Top 14 Water Park Additions in 2024
As we near the conclusion of the bustling summer season of 2024, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on some of the innovative creations that have delivered exhilarating and refreshing fun across the globe. Let’s countdown the best water park attractions of this year.
To start, I must highlight a remarkable category of waterslides that are always in motion. I’m referring to the impressive new waterslides introduced on cruise ships this year. Notable among these is the Utopia of the Seas, which launched in July and boasts three stunning slides: Cyclone, Supercell, and Typhoon. Additionally, the Carnival Jubilee debuted this season, featuring a compact selection of three waterslides along with a small water play area for children.
Coming soon in December, the Disney Treasure will unveil the latest iteration of the AquaMouse water coaster slide, complete with a brand-new storyline titled Curse of the Golden Egg.
However, the standout attraction is undoubtedly the new slides integrated into the Category 6 waterpark aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which experienced a delayed launch in January 2024. Royal Caribbean claims this is the largest waterpark at sea.
The Icon of the Seas features six major waterslide attractions: Storm Surge (which includes a half-pipe element that extends over the edge of the ship), Hurricane Hunter (a family raft slide), Pressure Drop (a vertical drop body slide), two Storm Chasers mat-racing slides, and the Frightening Bolt, the tallest drop slide at sea. Additionally, there is a FlowRider surf simulator.
Now, let’s shift our focus to the land-based attractions.
The Best New Water Park Attractions for 2024
1
Meryal Waterpark – Qatar
This incredible new water park concept in Qatar finally opened in 2024 after several years of construction. It is unlike anything seen before, featuring a multitude of high-profile slides from WhiteWater stacked together in a massive structure at the end of a man-made peninsula.
The iconic tower, named Rig 1938, stands an astonishing 85 meters tall (278.87 feet) and is home to the current record holder for the tallest waterslide in the world, as well as the record for the most slides (12) attached to a single tower.
There are six different levels to explore on the Rig 1938 tower, each housing the launch point for two of the tower’s impressive 12-slide lineup. Several conveyor devices transport the rafts to the appropriate levels, and to ensure guests don’t tire from climbing stairs to access all 12 slides, three elevators have been cleverly installed.
If that wasn’t enough, the park also features a complete ground-level water park along the shoreline, offering a wide variety of body slides, tube slides, and lazy rivers. This includes a rare Slide Wheel installation and a pair of amusement park-style rides: a spinning roller coaster and a flume ride from Intamin that weave through this section of the park’s attractions.
2
The Rise of Icarus at Mt. Olympus – Wisconsin, USA
Mt Olympus aimed to introduce the tallest waterslide in America to its water park for the 2024 season. Targeting the Daredevil’s Peak waterslide at Royal Caribbean’s private Perfect Day at CocoCay, the park decided to go one step further and created The Rise of Icarus tower, in collaboration with WhiteWater and architecture firm Ramaker.
Standing at 145 feet, this massive tower features five body slides, but only those brave enough to climb to the top will experience “The Fall” to the bottom. Additionally, a new kid-sized slide area has been introduced, featuring eight mini slides and a new lounge space for spectators.
3
Emerald Forest at Silverwood / Boulder Beach – Idaho, USA
The Boulder Beach water park, attached to this theme park in Idaho, has expanded into a massive 4-acre area called Emerald Forest this season, featuring a fun national park theme. The new expansion includes cabana areas for relaxation, new food and beverage options, and the Salmon Run kids slide area (with eight slides), all topped by the Eagle Hunt.
Eagle Hunt consists of a pair of racing/dueling water coaster slides, each 925 feet long, from ProSlide. It features three Saucer Turns and four Uphill Blasts, making it the longest dueling waterslide in the United States.
4
Stingray at O’Gliss Waterpark – France
This massive new creation from Polin is touted as the largest waterslide in Europe. It features four different slides, all integrated into a colossal structure resembling a giant Stingray. There is also a section with an enclosed themed queue leading up to the giant structure.
5
Tassie’s Underwater Twist at Aquatica Orlando – Florida, USA
While this isn’t entirely a brand new slide, the changes made to the park’s former CannonBowl style slides have significantly improved the experience. Initially known as Tassie’s Twisters, the pair of open-topped bowl slides have been upgraded with tops and an entire projection system that digitally paints the dome and walls around riders with realistic imagery, creating the illusion of being underwater surrounded by marine life.
