So in an almost inevitable move, Universal Orlando Resort today announced the planned closure of their Wet 'n' Wild Waterpark. Fear not though, the closure is set for the 31st December 2016 meaning all visitors in the next 18 months will still get to enjoy the park while holidaymakers coming to Orlando from 2017 onwards will be there for the opening of Universal's brand new water park, Volcano Bay.
Since the news broke in our office, emails have been flying aorund with our favourite memories of the park and scuffles have broken out over which is the ULTIMATE Wet n' Wild attraction. We can't decide, we love them all!
Two of the team are in firm agreement about something though: Der Stuka is one of the only water rides they've been on where they genuinely feared for their life! "When you push yourself over the top and on to the slide there's a very long feeling split second where you feel like you aren't on the slide at all". Of course when you do touch the slide you are still plunging 250-feet down a near-vertical drop so adrenaline junkies are in their element here...
And how about Bomb Bay, where one of our team stood patiently waiting for the trap door on the ride to open beneath him, before deciding to check if there was a problem. After looking out the window at the attendant, they gave him a cheeky wave and yanked the chord sending him down the slide at rocket speeds! You weren't expecting that, were you?
We unanimously love the Aqua Drag Race ride which opened just over a year ago, where many a fierce compeition has been fought for ultimate drag racer. Or course, if you don't have any grudges to settle with your colleagues, this fun can extend to family and friends too (or so we hear)...
Of course we love to chill out too when we're In Orlando..or at least chill out as much as feasibly possible while speeding down a waterslide with blaring disco music playing. Disco H2O is a unique ride experience and we LOVE the flashy lights - let's hope they think up something similar for Volcano Bay. Some of us liked it so much, we've been round a fair few times...
Excited as we are about the opening of Volcano Bay, we're sad to see this Orlando institution go! After nearly 40 years, Wet n Wild will leave a big hole and a lot for the new park to live up to. Speculation is that the site of Wet n Wild will be used to house a new hotel for the resort, while we're wondering if some of the newer rides will be repurposed for Volcano Bay. Whatever happens, we can't wait for the new water park to open!
To visit this incredible water park before it closes, head to our Universal Orlando Resort pages for more information.
