Top 10 Water Slides; Favorite Water Parks?

[Jarrett]

With summer starting soon, I know a lot of water parks are getting ready to open their doors on Memorial Day weekend. While this is COASTERForce, I know a huge part of the amusement industry is the water park market, and while I'll take a day at a theme park over a day at a water park any day, I have been to a few and I do have my favorites. I was wondering if anybody else was the same way.

I may not be the best person to answer this, however. I don't do well with heights for the most part (the issue here is the climb up some of those towers) and I'm claustrophobic to the point where I can't do any enclosed body slides unless they're freefall slides. For this reason, any of the "Pipeline Peak" style slides I will do anything to get out of riding, and I can rarely bring myself to do a freefall slide (Fire Tower Falls, Cliffhanger, those types). But I do have a top 10.

Top 10 Slides
10. Humunga Kowabunga @ Typhoon Lagoon
9. Rippling Rhino @ Kalahari Sandusky
8. Dragon's Den @ Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
7. The Butterfly @ Dollywood's Splash Country
6. Double Barrel Blast @ Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
5. Python Plunge @ Zoombezi Bay
4. Victoria Falls @ Kalahari Sandusky
3. Dragon's Tail @ White Water Atlanta
2. Zip Coaster @ Kalahari Sandusky
1. Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror @ Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe

Top 5 Water Parks
5. Dollywood's Splash Country- Having a water park set against the backdrop of the smokies that uses the mountainous landscape to its advantage just feels inviting, and I was actually surprised that the water wasn't that cold. The only thing I wish they could do was to theme it just a bit more, put it on par with Dollywood and they would have a park that rivaled Blizzard Beach.
4. Zoombezi Bay- The thing I like about Zoombezi Bay is how most of the slides are all concentrated to about three different towers, so from afar it just looks like a few towers with colorful tubes twisting in all directions from them. And there's a theme park right next to it...and I still need the cred there.
3. Typhoon Lagoon- By far the best themed waterpark I've been to! I love how they have everything centered around Mount Mayday, the wave pool is by far the best at any park I've been to, the lazy river is great how it runs through the jungle-like Floridian foliage, I like how the slides all use Mount Mayday as a backdrop and sort of slide down it. I haven't even ridden Crush 'n Gusher, so if we somehow go back and I get to ride it, that slide alone could put this as my favorite, because it's pretty close.
2. Kalahari Sandusky- I love how well-themed their waterpark is and their slide lineup is really great. I like the good capacity on their flowriders and how some of the slides go outside of the building. Zip Coaster is SICK and I love how you get airborne on it sometimes.
1. Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe- The slide lineup here is great, the landscaping is great, and I love how they used the hills as slide towers for some rides to keep you from having to climb a structure. Plus, Dragon's Den and Tunnel of Terror are themed! Not to mention it's near a really nice business-y part of Greensboro where you can stay.

Least Favorite Water Parks
3. Water Works at Kings Dominion- I can't say I didn't see a slide around that I hadn't ridden before, it's stupidly laid out, and it was pretty much a confusing concrete jungle. Plus, at the top of a slide, there was lightning in the area and they had to shut it down, and the way they decided to communicate that information to the people at the bottom that needed to leave was "just yell down at them and have fun." No speaker, no megaphone, no PA system, nothing.
2. Boomerang Bay at Carowinds- I loved Kings Island's water park as boomerang bay, but the one at Carowinds is horrible. In 2009 it was so hot that you couldn't walk on the pavement without it nearly burning your feet...the blacktop might have had something to do with it! And don't even get me started on the crappy lineup of slides, though the new one might change that. It's themed horribly, the rides are boring, it's a sweltering concrete maze...sounds like pretty much all of Carowinds!
1. [LEAST FAVORITE] White Water Atlanta- This park was so rude! Rude lifeguards yelled at my ten-year old sister, people jumping line, somebody got her tube and just shoved through my family with no "sorry" or "excuse me," not to mention the lack of theming.

