jedimaster1227 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 It had been several years since I last visited Aquatica, and since that time the Orlando water park has gained two new slides in the form of Omaka Rocka. Not exactly sure of what to expect, I was glad that I ignored some of the more negative reviews of the slides, because my experience was nothing short of fantastic. I've made it known before that when it comes to the total package, Aquatica is my favorite water park in Orlando, so I was definitely excited to see the newest addition to the park's stellar line up. As always, the park itself looks beautiful. That being said, it is still a smaller attraction when compared to Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and Wet n' Wild, but where it lacks in size, it boasts an excess of fantastic landscaping and theme. What did the fish say to the dolphin? "Why do you have a straw in your mouth?" The Waterstone Grill is one of two a la carte eateries in the park besides the Banana Beach Cook Out buffet. In case you were wondering what they had here... Now this... This looks different. Omaka Rocka was built using transparent slides, allowing for guests on the ground to see riders as they slide through. Some of the funnels have closed tops while others don't. The color selections blend in with the established style and vibrant color schemes of the park's many slides. Whanau Way is the set of four slides underneath the funnels of Omaka Rocka and were built with the park for its opening. Omaka Rocka uses a lower station in the tower complex that was built with the park, but saved for future expansion. The original concept for the pad was something entirely different than what Omaka Rocka ended up becoming. So many bowls! These bowls are rockin' way too hard! The sign is awesome though... The average wait time for Omaka Rocka for us was actually fifteen minutes. The ride offers single tubes only, but is highly efficient. There are normally about ten people ahead of you in line once on the complex's stairs, so the only real wait is to get your tube. The view of Whanau Way is pretty different than it was a few years ago, but it gives the area a much more lush feel. The park map has been updated to reflect the addition of Omaka Rocka. An aerial take on the complex... Something wonderful about this park: sprinklers all over the pathways. In the hot Florida sun, the concrete can be painful to walk on, so this is a welcome relief to such a problem. Aquatica offers complementary flotation vests for use in the park, not just for children, but for adults as well. Another unique highlight of the park is Roa's Rapids, the park's "active river." This is a lazy river without tubes with water at high speeds, so it isn't quite lazy. Roa's Rapids spans the majority of the water park... The Mango Market has a selection of pre-made snacks as well as fresh pizzas and is reasonably priced. To give you an idea... Despite having visited Aquatica five times before, I had not once noticed this child friendly play area before... And some small slides in the same pool for the young'ens enjoyment! There are several dividers along the route of Roa's Rapids, which creates the most "choppy" sections of the river. Since my last visit, Southwest has picked up sponsorship of the Taumata Racers, adding the timers at the base of the slides. As well as this little beauty... In terms of visual appeal, this ride is the most iconic attraction within the park. And next to Dolphin Plunge, it is arguably the most popular complex in the park. Beauty! Walkabout Waters is the park's water fortress/play area. It's not anywhere near as impressive as Cowabunga Bay, but it gets the job done... This is an acceptable amount of wetness. The fortress has two tipping buckets for maximum soakage. The Walhalla Wave is one of the two family raft rides in the park, winding slowly to the bottom. Picture slightly behind it is Hooroo Run, which features a triple dip family raft ride with some great pops of airtime. If only Dan was here... Adaptations is one of the smaller shops within the park, selling shirts, merch and more for your everyday water park needs. The Walhalla Wave is a more tame alternative to Hooroo Run, but does garner a larger line than its more intense sibling next door. The two slides share the same tower complex and entry queue, which is located directly next to the tower complex for the Taumata Racers. For the love of Larry! The Banana Beach Cook-Out is the best deal in the park if you are staying for more than five hours. Unlimited food and drinks in this location for the duration of your stay at the park, for one very reasonable price! They do offer a one-time price as well for those interested. Tassie's Twisters are only accessible via the Loggerhead Lane lazy river, which can make for some frustrating traffic jams. And of course, you've got the signature attraction of Aquatica, Dolphin Plunge! The Waterstone Grill is the a great example of the park's stylized architecture. Dolphin's Plunge runs through the tank containing several Commerson's Dolphins. And by its very nature, it garners the longest line, and gets its lengthy waits the quickest. Incoming! Where Loggerhead Lane gets its name. The tower for Dolphin's Plunge is visible from the entrance of the park. After the initial decline, Dolphin's Plunge features a single helix before descending briefly into the tank, finishing by dumping out into the exit pool. IN THE FACE!!! Looking great! In case you forget where we were... Reminding you one more time. The park's characters are represented in statues around the entrance. So believe it or not, I actually got in the water... This is a water park after all. I was happy to represent my home team, the Hoth City Wampas at Aquatica (thanks for the shirt B-rye)! Doing my wet Jaws impression... Roa's Rapids had me a little frightened... As does rain... Here we go! Notice the difference in elevation on the water? That's where the rapids are most wild. Loggerhead Lane has a small aquarium you pass by as you float along... Like I said, it is small, but it is very nice. The traffic jam at the entrance to Loggerhead Lane is caused by the mixing of guests trying to get into the line for Tassie's Twisters and the guests trying to enjoy the lazy river itself. One of the two Twisters. I do take normal photos too. That is not my leg. You don't say! I just figured out the whole Loggerhead Lane thing today... Sad. Loggerhead Lane also features a window looking in on the Dolphin's Plunge tank... Which also gives pretty great views of the Commersons Dolphins. (Excuse the water drops, the waterproof case takes some time to dry.) Someone flew by... The line for Dolphin's Plunge crosses Loggerhead Lane and continues on... Brent, translation please? Blends in pretty well right? Heed these words! Thanks for reading (and watching for whirlies)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBparks57 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wow, thanks for this awesome look! I have been to most water parks in the area, but for some reason Aquatica is the only one I have not made it out to. I have contemplated going to visit my g/f there, who was recently hired on as a life guard, to check the park out. Now after seeing this I want to go! I imagine you go through that dolphin tank pretty quickly if you are not sitting up, but the rest of the slides look great...along with the atmosphere! Thanks for the pictures I really can't wait to check it out now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I also love Aquatica, especially in the off season when lines are almost non existent. For those who haven't been on Omaka Rocka, here is a video I shot about 2 weeks after it opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Great PTR Adam! I am happy to see there are some other people hitting up the water parks. edit: WHEN DID YOU GET A BEEF TACO BOX!?!?!?! I WANT!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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