Island Waterpark at Showboat in Atlantic City, NJ

This was the worst waterpark I’d ever been to. I took my son and his friends there to celebrate his 9th birthday, we had a terrible experience. The water was freezing and when we mentioned it to the staff we were told there is nothing they could do. The children were shivering and of two of them lips were turning blue. The overall temperature in the waterpark was breezy not 80 degrees as advertised. Everyone was kicked out of the water every 10 by the staff, none of the attractions were working so they were subjected to the lazy river only and as I previously stated they had to get out every 10 mins. They claim to have had a “power outage” which should have been communicated at the time of admission because I would have saved my $702.72 that I pad for admission. This waterpark is not worth your time or money go somewhere else. DO NOT waste your time.

The Island Waterpark is the family-friendly, year-round attraction that Atlantic City has needed for years. With all-in ticket prices (including the fees and taxes) as low as $28 per person and it being amusing enough to spend 5+ hours there, it's an excellent value. The Island Waterpark is clean, colorful, and has great tropical vegetation. I liked that the lazy river didn't have any waterfalls or fountains dumping water on you and you can just sit back and relax. The slides are also really fun too, with a unique feature that sometimes you pass through them in total darkness, sometimes light, and sometimes blue polka dots. The lines did get long for the tube ride and mat slides, although the smaller slides at the "slide island" section of the park had short lines, even when the waterpark was at its peak of busyness. The prices for food and drinks are a little inflated (eg, $30 for an 18'' pizza), but I go to an amusement park expecting that, and the quality of the food is fine. The drink stands are really convenient and after a lot of swimming I thought they were very refreshing. The lifeguard staffing is very good, and the coaches/guarders at the Flowrider were very encouraging and patient with small children. The reason I can't give the Island Waterpark five stars is that it became much too busy in the afternoon on the winter Sunday we were there. The lines for the big slides were over 15 minutes and you would even have to wait to get into the lazy river. The small "adventure pool" became so packed that they had to get all the guests to leave, multiple times. I also can't give a higher rating is that the locker room/shower spaces are inadequate. There just isn't enough room to change. Most people change in the bathroom stalls. From what my wife told me, the women's room is even worse than the men's room, because more moms go into the locker rooms with small children than dads do. Perhaps if you are staying at the Showboat hotel you don't need the changing room or showers, but if you are just a day visitor, it's not that pleasant. Anyway, if you have kids over 42'' and you can put up with the inconvenience of changing in a crowded locker room, this is a lot of fun.

We visited Island Waterpark and had a mixed experience. The park is smaller than typical indoor waterparks, though this is understandable given its location in Atlantic City. There's an adult-only area, which is a nice touch for those seeking a quieter atmosphere. A few practical issues to be aware of: You need to bring your own towels or purchase them on-site. While the temperature is advertised as 80°F, it felt cooler than that, and we found the water somewhat cold. Seating is plentiful but mostly consists of chairs next to tables rather than lounge chairs—unless you reserve a cabana. The biggest inconvenience was the changing situation. The changing rooms are located in the bathrooms with no benches or hooks, making it quite awkward to change out of wet swimsuits while trying to keep your dry clothes off the floor. You'll find yourself doing some gymnastics to manage it all.

Awful experience if your child is below 42 inches. Took our 3 year grandchild child who met no criteria to ride one single slide. Only allowed on the lazy river, and the very small overcrowded pool. Parking $30, lockers $15 each and very expensive unhealthy food options. Spent over $250 for 2 adults and a 3 year old who was so upset when he couldn’t go down a single slide even with an adult. The one very small slide he maybe could have ridden he was less then 1/2 inch short to ride and was not allowed on.

Waterpark was closed until 2. They still charged everyone for a full day, after making them wait three hours to get in. No apology.