Hello all,
I wanted to let you know that we finally went to Aquatica this past Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We thought it was great!
The other bonus, there are so many people of all different sizes and shapes that I felt less self conscious than I normally do in any bathing suit situation
The park was clean, well kept, and the staff were very helpful. Lifegaurds everywhere. It did close for capcity on Saturday and Sunday around 10:30 a.m. We arrived early, usually by 8:00, and they let us in and we could start riding the slides early - NO lines!! By 9:15 the lines had started building at all the water slides. Roas Rapids didn't open until 9:00 on the dot. Same for the wave pools and the lazy river (don't remember the actual name for it).
Roas rapids was our all time favorite at the park. It's swift moving, but for non-swimmers or weaker swimmers, the water is only about 3 - 4 feet so you can just stand up at any given time if need be. I tried using the life vest but it rode up around my ears and was uncomfy, so I just went without and was very happy with that. Our boys, 8 and 12, went on ahead of us because they flew through it. We just set a meeting place (each entry area has a color) that they knew to look for us. They had strict instructions that they could not get out for any reason unless they had us in their sights! It worked. At the entry areas on Roas the current is very swift and just kinda pulls you in. It's surprising the first couple of times. Even when it was crowded in the river everyone was very pleasant. I bumped in to people a couple of times and just apologized and was happy to get a "no problem" in return. It was pure fun for me! But... I love to swim - maybe it wouldn't be that great for non-swimmers. (side note: there are life vests all over the sides as the day progresses, so if you decide you want one you can just grab it as you sail by!)
The wave pool was a little deceptive in that it is flat until a clock at the back of the pool counts down every 12 minutes. My 8 year old went out as far as he could touch - almost to the back of the pool where the waves come out. When the waves started they were pretty big and the undercurrent keeps you out in the deep and actually pulls you towards the back. I think if I wouldn't have went out and helped him over the waves and pulled him back towards shore some that he could have gotten in trouble quickly. The waves come back to back quickly. It was fun too. You actually enter the wave pool through a sandy beach with lots of sunbathers and umbrellas, etc. Neat atmosphere.
The Dolphin Plunge was fun but you have to really be ready for the clear tube section to see a dolphin. They are in there, but I was going too fast to really focus the first time! When you go a second or third time you can be a little more prepared to see them. Also - if you want to see them you need to be in the tube on the left side. If you get to the park early you can ride this many times in a row because there will be no lines - YET! It builds very quickly.
Tassies Twisters we affectionately call the toilet bowl! It was decievingly fast and our 8 yo did NOT like it at all. With that said, there were little ones who were laughing and having a ball. You can ride with a partner on a double tube or ride by yourself. My husband and I each rode with one son each - and maybe it was the weight of a two-person tube, but we flew! Once you get to the "drain" it slows to the point of a crawl. I liked this one, but was surprised at how fast it was.
Taumata Racer - only my 12 yo and I went on this one. They line you up across the top and then give you the "ready, set, go". It was fun, but again, fast. The drop about left my stomach behind so I just clenched my eyes and thought about the fact that every other person had survived - so will I!
Walkabout Waters - I thought this was just for kids, but oh my goodness we had some fun at this place! This is where everyone here on the dis boards was talking about squirting people and dumping water on them. For some reason I took pure delight in doing this to unsuspecting people! My husband and I were laughing so hard that our sides hurt. The thing is, we got squirted and dumped on plenty too. Everyone seems to have a really good attitude about it and that's what helps make it so fun. Our boys loved this one. This was our 8 yo's favorite part of the park.
Loggerhead Lane - aka lazy river. I couldn't last in this more than 5 minutes. It was crowded and s-l-o-w. After Roa's Rapids it's like watching turtles race (hence the name 'Loggerhead' I guess!) For some reason, this 'ride' was so crowded. Wall to wall tubes. This was my least favorite ride at the park.
Walhalla Wave - the family sits in a tube and goes spinning through. Great fun - it looked like. Only my dh and 12 yo got to ride this. My 8 yo refused so we sat it out. They said it was great but pitch black inside. My husband said that he kept feeling like they were going to be dropped down like a roller coaster, but it didn't!
That's all the rides that I can think of right now. The food was just o.k. We didn't do the all you can eat thing because we knew we wouldn't last a whole day in the park to get our money's worth.
While there we didn't do any night swimming because it stormed every night. Another thought just popped in my head: Lockers. Get one early or you will have to wait in a long line with no shade to get one. If you leave early you still have to wait in the same hot line to return your key to get your $5 deposit back. Our third day they actually opened a return lane that was much faster.
Overall, we loved it! Very refreshing. Wear sunscreen and plenty of it! Get a shady spot early if you are there for sunbathing.
