Day two saw us donning our swimwear and heading for a day at Aquatica, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s water park.

As with our previous day, at SeaWorld, we started the day with a buttock clenching, heart rate increasing ride. Ihu’s Breakaway Falls was the slide that I was fairly nervous about and once I climbed 80 feet I realised why, as the sound of a heartbeat throbbed around me as I stepped into a capsule. The tallest and steepest water ride of its kind in Orlando certainly lived up to its hype and as the capsule door closed and I was asked by way of a thumbs up if I was ready to ‘drop’, I was petrified. It took everything in my body to move my hand to the ‘thumbs up’ position, before a countdown started and there was no turning back. Dropping at 20 feet per second meant the ride was over in four seconds and when ‘I broke on through to the other side’ I felt exhilarated and absolutely thankful that it was over. Whereas I was just really glad I’d done it and also that it was over, The Husband loved it and wanted to do it again and again – definitely a highlight of Aquatica for him.

Our favourite family ride was definitely the Taumata Racer which was an eight lane, 300 foot long, mat ride. With race times on a screen at the bottom you can compare and gloat, in my case, if you are the winner. We went on the Taumata Racer a few times and it was lovely to all be able to ride, as a family, at the same time.

Next up was Dolphin Plunge, a ride with a clear underwater tube which takes you through the habitat of Commerson’s Dolphins. We made sure to keep our eyes wide open, which is sometimes difficult when hurtling through water, for a glimpse. Don’t worry though, if the speed means you don’t see a dolphin, you can walk round to the viewing area at the bottom of the ride.

Omaka Rocka was an unexpected thrill. I assumed it would be a sedate ring ride, but no! Splashing backwards, forwards and up the sides of the flume walls I screamed all the way down before popping out in a pool looking, and feeling, slightly dishevelled but wanting to repeat the experience straight away.

Everyone knows I love a ‘lazy river’, they are definitely my thing, and Roa’s Rapids is probably my favourite of all time. Wearing a life jacket we were carried along and drifted 1500 feet through waterfalls, and geysers. As it is three to four times faster than the average lazy river it was a lovely feeling and every so often a stronger current would hit and you would speed up. The family all enjoyed this as we could float round chatting, laughing and spending quality time together.

We explored Walkabout Waters which is a 15000 square foot watery wonderland for little kids, and big kids if our family reaction was anything to go by. We drenched other people and each other with water cannons, tipped buckets of water over unsuspecting folk below and waited for a ginormous bucket atop Walkabout Waters to fill and plummet down all over us. This is great fun for little ones, there is so much to do and explore.

Alongside the water rides there is a laid-back beach area called Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove. The beach area looks out over a double wave pool, one offering a regular wave pool experience while the other is unpredictable, like the real sea. In-between waves you can swim in the pools or relax on a sun lounger on the shore. If you need a bit of a rest after riding the water slides and your kids are still going strong Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove is the perfect place to kick back and relax and is a great base for the kids to return to.

A mixture of thrills and relaxation, Aquatica is a fun family water park where you can spend the whole day.  The size and layout of the park meant that we didn’t have to worry about our children getting lost and restrooms with showers and lockers were plentiful.  With something for everyone; thrilling rides, relaxation and the layout of the park, Aquatica truly is one of our family’s favourite water parks.

Highlights :

The exhilarating drop of Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, Taumata Racer for family fun and Roa’s Rapids for the ultimate lazy river experience.

Tips :

• Get a locker for the day so you don’t have to worry about your belongings. The park is small enough for you to go back to your locker as often as you need.
• Forgotten something? Don’t worry the shops, at Aquatica, are stocked with suncream, goggles and clothing.
• The life jackets are optional on Roa’s Rapids but I would definitely recommend wearing one for the ultimate fast floating feeling
• Ladies – wear a full swimsuit to avoid any embarrassing rearrangement issues when climbing out of a rubber ring or when you’ve just dropped 80 feet through a tube in front of an audience.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.