Splashtown Niagara Water Park — Attraction in Port Colborne

Extremely Disappointed with Lack of Transparency and Safety Measures

I recently visited Splashtown Niagra and left feeling frustrated and disappointed. Here are the main reasons for my negative experience:

Surprising Distance & No Boat Option: Eventhough they provide life jackets, I was shocked at how far out the inflatables were. When I asked if there was a boat to ferry guests, the staff simply said we had to swim. Not everyone is a strong swimmer, even with a life jacket. One perfect example is my wife, who had never been in the water before and wasn’t aware of what she was getting into. Somehow our friends helped her getting back shore safe.

No Support Rope: There was no rope or handhold to help guests get from the shore to the inflatables. This forced everyone—regardless of swimming capability—to make a long swim(for about 10 mins to a max of about 8-9 feet deep water). Kindly note i as i could not swim i returned back shore from about 4 feet deep.

Inadequate FAQs: Important information was missing in the FAQs. It did not mention: That guests would need to swim all the way from the shore to the inflatables. How far the inflatables actually are from the shore. How deep the water is. What level of swimming capability is recommended (e.g., strong swimmers only). how long we have to swim to reach inflatables.

Waiver Only After Payment: I was told all these details were in the waiver, yet the waiver is only provided after you pay. It feels deceptive that such critical safety information isn’t clearly stated before booking.

Not Everyone Is a Pro Swimmer: Many people (myself included) might not be strong swimmers, and the lack of additional support or transport makes the attraction feel unsafe.

Kindly Note: You might not be able to see my booking in your system, as my friend did group booking...

Worst experience ever!

Only until we arrived, we discovered that you need to swim to the facilities, and it's not a beginner swimmer can do, not mention for non swimmers.

Staff said it's mentioned on the waiver which is ridiculous. I've always done my research for new places/parks we went, I've checked many times on splashdown website, especially the Q&As, which usually a place to know what to expect and the rules, etc. Well, there's nowhere mentioned you need to have the ability to swim to the far end facilities. The waiver came in the confirmation email after I made the purchase, and the link to waiver doesn't work!!

So, we bought 5 tickets with only two can go to the splashtown on the water. It's nonrefundable.

It's unacceptable they hide such information on the website. How can they remember to mention the age requirement as 5-8 need adult accompany not mention swimming skill is a must have? I can only think they are hiding it on purpose. It's cheating!! If they mention swimming required and customer decides to buy the ticket, I agree it's customer's fault for not able to make it. But if the splashdown doesn't mention it, it's splashtown's fault, they are cheating to get money!!

On the day we were there, we met a couple families that bought tickets ahead of arriving then learned the swimming thing and didn't go.

To hide the information to get money, it's not a good business should do. I'm writing to give the alert to the people so they can decide based in...

We had a good time at the park itself, but the cost of parking really put a damper on the day and took away from the value. Three years ago we drove onto the beach for $10 I think it was. This year parking in the furthest lot was $35 for the day, with no hourly rate available. On top of that, all the neighbouring streets are permit parking only, so the city of Port Colburne put in significant effort to make sure there was no free parking within reasonable walking distance to the beach. We bought a two hour session, so two hours at the beach cost my 11-year-old daughter and myself $100. I don’t remember seeing anything on the website that said parking was extra, although I did expect that there would be a small parking fee. While the park itself was entertaining, with the cost of parking added on, I don’t think this facility offers value for the cost. On a safety note, the water is not as deep as you would expect. I did hit the bottom twice, jumping off two of the...