I wanted to let you know that we finally went to Aquatica this past Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We thought it was great!
The other bonus, there are so many people of all different sizes and shapes that I felt less self conscious than I normally do in any bathing suit situation
The park was clean, well kept, and the staff were very helpful. Lifegaurds everywhere. It did close for capcity on Saturday and Sunday around 10:30 a.m. We arrived early, usually by 8:00, and they let us in and we could start riding the slides early - NO lines!! By 9:15 the lines had started building at all the water slides. Roas Rapids didn't open until 9:00 on the dot. Same for the wave pools and the lazy river (don't remember the actual name for it).
Roas rapids was our all time favorite at the park. It's swift moving, but for non-swimmers or weaker swimmers, the water is only about 3 - 4 feet so you can just stand up at any given time if need be. I tried using the life vest but it rode up around my ears and was uncomfy, so I just went without and was very happy with that. Our boys, 8 and 12, went on ahead of us because they flew through it. We just set a meeting place (each entry area has a color) that they knew to look for us. They had strict instructions that they could not get out for any reason unless they had us in their sights! It worked. At the entry areas on Roas the current is very swift and just kinda pulls you in. It's surprising the first couple of times. Even when it was crowded in the river everyone was very pleasant. I bumped in to people a couple of times and just apologized and was happy to get a "no problem" in return. It was pure fun for me! But... I love to swim - maybe it wouldn't be that great for non-swimmers. (side note: there are life vests all over the sides as the day progresses, so if you decide you want one you can just grab it as you sail by!)
The wave pool was a little deceptive in that it is flat until a clock at the back of the pool counts down every 12 minutes. My 8 year old went out as far as he could touch - almost to the back of the pool where the waves come out. When the waves started they were pretty big and the undercurrent keeps you out in the deep and actually pulls you towards the back. I think if I wouldn't have went out and helped him over the waves and pulled him back towards shore some that he could have gotten in trouble quickly. The waves come back to back quickly. It was fun too. You actually enter the wave pool through a sandy beach with lots of sunbathers and umbrellas, etc. Neat atmosphere.
The Dolphin Plunge was fun but you have to really be ready for the clear tube section to see a dolphin. They are in there, but I was going too fast to really focus the first time! When you go a second or third time you can be a little more prepared to see them. Also - if you want to see them you need to be in the tube on the left side. If you get to the park early you can ride this many times in a row because there will be no lines - YET! It builds very quickly.
Tassies Twisters we affectionately call the toilet bowl! It was decievingly fast and our 8 yo did NOT like it at all. With that said, there were little ones who were laughing and having a ball. You can ride with a partner on a double tube or ride by yourself. My husband and I each rode with one son each - and maybe it was the weight of a two-person tube, but we flew! Once you get to the "drain" it slows to the point of a crawl. I liked this one, but was surprised at how fast it was.
Taumata Racer - only my 12 yo and I went on this one. They line you up across the top and then give you the "ready, set, go". It was fun, but again, fast. The drop about left my stomach behind so I just clenched my eyes and thought about the fact that every other person had survived - so will I!
Walkabout Waters - I thought this was just for kids, but oh my goodness we had some fun at this place! This is where everyone here on the dis boards was talking about squirting people and dumping water on them. For some reason I took pure delight in doing this to unsuspecting people! My husband and I were laughing so hard that our sides hurt. The thing is, we got squirted and dumped on plenty too. Everyone seems to have a really good attitude about it and that's what helps make it so fun. Our boys loved this one. This was our 8 yo's favorite part of the park.
Loggerhead Lane - aka lazy river. I couldn't last in this more than 5 minutes. It was crowded and s-l-o-w. After Roa's Rapids it's like watching turtles race (hence the name 'Loggerhead' I guess!) For some reason, this 'ride' was so crowded. Wall to wall tubes. This was my least favorite ride at the park.
Walhalla Wave - the family sits in a tube and goes spinning through. Great fun - it looked like. Only my dh and 12 yo got to ride this. My 8 yo refused so we sat it out. They said it was great but pitch black inside. My husband said that he kept feeling like they were going to be dropped down like a roller coaster, but it didn't!
That's all the rides that I can think of right now. The food was just o.k. We didn't do the all you can eat thing because we knew we wouldn't last a whole day in the park to get our money's worth.
While there we didn't do any night swimming because it stormed every night. Another thought just popped in my head: Lockers. Get one early or you will have to wait in a long line with no shade to get one. If you leave early you still have to wait in the same hot line to return your key to get your $5 deposit back. Our third day they actually opened a return lane that was much faster.
Overall, we loved it! Very refreshing. Wear sunscreen and plenty of it! Get a shady spot early if you are there for sunbathing.
