Aqua Planet — Attraction in Mabalacat

Date of Visit: December 2019

Aqua Planet is definitely a must-visit attraction in Pampanga!

The whole family (whether young or old) will surely enjoy all the attractions inside the biggest waterpark in the Philippines. The entrance fee was a bit expensive (PHP 950-980 for persons 4 ft and above), so make sure to try out all their slides and water activities!

Sadly, I haven't conquered all the slides as my family (group of 4) first tried the Sky Shuttle ride. The whole experience was thrilling and nerve-wracking as we slid down very steeply and thrown away into the air before sliding back down. Good thing I was holding on tightly to the floater (or else, I'll fall down lol).

We then tried the Super Bowl, which was a little less thrilling (for me) than the Sky Shuttle. Then my fam went on to try the less scary attractions, such as the Octopus Races, Spiral Slides, Wave Pool, and Wave River. I was really planning to conquer the Tornado Slide and the Aqua Loop (a jaw-dropping vertical fall into the waters), but my prior experience with the Sky Shuttle/Super Bowl really scared me. Oh well, there's always a next time! My father and brother did try the Aqua Loop and advised you to hold/cover your nose as the impact of the water would definitely splash your face.

Comment on the other amenities/services: My family rented a locker, located near the park's entrance, where we left some of our valuables. We were also planning to rent out a cabana (PHP 3,000 which is good for 15 pax) but opted to use their FREE tables and chairs. We stayed at the tables located in front of the Wave Pool, where I think is the best place to stay as you can enjoy sightseeing while lying down the pool lounge chairs.

Since Aqua Planet does not allow outside food and drinks, we ate at their restaurant. There is a wide array of food choices, from typical Pinoy comfort food (adobo, tocilog, halo-halo) to Korean (bibimbap, Korean fried chicken) and American dishes (burger, spaghetti). Personally, I think the prices of the food, which ranges from PHP 120-300, is reasonable, considering the above-average serving size. However, the drinks (frappe and fruit shakes) and desserts (ice cream) were quite expensive (PHP 50-150). I haven't seen any stall/kiosk that sells chips or other snacks, so hopefully, they offer that soon.

The STAFF was very friendly and accommodating. They allowed our Senior Citizens and PWD companions to enter with a bottle of water and small snacks. Lifeguards were very attentive, and they are located everywhere around the pool area.

As for the crowd, my family visited during the Christmas season (December 24), so there weren't a lot of people in the park. Due to this, we haven't experienced any long lines at the slides, and the place was not that overcrowded.

I advise you to come here early at 9 am in order to fully enjoy the experience. I just hope next time that they consider a regular pool (without the slides and all) so that Persons with Disabilities (PWD) can also enjoy swimming under the sun.

But overall, I really enjoyed the waterpark experience and would definitely come back...

How to get there from Manila? You can ride P2P Bus (Name: Genesis) They have pickup points in Cubao and in Robinson's Galleria. We choose Galleria since its the nearest pickup point in my place. We went there exactly 5:00 in the morning. The ETA for the bus is 5:30 but it arrives at 5:20 so you better be early 'cause they will leave at exactly 5:30 (No filipino time) The next trip will be in an hour again.

We arrived in SM Clark (Our drop off point) around 6:30 there's no traffic since its early in the morning. No traffic no hassle. There's footbridge on the side of SM Clark, you'll need to cross that bridge to go to the terminal where there's a jeep that will route to Aquaplanet. (That time we have our own transpo so just ask how much will be the fare)

We had our breakfast first in Jollibee, which is just across the highway (use the pedestrian lane as much as possible) and our transpo arrived around 8:30am.

We arrived in Aquaplanet around 9:00 am which is good since we avoided the long queues of people. We took a picture on the Aquaplanet sign and one of the staff took our picture.

We headed to the registration area and one of the staff accommodate us and asks questions, give reminders and list everything. He'll be the one to assist you on the cashier area.

Entrance fee: 1180 Php ❌ No food ❌ No drinks

Aquaplanet is a cashless theme park so RFID will be provided. You need to load certain amount (consider how much do you want to spend; food, lockers, souvenirs, etc) on it before you go inside.

They have lockers where you can put your valuable items securely. But you need to pay using your RFID bracelet. I suggest that if you have big bags you can take it with you and put it in your cottage as long as your money, cellphones and cards are in the locker. Also remove all your accessories so that you won't be hassled going back and forth since all the staff are strictly following their rules (Rules are set to prevent worst accident to happen)

All rides are well-maintained. Every now and then, an auditor will route to check if everything is running smoothly. We enjoyed all the rides and always do it twice! Yes! Twice! But as more people come in, long queues happen so we never had our third try hahaha.

Here's a list of a must try rides: ✔ Sky Shuttle (Best ride and the scariest of them all!!) ✔Tornado ✔ Super Bowl ✔ Octopus Race ✔ Spiral Slide ✔ Lazy River - if your tired of screaming, you'll find relaxation here.

Overall I am very satisfied and its really worth it. The child inside me has awakened 😂 On our next summer...

We went on a peak season (Black Saturday) and the waterpark was jam-packed; crowded. Overall experience was nice. It is truly a “world-class” waterpark and the first in our country.

Some few cons:

Lines in the ticket booth (entrance) was extremely long and inefficient. Maybe due to absence of online reservation, e-ticket, etc. All guests MUST purchase the ticket on the spot from one of the only 4 booths. Just imagine! They could have setupped temporary booths to accommodate the huge crowd.

Locker rental fees are purchased inside the waterpark. Yes, another queue. Plus, they decided to man the booth with one personnel will do just fine! facepalm. They could have made it available to purchase along at the entrance since we have already endured the crazy queue!

If you’re alone, other than the Aqua Loop and Octopus Racers, you can no longer ride the other slides unless you make friends. Most of the slides strictly require minimum of two sliders (no single floaters available). Family slides require at least 4 sliders. These were not mentioned anywhere in their website or Facebook! If information was provided, it could have been helpful in planning the visit.

Now the pros:

Slides were all an amazing experience. Somehow comparable to Waterbom in Indonesia, and Cartoon Network Amazone in Thailand.

The place is huge but has a limit of 3,500 guests daily. That’s a nice touch! The waterpark is crowded but not too much to the point that you will no longer enjoy the slides.

Facilities - from the free umbrella tables & chairs, to the shower rooms - were very nice imo. Never been I feel comfortable taking a shower in a waterpark. It was also clean inside!

Plenty of lifeguards, and floating vests are conveniently available for everyone. I should say they handle safety better. Good job!

Because of their Food Festival event, which I believe was their answer to burning suggestions on their Facebook, food was not a problem. In fact there is now plenty of options. Albeit it was overpriced, it was understandable.

I like the cashless RFID cause I don’t want bringing cash while we soak and chill at the Wave River!

Though there was a bad experience at the queue, it was still a nice experience at Aqua Planet. Hopefully when I come back, online and etickets will...