So what are your favorite water slides and favorite parks?

 

[TilenB]

Since I don't have too many unique waterparks in my count (only from 4 countries, but I don't remember a thing from the ones in Greece) my top 10 is relatively shabby.
But here it is:
1. Dragon, Siam Park
2. Aqualoop, Terme 3000
3. Kinnaree, Siam Park
4. Spacemaker, Aqualandia
5. Scary Falls, Aqualandia
6. The Giant, Siam Park
7. Volcano, Siam Park
8. Anaconda, Aqualand Costa Adeje
9. Banzaii!, Aquasplash Lignano
10. Aquamania, Aqualand Maspalomas

And top 5 waterparks would be:
1. Siam Park; By a huge margin. It's most definitely the most picturesque and stunning waterpark in Europe, if not least the very best in terms of attractions
2. Aqualandia; Italy's best waterpark and also a personal favorite of mine
... (then it goes downhill very fast)
3. Aquasplash Lignano
4. Terme 3000
5. Aqualuna; Slovenian waterpark. I'd need to go back sometime in the near future, since they've added a Polin King Cobra to their line-up last year

Worst three waterparks:
1. Terme Čatež; crappity crap, crap, crap. A **** park that I wouldn't recommend to anybody.
2. Terme Ptuj; Same as above
3. Aqualand Maspalomas

 

[Lofty]

Top 3 favourite water parks:
1) Wet 'n Wild Orlando (Great lineup).
2) Typhoon Lagoon (Lovely atmosphere).
3) Costa Caribe Water Park (just a lovely relaxing park).

Worst 3 Water Parks:
1) Atlantis Water Park Marmaris (**** lineup, amazing setting right on the beach).
2) Blizzard Beach (it's so **** dirty and gross, the only redeeming features are Summit Plummet & Teamboat Springs).
3) Sandcastle Waterpark Blackpool (worst staff ever, management are even **** worse, unclean and stinks of chip fat and B.O).

Top 3 favourite slides:
1) Brainwash (Wet 'n Wild Orlando).
2) Summit Plummet (Blizzard Beach).
3) Twister (Aqualand).

 

[CanobieFan]

top 5 waterparks

5 - Water Country in Portsmouth, NH - https://www.watercountry.com/ - Former "home park" water park. lots of slide types and styles.

4 - Aquatica in Orlando, FL - http://aquaticabyseaworld.com/en/orlando/ - a nice newer park on its way to becoming great. (just needs 1 or 2 more slides really)

3 - Dollywood's Splash Country in Pigeon Forge, TN - http://www.dollywood.com/waterpark.aspx Large park with a large variety of slides and a lovely setting

2 - Six Flags White Water in Marietta, GA - https://www.sixflags.com/whitewater - so many slides and while others here may not have liked it, I loved it when I went.

1 - Rapids Water Park in West Palm Beach, FL - https://www.rapidswaterpark.com/index.cfm? MASSIVE amounts of slides in a tiny park.

Favorite slide - Banzai Pipeline at Whales Tale Water Park in Lincoln, NH. It's an extended Boomerango slide by White Water West http://www.coasterwiki.org/pics/whales_ ... e00441.jpg

 

[wakey1512]

For some reason I find the freefall slides unbearable as it is best desribed as being pressure washed in the face. You have to cover your face and because of this you don't know when the end pool is coming and is quite terrifying.

 

[Ashstrodamus]

1. [LEAST FAVORITE] White Water Atlanta- This park was so rude! Rude lifeguards yelled at my ten-year old sister, people jumping line, somebody got her tube and just shoved through my family with no "sorry" or "excuse me," not to mention the lack of theming.

Doesn't surprise me. The Six Flags there is insane with people fighting in the park and breaking lines, etc. I asked the security where I could buy a beer in the park and he laughed at me saying "These people would kill each other if we sold alcohol here".

