Love Typhoon Lagoon--How does Aquatica Compare?

[Belle & Ariel]

We love everyhing about Typhoon Lagoon--the tropical feel, the way it has sand instead of so much concrete at Blizzard Beach, the awesome wave pool, and Shark Reef, did I say I really love that tropical atmosphere?
How does Aquatica compare in appearance? Does it have a snorkel experience? It is still super crowded like opening season? Any info/comparisons would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to our Sea World board.

 

[JillPTFLA]

We actually just got back from a waterpark only trip (we are seasonal pass holders and are still blacked out from the parks!). We visited TL, Aquatica and Wet and Wild. We had a great time and were completely exhausted each night.
Now...for the comparison...(we have two boys, 8 and 4, both under 48" and my little one is under 42" for a reference point).
Overall, we enjoyed TL more. If it is atmosphere you are looking for, though, Aquatica is wonderful. The park is very lush and brightly colored. Lots of sandy areas and wildlife. The wave pool is very nice...smaller waves than TL but still lots of fun (and the bottom is not rough like the one at TL). The music played is very tropical and all the announcements are made with an Australian accent which I think adds to the atmosphere! No snorkeling but lots of places to observe the dolphins and the lazy river goes past the dolphin pool and an aquarium.
The kids area at Aquatica (there are 2 actually) is huge and can be a little nerve wracking because the kids can disappear easily. Also, the water slides in the kids area have a height requirement of 42" which makes no sense to me. There are many slides there that our little one could not ride (even the family raft ride which is illogical) and a few that our bigger one couldn't ride (the dolphin plunge is 48" and so is the new Omaka Rocka slide but both are mild and shallow so I am not sure why the height requirement). To be honest, I think that the height requirements at the water parks were pretty arbitrary...some slides at one park were restricted while the same slide at another park had no requirement. Better would be to give a swim test to the kids and issue wristbands accordingly...
Anyway...if you really like TL, I am sure you will enjoy Aquatica as it is pretty and lush. It does get pretty crowded and I think closes to capacity most days but if you buy tix online, you get early entry and can hit the popular slides early on with no wait. The day we were there it was not too crowded but it was a little rainy that day.
Let me know if you have any specific questions!
Jill

 

[DOOM1001]

Aquatica has less shade,it's also a beautiful park,more colors,a lot of palm trees with a south pacific theme.The park is a bit smaller than TL.Slides are a bit better at Aquatica as well as better kids area.TL has a long lazy river that surrounds the park,Aquatica has two different lazy rivers,one is a small traditional one and one is a fast lazy river.I've been to all the waterparks in Orlando and I can't give you a true favorite,they all have different things I like about them.I used to prefer BB over TL before I went to Aquatica,now I think I like Aquatica a little more than the others,although I love them all.

 

[chiamarie]

We actually just got back from a waterpark only trip (we are seasonal pass holders and are still blacked out from the parks!). We visited TL, Aquatica and Wet and Wild. We had a great time and were completely exhausted each night.
Now...for the comparison...(we have two boys, 8 and 4, both under 48" and my little one is under 42" for a reference point).
Overall, we enjoyed TL more. If it is atmosphere you are looking for, though, Aquatica is wonderful. The park is very lush and brightly colored. Lots of sandy areas and wildlife. The wave pool is very nice...smaller waves than TL but still lots of fun (and the bottom is not rough like the one at TL). The music played is very tropical and all the announcements are made with an Australian accent which I think adds to the atmosphere! No snorkeling but lots of places to observe the dolphins and the lazy river goes past the dolphin pool and an aquarium.
The kids area at Aquatica (there are 2 actually) is huge and can be a little nerve wracking because the kids can disappear easily. Also, the water slides in the kids area have a height requirement of 42" which makes no sense to me. There are many slides there that our little one could not ride (even the family raft ride which is illogical) and a few that our bigger one couldn't ride (the dolphin plunge is 48" and so is the new Omaka Rocka slide but both are mild and shallow so I am not sure why the height requirement). To be honest, I think that the height requirements at the water parks were pretty arbitrary...some slides at one park were restricted while the same slide at another park had no requirement. Better would be to give a swim test to the kids and issue wristbands accordingly...
Anyway...if you really like TL, I am sure you will enjoy Aquatica as it is pretty and lush. It does get pretty crowded and I think closes to capacity most days but if you buy tix online, you get early entry and can hit the popular slides early on with no wait. The day we were there it was not too crowded but it was a little rainy that day.
Let me know if you have any specific questions!
Jill

I've never been a lifeguard at SW or Disney, but have lifeguarded at a waterpark before, and generally the company that builds the slide or desgins it, sets the restrictions, not the acual waterpark. And I'm pretty sure that alot of what determines it, is how the slide ends. Dolphin Plunge at Aquatica ends in a 3 and half foot deep pool, rather than a shallow slide out area, and since it is a single rider only (unlike the family slides) the parents wouldn't be right there with them.

