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Theme park news: splashing into summer with new water parks

Opinion
Concept of Vildstrøm river at Rulantica Europa Park

Spring is nearly here, and with it comes sunshine, warm weather, and waterslides. In addition to a number of upcoming new attractions at your local regional water parks, there are brand new water parks opening up in 2019 across North America.

By Lance Hart, Screamscape

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

SeaWorld Entertainment parks are adding three major waterslides to their existing parks this year:

Water Country USA (Williamsburg, VA) will open Cutback Water Coaster this season. The attraction is an 856 foot long ProSlide RocketBLAST / Flying SAUCER hybrid slide allowing 4-passenger rafts to race down the hill at 35 feet per second.

Aquatica Orlando will open KareKare Curl. This attraction will drop sliders in two passenger tubes down a large hill before flying up into a massive zero gravity wall element for a moment of weightlessness before plunging back down to the bottom.

Aquatica Orlando SeaWorld new water parks Kare Kare Curl

Aquatica San Antonio has just opened Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, the tallest drop slide in Texas. It features three slides at the top of a huge tower. Guests can choose either one of two drop pods slides, or a more traditional sit-down one on the third.

Indoor waterparks in Arizona, New York and New Jersey

Five brand new waterparks will open to guests in 2019 across America.

Great Wolf Lodge Arizona Concept new water parksGreat Wolf Lodge Arizona – The company famous for practically starting the trend of indoor water park resorts will open their newest location in the Scottsdale, Arizona area in 2019. The resort will feature an 85,000 sqft indoor temperature controlled water park attached to a resort with 350 suites.

The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark – Opening in 2019 in Catskills New York, comes a new indoor water park resort from the creators of the Camelback Resort. This new nature themed resort features 324 suites and a two-acre indoor water park space designed by Aquatic Development Group. It is inspired by the architecture of the indoor water parks in Europe and will feature a barrel-shaped transparent Texlon roof that will allow sunlight inside year-round. Not only does this allow sunbathing at any time of the year, planned tropical plants inside can also thrive and create a unique indoor environment not seen at any other indoor water park in the US.

Dreamworks Water Park – Another huge indoor water park project is set to debut inside the American Dream mega-mall in New Jersey in 2019. A nearly 8-acre indoor water park will open under a giant glass dome and offer climate-controlled water fun all year-round. The water park will also be the first to be themed around the Dreamworks Animation characters.

Outdoor water parks in Orlando and Texas

Island-H20-Live-logoIsland H2O Live! – A new mini outdoor water park will open in Orlando late 2019. This is part of the new Margaritaville Resort Orlando complex. The new water park will offer over 20 new experiences for guests including drop slides, a lazy river, wave pool and much more. WhiteWater is behind the Boomerango, Open & Enclosed, Kids Slides, Super Bowl 30, Master Blaster + Boomerango Fusion, 6-Lane Mat Racer, Flatline Loop, Constrictor + Rattler Fusion.

Big Rivers Waterpark – It’s been a few years in the making, but the long delayed Big Rivers Waterpark in Texas will finally open in Spring 2019, featuring a number of classic waterslide attractions for guests of all ages.

https://www.facebook.com/BigRiversWaterpark/videos/291722774857801/

International waters

It is also worth mentioning two new international water parks opening this year that should have a lot to offer.

For cruise ship fans, Royal Caribbean is expected to open their CocoCay Thrill Waterpark. It is a little bit of water park fun hidden away on a private Caribbean island, just for Royal Caribbean guests. It’s another WhiteWater project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOClsq6YrQ

Meanwhile, opening near the end of 2019 in Germany, I simply cannot fail to mention Rulantica, a huge new indoor water park coming to the Europa Park Resort. However, contrary to most indoor water parks, Rulantica promises to offer a complete themed water park experience unlike anything you might have seen before.

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Lance Hart

Lance Hart

Lance has been running Screamscape for nearly 20 years. Married and a father to three roller coaster loving kids, he worked for SeaWorld (San Diego and Orlando) in Operations and Entertainment for 19 years.

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