Wet & Wild vs. Disney water parks

[riostoker]

We are going to be in the Orlando area this summer for a sports competition my daughter is in. We have done Disney recently, so we were thinking we would spend a day or two at Universal on this trip. I was also thinking about a day at one of the Disney water parks but realized financially it may make more sense to do Wet & Wild since it can be part of a multi-day ticket with Universal.

How does W&W compare to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon? Are the Disney ones way better? And do any of them compare to Schlitterbahn near San Antonio? That's my all-time favorite water park!

Thanks!

 

[akaler2010]

I LOVE waterparks. That being said, Wet & Wild is nothing like a Disney park in my opinion. DH and I did everything a few times and were done within a few hours. The theming is lame and several rides were closed (it was October). Overall, the rides are better at the Disney parks and the experience is better as well. Wet & Wild just feels run-down and not as well maintained. To quote my DH, "It was nothing special. Just a regular waterpark."

 

[glassslippergirl]

Wet & Wild is closing for good at the end of this year. They have no incentive to keep the park up at this point. I think you'd be disappointed.

 

[DOOM1001]

Yep,Dec 31st is the final day for Wet n Wild,the new Universal water park is currently in construction behind their Cabana Bay resort.Wet N Wild is fun but as far as theming and general ambiance is not on the radar when compared to Disney water parks.With that said my favorite water park in Orlando is Aquatica the water park at Sea World.

 

[HopperFan]

APPLES and ORANGES.

Love the Disney Water Parks. You couldn't pay me to go to Wet & Wild.

Now another option you can look at is Aquatica. It's newer and owned by SeaWorld. Look at Undercover Tourist for discounted tickets. It will be half the price of a Disney Water park. It is right behind Sea World on International.

https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/aquatica-seaworlds-waterpark/

 

[akaler2010]

I've also seen really good things about Aquatica. It's on my list of places to visit next time we are in Orlando!!

 

[nacho113]

Love Aquatica!
Now there is a water park with a difference.
It has some regular waterslides, but then it has some Extreme waterslides like Breakaway Falls. This is the speedslide where you stand in the upright clear tube, then they drop the floor out from under you! The first drop is straight down!
Another of the waterslides has a clear section that goes through the Killer Whale tank...very cool.
It has a lazy river that goes through one of the aquariums, called Loggerhead Lane.
And a NOT SO Lazy River called Roa's Rapids were you don't ride a tube at all, you strap on a life jacket and let the fast moving waters whisk you along.
Awesome waves in the side by side wavepools.
Some really good multi person tube slides (2-8 people)

Well worth the price of admission and can quite often be had for free (or very reduced price) if bundled with a Seaworld and/or Busch Gardens ticket

 

[HopperFan]

Love Aquatica!


Well worth the price of admission and can quite often be had for free (or very reduced price) if bundled with a Seaworld and/or Busch Gardens ticket

Or Discovery Cove ... but that's not a budget ticket.

 

[Sehsun]

Another of the waterslides has a clear section that goes through the Killer Whale tank...very cool.

Commerson's dolphins. The killer whales are across the street.

We are going to be in the Orlando area this summer for a sports competition my daughter is in. We have done Disney recently, so we were thinking we would spend a day or two at Universal on this trip. I was also thinking about a day at one of the Disney water parks but realized financially it may make more sense to do Wet & Wild since it can be part of a multi-day ticket with Universal.

How does W&W compare to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon? Are the Disney ones way better? And do any of them compare to Schlitterbahn near San Antonio? That's my all-time favorite water park!

Thanks!

It seems like the majority of posters like the Disney water parks and Aquatica better. However, I think Wet 'n Wild is a pretty fun water park. I do agree that TL and BB has the best theming of them, but Wet 'n Wild has the most thrilling rides. My personal favorite is Brain Wash, with Disco H2O coming in at 2nd place. DBF loves The Storm. There are no rides like the 3 I just mentioned in all of the Orlando water parks (yet).

I have never been to Schlitterbahn before, but I would love to visit someday. I think I've heard that Universal's upcoming water park (Volcano Bay, opening in 2017) has some comparisons to Schlitterbahn. You'll need to come back again and check it out once it's open!

 

[jerseygal]

Commerson's dolphins. The killer whales are across the street.



It seems like the majority of posters like the Disney water parks and Aquatica better. However, I think Wet 'n Wild is a pretty fun water park. I do agree that TL and BB has the best theming of them, but Wet 'n Wild has the most thrilling rides. My personal favorite is Brain Wash, with Disco H2O coming in at 2nd place. DBF loves The Storm. There are no rides like the 3 I just mentioned in all of the Orlando water parks (yet).

I have never been to Schlitterbahn before, but I would love to visit someday. I think I've heard that Universal's upcoming water park (Volcano Bay, opening in 2017) has some comparisons to Schlitterbahn. You'll need to come back again and check it out once it's open!

