Coco Key Water Park might not be on the top of your list for a day trip in Orlando, but you may be looking for an economical day out. Or, you may want to avoid crowds at the famous water parks of the areas. Lastly, you may be curious!
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Why You Should Consider Coco Key Water Park
Summer is approaching, the temperatures are hitting the 80’s, and it’s that time of year when the sprogs need water. We have plenty of beaches, pools, and springs, but a favorite with the kids is the water parks. With Wet n Wild’s closure, the most obvious choice might be Volcano Bay, but only if you want to drop $80 per person to enter. It’s the newest park in the area and the busiest. I am going to wait till the buzz dies down for this one.
Or, you could go to one of the two Disney Water Parks. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Entry to each of these costs $65 per person and includes parking. There are also Florida Resident specials and an Annual Water Park Pass, which is only $130.
Failing this, as you search for options, you might come across Coco Key Water Park, a much lesser-known, smaller park on International Drive. It’s a resort (well, sort of) with a small water park at the back. Coming in at $30 per person, this is an option to consider.
Pro Tip: You can score tickets as low at $10. Use the buy a ticket and passes feature, look for dates and see if you can find any at $10. I played with this and found many dates have a $10 option but only for limited tickets. For example, I could not find sets of 4 tickets at $10. Tickets are sometimes offered on Groupon so check before you go.
Coco Key Water Park Layout
It’s not what I would describe as glamorous by anyone’s stretch, and there is no wave pool or beach, but it gets the job done. There are three areas:
Parrots Perch – A Splash Zone
Coral Reef Zone – The Main Pool
Minnow Lagoon – The Tiny Sprog Pool
Coco Key Water Park Rides
There are several rides for big and little kids, and there is a central splash zone with connecting slides, bucket drops, hoses, walkways, and all the other splash zone norms. The splash zone alone will keep the sprogs happily entertained. Remember, no wave pools or beaches at this water park are a significant drawback compared to many others.
The park only has one main pool (unless you count the tiny kid’s pool), partially shaded. I was quite impressed with how clean the park is, how well maintained, and overall pleasant. There are tons of lifeguards, so it’s very safe, and the staff is super friendly. One of the lifeguards rode a two-person slide with my sprog several times.
Given this place is the cheapest water park option in Central Florida, I think all families should have it on their radar. The resort’s a motel-style hotel with resort amenities, and the water park is in the middle of the resort. It’s cheap to stay at Coco Key; you can score a room for less than $100. The clientele is not exactly the Ritz Carlton type. And, while they may show up in Walmart attire and are not Rockefeller’s, I found everyone to be humble souls enjoying their Saturday, and you can’t fault that.
Coco Key Water Park Map
Booking A Room At Coco Key Water Park
Check here for the best rates at Coco Key Water Park:
Booking.com
Places To Say Close To Coco Key Water Park
The obvious choice is to stay on-site at Coco Key Hotel because you receive 4 passes daily to the water park if you stay onsite. Rooms at Coco Key Hotel and Water Park run anywhere from $80 – $160. Not bad! If you had a family of four, the room alone would pay for the water park.
This said, if you want to book something cheaper, check here for the best rates:
What You Need to Know
- It costs $30 per person for a day pass, which includes parking.
- It’s spotlessly clean, which surprised me.
- The park has a restaurant and a bar on-site, but it’s astronomically expensive -$15 for cheese fries, a soda, and chips.
- They provide towels, or should I say hand towels, super small bare-to-the-bone-washed-out towels. Thankfully, we brought our own.
- The water park does sell out, so if you are not staying on-site, call ahead or arrive early.
- There is plenty of shaded areas and plenty of sunbathing spots with loungers that I would lie on.
- There are changing rooms and lockers on site.
Closing Thoughts
There are a couple of pros to Coco Key Water Park that makes it a decent option for a day out:
- It’s small and contained.
- You can always see the sprogs, and you can easily find them.
- There are no lines that will guarantee the sprogs will get plenty of action, and you can chill.
This said. If you are going to spend $70 plus dollars on entry to a water park, you may also be at Disney. The parks at Disney are spectacular in comparison and only fractionally more expensive. The challenge with the Disney parks is they are further out, it’s hard to find seating, and they are always crowded.
