Aquatica questions-first time!

[sweetiee]

Our daughter has requested a trip to Aquatica for her birthday coming up. We have been annual passholders at SW for 3 years but never been to Aq. I have many questions but don't see much here in the forums. From reading, I do know I need to be there early to get a shady area for my sunburned prone skin. How early? 30 minutes early or more?
Also, can we get free parking with our sw passes?
Is the all you can eat buffet worth the price? I see it is $18 for adults. Is it worth that? I wouldn't think we would want to eat much with the heat but we were thinking it would be worth it for the all you can drink soda and water. We usually bring insulated mugs so I could keep our drinks filled.
Any other hints/ tips that I need to know? Will we be able to fill a whole day there if we arrive early at opening? Our kids are 6 & 10. Do kids have to wear life vests?
Thanks!

 

[kirstenb1]

We've been there several times on weekdays in summer. We didn't need to arrive early to get a shady spot---there were lots of them available. I can't speak to the meal plan, sorry.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Our daughter has requested a trip to Aquatica for her birthday coming up. We have been annual passholders at SW for 3 years but never been to Aq. I have many questions but don't see much here in the forums. From reading, I do know I need to be there early to get a shady area for my sunburned prone skin. How early? 30 minutes early or more?
Also, can we get free parking with our sw passes?
Is the all you can eat buffet worth the price? I see it is $18 for adults. Is it worth that? I wouldn't think we would want to eat much with the heat but we were thinking it would be worth it for the all you can drink soda and water. We usually bring insulated mugs so I could keep our drinks filled.
Any other hints/ tips that I need to know? Will we be able to fill a whole day there if we arrive early at opening? Our kids are 6 & 10. Do kids have to wear life vests?
Thanks!

You would only get free parking if you had an AP that included Aquatica. If your AP is only for SW, then you would have to pay for parking.

I would be there 15 minutes or so before park opening in order to get chairs under the big umbrellas (and a closer parking spot). I dont think there would be any need to be much earlier.

The food at the Waterstone Grill is much better quality than the food at the buffet (not that the buffet food is bad....but, its buffet food). That said, the Banana Beach Buffet is a better overall value for larger or more frequent eaters. We have eaten at both and enjoyed both for different reasons.

You can definitely fill a whole day, there is tons to do and the park is so much fun. Kids dont have to wear life vests that I know of but there are tons provided if they want to. The exception to that might be Roas Rapids....but IMHO even adults should wear one of the floatation devices provided at Roas in order to enjoy it to the fullest.

 

[greenclan67]

Just wanted to add even if you dont have an Aquatica pass you can park for free at Seaworld with your annual pass and take the free shuttle from Seaworld to Aquatica. We have done this many times.
At Seaworld park and walk on the side walk past the park. Follow it down to the end. On the right you will see benches with roofs on them. The free shuttle runs continiously. It is only 5 mins back and forth. When you leave Aquatic walk out to the parking lot the tram will be out side there waiting.

 

[mjhtvchick]

We have visited Aquatica during our last two trips to Orlando and are planning to go again next May during our visit.
We absolutely love it there! Roas Rapids is our favorite!
As far as I know you only "have" to wear a life vest on Roas Rapids but there are stations with various sizes scattered all throughout the park.
I can't really speak to the food, even though we did eat there - we didn't want to waste any time at a sit down meal, so we just grabbed sandwiches from the takeaway place and ate them at our cabana...which brings me to my biggest piece of advice...
Rent a cabana! We didn't the first time we went but did the last time and honestly, it was probably the best money we spent on our entire trip! If you are planning to rent towels and a locker, they are included, as are two loungers and two (maybe 4) other chairs. There is a ceiling fan in the cabana as well as shade curtains. They also include 12 bottles of water and a refrigerator.
Now having said all of that, it does seem that they have increased the rental cost since our last visit so you will have to evaluate whether or not it is worth it to you but I do believe that AP-holders get a discount.

Have fun!

 

[sweetiee]

Thanks all for the advice! We are staying at one of the seaworld hotels that I love, Springhill, so we will have the shuttle option to avoid paying parking fees. It's probably even close enough to walk!
It sounds like the buffet might not be a good option. I'm wondering, could my hubby buy the all you can eat and us all buy as we go from other places? I'm thinking I'll bring a couple of insulated bottles to fill with ice water at the restaurant. We also have a Seaworld refillable mug and I'm assuming we can get the 99cent refills here also.
We are looking forward to our trip. Thanks for helping out in some decisions!

 

[greenclan67]

Thanks all for the advice! We are staying at one of the seaworld hotels that I love, Springhill, so we will have the shuttle option to avoid paying parking fees. It's probably even close enough to walk!
It sounds like the buffet might not be a good option. I'm wondering, could my hubby buy the all you can eat and us all buy as we go from other places? I'm thinking I'll bring a couple of insulated bottles to fill with ice water at the restaurant. We also have a Seaworld refillable mug and I'm assuming we can get the 99cent refills here also.
We are looking forward to our trip. Thanks for helping out in some decisions!

That's what we do, bring our refillable cups, and when I get them filled, they have churros, hot pretzels, hot dogs, chips and so on. I feed everyone good before I leave. Throw my cups in, and bring a few apples/bananas with me. I put them at the bottom of my bag, but have never had a problem with bringing them in. Also, the meals are so big at the grill, that if we do eat, the 4 of us share. The sandwiches are huge. Have a good one.