 

[NAPayne31]

1. Splashin' Safari






2. Blizzard Beach D:
Not very many waterparks

 

[Gazza]

For some reason I find the freefall slides unbearable as it is best desribed as being pressure washed in the face. You have to cover your face and because of this you don't know when the end pool is coming and is quite terrifying.

Protip: lift your heels an inch or so off the slide surface, and you get no spray.

My favourite water parks.

1) Wild Wadi - Dubai...Appreciated it for the theming and the unique interlinked attractions.
2) Typhoon Lagoon - Great theming, very expansive, and an impressive wave pool.
3) Wet n Wild Sydney - A massive park with basically every modern slide from Proslide and Whitewater in some form.
4) Wet n Wild Gold Coast - My local...I guess the Sydney park has overshadowed this one, but it still does have an intamin halfpipe and plenty of other cool slides.
5) Aquatica - Decent park, but the animal element was less than i was expecting, and there werent THAT many slides.

My favourite rides -
1) 360 Rush - WnW Sydney..A set of 4 looping slides, with nifty transparent trap doors at the top of the slide. These seem to run better than other aqualoops i have ridden, smoother and less spray.
2) Tantrum - WnW Sydney..Just seemed to go on forever, and the funnel elements are great!
3) T5 - An epically good Tornado..tons of airtime, and fully enclosed in the funnel.
4) Flood River Flyer - Wild Wadi...A waterslide that runs continuously uphill, so just non stop boosting.
5) Jumeirah Sceirah - Wild Wadi..I only ever rode the old version, but it was a triple dip speed slide which was frighteningly fast, and had a bit of airtime on the humps.
6) Crush n Gusher - Typhoon Lagoon...Fairly conventional master blaster, but the theming made it special.
7) Tropical Cyclone - WnW Sydney...A constrictor slide, where the helixes are wider than the rest of the slide, but tight, causing it to be very forceful. What makes it good is the sheer speed you belt through at, all in the dark.
8) Disco H20 - WnW Orlando. Enclosed behemoth bowl with a cool lighting package, and thrilling going down the drop backwards.
9) Funnel Web - Jamberoo. An open air tornado, but it apparently has the longest lead in section of any tornado slide, which it pulls off well, with some helter skelter type helixes and back to back turns.
10) Mammoth Falls - WnW Gold Coast. A fairly conventional family raft slide, but heaps of hang time on the walls ive yet to see matched anywhere.

Honourable mention goes to Taumata Racer at Aquatica Orlando, just cos its fun beating clueless tourists who aren't well practiced on racing slides. This one i found really easy to win on.

 

[Ashstrodamus]

I've only been to Emerald Pointe in the 80's, the King's Dominion water park, White Water(Arlington, TX) and Wet 'N Wild(Arlington, TX). White Water was awesome from what I remember....we're talking mid-eighties here. Wet 'N Wild and White Water were right next to each other on some highway. I remember thinking how crappy Wet 'N Wild was compared to White Water. White Water had the most forceful lazy river I can ever remember. That thing was like a wild rapids rafting trip.

 

[Coaster Cinema]

Top 3 Water parks
1. Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
2. Splashin' Safari
3. Volcano Bay

Top 5 Waterslides
1. Mammoth - Splashin' Safari
2. Wildebeest - Splashin' Safari
3. Krakatau Aqua Coaster - Volcano Bay
4. Whitewater Tube Chute - Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
5. Dragon's Revenge - Schlitterbahn New Braunfels

 

[Hixee]

Top 3 Water parks
1. Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
2. Splashin' Safari
3. Volcano Bay

Top 5 Waterslides
1. Mammoth - Splashin' Safari
2. Wildebeest - Splashin' Safari
3. Krakatau Aqua Coaster - Volcano Bay
4. Whitewater Tube Chute - Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
5. Dragon's Revenge - Schlitterbahn New Braunfels

Dude, this topic is over five years old. How bored must you have been?!

Please try not to drag old topics like this back up from the dead.