery Cove anyway as he is so keen on coral reefs etc. This gives us 14 days unlimited entrance to sea world and aquatica I believe (that is right with standard entry isn't it?)

Anyway I spotted the cabana option at Aquatica and am wondering if it is worth it. It sounds lovely, with fans and shade esp for my 1 year old, but we won't have that option at TL or BB, so I'm wondering if it is really worth the extra money? Are there other places with shade if we don't get one? Are there loungers around for free without having to pay for them at Roas place (sorry if that's not the right name,I've forgotten it). At TL there are free loungers etc all over the place, assuming you get there early enough to grab one!

Also when I've been checking availability of the 2 places, if I put a day at DC in my basket, it then only lets me have options for a cabana at Aquatica on the same day!!! Is this normal? It releases all the other options once I remove the DC booking from my basket. Seems weird!

Are the kiddie areas at aquatica any good?

Thanks for the help

BS

 

[Danielle3699]

We just came back from a similar trip. We have been to Aquatica twice, once without a cabana and this time, with a cabana. The first time we went, Aquatica was so crowded that we could not even find lounge chairs. There are a lot of chairs and many under large umbrellas, but on busy days, unless you get there early, they are mostly taken. This time, we got the cabana, but the weather was a little chilly and overcast with rain pending, so Aquatica wasn't busy at all. So there were tons of empty chairs everywhere and we really didn't need the cabana. If you are going in August, I would assume it'd be busy then, and I'd definitely go for the cabana. If you are having trouble reserving it online, you can call and reserve it for the day you want. Incidentally, you can cancel and get a full refund within 24 hours of your reservation. I should have done this the day before when I saw the weather forecast!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

If you don't reserve a cabana, there are a selection of lounge chairs and umbrellas on the sand beach that spans the two wave pools:

If you get to the park at opening, you should have no problem getting a chair with some shade. Arrive later, and while you might get yourself a chair with no problem, an umbrella might be much more difficult.

I am a big fan of the cabanas. We have rented one for both of our August visits, as well as for our Christmas Eve Day visit. We love having a private space to call our own. We love that only cabana guests get access to that particular area, and that its monitored by an AQ staff member. We love having a locker in the cabana (and not having to jostle around in the general locker area every time we need something). We love having our own fridge (with cold drinks at hand). We love having a place to have an afternoon siesta out of the sun. We love being able to change in the cabana rather than in the washrooms. And we have always found it to be a good value. When you factor in that the cabanas include your locker rental, towel rental, and 12 bottles of Dasani water, the cost of the actual cabana is minimal. Plus you get 20% off all merchandise in the gift shops.

Some pics:

If you want to have a place to get out of the sun and enjoy a little quiet time, a cabana is a great splurge.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Whoops, missed your question on the kiddie areas.

There are two areas for the tots at Aquatica. One is designed for the very youngest guests:

And there is a separate, HUGE interactive play area for little ones and their families:

You can all enjoy Roa's Rapids as a family. Its a tubeless lazy river with a very fast current. Be sure you all wear life jackets (even the parents!) and hang on tightly to each other, and you will have a blast.

If you decide to book a cabana for your AQ day, and can't make the transaction work while trying to purchase your DC tickets, you can always make the reservations in two separate transactions. Or call the toll-free line and a SW parks staff member can do it all up for you .

 

[Danielle3699]

Gina,we had the same cabana you stayed in!!!!

 

[brightspark]

Oh WOW!!!! I am so excited to be visiting now that I have seen those photos! DH has said that we can book a cabana so I will be doing that! The kids areas look awesome! With the 2 little ones, it's mainly about them, and just enjoying time together as a family and that all looks perfect!

Thanks so much for sharing, and for the tip about being able to cancel the cabana too!

Only drawback will be if we have a cabana for one day and then decide to go again.. we definitely won't be able to pay for a second one!

