The only other slides I was able to hop on were Wildebeest and Jungle Racers before taking on the(*Edit [May 7, 2014]: It has been confirmed that both AmaZOOM and Bamboo Chute were relocated to the Lake Rudolph campgrounds next door where it now operates as Santa’s Splash Down.)
*Hyena Falls:
*Chuckles: 7/10
*Giggles: 7/10
*Laughs: 8/10
*Tee-Hee: 7/10
Jungle Racer: 7/10
Mammoth: 10/10!
A very sunny morning about an hour after the park had opened had some light, but very good crowds. The majority of visitors were large groups of very excited children on field trips, but the rest were mostly teens and adults looking for a very nice day out in the sun.
I spent about a few hours in the water park and had myself a pretty good time. I spent most of my time sliding down the slides since I didn’t really feel like bothering with the wave pool. With this visit, I was able to compare what the park would be like with a crowd. The splitting of the staircase for body sliders on the left, inner tubers on the right was a very nice idea and allowed for body sliders to bypass those with inner tubes and head straight to the slide of their choice. The top of the complex was much less organized though, with people standing in random locations unsure what line they might be in for the slide they want. It takes a bit of squeezing-by other people sometimes to be able to reach the slide of your choice.
The slides themselves were just about the same as the last visit, except that the slide surfaces were cleaner and smoother, and the water felt slightly warmer than my first visit in the cold. One very noticeable change was in the enclosed body slide where I had mentioned that the second helix on the slide previously had back-scratching, which wasn’t felt on this visit!
So, I’m happy to say that this visit turned out to be a better visit compared to the last, and the water park was doing much better than it was earlier this summer! I can definitely recommend this water park if you’re ever in the Louisville of Clarksville areas and want to get your feet wet, just be sure to avoid weekends since those are the busiest times for the park. Also, if you want to avoid additional charges for locker use, bring your own locks!
Wildebeest is a hit with any roller coaster enthusiast who rides it, and it is definitely a must-ride if you ever visit the park. But of course, it’s not the only slide one must experience if they ever come here.
Mammoth is absolutely amazing to ride, and is beautiful to look at. Wildebeest will provide more thrills, but Mammoth is probably more fun to ride with friends because of how you are facing each other and how Mammoth has a higher capacity.
Still, even with the frigid water that morning, everyone who rode Mammoth seemed to love it!
After that, I made my way to Black River Falls. This was the longest I waited that day. After waiting 30 minutes for an inner-tube, I head to the top to wait another 20 to get on the slide. It takes quite a while for the light to turn green and let the next slider down the chute. After the light does turn green and you start down the slide, you immediately enter a tunnel and hit a left turn helix. The water slide consists of multiple left and right turns in a pitch black tunnel filled with air holes punched out of the top of the slide. The slide also consists of jagged trims to slow down your inner tube along the course, and they can hurt if you do not lift your butt while riding! Soon the slide ends with a drop finale into the pool, where you disembark your tube and hand it to the awaiting rider.
Next in line was the Bermuda Triangle and Caribbean Plunge (which also meant I skipped Gulf Screamer, this was because Bermuda Triangle had a much shorter wait. Well get to Gulf Screamer soon.). Bermuda Triangle was practically a walk-on once you retrieved your double inner-tube. After climbing the stairs, getting on your tube and pushing off, you move slowly around one turn, take a dip and then complete a helix in the opposite direction. Along the course of this slide are a few trims as well to slow down your inner tube. Soon you go down another small dip and enter a tunnel where you make another complete helix in the opposite direction. Eventually you will exit the tunnel, go down a bigger dip and splash in the pool. Caribbean Plunge (Not Pictured) was a little more intense than Bermuda Triangle because of it’s very steep double-down drops. Both slides okay in my opinion, but none of the inner tube slides I rode this day were as good as Gulf Scream.
Gulf Scream was another inner tube water slide with a couple dips and many turns. What makes this slide stand out? It has wilder turns, no trims, and it ends shooting you outwards 3 feet above the pool! This slide has one of the most spectacular finales of any water slide I’ve seen. Being that you just came out of a turn and are still swinging left and right, you can hit the pool sideways causing you to fall out of your inner tube!
That was all for this day. The last slide I was able to hit before they closed the water slides and the entire water park was Dragon’s Tail for a second run. It’s now my favorite water slide in the water park!
As for the Flash Pass system? I think it would really sell at a water park like this. Lines usually get pretty long during peak seasons and a way to skip the lines would totally catch my eye. Today, though, was a very slow day. The longest I waited felt about 30-40 minutes (Black River Falls), at least 20 of those minutes were waiting for an inner tube. The Fastpass system for inner tube slides is that you get to go through a separate and obviously shorter line to get an inner tube, but then you will have to wait to get on the actual slide. For body slides like Dragon’s Tail, the normal line was big enough to have a rope split it into two; thus allowing Fastpass-ers to virtually skip the line.
I only saw one person use the fast pass system that day and it was for getting on Dragon’s Tail. I didn’t mind the Fastpass system that day since there was a smaller crowd, but on a busy day where lines back up all the way to the entrance, I would feel pressured to pay extra to use the system. I’m not saying that I dislike the Fastpass system or how Six Flags uses them, I think they are very useful when you don’t want to wait in long lines. I will try the system one day just to see how much of a difference it can make on a busy day.
Water Slide Ratings (N/A = Not Available)(* = Updated/Changed)
Other Rides/Attractions
Atlanta Ocean Wave Pool: 7/10
Buccaneer Bay: N/A
Little Hooch River: 6/10
Tree House Island: N/A
*Overall Water Park Rating: 9/10
http://www.youtube.com/p/681D7B4F308657FD?version=3&hl=en_US&fs=1
