Blastaway Beach At Wet N Wild
Wet N Wild is the Best Water Park in Orlando!!
I consider myself an Orlando attraction expert! I have been to everyone of them more than a few times. How did I do this? I was a group coordinator that accompanied groups to Orlando. I was thrilled that my husband was transferred here as I have a young child and we take him every where! His all time favorite place to go (even over Disney) is Blastaway Beach at Wet N Wild. So I try and take him a couple of times a month.
I have learned a lot from going here so often I want to share that information with you. Having some knowledge of any theme park or attraction before going is very helpful. Knowing what rides to go on first, where to find a good spot to relax at or even who has the best food will save you time and make your day much more enjoyable
Starting Your Day
At the front of Wet N Wild's entrance there is a drop off lane that fits about 4 cars at a time. If you have small children or other in your group that can't walk very far dropping them off first is a better option. Parking is in a large parking lot that is located across the street and if you get there early the parking lot is virtually empty.
Tickets are available from many different places. You can purchase full price tickets at the gate. I don't see any reason to do this though since there are so many different discounts available. Tickets are available on Wet N Wild's web site, AAA and many online ticket sources like Best of Orlando. Like all Orlando theme parks your bags including coolers will be checked by security before entering the park.
Waterproof Cameras - They Take Great Pictures and Videos
The lockers and towel rental desk is to your right after entering park. They have 3 sizes from very small to large. I rented the mid size locker and it barely fit one pair tennis shoes, 2 pairs of sandals, a wallet and a towel.
Blastaway Beach
By far our favorite place in this water park is Blastaway Beach with it's impressive 60' sandcastle. This is the perfect size water area for small children and their parents. The water slides were safe for my son who is 3 years old and yet my husband loved them just as much!
We got there when the park opened at 9:00 am and got great beach chairs in the front row. There are also several tables that are in a covered area. If you are with your family and plan on eating any time that day I highly recommend getting a table place your coolers, towels and anything that lets people know that it is "your" table.Don't leave valuables though, that is what the lockers are for! Everyone else is "claiming" their tables too By 10:30 am every chair and table are usually taken.Trust me, you will appreciate a shaded spot to relax at sometime during the day.
Life vests are free and required for smaller children. My son can swim, but there are several waterfalls and slides where he kept getting knocked under the water. The life vest made him feel more confident and me more secure in the fact that he wouldn't drown. Lifeguards are everywhere and are very vigilant. They are friendly, alert and know how to interact with the kids in a way that makes the kids obey the rules. There were 15 different slides, soakers, jets, water cannons and several waterfalls and swimming areas and even a huge bucket of water that pours out on top of unsuspecting swimmers.
Having A Blast At Blastaway Beach
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Other Family Rides We Enjoyed
Because this day was all about our son having a great day we chose rides that were for kids 36 inches and smaller. My son is 42 inches tall already but he was to scared to ride the taller rides.. I would recommend judging each ride based on whether your child is mature enough emotionally and physically to handle these rides. There are drops, sudden turns and parts of some rides are dark and that can frighten young children. It was difficult to hold onto my son because he was wet and had sunscreen on. While riding the Bubba Tub he flew up and landed on his belly because he is so light. These rides are fun just use common sense with the smaller kids.
We rode the Bubba Tub, Disco H2O and The Surge. All of these water slide rides fit up to 4 people in the tubes. The twist, turns, and drops accompanied by music and strobe lights made these rides fun and exciting.
There are several more thrilling rides here that you can find out more about on Wet N Wild's web site
Protect Your Cell Phone
Surf Lagoon and the Lazy River
The Surf Lagoon and the Lazy River by far are my two personal favorite places in Wet N Wild. I don't like thrill rides as much as my husband does. My idea of the perfect vacation is lying by the pool or beach relaxing and sipping a cold tropical drink. Sounds great doesn't it? At the surf lagoon I found such a spot. Well, almost. Plenty of lounge chairs surround the pool even after the chairs at Blastaway Beach are long gone. There are plenty of beer carts, slushy drink stands and a full service Tiki Bar that has delicious tropical drink specials. If you are purchasing alcohol they are very strict. You must be 21 and over with a valid ID and 1 drink per person at a time.
Entering the wave pool is easy for everyone as you simply walk into the pool as if you were at the beach. The waves are strong enough to knock you down if you are in the shallow water and the bottom of the pool is rough. A child next playing next to us scraped his knee and had to get out and take care of it. When the waves are not going the pool is fun and usually not very crowded to swim in. After the alarm sounds and the wave's began everyone swims to the middle of the pool. It gets very crowded and sometimes you can't even swim around.
The lazy river was another one of my favorite places. My son had his floatation device on still (required here too) and we floated in a river on tubes. This was very relaxing after climbing the slides and walking all day.
"The Beach Shop is at the entrance of the park. They carry the typical beach store items like sunglasses and beach towels. If you see a swimsuit you just have to have wait until midafternoon when every day they have a half off all swimsuits sale!"
Food and Drink Information
BBQ is one of my families foods. The Riverside restaurant has an unlimited bbq buffet that you can come back to throughout the day for just 1 price. This is a great deal. They give you a wristband so there is no need to have your wallet ready. My husband loved walking over and grabbing a burger and a coke when he was hungry. I liked the selection when we sat to eat lunch. The ribs and chicken are excellent and so is the macaroni and cheese. The only drawback is that you have to stay in the restaurant area to eat because they won't let you take food in case you are trying to share.
They have other excellent snack and drink stands. You can get corn dogs, pizza and almost any fair type food you want. If you like fruit slushy's they have a large selection of flavors. Beer is available around the park and their is a full service Tiki bar that serves excellent tropical drinks for happy hour prices.
Coolers are allowed and there are tables located throughout the park to picnic. This is a great way to save money. Don't forget to bring plenty of water!
