Tuesday, September 14, 2010

To see who's following...

At this point, I am curious as to who is following my blog. As far as I'm aware, the audience hasn't spread too far from where I live. If this blog interests you, and you read it, I'd like to know:

What brings you to this site?
What water parks have you been to (if any)?
Do you have a favorite water park? If so, which one?

Thanks.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Quite small for America's LARGEST

The Water Park of America, not actually affiliated with the Mall of America, is located in Minneapolis/Bloomington, MN.


It contains:


An assortment of body slides
Two tube slides
A family raft ride
A flow-rider
A lazy river
A wave pool
A tree house


Some of the things, obviously, I'm a little too big for. I obviously couldn't ride the raft ride since I was here on my own, and I was a bit too nervous for the flow rider.


To be honest, this really wasn't much of a water park. The tube slides were short and not terribly exciting. The body slides had the sun beating on them and were bumpy. Besides the flow-rider and the raft ride, which really, is designed for a limited audience, there wasn't anything special about this water park.


The lazy river was nice, as it went around the park taking you to the different parts of the park, including the wave pool. Water also could dump on you on the river. I, on principle, like wave pools as well. Lines were short as well.


If you're staying at the Radisson near the Mall of America, the water park comes with the room (I think.)


Overall, maybe a good waterpark if you're traveling to Minneapolis (which is a very nice city) with kids, but I wouldn't go too out of your way to see it. If you're on your own, I'd probably skip this one.


Transportation: Fly into the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (MSP). If you need transportation, take the #55 Hiawatha Line (train) to the Mall of America, and then walk, it's not too bad and is very pedestrian-friendly.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Splashin' at the Lagoon

I just arrived at home from the airport, and am now writing my thoughts on Splash Lagoon in Erie, PA

Overall, I liked this waterpark. I went during an off-season point, so I didn't experience any problems with crowds. The rides are as follows:

Hurricane Hole - a body slide throwing you into a bowl, thrusting you forward at 40 mph and then dumps you into six feet of water. A little too intense for my taste, but some may enjoy it.

Cyclone - this was my personal favorite. It is a tube slide where you are thrown into a bowl and shot through, and has a speedy exit as well.

Shark Attack - a high speed, enclosed body slide with some blue flashes.

Python Plunge - a dark tunnel (tube slide) with some light holes in it, pretty fast.

Big Kahuna - A more calmer tube slide.

Black Hole - like the Shark Attack, but calmer, but that certainly doesn't mean calm.

Maui Wowie - a standard open body slide.

It also features a number of pools and a lazy river to relax in. I did notice, however, I kept getting stuck on the lazy river because the current (which the instructions tell you that you must follow :p) kept pushing me in circles. It also features a playground where a bucket of water dumps onto every once in a while.

I have also noticed that the Hurricane Hole, Cyclone, and Big Kahuna all start from the same area. There are signs telling you where to go for the slides, but I still think it could be organized better. The stairs weren't wide enough to handle three rides, and I think the stairs could have been split with chains or something.

The food was good if a bit on the pricey side.

That being said, I still think it was a very good waterpark.

Transportation: Fly into ERI (Erie, PA). It is on Peach Street. Take the M3 bus if you need a bus.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Howl of the Great Wolf (Charlotte NC)

There are many Great Wolf Lodges around the country, this is just one of them. The park features some pools, five water rides, a MagiQuest (which I did not do but would like to if I get a chance in the future, don't ask why), and a large hotel. I didn't actually stay at the hotel since I was with friends, and was invited as a visitor. Unfortunately, the park does not sell day passes - none of the Great Wolf Lodges do - you have to be invited as a visitor or stay overnight. It's a shame, because I enjoyed this water park. It will be harder to get in unless you have money or have connections.

The rides are:

Alberta Falls - Enclosed tube slides with some good twists and turns.

Totem Towers - Body speed slides, water can get in your nose at the end.

Mountain Edge Raceway - This is a fun one, you twist and turn on a mat and then go straight down racing the other riders. There are even clocks to time you, but when I was here, one was broken and one was missing.

River Canyon Run - Like Alberta Falls, but as a multi-person ride.

Howlin' Tornado - The King of the Wolves, the grand ride. You are thrown into a funnel and shuffled around after going down a steep slide. It is a 2-4 person ride.

Transportation: If you're flying, fly to CLT (Charlotte-Douglas Airport).

Depending on your financial situation, the cost may or may not be worth it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Splish Splash, I was taking a bath

Sorry for the lack of photos, when I was here, I had no idea I would be starting a blog about water parks.

Splish Splash water park, located on Long Island, NY is a fun waterpark but does get extremely crowded in the summer. I've been here three times, because I do have family in Hampton Bays and in New York City. The rides are as follows:

Alien Invasion - A four-person ride which throws you down a large tunnel and then throws you around a bowl. Very exciting and intense, but you won't be able to get on by yourself. Expect long lines. You must also be 48'' to ride.

Abyss - An enclosed blue tube slide, with some good turns. Lines do shorten at the end of the day. For one or two people at a time. Must be 42'' to ride

Barrier Reef - An enclosed body slide, extremely fast. I cut myself on this ride, and was bleeding after I got down (I didn't ride it properly). In my opinion, a little too much speed, but you may enjoy it. Must be 42'' to ride.

Cliff Diver - It's a very long steep slide. I also have never been on it.

Dragon's Den - A tube slide (I've only seen two-person tubes for this, I don't know if they offer one-person slides for this ride) which shoots you through a bowl. When I was here with my dad, he told me it wasn't worth the line. When I was here with my cousin, and I had a chance to go on the ride, I really enjoyed it. I went with my cousin. Must be 48'' to ride.

Giant Twister - My dad's favorite in the park. It is a long body slide with lots of exciting twists. It's not intense at all, but very enjoyable. Lines are again very long, even to the closing of the park. Must be 42" to ride.

Hollywood Stunt Rider - a 4-person ride straight down a long black tunnel. It isn't one of my favorites because the line is very long, and the ride is very short and not that exciting.

Mammoth River - a standard family raft ride, with some exciting twists and turns.

Max Trax - a long slide, one bumpy, the other straight, I have yet to go on the straight one. A fun speed slide, but water does get in my nose.

Shotgun Falls - a quick slide into swimming pool deep water. Loved this ride, but the line is again too long.

Splash Landing - A tube slide at the entrance of the park with lots of good turns. Is my personal favorite in the park.

The park also features a lazy river and a wave pool, both of which have long lines to get to. Plus, the lazy river has only one entrance. There's also a bird show, but I haven't seen it as it's not really my thing. Food is plentiful in the park, there are many places to eat.

Transportation: Fly into either ISP (Long Island), JFK, or LGA (NYC-LaGuardia) and go out to Riverhead on Long Island.

The Bottom Line: Splish Splash has lots of fun water rides, but the lines are very long. Do keep in mind I did go in July/early August, but it seems like some of the lines (e.g. stunt rider) were designed to be long. Still a fun water park if it doesn't bother you too much.

Score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Welcome to the Slides

I'm pretty much finished with school now, so without further ado... The Slides of Bihrno

On this blog I will talk about various water parks in America, hopefully maybe around the world at some point. Basically I'll list the rides, how to get to the water park, my experiences, and then give a rating. My scale will be:

4 Stars - Recommended
3 Stars - Recommended with Reservations (e.g. long lines)
2 Stars - Worth seeing, but not worth going too out of your way to see
1 Star - Not Recommended

Once again, welcome to my blog.