Would I go again? Probably not without reason. But I do think it is a reasonable option for families. I think it would be a great option to host a party! And yes, I would attend an organized party here.
What do you think? Have you been to Coco Key Water Park? Would you recommend it?
Looking for more posts on Florida? Start here:
- Disney World Resorts on A Dime
- Five Best Airboat Rides Near Orlando
- Vero Beach – A Tropical Paradise
- Westgate River Ranch Resort and Rodeo
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I would not recommend staying at this hotel at all I was there from this past Sunday and checked out on Thursday when I got to the room there was nerds all over the floor underneath the air conditioner all over the floor so that means the room was not clean the shower curtain was moldy on the inside of the tub the toilet had a big rust spot or nasty spot there was pubic hair and regular hair on the floor the lights did not work I asked for to wake up calls during the week I received neither one I had no coffee cups for the coffee when I called they said they would bring them right over they never did on Thursday morning when I checked out I told the lady I wanted to speak to a manager she said they wouldn’t be in for an hour I said I had to go home I told her my concerns I showed her my pictures that I took on my phone with the candy on the floor the nasty shower curtain there was even nail polish dried on the floor and all she could say was I will talk to housekeeping later on I did call human resources they had a manager call me back on the road and I told him what I had found and I told him with covid being so rampant I understand they don’t do daily cleanings of the room but at least the room should have been cleaned when I got there which it was not anybody interested can write me and I’ll be more than happy to show you the pictures of the nastiness of the room when we arrived had it not been I had a busy schedule for the four days that I was staying there I would have been looking for another hotel to stay at do not waste your money there at all because those people do not care
Hi Linda,
Wow, that sounds like a nightmare – yikes! We did not stay onsite but I would not be happy if I experienced what you did either. Thanks for sharing what you experienced. Hopefully, they will take your feedback seriously. Nikki
My family and some of my grandson’s friends (2 adults, 3 11 yr olds, a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old) just spent Sunday to Tuesday here at Coco Keys and I’m so glad that (once again!) we did not listen to the bad reviews and gave it a chance. There was quite a few people on line to check in when we arrived and we were still given options for the room we wanted. No, it was not the ritz carlton, but I have to say it met our needs perfectly. I mean, how much time are you spending in the room anyway on a hot day at the water park? We had 4 water park tickets with our room and the 2 additional tickets we needed were $42 for the duration of our stay (3 days). Staff and housekeeping were very attentive. Anything we needed, extra towels, sheets, blankets and toiletries was supplied at our request, no questions asked. I’ve been to a higher end resort that charged for over the 2 coffee pods in the room! Although the towels at the water park itself were small, they were abundant and regularly put back out clean. They were enough to use 2 or 3 to dry off and walk around. The hotel itself has a nice pool that the kids really enjoyed. Our room was poolside so that was a plus. The kids of all ages enjoyed the slides and the water park itself and spent a good portion of the day there. On the day we checked out, we were able to stay to swim and go to water park as long as we wanted. We didn’t find the food options to be unreasonably expensive, with the breakfast buffet about $12 for adults with plenty of fresh bacon, eggs, grits, pancakes, waffle iron, and more plus stuff we could take back to the room for later such as yogurt, cookies, muffins and fruit. An employee even offered us a bag to carry all the stuff we were taking back! Well worth the money! Dunkin donuts is right next door, Cici’s pizza directly across the street ($7.99 for adult buffet), just about every fast food and not fast food options are a very short walking distance. Walgreens right down the block. So, this place is in a very convenient location. Didn’t have to move the car at all while we were there. Overall, we were pleased with our stay and most importantly the kids had a great time, and that’s what it was all about. I would have to say that yes, we would go back to Coco Keys.
Hi Susan,
I am so happy to hear this and thank you for sharing:) One reader just had a not-so-great experience. We did not stay overnight but did enjoy the place for the day and I think it was good value for the money. Again, thank you for sharing your experience:) It just goes to show (like you said) that reviews can be all over the place. Nikki