Wet & Wild Orlando Closing

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

Considered the first water park in America, Wet & Wild is closing after 40 years (at the end of 2016). I've been there and had a blast. Hate to see it go, but Universal is supposedly doing this to make way for some incredible new water park called "Volcano Bay", so I guess I can live with it. Just wish they'd have kept the original name. :glare

 

[dalekfire]

Preposterous. There aren't any active volcanoes in Florida! But go down to the beaches, and you can find thousands of examples that represents "wet & wild"! Stop trying to be Hawaii, Florida! :nono:

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

Come on, man. Cut us some slack. ALL the States would secretly rather be Hawaii, given the choice. We failed miserably at being budget California, too. Basically, where I live, we're Alabama with a beach. But Orlando's different. Down there, you can literally pretend you're ANYWHERE, thanks to all the theme parks. I just wish they could have somehow preserved the first ever United States waterpark somehow instead of closing it down.

 

[dalekfire]

Reminds me of that one scene from Happy Gilmore. xD Not to mention Orlando is like the "happy place" of so many. Y'know all those road movies where East Coasters go on grand and wacky adventures to the west? Feels like Orlando is the top destination in the opposite direction!

But yeah, I'm with you there, on the closing of something with such historical value. Guess that's one of the downsides to places with such importance to aesthetics and entertainment trends - where everything is new and magical, things that are old are just an eyesore. Was there a big change in management or something? Perhaps the original owners didn't have the funds to simply renovate?

 

[Hyena]

Well now it's going to be Bore-lando, am I right?

Eh? Eh? Guys?

 

[Numbah-1]

Well now it's going to be Bore-lando, am I right?

Eh? Eh? Guys?

Vary punny..

You need water parks to enjoy water? Youre in Florida! Surrounded by.. Oh wait yeah salt. Hmmm guess not every state wants to be like Hawaii or Florida!

 

[Hyena]

During hurricane season, the water park comes to you!

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

During hurricane season, the water park comes to you!

Lol! Is true!

Numbah 1 makes a good point about being Florida and water everywhere, too. That brings up a whole other gripe I have with Florida. Or at least our area beaches. Our local surf is notorious for riptides and deadly undertoads (sic). So much so that the lifeguards/island authority can whistle you out of the water or even impose a $200 fine for swimming in waters under yellow or red flag warnings. As a local with the greatest respect for Mother Ocean, I just wish there were some way for me to sign some waiver or something indemnifying authorities for my actions. Like, if I drown playing in the surf, it was my own deal, it won't count against the drowning deaths numbers for the area, etc. Just let me enjoy the ocean, dammit. What can I say? I love the water!

 

[Nuciferyne]

I always wanted to go to Wet and Wild... ;___; This dream will never be realized....

 

[Hyena]

We could just show up at your house with a bucket of water balloons...

 

[StonebornLegion]

We could just show up at your house with a bucket of water balloons...

If you do, we'll give you a kitten out of the litter that one of the strays had recently.

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

I always wanted to go to Wet and Wild... ;___; This dream will never be realized....

It's okay, I guess. I just read that there's a 1000 waterparks in the USA alone! I had no idea. With dozens of new ones being built each year!

I guess my big gripe is with not keeping the classic Wet & Wild alive and building their stupid new Volcano water park elsewhere. I think the competition might be heating up. They are building insane waterslides taller than the Statue of Liberty these days! It's nuts. There's no way I'd ever set butt atop the the Verruckt slide in Kansas, for instance.

I'll miss both six-story plunges at Wet & Wild Orlando. One was called the Bomb Bay, and you'd stand in this glass casket-like case, waiting for the floor to drop out from under your feet, sending you down the slide.

Most of Wet & Wild's best rides were for two or more people on rafts. Some of those were genuinely great.

But, I won't count out the volcano park 'til I see it, I guess.

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

If you do, we'll give you a kitten out of the litter that one of the strays had recently.

I wonder what the Vegas odds are on a water balloons vs kittens brawl. I can see no clear winner in it.

 

[StonebornLegion]

I wonder what the Vegas odds are on a water balloons vs kittens brawl. I can see no clear winner in it.

These kittens are far too small for that, they were just born like two weeks ago lol.

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

These kittens are far too small for that, they were just born like two weeks ago lol.

But born with deadly water-balloon puncturing capabilities! It really is too close a battle to call.

 

[StonebornLegion]

But born with deadly water-balloon puncturing capabilities! It really is too close a battle to call.

You know, now that I think about it, the last time I was out there with them it didn't seem like their claws had even fully developed yet. I think their absurdly cute appearance would be enough to win it for them.

 

[Oblivion]

I mean, I don't want to come in here and make the obvious joke of wet cats but damn it you guys make it hard not too.

I've been to one water park in Orlando and I didn't enjoy it. Maybe I'm one of those amusement park hating people but the additional sunburn didn't do me any favors.

 

[StonebornLegion]

I mean, I don't want to come in here and make the obvious joke of wet cats but damn it you guys make it hard not too.

Hoooly shit how did I miss that but manage to pick right up on "wet and wild"?

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

I used to tease an ex's feet while we waited on rafts at the tops of slides. We'd be seated both going forward with her directly behind me, with her feet sticking out to either side within arm's reach. I miss her. Well, sometimes. :rolleyes

 

[dalekfire]

Oh geez, that's what makes me feel so uncomfortable at waterparks sometimes, when the feet are tantalizingly close. And then you get to see just who takes care of their feet and who doesn't, and your intended travel paths start to bend and twist, until you appear like an awkward drunken dork.

 

[BlasterMaster]

I'm wondering, does all that fresh water get recyled or something? It seems like a colossal waste of fresh water to me. Then again, I've never been at a water park before.