CANNOT wait for 2017 for Volcano Bay! The four of us LOVE waterparks and we will be missing Volcano Bay for our May trip this year. Oh well, we MUST come back to Universal in '17 next year!

 

[nacho113]

Commerson's dolphins. The killer whales are across the street.

Sorry, my bad, they are black and white and when you see one as you fly through the tube its quite a thrill.
Still a cool slide though, guess the name should have given it away - Dolphin Plunge

 

[Sehsun]

Sorry, my bad, they are black and white and when you see one as you fly through the tube its quite a thrill.
Still a cool slide though, guess the name should have given it away - Dolphin Plunge

Oh, no worries! In fact, I've heard several guests refer to them as "baby killer whales." Oh yeah, there is no ride like it!

 

[sk8jdgca]

Just to echo Aquatica is amazing, my kids rank it above both Disney Parks

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I've got to chime in with another vote for Aquatica. Its an amazing waterpark and so much fun! You can check out many of the features of the park in this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/aquatica-orlando-seaworlds-waterpark-photo-thread.3493111/

If you are a fan of the Disney water parks, I am guessing the theming has quite a bit to do with that. Wet & Wild has the least theming of all four Orlando water parks....lots of slides, less "atmosphere" so to speak. You may want to factor the importance of a well-executed theme into your decision.

 

[pa. dad]

While I'd agree that the theming is better at the disney waterparks than wet & wild, I'm not sure how important that is to many waterpark visitors. When you're zooming by at 40MPH, do you really appreciate the theming? The rides at wet and wild are fine and if you can get to experience them without the lenghthy waits, why not? The water is equally wet whichever place you go.
We went to a water park in Southern Ca once that was dirty and in disrepair. There was chewing gum all over the concrete and the chairs didn;t recline properly. I don;t think wet and wild is like that- it is clean with working slides and equipment still. I think you can still have a lot of fun there.

 

[DOOM1001]

I will be visiting Wet n Wild sometime this year before it closes,I haven't been to it in years since I'm not a local and only do one Orlando water park trip a year and Aquatica,BB,TL and even Adventure Island in Tampa which I get in free with my SW/BG AP, usually get the nod over Wet n Wild.I remember doing my one and only visit to Watermania on 192 across from the Celebration entrance before it closed years ago,it was fun but a very tiny water park,it did have one thing way back then like 20 years ago that none of the other Orlando water parks have today,thats a flowrider machine where you can surf on a boogey board.My closest water park Rapids in West Palm has one but when I rode this in Watermania years ago I was truly sad it was going away.I believe there's a place in Kissimmee that has flowrider and surf machines,its website says its closed for repairs but that its been closed for a lengthy time and pass holders should contact them to discuss options which doesn't sound too good.I hope it can open up again so I can try this place out.

 

[pa. dad]

I will be visiting Wet n Wild sometime this year before it closes,I haven't been to it in years since I'm not a local and only do one Orlando water park trip a year and Aquatica,BB,TL and even Adventure Island in Tampa which I get in free with my SW/BG AP,so those usually get the nod over Wet n Wild.I remember doing my one and only visit to Watermania on 192 across from the Celebration entrance before it closed years ago,it was fun but a very tiny water park,it did have one thing way back then like 20 years ago that none of the other Orlando water parks have today,thats a flowrider machine where you can surf on a boogey board.My closest water park Rapids in West Palm has one but when I rode this in Watermania years ago I was truly sad it was going away.I believe there's a place in Kissimmee that has flowrider and surf machines,its website says its closed for repairs but that its been closed for a lengthy time and pass holders should contact them to discuss options which doesn't sound too good.I hope it can open up again so I can try this place out.

Doom
I remember Watermania. I'm going to date myself here but I went to Disney's River Country too. I think that was the first water park I had ever been to and had a great time. It didn't have any fancy rides but it was fun.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

While I'd agree that the theming is better at the disney waterparks than wet & wild, I'm not sure how important that is to many waterpark visitors. When you're zooming by at 40MPH, do you really appreciate the theming? The rides at wet and wild are fine and if you can get to experience them without the lenghthy waits, why not? The water is equally wet whichever place you go.

Well, I know for our family, the theming makes a big difference.

While my two fellows are big sliders and thrill seekers, I very much am not. The type of enjoyment that I get out of a waterpark visit is completely different from theirs. Things like the animals at Aquatica and the overall atmosphere created by a distinct effort in theming very much enhance a waterpark visit for me.

A unappealing theme also can have a very negative effect for us.....Blizzard Beach is a perfect example. Being from the north, the whole "snow" theme is actually a real turn off (we travel to Florida to escape the winter weather, not embrace it in a cutesy way) and takes away from our overall enjoyment of the attractions there. We went once and probably won't return.

Many people are doing more at a waterpark than just riding one slide after another. In that case, the theming can be a big consideration.