Tag Archives: lazy river

March 2011 Trip to Florida – Day 12 (Thursday)

Thursday we headed off early to Aquatica with Grandma and Grandpa.

We were at the park by 10 am, so it still wasn’t that warm outside, but the water was nice, so it was fine.

The waterproof camera we borrowed from Andrea came in handy again.

We didn’t go anything new, just the same stuff as the other day. We played in the wave pool, went along the lazy river (Loggerhead Lane), floated around in Roa’s Rapids, and played in the Walkabout Waters area. Christine found a very small waterslide that she loved and she must have gone down it 50 or more times.

Considering that the park is by SeaWorld, there is a surprising lack of animals/birds/fish in the park. I figured that somehow they would have integrated them more. There are a few Macaw, a large aquarium you see as part of the Loggerhead Lane lazy river, as well as some Commerson’s dolphins that you can see in Loggerhead Lane as well as from one of the water slides. They are black and white, kind of like Orca whales, and they often swim upside down (as you can see in the picture). Apparently that is so they can see prey above them.

You can also see the dolphins from an underwater viewing area. Unfortunately none were swimming by when the picture was taken.

As mentioned before, Grandma and Grandpa did come out with us yesterday and today. Grandma isn’t 100%, but she is getting better.

We got back home around 1:30 and had lunch and then relaxed at the house. We had breakfast for dinner, and then the kids had a bath. They were almost in bed on time, and then Lisa and I went out to go to a few stores.

Friday is our last full day in Florida. We are going to go mini-putting again in the morning, and do some shopping. We’ll then go out for dinner and head out to Downtown Disney one last time.

March 2011 Trip to Florida – Day 10 (Tuesday)

Cool, we’re now into double digits for the number of days we’ve been here. Awesome. The only bad thing is that means that the number of days we have left is getting smaller 🙁

Before doing this write-up, I asked everyone how they would describe Aquatica, the SeaWorld waterpark. Matthew said it was awesome, sick. Lisa said it was fabulous, better than expected. Andrew said it was sweet like candy (honestly, he did). However you describe it, we had a great time.

Aquatica is just across the street from SeaWorld. It is much smaller than than either SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, but you can still spend as much time there. The grounds are beautiful…

… and the play areas are great.

Andrea’s waterproof camera really came in handy. I took quite a few videos that I can show some of you when we get home.

One of the main attractions in Aquatica is a large man-made beach that is next to the 2 wave pools. There were loungers everywhere, and people enjoying the sun. The wave pool was great, and the kids had fun. Matthew wore a life jacket for most of the day, which made him more brave than normal.

The play area pictured above is called Walkabout Waters, and it is one of those large forts that the kids can climb. There are buckets that spill water, spray water, and other water effects. Once the kids make it to the top, there are also a couple of water slides.

Probably the best attraction at the park is called Roa’s Rapids. It is kind of like a lazy river, but a little faster. There are no tubes allowed, but the water is fast enough and shallow enough that you just float/bob along. It is awesome! There are areas that go a little faster, as well as some water effects. In the right spots, you could basically “surf” along the bottom and you’d keep moving forward. Matthew must have said, “Surf’s up!” about 20 times. Christine liked it to, but I had to hold onto her the whole time.

At some point during our visit, I asked Lisa if I was pink, and she said no. By the time we got home, all of us were pink like lobsters. Nobody was complaining of any pain, so hopefully it is just the colouring.

It looks like we are headed to SeaWorld again on Wednesday with Grandma and Grandpa, and then going back to Aquatica again on Thursday.