Famed Wet N Wild Waterpark Closing Forever
Universal Orlando has officially announced they will be closing Wet ‘n Wild, Orlando. The longstanding waterpark located on International Drive will close FOREVER December 31, 2016. Even though the park will close in December of 2016, expect some of the slides attractions to close and slowly disappear well before that time.
Wet ‘N Wild Orlando originally opened in 1977, and fast became the industry standard for waterparks. Attractions include intense slides with free falls such as the Bomb Bay, enclosed “tornado”-style slides such as the Brain Wash, a lazy river and a wave pool. Recent editions include a children’s play area called Blastaway Beach, built in 2012, and Aqua Drag Racer, a mat-slide attraction added in 2014.
The official announcement from Universal read:
“Today, we are announcing that the park will close permanently on Dec. 31, 2016. However, the groundbreaking spirit that has defined Wet ‘n Wild will continue in the development of Universal’s Volcano Bay, a next-generation water theme park that reimagines what it means to be a water park. We’re grateful to our countless fans and team members for making Wet ‘n Wild such a special place for so very long.”
Universal was leasing the Wet ‘n Wild land until 2013, when it purchased Wet ‘n Wild’s 50-plus acres for $30.9 million. The purchase included the park and a parcel under its adjacent lagoon, as well as its parking lot across Universal Boulevard and several smaller parcels that were vacant or held warehouses at the time.
Universal Spokesman Tom Schroder said it was too soon to discuss what would happen next with that land. We are guessing the land will be used for hotel development. Insiders are reporting that executives with owner Comcast Corp. have talked about wanting to nearly triple their number of hotel rooms. With limited land available, the Wet ‘n Wild Orlando property provides an opportunity to make that possible.
Last month Universal announced they will be debuting an all new waterpark in 2017 called Volcano Bay.
The new waterpark will open onsite at Universal Orlando, right next to Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Universal says Volcano Bay will be a whole new generation of experience that re-imagines what it means to be a water park. Expect many never before seen over the top elements and new attractions with unique tropical themes including one tube slide that shoots right through a giant volcano!
Although the Orlando Wet ‘N Wild is closing, reps say that they will continue the great tradition of waterpark fun when Volcano Bay opens in 2017.
Construction is currently underway and more details will be released in the coming months. For tickets and more information about Wet n Wild Orlando, visit the official website by clicking here!
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