1

the main difference is that there are 2 huge rides at both places, which are called the leap of faith and the atlantis one is a little bigger than wild wadi...

you can also try to find out more about another water park just outside of dubai (a little outside of sharjah i guess) , in a place called umm-al-quain (sory if i go the spelling wrong), this water park is bigger than these two. but then if u go to the atlantis one , you can also see the aquarium and if u go to the wild wadi ,you can see the beautiful view of burj-alrab hotel from there.....

in terms of rides i would rate

1) um-al quain
2) aquaventure
3) wild wadi

cheers !!

2

Wild Wadi is fabulous. I've been about 5 times, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Aquaventure I havent been to, and dont intend to. The Atlantis resort captured a juvenile whale shark from the Gulf and put it in their aquarium about 2 years ago, despite the fact that whale sharks are a critically endangered species and have an almost 0% survival rate in captivity. There has been an ongoing campaign to have it released, and Atlantis have been getting some strong criticism for their actions. Very recently they announced that they had tagged it, and released it, and will make the tagging data available for research etc. However no research or tagging agencies have any knowledge of this, and there are no photos or proof that the whale shark ever was released. General belief is that it died in captivity, and they are lying to cover this. I know that not everyone is worried by this kind of stuff, but given a choice, I would highly recommend that you give your custom to Wild Wadi so as not to encourage this kind of shit.

Umm al Quwain is good, but not as good as Wild Wadi in my book, and a nightmare for transport for a large group of people.

Wherever you go, avoid the Friday / Saturday weekend. I think all of them have ladies day one day a week, so check the websites to avoid that too if you're a mixed group. I think Wild Wadi is open late a couple of nights a week, which would be a good day to aim for in May. It gets awful hot at lunch, and its ridiculously easy to burn when you're in the water all the time.

3

I strongly second what #2 says about avoiding Atlantis. As well as the whale shark they have dolphins which were captured from the wild and now live their lives entertaining tourists in swimming pools. If you have any concerns at all for these highly intelligent wild animals then please avoid condoning their incarceration.

Wild Wadi is great fun! You can easily spend a whole day there and not get bored. As #2 says, avoid weekends. It's ladies-only on a Thursday night but the rest of the time it's open to anybody.

The water is chilled so you'll be kept cool even though the temperature will be high.

4

Ok, I've been to all three; Aquaventure at Atlantis, Wild Wadi in Jumeirh and Dreamland in Um Al Qwain. All three are quite different.

Aquaventure is awesome but it is pricey. There are probably around 8 rides, including Leap of Faith, which is almost a vertical drop through a shark tank. Don't worry, you don't share water with the sharks, it's a clear perspex tunnel. But to be honest, you don't see them as all the water from the ride is splashing in your eyes and it goes too fast. Saying that, there is a ride which goes at a slower pace in an adjacent tunnel so you can take a better look at all the marine life. The other rides at Atlantis are also very cool. The only drawback for me regarding Aquaventure is the price. A standard entry ticket is around 280AED, then there's a locker, food etc. You'll end up spending around 400AED for one person. Although, if you get the chance to buy a copy of The Entertainer (a book of money off vouchers in an array of restaurants/leisure spots etc) from Spinneys or Carrefour, there are three BOGOF vouchers for admission, so you'll easily make your money back on the cost of the book.

Wild Wadi is great, but I found myself being pushed up by water jets more than I was going down exciting rides. Leap of Faith is a fantastic ride, offering amazing views of the surrounding view, however this is probably the only really amazing ride. Again, there are money off vouchers in The Entertainer. I think entry is around 180AED, although I've not been to Wild Wadi for a while so someone may be able to update you. The added bonus at Wild Wadi is the surf box thing where you can give surfing a go, but expect long queues if you venture there of a weekend.

Dreamland Aquapark in Um Al Qwain is about a 45 minute journey outside of the city. However entry is very cheap in comparison to the other two water parks - around 85AED. And, you guessed it, there are vouchers in The Entertainer! Dreamland offers an old school style waterpark with proper tube rides. The bonus about Dreamland is that it's fairly quiet and you're less likely to queue ages for a ride. The other bonus is that you can buy booze in a number of the pool bars, which you can't do in the other two. Food and drink there is very reasonable priced. They also offer camping packages for around 300AED, which includes lunch and is awesome fun.

Whichever you chose, I'd recommend not going on a Friday or Saturday as they'll be packed out with locals and expats. Have fun, they're all fab in their own right!

5

Thanks to all for your great information! So it seems that Wild Wadi is the best option for us? Dreamland in Umm al Quwain sounds nice too, but it's probably quite difficult to get there with 9 people. We'd probably need 3 taxis or so... How about the prices inside Wild Wadi for drinks and food? Are they as expensive as in Aquaventure? And does any of the parks allow you to bring your own bottles of water?

Again, thanks for your help :)!

And by the way: So sad to hear about the whale shark :(! Last year in Mexico I swam with those animals! They're so great!!

6

The waterparks don't allow you to take in your own food and drink - I've done it but also had it taken off me other times (when you are leaving you can collect anything they take off you). WW is not very expensive but it's mostly junk food. They use wrist bands that you put an amount of money on and it's debited as you spend it. Anything left over is refundfed on your way out.

7

yes, the wild wadi is best option for you and you can then spend some time at the beach close by or go to the madinat jumeirah mall by walk and get a lovely view of the lake inside the mall and the famous hotel burj and go to good restaurants/pubs.disco(one at the entrance of the mall).... for food/drinks/ ......

outside food/drinks are not allowed in these wparks....