Exciting Water Park Attractions Coming in 2025
The summer season of 2025 is drawing to a close, making it the perfect moment to reflect on the most thrilling new waterslides and water park attractions 2025 that have been unveiled this year.
As has been the trend in recent years, many of the most captivating projects are not confined to traditional locations. Each year, an increasing number of water park-style features are being integrated into some of the largest and newest cruise ships around the globe.
Before diving into the regular parks, let’s take a brief look at three significant new features that have been added to these colossal floating theme parks this year.
New Cruising Experiences
Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas
Royal Caribbean has launched its latest Icon Class vessel, the Star of the Seas, which debuted this month. The standout feature on this ship is the Category 6, touted as the largest water park at sea.
Category 6 boasts six record-breaking waterslides, including one that claims to be the “tallest at sea.” It also introduces the first open free-fall waterslide. Additionally, all current itineraries for guests aboard the Star of the Seas include a stop at the private island resort, Perfect Day at CocoCay, which features an extra-charge water park with even more slides to enjoy.
However, the first Icon Class vessel, Icon the Seas, has been making headlines recently due to an incident involving the Frightening Bolt slide, the tallest drop slide at sea.
This slide operates similarly to many land-based water parks, starting with riders entering a Drop Pod. When the trap door opens, riders plunge straight down before curving into a typical enclosed body slide.
Unfortunately, a clear section of the slide broke and fell to the deck below while a guest was sliding down. Reports indicate that some injuries occurred due to the slide’s malfunction. Consequently, the Frightening Bolt on the Star of the Seas may be closed for inspection for a while.
MSC World America
Not to be outdone by the water park at sea concept, the MSC World America, which launched earlier this year, features a multi-level fun district known as The Harbour. This area includes an aquapark with several slides and a splash pad.
The Harbour also offers a couple of dry thrill attractions, such as the Cliffhanger swing ride, which literally swings guests out over the edge of the ship and back. Additionally, there is a tall spiral dry slide called Jaw Drop.
Norwegian Aqua
One of the most impressive innovations at sea this year comes from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Aqua Slidecoaster concept, which debuted on the Norwegian Aqua in 2025.
Guests are carefully loaded onto rafts with high-backed seats, lined up inside two side-by-side slide troughs. The rafts move forward on a conveyor belt and are loaded into the bottom of a large incline. Between the two slides lies a unique device attached to what resembles roller coaster track.
Arms attached to either side of this mini-coaster car slide forward behind your raft, launching you forward and propelling both rafts up the launch hill and into a pair of fully enclosed slide tubes. Each slide has a slightly different layout, making it a perfect reason to try both sides.
This would be an excellent addition to any land-based park, and the fact that such a unique feature has been created for a new cruise ship is incredibly exciting. A second version of this innovative concept will also be featured on the new Norwegian Luna, set to launch in 2026.
Other New Cruise Water Park Attractions to Come
The cruise industry continues to innovate, with several major new plans already in the works, set to open over the next two years.
This includes the first water park on a private island stop (Great Stirrup Cay) for Norwegian Cruise Line. Designed to rival Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay water park, Great Tides Waterpark will feature 19 waterslides, eight of which will be attached to a 170-foot-tall tower.
Other attractions include a “dynamic river” and faux “cliffside jumps” for guests to enjoy in a safe waterpark environment.
Royal Caribbean is also planning to open a second private water park at a new international destination called Perfect Day Mexico.
This new exclusive cruise stop will focus on Loco Waterpark, created in partnership with Legacy Entertainment. It will feature over 30 waterslides and a wave pool, along with the iconic Jaguar’s Peak slide tower, which is set to become the tallest waterslide tower in North and South America.
Look for Perfect Day Mexico to start welcoming Royal Caribbean cruise guests in 2027.
Best New Water Park Attractions for 2025
With the sea-based concepts covered, let’s explore the top 13 new land-based water park attractions 2025.
1
Expansion at Yas Waterworld – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Delayed slightly by a construction-related fire, the popular cutting-edge water park in the United Arab Emirates, home to rides from WhiteWater and ProSlide, opened a grand new expansion. In total, the expansion was set to add over a dozen new attractions, including what is said to be the nation’s tallest water slide.
I believe the damage from the fire has split the expansion into two phases, with the first having opened this summer, and the second phase expected to open in the coming months.
All said and done, this expansion will increase the park’s overall size and capacity by an additional 20%.
2
Great Wolf Lodge Mashantucket – Connecticut, USA
The long-anticipated new Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resort, located as part of the massive Foxwoods casino resort, finally opened in May after being under construction for the past two years.
The newest Great Wolf Lodge resort features 549 guest rooms and a huge water park with 13 water slides, a lazy river, various water play structures, and a massive wave pool. Suppliers include ProSlide.
Like other Great Wolf Lodges, the resort also includes a few dry attractions, such as a built-in MagiQuest interactive game, the Ten Paw Alley bowling lanes, a large arcade, Howl in One mini-golf, and the Howlers Peak Ropes Course.
