SPLASH Waterpark NELSON BAY — Attraction in Nelson Bay

Unprofessional Customer Service and Faulty Booking System, however, Incredible Waterpark

We’ve been visiting SPLASH Waterpark Nelson Bay yearly, but after our recent experience, we likely won’t be returning. While the waterpark itself is great, the customer service and online booking system left us frustrated and significantly out of pocket.

The online system booked us for two sessions despite us only selecting one. We booked for 1pm, but somehow were also booked for the 11am session (without our knowledge). The only confirmation email we received was for the 11am session, which we saw the morning of our visit. Assuming our 1pm session was moved, we showed up at 12pm to clarify.

Instead of trying to resolve the issue, the staff dismissed us outright, refusing to assist or refund the extra session, despite it being a fault of their system. We were told there was “nothing they could do.”

Later that day (after leaving a 1-star review), we were called at 1:30pm and informed that our 1pm session was valid all along. This was something they refused to check earlier when we tried to sort it out in person, yet after receiving a negative review, they immediately addressed. In response, they rebooked us for 5pm but refused to refund the $250 we were overcharged and demanded we remove our negative reviews (which we obliged).

After others outside of our group left additional reviews about the poor service, I was approached by a staff member claiming our reviews were “unjust” because, according to them, they had “lost $750” while we “only” lost $250. This math didn’t make sense, especially since we paid for the 11am and 1pm sessions and only attended the rebooked 5pm session.

If you’re planning a visit, I’d strongly recommend avoiding the online booking system—it’s unreliable and can result in double bookings. Additionally, it seems customer concerns are taken more seriously through public negative reviews than in-person attempts to resolve the issue.

The waterpark itself is enjoyable and has always been a favourite of our group, but the lack of accountability, unprofessional communication, and unwillingness to resolve basic issues mean we won’t be returning.

5 Stars for the course itself 2 Stars for the customer service (as we did eventually get a 5pm reschedule)

Update in Response to the Owner’s Reply:

I’m truly disappointed by the owner’s unprofessional response, which deflects blame and resorts to personal attacks rather than addressing the core issues.

To clarify: I did not knowingly book two sessions. If it was my error, their system failed to flag it, which should be standard functionality. Additionally, I did not originally receive a confirmation email for both sessions, only for the 11am session. When I visited the venue to clarify, staff refused to assist or check if the 1pm session was valid. The issue was only addressed after I left a negative review, which makes their “solution” feel like damage control rather than genuine service.

Referring to me as “young” and “a spoilt child” in their reply is unprofessional and unwarranted. This response only reinforces my concerns about how they treat customers.

It’s truly unfortunate that this is the standards of which employees of SPLASH Waterpark are...

Awesome park!! Awesome staff and simple booking system!! I’m not one to leave reviews but after Seeing the last 2 reviews felt I had to say this…. Our group of 10 had. an online booking for 12 o’clock today but where unable to Make it due to car issues first thing this morning.,we gave the guys a call at 10am to let them know. They explained That because we had given them ample time to resell our tickets. that they could reschedule us onto the 2 pm session which we were so grateful for considering how busy they are this time of year. We have been using the online booking system twice a year for 5 years and never had a problem. It seems a bit unfair to blame staff because you aren’t smart enough to double check your booking before pressing confirm. I know it’s a long winded review but felt I had to say something after the way we were treated by the extremely lovely and helpful staff then seeing these 2 ridiculous reviews. Keep up the awesome work guys and we look forward to seeing you again...

I don’t often leave reviews but the staff member at splash water park was so helpful after we were stressed getting there late for the induction and I had to sunscreen my child up. The man was straight onto it organizing my sign in before we went whilst allowing me to stay with my child and put sunscreen on her with out me having to get my phone. My kiddo had separation anxiety as it was the first time going on it with her uncle without me. It made a huge difference to her and me, for her being able to enjoy her time there rather than being stressed and upset about ne having to sign in ontop of it all and he saved her from getting sunburnt as well. She ended up having a wonderful time which was such a relief and I believe the man’s actions facilitated the fun experience, rather than stressing us out further with trying to sign in and missing it, which was important as her uncle had to go and we were on...