Waterworld Review: Everything you need to know

After two cancelled holiday and what felt like an eternity cooped up inside, we were finally allowed to go out and so decided to treat ourselves to a day out to Waterworld in Stoke on Trent. This tropical aquapark had it on my list of must-visit places for a couple of years. Both Stu and I are big water fans and our girls are such water babies. However, their age and the price tag had previously put me off until now.

How Much?

With a holiday refund sat in our bank account, we decided to splurge and just go for it. It cost £76 for the four of us, which I personally think is too much for what it is but I am also a bargain hunter and hate paying full price for anything. On arrival, we did get a £7 refund which I wasn’t entirely sure what for but I wasn’t going to argue.

Locker bands cost a refundable £5 and hold 2-3 large bags. We only needed one for the four of us. You can also load these with cash to spend in the cafe. We didn’t bother. In fact,we picked a 1pm slot and had a picnic lunch in the Waterworld car park before going in. Drinks and snacks would have quickly added up and we didn’t want to spend any more on our day out.

Waterworld Gift Shop

On Arrival

We showed our online barcode and went straight through. We were given coloured wrist bands which allowed us 3 hrs in the Waterworld aqua park after which your colour would be called and you’re asked to leave. The changing rooms were clean if a bit dated. Here we found communal showers, hairdryers and family change rooms.

Rides and Water Features

There were so many things to do and lots of rides that were suitable for little ones. In the toddler area, you have the choice of about 6 slides and mini flumes, a climbing area, lily pads and water sprays. The giant family slide was also a hit as we could all go down together.

Of the bigger rides, the three super flumes were also great for our girls. Those under 1.1m can ride with an adult and they were thrilling for them. We didn’t attempt any of the other big rides with our two although they were just the height for some of them.

Stu and I tag teamed so we could each have a go on some of the more daring rides. I tried out the nucleus which was good fun but for the speed it goes, I think you need to be a swimmer to ride this which my two are not yet. Stu braved the Black Hole and we had fun watching him plummet into a tank with a window.

More on offer

The Waterworld wave machine operated about every 20 minutes and made our girls squeal with delight. We piggybacked them both to take them to the outdoor pool which is deeper but has a bubble pool with underwater seating where they could sit or stand.

It was disappointing that the lazy river wasn’t in operating and we weren’t able to go on the rapids as you were only allowed to go in if you were confident swimmer.

Keeping Safe

The Waterworld staff were brilliant and super friendly while you waited for rides. Even on a Saturday afternoon, queues were very short as they had limited capacity. There seemed to be a lot of lifeguards and they were incredibly vigilant in their duties.

On a number of occasions, I saw staff cleaning equipment and hand sanitiser stations were positioned around. There was also a one-way system in operation which took a few attempts to get the hang of and meant going the long way around for some rides but worked well.

We also had a fall and instantly had two members of staff checking on my little one. Ice was brought to us and someone stayed with us until we were happy that Jess was OK.

Other Waterworld Stuff

Annoyingly no photography is allowed so we couldn’t test out our new GoPro and have no photos inside the aqua park.

No outside food is allowed so either eat before or plan for this in your time slot.

The three hours whizzed by for us and we were all a bit sad it was over.

If you enjoyed this you might also be interested in whether Cadbury World is worth the money too.

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