3
New Rides for Soaky Mountain Waterpark & Wilderness at the Smokies – Tennessee, USA
A couple of new attractions opened at this unique combo attraction. The Wilderness at the Smokies waterpark resort unveiled a newly upgraded version of their popular Washout Mountain water fortress attraction from ProSlide at the very end of 2024, while the publicly accessible Soaky Mountain Waterpark next door opened the brand new Rafter’s Rage family tube slide in mid-2025.
This new slide concept from WhiteWater features 6-passenger rafts that can reach speeds of 19mph while navigating carefully crafted arcing turns, creating a unique “drifting” style experience on a waterslide for the first time.
4
Dream Space Water Park – Chongqing, China
An all-new water park opened this year, said to be the largest in the region, featuring an impressive 40 new water slides.
The interesting thing about this park is that when it was first announced, it was to be the first Six Flags Hurricane Harbor park in China, as part of the greater Six Flags Chongqing resort project.
While the Six Flags park never materialised, the water park did finally open this past June, although it’s unclear if all of it was completed. Ride suppliers include WhiteWater.
5
Bavarian Blast at Bavarian Inn – Michigan, USA
Developed by Aquatic Development Group with rides from WhiteWater, this new attraction is now the largest indoor water park and family fun centre in Michigan, spanning an impressive 170,000 square feet.
This $90 million facility is bigger than your average Costco Warehouse location. It features a wave pool that offers adjustable wave sizes, a 300-foot action river, Michigan’s only adult swim-up bar, 20 private cabanas, and 16 thrilling waterslides.
6
Aqualantis Waterpark at Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort – Antalya, Turkey
This resort destination collaborated with WhiteWater to add 13 new water slides this year, most of which are attached to two large slide tower structures.
The new additions range from body slides, tube slides, and large family raft slides, as well as an assortment of new slides for younger guests.
7
RiverRacers & More Kids’ Rides at Soak City at Kings Island – Ohio, USA
The park added RiverRacers this season, a dual-racing water coaster from WhiteWater, said to be the first of its kind in Ohio. It features a water jet propulsion system behind the side-by-side racing that ends with a gravity-defying finale drop.
Soak City also expanded its kids’ play area, introducing seven new slides in a new section called Splash River Junction.
8
Volcanic Wedgeee at Wet ‘n Wild Hawaii – Hawaii, USA
The water park in the tropical paradise of Oahu opened a brand-new waterslide this season called Volcanic Wedgeee, from WhiteWater.
Guests slide through a “volcano” from a 65-foot slide tower, passing through flashing lights and volcanic rumbling sound effects all the way to the bottom.
9
Splash Island at Hurricane Harbor – Texas, USA
A major new water fortress attraction was added to the popular Texas water park, featuring a 1,000-gallon dumping bucket and seven new small family slides attached to the structure.
If that wasn’t enough, six additional micro-slides were added in a nearby kiddie area for the park’s smallest guests to enjoy.
10
Okana Resort and Waterpark – Oklahoma, USA
An all-new competitor has entered the indoor water park resort scene in Oklahoma City, welcoming the Okana Resort & Indoor Waterpark in Spring 2025.
Built on a smaller scale than industry giants like Great Wolf or Kalahari, the resort also features a large outdoor beach pool, several outdoor slides and water play areas, a wellness spa for adults, sports simulator bays, and a variety of bars and restaurants.
11
SuperSplash USA – Missouri, USA
The former Big Surf water park in Missouri underwent extensive renovations and reopened in 2025 as SuperSplash USA.
It features a new mat racer slide named Parriot’s Plunge, the Adventure Island water sprayground for children, 8-Person Royal Cabanas for rent, and a shady adults-only retreat area called Key Largo Landing where grown-ups can enjoy a refreshing beverage, relax in a hammock, or catch a sports game on a big screen.
12
Wildwater Kingdom at Dorney Park – Pennsylvania, USA
The popular water park upgraded two of its oldest slides this season, Lightning Falls and Cascade. Each now features new WhiteWater AquaLucent tube sections, creating striking visual effects for sliders.
13
Thermas dos Laranjais – Olimpia, Brazil
This attraction is ranked here because it has not yet been completed, but the project looks extremely impressive. A striking new slide tower, Nações, features two separate multi-person raft slides that will incorporate some of WhiteWater’s most impressive features.
The attraction is named in tribute to the park’s founder, who was of Italian heritage. The two slides will be named Italy and Brazil, each featuring the colours of their respective national flags.
The Italy side will include tail spins, mega drops, and conclude with a giant Galaxy Bowl element. The Brazil side will feature an Orbiter element, some Master Blaster water coaster-style hills, and finish with an impressive Anaconda element.
There is much more to anticipate around the world in 2026, along with even more projects yet to be announced. Stay tuned!