The effect on this WhiteWater ride is stunning, and it’s likely we will see more of this innovative approach in the future.
6
Aquascope at Futuroscope – France
A new indoor water park has been established at Futuroscope in France, featuring three immersive indoor areas, 13 waterslides, and an outdoor section. It offers several unique takes on the water park experience, with many attractions incorporating various lighting, audio, and special projection effects to create a distinctive atmosphere and disorient sliders in innovative ways.
7
Great Wolf Lodge – Florida, USA
With over 20 indoor water park resorts in North America, Great Wolf Lodge is set to open its latest resort in Naples, Florida, on 25 September 2024. This new $250 million lodge will feature approximately 500 suites and a 100,000 sq ft indoor-style water park, complete with many of the attractions that have made Great Wolf Lodge resorts so popular.
Located in the southern end of the state, this will provide a unique getaway experience for local Florida families seeking fun away from the more tourist-heavy areas like Miami, Orlando, or Tampa.
8
Playa Maya Water Park at OCT Happy Valley Beijing – China
With the assistance of ProSlide, OCT Happy Valley Beijing opened a huge expansion to its Playa Maya water park in June 2024, featuring six new slide experiences. These include a MammothBLAST Water Coaster, a pair of Tornado-style slides, a set of ProRACER slides, a thrilling plunge slide that begins with a trap-door SkyBox plunge, and a TurboTWISTER slide, along with a new water fortress-style play structure.
9
Sam Son Water Park – Vietnam
A brand new water park opened in Vietnam on 30 June, featuring over 30 new water slides and experiences for guests to enjoy. The list of new attractions includes several from ProSlide, such as the tallest TornaroWAVE 60 and BehemothBOWL 60 slides in the Asia-Pacific region.
10
Fins Up Water Park, Margaritaville at Lanier Islands – Georgia, USA
This lakeside resort’s small Fins Up waterpark added four new attractions this summer. The list includes Apocalypso (Georgia’s only water coaster slide), which is also a WhiteWater Blasterango slide that starts like a water coaster and culminates in a dramatic plunge into a Boomerango-style wall element before sliding back into the final splashdown area.
Other new tube slides this season include the Serpentine Storm’s high-speed turns, Mango Mania’s enclosed illuminated tunnel, and Dreamsicle Dive.
11
Kaleidoscope Kavern & Ridge Runner at Wilderness at the Smokies – Tennessee, USA
The popular water park resort in the Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee has introduced several new attractions that opened between late December 2023 and early 2024. This includes the unique Kaleidoscope Kavern lazy river attraction, created in collaboration with Moment Factory, which surrounds guests floating through an array of projection screens and images, creating the illusion of being inside a giant Kaleidoscope.
Nearby, the park has also opened the new Ridge Runner water coaster slide from WhiteWater, featuring three uphill water blast sections. Additionally, Lookout Lagoon, a pool on the resort’s top floor with a transparent edge wall, was opened in the spring. While not a water attraction, the resort also introduced the Rocky Top Glider, a new cloud coaster attraction from Extreme Engineering, near the end of 2023.
12
Mega Mayhem at Rapids Water Park – Florida, USA
Though initially announced for the 2023 season, the new Mega Mayhem attraction from ProSlide was delayed until 2024. The park retired its classic Old Yellar slide to make way for Mega Mayhem, a pair of racing water coaster slides.
13
RipQurl Blaster at Six Flags America – Maryland, USA
Initially announced for the 2023 season, construction delays pushed this new waterslide addition back until 2024. Nevertheless, the new water coaster slide from WhiteWater was an unexpected surprise when first announced. It features three uphill water blasts, three significant drops, and three AquaLucent effect turns along the 557-foot course, packing a lot of thrills into a compact footprint.
14
Palm Springs Surf Club – California, USA
While it took longer than expected, a former small water park in the Palm Springs desert has been transformed into the new Palm Springs Surf Club attraction, featuring a cutting-edge new wave pool designed for surfing. Although the remaining sections of the water park opened over the summer days and nights for enjoyment, the park is still finalising the last few adjustments on the aforementioned cutting-edge wave pool.
According to reports, it is now testing the latest technology revisions in the hopes of finally opening the park’s featured attraction.
The post The 14 best water park additions for 2024 appeared first on Blooloop.