As for comparing Aquatica and TL. It depends on what your looking for. There isn't a snorkeling reef at Aquatica.

But as long as everyone in your group is tall enough, the slides are better than TL in my opinion. There are lots of beach chairs on a big sandy area, but I'd still suggest wearing wet socks, or sandals of some sort, because there isn't much shady concrete from slide to slide, they try to keep the pavement wet, but I still burn the bottoms of my feet everytime I go (you'd think I'd learn and take my own advice in wearing sandals at Aquatica.

TL has the snorekeling reef, and the wave pool is way better in my opinion than Aquatica's.

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for. If you want slides, I'd pick Aquatica over TL. If you're looking for the wave pool and reef, then TL would be the better bet.

 

[DOOM1001]

I had never had a big issue with the hot pavement at waterparks before,but in this last trip to Aquatica,around noon it started getting hot and just got hotter as the day went on.The wave pool read 103 degrees so it was as hot as it gets in Orlando,around 1:30pm I had to go buy a pair of sandals it was just too much,like walking on lava.This probably happens every hot day so I was surprised not to see a bigger selection of sandals,I got a nice pair for $12 but I saw so many more styles at Sea World.

 

[engle]

We actually just got back from a waterpark only trip (we are seasonal pass holders and are still blacked out from the parks!). We visited TL, Aquatica and Wet and Wild. We had a great time and were completely exhausted each night.
Now...for the comparison...(we have two boys, 8 and 4, both under 48" and my little one is under 42" for a reference point).
Overall, we enjoyed TL more. If it is atmosphere you are looking for, though, Aquatica is wonderful. The park is very lush and brightly colored. Lots of sandy areas and wildlife. The wave pool is very nice...smaller waves than TL but still lots of fun (and the bottom is not rough like the one at TL). The music played is very tropical and all the announcements are made with an Australian accent which I think adds to the atmosphere! No snorkeling but lots of places to observe the dolphins and the lazy river goes past the dolphin pool and an aquarium.
The kids area at Aquatica (there are 2 actually) is huge and can be a little nerve wracking because the kids can disappear easily. Also, the water slides in the kids area have a height requirement of 42" which makes no sense to me. There are many slides there that our little one could not ride (even the family raft ride which is illogical) and a few that our bigger one couldn't ride (the dolphin plunge is 48" and so is the new Omaka Rocka slide but both are mild and shallow so I am not sure why the height requirement). To be honest, I think that the height requirements at the water parks were pretty arbitrary...some slides at one park were restricted while the same slide at another park had no requirement. Better would be to give a swim test to the kids and issue wristbands accordingly...
Anyway...if you really like TL, I am sure you will enjoy Aquatica as it is pretty and lush. It does get pretty crowded and I think closes to capacity most days but if you buy tix online, you get early entry and can hit the popular slides early on with no wait. The day we were there it was not too crowded but it was a little rainy that day.
Let me know if you have any specific questions!
Jill

If you buy online you get early entry?? Tell me more details please!!! How early?? Is that advertised...certain days??

 

[Shamurocks]

As others have said, the atmosphere is definitely different between the 2, Aquatica always feels more chilled out to me for some reason, but I love the theming at TL.

There is no snorkeling (as has been said) at Aquatica but there are plenty of animals around, theres the Commerson's Dolphins (which are great fun to watch), a large fish tank that the lazy river does right past, parrots and (if I'm not mistaken) they sometimes bring out other animals with handlers that you can interact with.

In terms of rides/slides it really depends what your looking for, although I'd say Aquatica wins out. The racing slides are a must, and the rapids are loads of fun too but I found Dolphin Plunge (the signature ride through the dolphin exhibit) to be a bit of a let down to be honest, its rough on your back & you can't really see anything, but that's just my opinion so don't let it put you off lol
Hope this helps

 

[JillPTFLA]

The early entry for online tickets is not well publicized or organized actually. I think you can get in an hour early and it is every day. We got there around 8:30ish and were let right in and the attractions were open. Last year we got there at 8 and were let into the park but had to wait quite a while before the attractions were open (it was prettu close to 9 so we missed any time advantage). I spoke with customer service to let them know that we were disappointed but they really didn't have an answer. I would call before ordering tix just to make sure, though, because it seems the rules change frequently