With the heat of a Florida summer fully upon us, we thought a review of the waterparks in Orlando was in order. Whether it's to cool off in the afternoon or a full day, the waterparks in Orlando offer some amazing, themed experiences in addition to some of the best water rides available.
We're not going to rank the parks. Everyone has their favorite (tell us yours in the comments!) for various reasons. I really like Aquatica, you may like Blizzard Beach. Both are fantastic and I feel like I'd be nit-picking in order to rank one above another. They're all great!
- Typhoon Lagoon -- Disney's first waterpark and still a perennial favorite. I love this one because it offers some really unique experiences that you can't find at any other waterpark in Orlando. Swim on a reef with sharks, catch some of the biggest waves available in the wave pool, and watch water gush from an old shipwreck. Typhoon Lagoon offers lots of opportunities for shade, relaxation, and adventure. One of my favorite places to hang out is at the Crush 'n' Gusher slide. This puts you at the bottom of one of the most popular slides that also has a beach entry pool for the kids to play in while mom and dad relax in the beach chairs.
- Blizzard Beach -- Blizzard Beach features a cool, refreshing ski lodge theme that includes a real ski lift! They also have one of the best children's play areas in Orlando, one of the tallest, fastest water slides in the world, and tons of activities for the whole family. This used to be our favorite waterpark in Orlando.
- Aquatica -- The newest waterpark in Orlando, Aquatica is part of the Sea World family of theme parks and took the top spot away from Blizzard Beach (I know, I wasn't going to rank them..). Aquatica has a great variety of rides and play areas for kids of all ages. Part of what we love about this park is the fact that Sea World thought of kids of all ages, from teens to toddlers. There are at least three separate areas for kids to play with varying levels of slides and activities. There's also some great stuff for adults with a slide that takes you through a dolphin tank and a not-so-lazy river that gushes along at a frantic pace called Roa Rapids. If you get there early in the morning, even on the busiest days, you won't wait long for rides. As the noon hour creeps up, though, you'll see longer and longer lines.
You may notice that we haven't included Wet 'N' Wild in our list. It's not one of our favorites, but may be one of yours. No offense, we'd just rather go to one of the three listed, above. With all the parks in Orlando, some will get left out.
Which one's your favorite?