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Trip Planning Florida Florida Holiday Planning Questions, Suggestions and Tips. |
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28 Sep 16, 09:00 AM |
#1
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Imagineer
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Aquatica
Episode 10 of theDIBB's SeaWorlds Parks tour takes me to SeaWorlds water park Aquatica and it is regarded by a lot of DIBB members as Orlando's best water park. I had only been to Aquatica once when it first opened. The landscaping was new and a little sparse then, offering little shade from the hot Florida sunshine, way back in 2008. So I was interested in seeing how things had changed and also to see the new attractions there.
Aquatica offers some of the best water slides and a fast, not to be missed, turbulent lazy river known as Roa's Rapids. Aquatica also now offer rentable cabanas to give you a break from the sun and private personal space. Our cabana was located in the centre area of Roa's Rapids. There is a locker and a fridge to use. You also get bottles of water included in the fridge to use along with towels provided too. Aquatica's lush tropical landscaping has really thickened out in the 8 years since I last visited. It could now be considered a tropical oasis and a perfect place to relax for a day off from the theme parks. If you don't want a cabana there are loads of areas to soak up the sun on a lounger. Aquatica also provides plenty of life vests for children and adults that you can freely use during your visit. Along with rentable lockers and changing/shower rooms. If you did need first aid it is located next to Ihu's Breakaway Falls which can be seen from anywhere in the park. Finding your way around any water park can be a challenge sometimes, so look out for the many maps and signposts to guide you to the attractions. There are various add ons for the day. From the cabana that I have mentioned to the new Quick Queue line bypass that you can now buy. For Quick Queue, many attractions have a second entrance to allow you to bypass much of the queueing that normally build up for these slides. You can also buy a wrist band for all day dining at the Banana Beach Buffet. The blue band is to denote you have rented a cabana for the day which then allows you access into the private cabana areas. What can you get at the buffet? You can eat as much as you like from chicken, pulled pork, hot dogs, pizza, salad, rice, beans and so on. The normal buffet type food you would expect. I thought the food was good. I think you could easily find food that even the fussiest eaters like my kids would eat. Plus you can go back as many times during the day as you want. You cannot take the food or drinks outside of the restaurant so you will need everyone to go there. No takeaways to the cabana unfortunately. There are many other options for eating at Aquatica too along with shops to sell you those forgotten items or just general gifts. Onto what you are there for. The rides and attractions. I think Aquatica is a really great place for kids. Kata's Kookaburra Cove is designed for younger children, with smaller slides and play features along with the fantastically themed Walkabout Waters, a play fortress with slides, ladders and dumping water buckets. There are two wave pools. Big Surf Shores featuring gentle rolling waves and Cutback Cove that has stronger, taller waves. Two lazy rivers. Roa's Rapids, a faster, aggressive version of the lazy river with geysers, speed zones and centre islands and Loggerhead Lane, a traditional lazy river that passes through a grotto of cichlids and the Commerson's dolphin exhibit. Onto the slides. As you enter the park you cannot miss the Dolphin Plunge. The park's signature attraction, these two enclosed tube slides pass through a pool containing a pod of Commerson's dolphins. Queues for this can be long and there is currently no quick queue for this attraction. Ihu's Breakaway Falls is a drop pod style body slide that opened in 2014. I have covered this in a separate article here. Traumata Racer, an eight-lane racing slide with guests sliding down on mats through enclosed and open sections. Whanau Way, a tower with four double-raft slides. Tassie's Twisters, a pair of funnel-like slides that can be ridden in single or double rafts. Omaha Rocka, rafts each carrying one rider descend into one of two slides with segments that look like a tornado funnel laying on its side. Walhalla Wave, a twisty slide with enclosed, pitch-dark segments. Hoodoo Run, sharing a tower with Walhalla Wave, this triple-dip slide is short, but fast. Aquatica is a must do if you love water parks. It is fun, exhilarating or relaxing. Your day, your choice. It has something for everyone. I will be back! Ep1 - Mako Ep2 - Cobra's Curse Ep3 - SeaWorld Rescue Ep4 - SeaVenture at Discovery Cove Ep5 - Falcon's Fury at Busch Gardens Ep6 - Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim Ep7 - Ihu's Breakaway Falls at Aquatica Ep8 - Serengeti Safari at Busch Gardens Ep9 - Discovery Cove |
28 Sep 16, 09:20 AM |
#2
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Imagineer
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Can't wait to go next year after doing Disney only the last 3 trips
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28 Sep 16, 10:03 AM |
#3
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 14
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Brilliant report... we loved aquatica and we rented a cabana in the sanded area at back of roa's Rapids and found it a great base for the day.
We ate at the food market they had some brilliant food to go in there...I can recommend the large fresh sandwich platters this filled all five of us for $30 Loved aquatica by far the best water park we have been too |
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28 Sep 16, 10:05 AM |
#4
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Guest
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My favourite by far too..we'll hopefully spend many days in December and January on the beach there.
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28 Sep 16, 01:00 PM |
#5
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Serious Dibber
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Going in June for the first time. Does anybody know if you can walk over to Seaworld after a morning in park or is it not pedestrian friendly?
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Garth and Louise's Graduation Celebration June 2017 |
28 Sep 16, 01:02 PM |
#6
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
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There is a free shuttle between the two. Although you can easily walk it as there are paths and crossings.
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28 Sep 16, 01:33 PM |
#7
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Stuck in the Tower of Terror
Join Date: Oct 12
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We are going for our 1st visit to Aquatica this year and can't wait. We have done both of the waterparks at Disney.
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28 Sep 16, 03:07 PM |
#8
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slightly serious Dibber
Join Date: Jul 16
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Slight correction - Isn't it written Tassie's Twisters?
Have just done Aquatica the once so far, and was quite impressed, it has quite a lot of the themed feel that Disney's water parks have, and the slides were great fun, though I defy anybody to see anything out of the transparent section in Dolphin Plunge, I think that's a bit of a gimmick! Looking forward to trying Breakaway falls for the first time soon. I wimped out on the bomb bay at wet'n'wild during my last visit at age 13, so it's time to rectify that :P
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Past trips: 1993 (4), 1995 (4), 2001 @ International Drive (4), 18Apr-03May2011 @ High Grove (4), 27Mar-12Apr17 @ High Grove (10), 19Apr-06May2019 @ Hampton Lakes (8) |
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28 Sep 16, 03:10 PM |
#9
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
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28 Sep 16, 03:27 PM |
#10
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Serious Dibber
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Garth and Louise's Graduation Celebration June 2017 |
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