Aquatica vs. Disney Water Parks

ShelsGoingToDisney

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 18, 2005
Messages
1,658
Is there anyone who has been to the Disney water parks and Aquatica who can give me an opinion?

We are heading to FL for the July 8th space shuttle launch. I am thinking of heading over to Orlando for a day during the following week and I'm looking at the 2 Disney water parks or Aquatica. My oldest is 11 and youngest is 6 and he's about 49" so he is above that coveted 48" mark but he's a bit of a chicken too. He just started going down the waterslide at the fitness center pool.

We've been to WDW many times but never have we done a water park. I am just wondering which of the 3 parks would be best for our family? From the website Typhoon Lagoon looks cooler than Blizzard Beach. Aquatica looks very cool too!

Any experts out there with advice? :confused:
 
Typhoon Lagoon: Nice lush waterpark with lots of trees and shade.Waterslides are pretty mediocre with the exception of Crush n Gusher the only watercoaster in Florida.They have the shark reef where you snorkel with small sharks,it's cool to do a couple of times but the water is freezing.They have a huge wavepool but it's different from other wavepools in that it's just a huge wave that comes in intervals versus consistent waves that last for 10 minutes or so before they stop.Very good lazy river and beach areas.Kids area is OK but not great in my opinion.

Blizzard Beach:Has more thrilling waterslides and an excellent family raft ride.Park has a lot of trees but not as shady as TL.Wavepool is mediocre but still fun.Good lazy river but there are areas that water falls on you that's freezing like in the cave.Kids areas again are OK but not great.I don't like the way the slides are set up as they're all located in the mountain so it just gets boring having to continuosly go up the same couple of stairs which gets boring or possibly wait in line for the chairlift which still only gives you access to a couple of the slides.Both Disney waterparks are big and both have limited shopping and dining options.

Aquatica: Right now this is my favorite of the Orlando waterparks as it has a nice South Pacific theme,not as lush as the Disney parks with more palm trees.The slides are good,definitely better than TL but probably not quite as good as BB.I like the way the whole park is layer out,it has two very good wavepools and a fast lazy river which is one of the coolest things at any of the three parks.You put on a life vest and float along at a much faster speed that any lazy river out there.They also have a slow lazy river that they integrated with the line for their bowl waterslides,this is one thing they did mess up as it's confusing as you have two lines,one is for the tubes to use on the lazy river and the other is for the slides for the bowls.The dolphin slide is cool but don't expect to see the dolphins in the clear tube as you slide through.This park also has two kids areas better than the Disney parks,the big kids play area is even fun for adults.This park also beats both Disney parks in dining and shopping choices available.The Disney parks are big and nice but for me this one seems more balanced.
 
as I have not been to the Disney waterparks...we WOULD like to go soon...but my whole family LOVES Aquatica! It is great fun. It is not a huge park, and I love the compact layout!
 
Thanks for your replies! It is so much better getting opinions from real people rather than trying to figure it all out based on the marketing of the websites!

I was actually leaning more towards Aquatica and just do the 2 day pass and go to Seaworld too if time permits. I hate the thought of going to FL and not setting foot on WDW property though!;)
 

I would also go with Aquatica, we were there last year and wish we could have stayed longer. The kids areas are amazing and can be easy to lose a kid in the older kids area since it is so vast.

My sister went this year and they got there early and said that the Dolphin pluge was a little boring, but cool going through the dolphin tank :)
 
another vote here for Aquatica! We loved Roa's Rapids! That is the not soo lazy river a previous poster mentioned. Last time I checked they had the adult tix for the price of a child online. Not sure if that is the case. My hubby only had one request (now 2) for our october trip and it's a trip to Aquatica.
 
another vote here for Aquatica! We loved Roa's Rapids! That is the not soo lazy river a previous poster mentioned. Last time I checked they had the adult tix for the price of a child online. Not sure if that is the case. My hubby only had one request (now 2) for our october trip and it's a trip to Aquatica.

I just visited Aquatica for the first time, and WE ALL LOVED IT!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 I am planning on going again in Sept. with the grand Kids! 2 Areas for kids and the Rapids was awesome!:thumbsup2
 
I definitely give my vote to Aquatica!!! Since it opened, we haven't been back to the Disney water parks! Our favorite attraction is Roa's Rapids, which is the fast moving "river" the Disney parks don't have. We also love the layout, the theming, and the animals there, especially the Commerson's dolphins. You can't go wrong with Aquatica. We NEVER go to Florida now without going there!!
 
One HUGE difference between them is that the disney parks have far fewer rules. Your kids are tall enough but for your youngest that might be a bit of a disadvantage because he is not too tall for some of the kids areas. I have the exact opposite problem, my son is almost 5 and is 39 inches tall. At disney, there are more slides he can do than he can't do. At Aquatica, it is the opposite.

Another example of the rules is at aquatica under 42 inches= a life jacket period. At disney it is mostly parents discresion.

We really like all three. I'd say that your family BB might be a better choice because they had a nice bigger kids area that had lots of midsized options.
 
We have been to Typhoon Lagoon and most recently, Aquatica and I wolud have to say we liked Aquatica better. My DD fell in love with Roa's Rapids! She could have done that all day!
 













Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE














DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top