Aquatica is one of our favorite spots to visit over the summer but this year because of Covid-19 things are different. The parks opened up a few weeks ago and they sent out a memo as to what was required if you were to enter the park. I didn’t quite understand how a mask and a water park would mix and honestly I wasn’t really sold on the idea of visiting the park until I spoke with a friend who visited the day before.
This was our experience and I hope that it will give you a better understanding of what is expected as well as help you make a decision if you want to visit during this time.
Reservations Required:
In order to enter the park you must have a reservation. We didn’t have a problem making a reservation for the day that we wanted to visit. In fact, we made it the night before. We did go during the week so I’m not sure if that made a difference for availability.
One way in and one way out:
Foot traffic flows in one direction. They have a set pathway for you to follow once you are approaching the park from the parking lot and attendants will point you to the right direction. Also along the path there are large signs to let you know that Face Coverings are required as well as Temperature Screenings are being conducted.
No Contact!
There are several tents set up at the entrance of the park (before you even get to the ticketing area) to take your temperature. It was super quick and painless.
Right before you enter the park you go through the normal bag screening area. Here they have added a plexiglass partition.
Then you proceed to the park entry line. They have also added a plexiglass partition. You are asked to hold your pass or ticket up to the glass and the attendant scans it through the plexiglass. Super simple with no contact.
Once we entered the park we noticed that there were many guests who no longer were wearing masks. That’s because basically once you are on the rides you are not required to have a mask on. Only when you are in certain areas such as the shops. I also did not see anyone around enforcing the rule of wearing a mask. Even though we just entered and were not on a ride or even wet (as if we just came off of a ride) there was no one around enforcing the rule.
Sanitizing Stations:
Sanitizing stations were placed throughout Aquatica and easily accessible.
One thing that did worry me before going was the use of life vests. Normally they are hung up where you just take them and put them back when you are done. Now they have condensed the vest stations to what looked like only 2 areas. An attendant will now pass you a vest and when you return the vest it goes into a bin to be sanitized. This adjustment actually made me feel much better about “sharing” vests.
Another change I noticed at Aquatica was that everything had one way in and one way out. We noticed this change to the Walkabout Waters area as well as at Cutback Cove/Big Surf Shores. There were black ropes to guide you to the entrance and exit.
Social Distancing:
Social distancing was in place. Any place that a line could form had placards on the ground to inform you of the 6 feet apart guideline.
The park was not operating at full guest capacity which was actually kind of good. The wait lines were minimal! Lol
We didn’t eat lunch at the park but I did notice that the self serve/grab and go snack areas were roped off and maned by attendants.
Over all we had a fantastic day at Aquatica. Honestly, there wasn’t much of a difference except much shorter wait lines. At no point did I feel crowded or that any other group was too close to my family but I also made sure that we stayed in our own little area. If you are thinking of taking your family out for a day at the water park just be mindful and cautious; especially if you have any underlying health conditions that may put you or your child at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Like I mentioned before, once you enter the park people aren’t wearing masks.
I know it can be a challenge to keep your kids entertained during the summer under normal circumstances so hopefully this will give you a little insight on a possible option.
XO,
Caffie
