A Company paid (partially paid :P ) trip to a newly started water theme park. What else can you ask for. Well your views might change after reading my experience.
Aquamagica is an extension of the Adventure theme park Adlabs Imagica located between Mumbai and Pune, around Khopoli. This week our team got few complimentary vouchers from the company which we decided to use for our trip to Adlabs Aquamagica Water Park. Too excited, I did not even sleep the day before. I thought all the hustle happens when we have crossed the gates and are in the park. But it seems for us they had a different plan.
Being a Sunday, the number of visitors had to be itself a sight to watch out. Anyways once you have reached the venue, you have to pay 100 bucks to park your car under the bright sun so that while you are enjoying the rides it should get the required Vitamin D. Moving further, you are at the main gate after you have parked, they will check thoroughly your bags as security measure (No eatables allowed by the way not even a gum). Collect your tickets and wrist bands from the counter and then a bus will escort you. Finally you are at Aquamagica.
Go in, you will see a too much of crowd don't let it bother you, just move towards the reception and there you will be guided about the procedures. You can have lockers to keep your stuff, each locker can have luggage for 2 people i.e. 2 college size sacks. the shorts you wear need to be of acrylic type (jersey material). They will also say girls need to have one piece swim suits, when you say that don't have they will try to market their own products (1500 Rs. for a swim suit of brand Aquamagica), do not fall so easily to the marketing trap, the one piece is required only for one of the slide. rest all are fine without the One Piece. Coming back to lockers, they will charge you 150 Rs. + 200 Rs. Deposit (you can claim it back only if you submit the key before 6:00 pm). We bought 5 lockers, a good thing that the lockers had enough space for bags of 14 people (bags crushed inside but still ).
Take a shower and move towards the slides. WAIT!!!!!! There's another check for the clothes and accessories you have worn. Cotton T shirts not allowed, Cotton shorts not allowed, If two piece swim suit (they will question but you can get around it), No rings, watches bangles...etc allowed. the Guard asked one my manager to remove his KADA. He said he cannot as he is a Sikh. at first they stuck to their policy but as my manager turned red and warned them, they gave him a work around of covering the Kada with cloth so that it does not hurt the Rides. Finally the biggest of their rule, the same manager was wearing a Olympic standard Swimming costume. They said its not allowed as its Obscene.......... This had to blow the frustration, we asked the guard the get his manager, she being another idiot, came and spoke as if there was nothing wrong in what the Guard said and had an attitude as she owns the bloody park. She got security where the guy calmed us down. We apologized for being angry and he apologized on behalf of the manager.
They said that we can buy a pair of shorts for 80 bucks from their store but I had an extra pair shorts which the manger wore and we proceeded. We thought it was over, on the first set of slides, a guy from the staff comes and asks my other manager to remove his T Shirt stating that on this slide T Shirts are not allowed. We said we were just checked and cleared at the gate, he says "wo unko unka malum, ye slides pe allowed nai". My manger not in a mood to fight again he just removed the T shirt.
The start being terrible, we finally somehow coped with our frustrations and went with a mind set just to enjoy the park. Below is a review of the slides and attractions.
The Pirate Bay:
A bunch of slides and artificial water falls clubbed in a big pool. This is the first attraction you will see once you enter. the park. Basically for kids as the slides are not too dangerous and long. Also there are huge buckets swinging on top of the slides which once is full, it empties the water on the Roof so that the person standing below can get a feeling of standing in a waterfall.
Rating: 8/10 (reason being you will enjoy this the most).
Zip Zap Zoom:
6 Slides together placed as if it was a racing track, A high-speed mat that sends riders through enclosed looping and out into the pool. Don't worry they give you the mat. The slide is fun when you race with you're friends.
Rating: 7/10 (Even Krushnai water-park has it which is more steep and fun)
Loopy Woopy:
This is the baap of all the rides. something that is a must to go for. One condition, the swimsuit needs to be On-piece as a two piece will not allow the person to go smoothly through the slide. "Pairo tale zameen khisak na kisse kehte hai maine finally experience kiya".You are put in a cabin where the plank you are standing on is removed in split second on a push of button and zooop you are falling down......
Rating: 8/10
Swirl Whirl:
This is one hell of a ride, though it does not last for long except that you have to wait for loooong in the queue, the slide is amazing. You are thrown into a huge funnel from a slide which filters you into the pool.
Rating: 7/10
Raftaastic:
After the ride was over I thought I could have completed a game of rummy(exaggeration but could have at least shared a joke ). You have to go in a set of 3 on a raft and are thrown into a slide that's too long and again there's a long queue to it.
Rating: 5/10
Yell-O:
A simple slide that lets you go through a series of turns. An enjoyable slide you will find in every water park.
Rating: 6/10
Twisty Turvy:
A ride that takes to through turns, and then into a dome where the pressure pipes force the float to go through a hole back in the pipe and then into a cyclone and then into the pool. A ride you will enjoy only if your chance comes soon. We had to wait for almost 40 minutes to get into a ride that lasts for 30 seconds. (Please note you need to be at least 50 kg to go on this slide)
Rating: 6.5/10
Wacky Wavess:
The biggest disappointment (even more bigger than the mess caused at the gates). The wave pool where there were no waves at all. so its just a pool.....
Rating: 2/10 (2 for the good chairs provided to seat yourself.)
Floatsa:
Finally the ride I enjoyed the most. After being tired waiting in queues, you want to relax a bit, its time for a ride that's so lazy that you mite feel its even easier than watching the TV. Just sit in the float and the water takes you through an artificial river.
Rating: 8/10 (Me and my friends did all the masti possible in this ride.)
The food joints available are decent and provide food at a bit more than decent rates. But Still its okay as you cannot compare the rates it with your local food joints.
Rating:7/10
Overall Experience Rating: 6/10.
I enjoyed only because of the group we had or else this rating would have been few points less. If you have a good water park in your local area or a bit in the out-skirts of the city you can opt for it u might that feel its not worth it.
