DESTINATIONS WATER PARKS FAMILY HOLIDAYS
w SPLURGE: SPLASH OUT If having fun is a higher priority than saving pennies, families will no doubt prefer Orlando’s big three theme parks. Tickets don’t come cheap, but with so many attractions squeezed into each park, they provide serious bang for your buck. Aquatica is the splash-focused option among SeaWorld’s trio of parks, with everything from high-speed slides to sandy beaches the size of the Wembley pitch. Adrenaline junkies can get their high on Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, where the floor falls away sending riders into a 24ft-per-second drop down a spiral slide, but there’s a family raft ride and splash park for those who like a gentler pace. Entry is included in the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package and three-park ticket, both of which now come with free parking. Over at Walt Disney World, water babies can take their pick from the ski-themed Blizzard Beach, featuring bobsled rides down Mount Gushmore and a 55mph plunge down the Summit Plummet, and the tropical Typhoon Lagoon, a saltwater snorkelling pool where kids can come face-to-face with butterfly fish, grouper and even bonnethead sharks. Meanwhile, Wet ’n Wild Orlando
Water Parks
If having fun is a higher priority than saving, families will prefer Orlando’s big three parks
not only offers thrills and spills on the four-lane Aqua Drag Racer and swirling coaster The Storm, but also fun for little ones on the six-storey castle at Blastaway Beach. And the
selection is set to grow even further with Universal Orlando Resort adding Volcano Bay water park next year, to the south of Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Dubai is also expanding its theme
park repertoire with the construction of Legoland Dubai – which will include a water park with a Build-A-Raft River and Imagination Station – though the opening date is yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, kids have plenty
to be getting on with in Wild Wadi Waterpark or Aquaventure at Atlantis The Palm. At Wild Wadi, 13 of the 30 rides are connected, so riders don’t even need to get out of the water to move from one thrill to the next, and with entry free to guests at Jumeirah hotels, it’s a great selling point for those properties. Likewise, Aquaventure entry is included with stays at Atlantis or sister brand One&Only, making it even more worthwhile to splash out on these luxury properties. As well as rides and slides, the 17-hectare park features a Shark Safari, a walk along the bottom of Shark Lagoon and cownose ray feeding. There’s a similar variety on offer
ABOVE: Wild
Wadi Waterpark RIGHT: Atlantis
Paradise Island 60
travelweekly.co.uk 11 February 2016
at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Emily Underhill, Travel 2’s assistant product manager for the Caribbean, says: “This resort is home to the Caribbean’s largest water park, which has nine family pools, an extra three fun pools for children, and a range of slides including high- speed tube slides and some that are submerged in the aquarium. The hotel also offers a huge variety of children’s activities, including swimming with dolphins, marine animal trainer experiences, remote-controlled car racing and a teenagers’ nightclub.”
SAMPLE PRODUCT
First Choice
offers a week’s all-inclusive at Lanzasur Splash Resort from £413, based on a family of four sharing, with flights from Gatwick on May 3 and transfers.
firstchoice.co.uk
Do Something Different can book day tickets for Siam Park, Tenerife, from
£26 for adults and £17 for three to 11-year-olds. dosomething
different.com
A Walt Disney World Orlando 14-day Ultimate Ticket – currently the same price as a seven-day ticket – costs £299 for adults and £279
for three to nine- year-olds, offering access to all six Disney parks. disneytravel
agents.co.uk
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