Aquatica vs Disney Waterparks

[Poly-Anna]

For those who have gone to all three, how does Aquatica measure up? On our next trip in May we may only have time for one waterpark and I'm wondering if Aquatica is worth it or if Disney's are better. We (my DH and I) will be going with our 4 year old son.

Any opinions appreciated.

 

[akdeputydog]

Poly-
Never been to any but had the same question since we are going in May and have a 5 yr old. Sounds like Aquatica is mostly slides with a fwe other features and I think the height reqmt will bar little ones from the slides.

I think from the opinions I got and what I've read (so far) we'll go to Typhoon Lagoon. I've read Blizzard is not the best for little kids - much because of the same issues with Aquatica. Just my unknowledgeable 2 cents if it helps.

 

[Evita_W]

I too would like to know. Also, does anyone know if Sea World's Platinum pass is valid there?

 

[cswtmom]

I have only gone to Aquatica , So I can tell you about that water park only . My family and I went with my 7 year old daughter and my 4 year old granddaughter.We went April 8-15, 2008. They had a ball ! They have a childrens area for kids but I saw alot the older kids and adults playing and having fun in it . To tell you the truth I could'nt find my daughter and granddaughter in the kids area for a long time and I asked the life gaurd to help me find them and he laughed, he said it happens all the time.The kids area is big !!! and they run around alot so that you just miss them.They spend around 3 hours at one time in the kids area. My daughter and I are already planning are next trip there for Decmber 2008.Some of the other ride are for adults but my daughter went down many of the adult ride with her big brother Wayne. I really enjoyed the rapids but I would recommend that if you are not a great swimmer to put on a life jacket.It helped me when I was in the rapids with my daughter and granddaughter I could of stayed in there all day it was so much fun. I didn't care for the lazy river.And my daughter and granddaughter didn't care for the wave pools at all. I will try to post some photos of the kids area and Aquatica if/or when I figure out how to do it LOL
I hope this helps you,
Peggy

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[cswtmom]

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[cswtmom]

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[cswtmom]

Sorry I can't get the photos to load

 

[Kimberle]

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[miztigg]

I too would like to know. Also, does anyone know if Sea World's Platinum pass is valid there?

just ordered my passport and they said it was included

 

[melbiel]

Hi there,

We went to Aquatica this past April with our 5, 3, and 8 month old daughters. Our two older girls had such a ball! It was a really great park for them. As someone else mentioned, they spent hours in the kid area. It is huge and has water pouring out from every imaginable opening. They loved it, and we felt that it was really safe because all of the kids wore a life vest the whole time. They loved the lazy river (where my 8 month old actually fell asleep floating in her life preserver) and the rapids, which really aren't all that fast, but it was great for them. My older daughter went on a slide or two with my husband. We felt that it was well worth the money. This year I am trying to decide whether to go back, or check out possibly one of the Disney parks. I will say that my girls are waiting for this year's trip so they can go back to Aquatica! I am hoping to hear some suggestions from others about which would be best so I am going to keep an eye on this post, but I hope that I helped you out a little on the Aquatica end...

Melissa

 

[JillPTFLA]

I have been to all three of the waterparks (we just got back from a trip to Aquatica) so maybe I can help. It partially depends on how tall your son is. Most of the waterslides at Aquatica have a 42" height requirement. (the dolphin slide is 48" but I went on that and it could really be missed easly...there is a better view of the dolphins from outside). I think that some of the slides at TL and BB are 40".
With that being said...the kids area at Aquatica was phenominal! There are some large slides there with no requirement that rival some of the other slides. Also, the Roa's Rapids ride (a fast lazy river) was great...our whole family loved that (I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old). The park is beautiful and lush and the colors are vibrant.

Overall, I really thought that the kids area at Aquatica was better than at TL or BB. There may be more slides at the other parks but with younger kids, I think Aquatica is a better option. There were also 2 wave pools...one with bigger waves and one with smaller ones.

I can answer any specific questions you have.
Jill

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Was there a max. limit on height in the children's area? I know at the disney WP they would not allow children over a certain height to use the kid slides.

 

[JillPTFLA]

no, there was not max limit on the slides in the kids area from what I could see. My son and I rode all those water slides and so did my husband.

 

[Atotty]

bump

Anyone else have any advice TL, BB or Aquatica?

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
I think this is about the 8th time I post about Aquatica so feel free to check my more lengthy posts in other threads. We went last April (10, 6 and 2 year old children). We have been to all the Orlando waterparks including Wet N' Wild. I do believe this is the best park for toddlers and young children. There are no real "thrill" waterslides like the other parks. The toddlers area is huge and I believe would be good for a young 4 year old. They have kayaks in the toddler's pool and my older boys (10, 6) really enjoyed paddling around in them.

If your son is a little more daring there is an older children section geared towards 5-12 year olds.

The one thing I liked better about Aquatica was the fact that mommy and daddy could ride even the toddler waterslides. While I was in Blizzard Beach two year's ago I watched a family lose a 3 year old. It was terrifying. The mom put the little boy on the waterslide, watched him slide down and then ran/walked down to the bottom. Parents and even older siblings are not allowed on those slides. When she got there, he was gone. He was missing for a good 45 minutes and I was very disappointed with the response from the staff at BB. This was a little guy missing who could not swim and no one but the parents and our family seemed to be looking for him. BB would only make a general announcement if he had a medical condition. It was a terrible thing to witness. For that reason, I would never allow my under 5 year old to play in that section at BB again unless mom was at the top and dad was at the bottom.

I seem to remember the children's area at Typhoon to be tiny but it's been three years since our last visit.

I felt safest as far as supervising my children at Aquatica!

 

[Opie100]

What ages do you think would be most interested in the Aquatica large play area?