Tips for Visiting Aquatica, Orlando Florida                    May 22, 2016

1. Take a change of clothes for the ride home.
2. Get there early.
3. Don’t go on a weekend or holiday if possible.
4. Get your picture taken just inside the park.
5. Remember to take your waterproof camera.
6. Grab a prime spot for lounging.
7. Get the all you can eat bracelet for Banana Beach.
8. Do not leave your food unattended!
9. Go one the most popular slides first to avoid really long lines.
10. Do the Dolphin Plunge!
11. Spend the rest of the day in the Loggerhead Lane (lazy river), Roa’s Rapids and the Wave Pool.
12. Drink lots of water.
13. Take some breaks from the sun.
14. Reapply your sunscreen often.
15. Buy a souvenir.

We love Aquatica. There are slides for every level of daredevil in your family, from the intense to the lazy river. I love that it is small enough to do everything at least once. I also like that they have spots where they spray the walkways so you don’t burn your bare feet. My husband likes to wear water shoes because the heat bothers his feet – use your best judgement for yourself.

I love the buffet at Banana Beach and think it is great, although I must admit I haven’t tried the other restaurants on site. I just think the Banana Beach is great value for your money, there are a lot of choices so if you eat two or even three times you do not have to the same thing. It is delicious but the best thing is you can drink as much as you want and being hydrated is a very good thing. Also, do not leave your food for a moment – the birds will steal it right off your plate, even if there are other people sitting at your table!

A few things to note:

The lockers cost $10 each and most people need them unless you have or buy one of the waterproof packets to wear around your neck.

We like to take a change of clothes so that we don’t have to drive home wet and uncomfortable.

We did get a private cabana one time and it was nice but I didn’t really need it and felt like we were going in there just to feel like we were getting our money’s worth. It might be worth the money for families with young children or if traveling with someone older. There is lots of seating throughout the park and we usually throw our towels and such on them and no one has touched them thus far (although we did not leave anything of value there). A few of the hotspots to sit are in front of the wave pool, the kiddie play area and one of the entrances to Roa’s Rapids.

Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and reapply sunscreen regularly. Time can go by so quickly there and the sun seems to have extra strength when combined with the water. You do not want to ruin your vacation with a burn.

They have a photo key package at this park but I don’t really find it is worth the money. The last time we were there we were able to get a picture taken just inside the park and one in Roa’s Rapids. The time before we only got them from Roa’s Rapids and I’m always looking for photographers - they just aren't there. The quality of the pictures are not that good. The ones we got inside the park were supposed to be in front of the lizard sculpture but when we saw the picture we weren’t directly in front of it and so the background was really bla. You would think that the ones in Roa’s Rapids would be beautiful because of the foliage and waterfall features but every picture we have ever gotten there has only had plain ugly blue and white tiles as the background which could put you in any generic backyard pool. I usually buy a photo or two just because I can’t resist the chance to have our whole family in a photo but the quality just isn’t there.