WATERPARKS NEWS Six Flags reacquires Waterworld California
Facilities can help save lives by hosting global swim lesson events
Six Flags has acquired its 20th property, entering an agreement with Waterworld California owner EPR properties to operate the attraction in Concord. The largest waterpark in California is 30 acres (12 hectares) and opened in 1995 under the Six Flags banner, operating as such until 2006 when it was acquired by Premier Parks. “This is an exciting new venture and a great opportunity to provide families with more entertainment options in this important market,” said Six Flags CEO John Duffey. “Guests in Northern California will now have the opportunity to enjoy two beautiful Six Flags parks. This is truly a winwin, as we welcome our 20th property – Waterworld
Aleatha Ezra
■ Waterworld California rejoins Six Flags California – back into our family of parks.” Waterworld California has more than 35 attractions, including the region’s largest wave pool, an interactive children’s play area and its newest offering in Break Point Plunge – ProSlide’s 270ft (82m) SuperLoop with Skybox
Technology. Other slides include Honolulu Halfpipe – a curved tube slide and Cliffhanger, one of the park’s signature speed slides. The park reopens for the 2017 season on 13 May. The agreement is subject to approval by the City of Concord. ■ Details: http://lei.sr?a=q2c4q_T
PHOTO: CARNIVAL
World first Dr Seuss waterpark for Carnival A world-first Dr Seuss waterpark will debut onboard cruise line operator Carnival’s newest vessel in 2018. With slides supplied by Polin, the Dr Seuss WaterWorks on Carnival Horizon will be a thematic take on the waterslide complexes typically used on Carnival ships. Included in the on-board attraction will be a 450foot (137-metre), red and white Cat in the Hat water slide (Polin’s Black Hole), a blue and white polka dot, 213-foot (65-metre) Fun Things water slide (Polin’s Aquatube) with special lighting effects, a 150-gallon tipping bucket patterned after The Cat’s hat, and a children’s zone with water spray toys.
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■ The waterpark will be the first to use the Dr Seuss IP The addition of the IP to Carnival’s waterparks is an expansion of the fleet’s Seuss at Sea programme – a partnership that includes dining and entertainment experiences themed around the world of Dr Seuss for the estimated 800,000 children a year that enjoy a stay with Carnival.
20 attractionsmanagement.com
The 3,934-passenger Carnival Horizon will set sail on 2 April 2018, with Dr Seuss WaterWorks leading the line in terms of children’s entertainment. The liner will also feature a SkyRide attraction, IMAX Theatre and a SportSquare outdoor area with ropes course. ■ Details: http://lei.sr?a=r4k4f_T
The 2017 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) takes place 22 June. This will be the eighth year for the global event and we and our more than 50 life-saving and safety partners have set our sights on a new goal – reaching more than 1 billion people with our message “swimming lessons save lives” by 2019. Local WLSL events will occur at hundreds of locations in more than 20 different countries on five continents over the course of 24 hours. The purpose of the event is to provide children and parents exposure to lifesaving water safety skills and build awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning. We are working to connect the dots between the real risk of childhood drowning and the need for basic water competency skills and crucial parental supervision to keep kids safe in and around the water. According to a 2016 Safe Kids Worldwide report, despite the fact that lack of supervision played a role in the majority of drowning deaths, less than half of parents (49 per cent) said they remain within arms’ reach of their child in the water. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, accounting for 7 percent of all injury-related deaths. Host facilities that participate in WLSL events are working hard to change these statistics by providing more than 20,000 man hours of water safety training in a single day. Aquatic facilities can join Team WLSL for this event by registering as an official 2017 host location at www.WLSL.org. Registration remains open through mid-June. ● Aleatha Ezra, director of park member development, WWA AM 2 2017 ©CYBERTREK 2017