Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A Cold Working Splash

Splash Works, part of Canada's Wonderland in Toronto/Vaughan, has some fast moving slides, a bowl ride, and a racer. Sounds like a good small water park.

This is my first review of a non-US water park, by the way.

Unfortunately, it is brought down by one thing: the water is freezing here.

Most water parks I've been to heat the water, but not here.

The slides are:

Barracuda Blaster - the bowl slide (I didn't go on it). I wasn't sure if I could go single, but later on, the line was really long (30 minutes).

Riptide Racer - the racing mat slide which didn't move as fast as other racing mat slides.

Black Hole - a very fun, quick, enclosed tube slide. Probably the only really good ride in the park.

Body Blast - a slide that I didn't go on, as I would be pushed into ice-cold water.

Whirl Winds - tube slides, which would be pretty good, except that the water was cold.

The Plunge/Super Soaker - multi-person rides that looked reasonably fun.

There's also a wave pool.

The park comes with admission to Canada's Wonderland.

Food: Pricey, like any park, but especially due to being in the Toronto area.

Transportation: To get to Canada's Wonderland, fly into Toronto, ON (YYZ). From downtown, go to York Mills Subway Station, and then take the #60 GO Bus or (WEEKENDS ONLY) #165 TTC Bus.

Overall: Canada's Wonderland was a great park, but the water park is really too cold to enjoy, at least for me. Attendance at this part of the park is optional. Heating the water here would much improve it.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Stranded on the Adventure Island (or Busch Waters)

Adventure Island was another fun experience! It was very atmospheric, with palm trees, and brown rocks. I went on all the rides except the Wahoo Run, as it required multiple riders. It is themed after the town of Key West, FL, which I haven't been to.

The rides are:

Aruba Tuba/Calypso Coaster - two tube slides, one enclosed (Aruba), one open (Calypso). It was notable that these slides were wider than most, making it more fun and very fast.

Caribbean Corkscrew - Literally shaped like a corkscrew. Very fun as you could feel yourself dropping. Be ready for a big splash at the end.

Everglides - This ride was a winner! You would get on a small board, drop on a steep slide, and glide across the water riding the board! Very exciting!

Gulfscream - a steep body slide that dunks you into a pool at the end.

Key West Rapids - Now this I haven't seen before. It was single/double tube, with a very wide slide. Twice you would land in a splash pool mid-ride. Be prepared to move from forward to backward a lot.

Riptide - A mat racing slide, also very fun.

Runaway Rapids - The BEST body slides of any water park. Good drops, very fast, lots of pretty scenery, just be prepared to be dunked at the end.

Water Moccasin - Standard enclosed speed slides, again, you get dunked at the end.

A very scenic water park, some very fast slides, and very unique rides. It could have been better in places such as navigation or (in my opinion) having more tube slides. This water park is the Busch water park so buy the Busch/Adventure Island pass for $87 for a really good deal!

Food: There are places around the park for food but it is expensive!

Transportation: This is a bit of a drawback. There's no public transit that goes directly to the water park. I recommend, if you don't have a car, stay at a hotel that provides a shuttle to the water park (such as Holiday Inn Busch or Hyatt Place Busch). Fly into Tampa International (TPA).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.