Aquatica Water Park Orlando Tips and Tricks to the Best Day Ever

Aquatica Water Park is a family-friendly water park in Orlando located next to Sea World, about 20 minutes away from Disney World. This water park is frequently voted Orlando’s best water park and is home to some of the best water slides in the area. It is the perfect combination of big thrills, family-friendly water slides, and kid’s splash and play areas.

10 Tips for Aquatica Water Park

Arrive Early to Aquatica Water Park

This is the most important step to have a perfect day at Aquatica Water Park (or any Orlando theme park). For years I have perfected “rope dropping” Disney and other theme parks and Aquatica is no exception to the rule. Arrive early, before the park opens, to ensure the best beach chairs and to be the first on the popular waterslides.

On our visit to Aquatica, Aquatica opened at 10:30 am and we arrived at 9:30 am. To our surprise, we completed every water slide we wanted within the first hour!

Heading to SeaWorld? Read my Top Tips For Visiting SeaWorld Orlando!

Bring Your Own Towel and Sunscreen

A common question for Aquatica is “are towels provided?” and the answer is NO. Bring your own beach towels or buy them inside of the park.

Along with beach towels, sunscreen is also not provided. Bring your own and reapply throughout the day. Orlando sun is no joke and it is so easy to get burnt. Make sure you bring those 50 SPF bottles on your trip to Aquatica!

Have a Strategy for Aquatica Water Park

One thing I love about Aquatica Water Park is there is always something new! One of the newest water slides is Riptide Race, the world’s tallest dueling racer waterslide, so make this a priority.

Although the parks officially opened at 10:30 am, it only opened with about half the slides open, and the other half opened at 11 am. If I were in the park, this would be my ride strategy.

Start with KareKare Curl, followed by Dolphin Plunge, Tassie’s Underwater Twister and then Riptide Race. After Riptide Race, it should be around 11 am so the rest of the slides are open.

Tassie’s Underwater Twister is the newest waterslide in Aquatica Waterpark for the 2024 season, which mean it can get crowded! It’s a unique enclosed funnel slide with lights and projection mapping on the inside. If you think you will want to ride this more than once, you should plan to visit here first, and then revisit it once you have completed all the other must-do attractions.

Go to Ray Rush, and ride it twice! It is the best slide in the park and the line gets long. Next to Ray Rush is Walhalla Wave, ride this next. I was shocked by the huge lines for these slides about an hour into the park opening.

I do not love body slides, but if you are ready for a big thrill drop slide, next hit Ihu’s Breakaway Falls in the very back of the park.

The last rides to visit are Whanau Way, Omaka Rocka and Taumata Racer.

This leaves you finishing every water slide in the morning and this is why arriving early is SO important. It allows you to get so much done in the first two hours of park opening.

Purchase Tickets Online

Not only do you get a better deal buying tickets online, you also can save a good amount of time. Guest relations in the front of the park had a line from the second I arrived 30 minutes before park opening. Not to mention, when we left about 1pm, the line was super backed up.

If you plan to arrive early, buy your tickets online! You do not need to print them out in advance. The front gate can scan the barcode on your phone.

The best deals on tickets is to purchase season passes or the fun card.

Season passes you only need to visit 3 times to get your moneys worth!

The fun card is a season pass to both Sea World and Aquatica. This means unlimited visits for the year!

Water Shoes are Permitted at Aquatica Water Park!

One item I wish I brought to Aquatica is water shoes. Many guests had water shoes that they wore around the park. These are great to have on hot days when the concrete burns between slides or on the play areas.

While many rides do not permit you to ride with shoes on, there are cubbies at the bottom of every slide to store your shoes. 

Bring Extra Cash to Aquatica Water Park

Parking? $25

Locker rental? $15

Bring extra cash for the little things! Aquatica tickets may be priced affordably, but like any other theme park, they continue to charge on all the extras.

Visit Aquatica Water Park in the Off Season

A great thing about Aquatica is that it is open year-round. This gives visitors plenty of opportunities to visit when the crowds are low.

During the busy summer I would recommend visiting on a weekday to help you fight the crowds as much as possible.

If you are one of the lucky ones with the ability to visit during the slow season (winter) you are in luck. Excluding holidays, the winter is be the best time to visit.

Check the temperatures in advance, Florida has its moments and in the winter gets quite cold.

Visit in a Larger Group

Many of the water slides require 2 people to ride. Not all, but some. Additionally Ray Rush required 3-6 riders. I visited with my brother, so as a duo we were unable to ride Ray Rush. Luckily when we walked past we spotted another party of 2 and linked up with them to ride together.

Point being, Aquatica Water Park is fun no matter who you visit with, but be prepared with what rides you cannot ride as a solo rider.

Here is a list of slides requiring 2 or more people.

• KareKare Curl
• Ray Rush
• Walhalla Wave

Wear a Comfortable Swimsuit

As I mentioned, Aquatica has some pretty thrilling water slides! Wear a bathing suit that you feel confident and comfortable in.

Not permitted on body slides including swimwear with buckles, rivets, any sharp objects, and shirts or loose-fitting clothes.

Drink Lots of FREE Water

Orlando gets HOT and it is important to stay hydrated while out in the sun. Water is the only outside beverage allowed inside the park, so bring your own!

But if you forget, no worries! There is free water located throughout the park. Visit any food location in the park and ask for a free cup of water.

This tip does not just apply to Aquatica. It is a standard practice in all of Orlando!

Take Advantage of the Dolphin Training Sessions at Aquatica Water Park

Twice a day Aquatica hosts Commerson’s Dolphin Training session! The day I visited they took place at 11 am and 4:45 pm. These are great free activities to enjoy in the park and take a break from all the water action and learn a bit more about these animals.

This training session takes place near the front of the park at Dolphin’s Plunge water slide. Be sure to double check the times upon your arrival!

Lazy River/Wave Pool/ Play Place in the Middle of the Day

Once you have completed all your must-do water slides upon park opening, spend the most crowded part of your day relaxing in the lazy river, jumping around in the wave pool, gliding around Rao Rapids or splashing around in Walkabout Waters.

There are so many fun things to do in Aquatica with no lines. So beat the crowds in the morning and spend your afternoon taking in all of these other offerings at Aquatica.

Sunny Day Guarantee

Especially if you are visiting in the summer, be sure to check the weather. Orlando is known for its infamous 3 pm daily rain showers. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, consider switching around your plans to visit on a sunnier day.

In the event of inclement weather in the area, Aquatica can temporarily close some (or all) of the rides for a short period.

If you do visit on a day when inclement weather forces a shutdown of attractions and sections of the park, be sure to visit guest relations. SeaWorld/ Aquatica has a sunny day guarantee. This means you are eligible for a free 1 day ticket to use within 1 year if your day is impacted by rain in ANY way. The catch is you have to exit the park with no plans to return for that day.

Aquatica Water Park is becoming one of my favorite places to visit in Orlando. With its cheap(ish) pricing, big thrills, fun activities and sunny day guarantee I really feel as if it is a hidden gem.