Do you all rate this park higher than BB or TL? Or am I not allowed to ask that question here?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina,we had the same cabana you stayed in!!!!

We loved the Uluwatu cabana area!!! So pretty and so private .

Only drawback will be if we have a cabana for one day and then decide to go again.. we definitely won't be able to pay for a second one!

Do you all rate this park higher than BB or TL? Or am I not allowed to ask that question here?

Glad the photos were helpful .

When we were there in August 2012, they offered us a discount on a second cabana rental for an upcoming visit within a 7 day (or maybe 14 day?) period if you reserved the day of your first visit. The discount was pretty good....I am thinking 20 or 25%?....so maybe that will help you find the extra in the budget. Fingers crossed .

You are more than welcome to ask about the comparison of Aquatica vs. the Disney parks. We are very friendly here....no tomato throwing, we promise!! But unfortunately, I can't help on that question as we have yet to visit either Disney waterpark (this summer will change that, God willing!). Hopefully others will chime in with their feedback.

 

[mjohnson96]

I have been to TL and Aquatica and I prefer Aquatica over the WDW parks. I just like the theming better

The kids areas are wonderful! Only thing to note on the bigger kids area it is easy to have kids get lost in there. I make sure DD wears something bright so I can make sure to look for that color if we get seperated.

We got a cabana last year at AQ and it was a very good investment, you can always add the cabana on after you purchase your tickets through DC though. It might be thinking you want a cabana at DC (which I would suggest).

Because of the Cabana we ended up staying from open to close, oldest DD was able to stay with my BIL and his family while I stayed back in the cabana with the little one as she napped.

 

[brightspark]

Gina, thank you that's helpful re a second day discount on the cabana.. we have 5 days to share between sea world, aquatica and DC... so if it's fab we might want to go back!

Mjohnson, ooh interesting that you like it better than TL. I prefer TL over BB, so I'm interested to see the difference between that and Aquatica. I love the photos of the kids area, but yes I can imagine it would be easy for DS to get lost, although he doesn't like being separated so he may not wander too far. Can parents go in the structures with their kids? I was assuming we could...

I didn't realise we could get a Cabana at DC... I didn't see an option for that when looking at the booking page... how do I go about doing that? If I get too confused I will have to phone them. I wonder if they get booked up ages in advance? I guess not if there is a discount for another one booked in a 7 day period...

Thanks for all these tips x

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Can parents go in the structures with their kids? I was assuming we could...

I didn't realise we could get a Cabana at DC... I didn't see an option for that when looking at the booking page... how do I go about doing that? If I get too confused I will have to phone them. I wonder if they get booked up ages in advance? I guess not if there is a discount for another one booked in a 7 day period...

Parents can definitely go on the Walkabout Waters play structure with the kiddos.

Cabanas at DC are available to reserve one or two ways: as part of a package or as a cabana-only. If you want to reserve more than a cabana more than three weeks in advance of your visit date, then it must be done with a package. Any cabanas not reserved with a package for any particular date are then released for stand-alone reservations.

So.....for example, let's say we had a reservation for May 22nd. If we wanted to book a cabana NOW to ensure we get one, we'd have to book it as part of a package (which would include the cabana rental plus other goodies, like a sling bag, stuffed toy, dolphin buoy, photo package discount, etc., depending on what package you select). Otherwise, we would have to take our chances and wait until May 1st, when we could book a cabana for the 22nd if any still remain. If not, you're out of luck.

Stand-alone cabanas are $175 per day. Packages are $229 (the celebration package + cabana) or $329 (the elite package), with details of their inclusions found here:

http://www.discoverycove.ca/Plan/PackageDetail.aspx?id=681

The discount for a second cabana rented in a 7-day period is at Aquatica, not DC.

Here are some pics of the DC cabanas:

Some of the inclusions of the celebration package from August 2012 (they have changed the packages a bit since then):

Clear as mud, right . Let me know if you have any other questions!