Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

Photo by diongillard

Wet N’ Wild water park in Orlando has a new deal for the dog days of summer: Half off the price of regular admission after 5 p.m.

Now through Aug. 14, Wet n’ Wild stays open late – until 9 p.m., so there’s plenty of time to take advantage fo this offer.

Wet n’ Wild is a fun family park. There’s a special kids’ area with water slides, pools and a playground just for the little ones.

If you want to stay all day at Wet n’ Wild, general admission is $44.95 for adults and $38.95 for children ages 3 to 8. And if you want to return, your one-day ticket gets you in all year. Or come after 5 p.m. for half price.

Florida residents pay $31 for admission.

As always, Theme Park Mom recommends that you buy your tickets online to bypass the lines at the park.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that a man is under arrest, accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl at Walt Disney World’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. Robert Chester Double is accused of pulling off the girl’s bikini top and touching her inappropriately.

What’s more, it’s the third such case in the past few weeks in Orlando:

• On June 21, a 14-year-old girl told police she was raped in a wave pool at Wet n’ Wild. No arrests have been made in that case.
• On June 27, three young girls told police they were touched inappropriately by a man at Aquatica. Joshua Fuentes was arrested in that case.

It’s enough to make a Theme Park Mom swear off water parks. But, in my more reasonable moments, I know that’s not the answer. A bank robbery doesn’t keep me from going into the bank; a mugging doesn’t keep me from walking through the park. So, what’s the mom of a young girl to do?

These incidents all happened to pre-teen and teen girls, and they all happened in wave pools or “rapids” where currents are moving very quickly. That creates a lot of action, and a lot of cover for people to do inappropriate things.

My best suggestion for water park safety is to ensure that your tweens and teens experience these attractions, and all water park rides for that matter, in groups. It’s a cliche because it’s true: There’s safety in numbers.

Just because your child is old enough to not need your direct supervision at every moment doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to go it alone.

You would probably not send your teen to a water park for the day alone, so be sure they understand that means they also shouldn’t be going around the water park and on rides by themselves, either.

The 10th Annual Fiesta San Juan will be June 20th at Wet n’ Wild in Orlando. In addition to all the slides and rides at the water park, the event will include special Latin food, dancing and live music, including Neco, Rhythm, Latin Project, Los Pleneros de la Central and Cuco Reyes y su Orquesta Vibracion. The night’s headliner will be El Grupo Limi-T 21.

Rumba 100.3 will broadcast live from the park throughout the day, and Telemundo Orlando personalities will also be on hand to greet the crowd. Fiesta San Juan starts at noon on Saturday, June 20th, at Wet N’ Wild Orlando. The park will stay open until midnight, when guests can honor the “Tradition of San Juan” by making a big splash in the water at midnight.

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Courtesy Photo / Wet N' Wild

Wet n’ Wild Orlando has announced new operating hours for Oct. 27 – Dec. 31. The park will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Wet n’ Wild is also offering deals on admission — a pass valid for weekday admission for a year is $49.95. A Florida resident daily admission is $29.95, and you can get a Splash Pass for $41.95 that lets you in for the rest of this year.

The water park has also moved up it’s afternoon discount — admissions are $10 off starting at 2 p.m. now.