The Water Park of New England is a water park very few people know exists, even those in the
area. This is an indoor water park attached to the Double Tree in Danvers, Massachusetts and in
this video, I will be reviewing this attraction to help you determine if it’s worth visiting,
particularly in the cold winters around here. Part of the reason for the water park’s
anonymity is its history. The indoor water park originally opened as the CoCo Key Water Resort.
This is a small chain of hotels and indoor water parks across the US. In 2012, the Danvers
location’s hotel was rebranded as the DoubleTree and the indoor water park remained, still going
by CoCo Key. In early 2020, the indoor water park was forced to close due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The water park didn’t reopen until August of 2021, but it opened with an all-new name
in the Water Park of New England. However, the park still has somewhat of an identity crisis
since most people still know it by its original name. The signage on the highway still references
the old name. The DoubleTree website still calls the water park CoCo Key. And even worse-
and most inexplicably- the contact number on the park’s website still calls it Coco Key.
I’ve never seen any ads for this place and I hope they can work on their branding to get
more traffic because I was literally the only customer there during my visit a few weeks ago.
I’ve been to indoor water parks on off-peak periods- typically during weekdays during
daytime hours- but this was a Friday night. Needless to say, I didn’t have to wait in
any lines. The staff members did say they’ve had much healthier crowds on Saturdays and Sundays,
but weekdays have been very quiet. The park was originally open Wednesdays through Sundays,
but now the park is open just Friday evening and both Saturday and Sunday, but definitely check
their website for the latest hours since they could change if demand increases or as summer
approaches. They’ve already added extra dates for February vacation week. Based on reviews on Trip
Advisor, it’s clear people are showing up to a park that is- much to their surprise- closed.
I also would suggest checking Facebook. Over winter break,
the entire water park was unexpectedly closed for a week due to mechanical issues.
The Water Park of New England is located behind the DoubleTree.
It’s connected to the hotel via a bridgeway, but it also has its own separate entrance.
The entrance isn’t very well-marked. It has no sign and looks more like an employee entrance,
but this in fact is the customer entrance for the water park.
Once inside, you reach a lobby that doubles as the ticket and check-in booth. Visitors
can proceed directly into the water park. You can either purchase a small locker for $10
or a large locker for $15. The lockers are located in three different areas-
just inside the water park, inside the locker rooms, and oddly in the aforementioned lobby.
The changing rooms are smaller than most water parks, but suitable for a place of
this size and I like how there were many private stalls that included showers.
I like the general look of the water park. There’s this boat hull near the main entrance and while
there isn’t much other theming, the attractions are colorful. The place also seemed clean,
although I admittedly was the only one there. The water park is on the darker side,
which is the case with a lot of indoor water parks. This one doesn’t have a sun roof.
You have quite a few windows on the back wall and then some higher ones on the other walls.
Many reviews online cited the air and water temperature was frigid,
but I was comfortable. And I visited on a day when it was 10 degrees outside.
The water park is roughly 65,000 square feet in size, which isn’t massive for an
indoor water park. But it has the essentials. You have some water play areas for the kids
in the oddly named Dip-In Theater and then Corral Reef Canyon. The latter is actually home to the
park’s biggest pool. This park doesn’t have a designated wave pool or anything like that.
In the center of the park, you have the Parrot’s Perch water play structure. This placement is
ingenious since the constant motion of the water effects adds a ton of kinetic energy to the park,
which was much appreciate on a day as dead as it was. Parrot’s Perch is basically on an island.
The main pathway and Coconut Grove Lazy River then circle around it. Now it is worth noting that the
lazy river seems to be closed a lot, presumably due to staffing. It was closed for me and many
reviews have cited that this attraction has either been closed or operated on a shorter schedule.
You then have some hot tubs in the back of the park.
And last but not least, you have the main water slide tower in the back right corner of the park.
This slide complex is roughly 4 to 5 stories tall. You have two tube slides and two body slides.
Each of those pairs has one illuminated slide and one pitch black slide.
The two body slides are easily the park’s most intense attractions.
Shark Slam is the dark one. And Gator Gush is the semi-translucent one.
Both slides have good speed and some decently forceful turns,
but they aren’t the smoothest. You can definitely feel the seams in between slide pieces on this
one. While these were my favorite slides, I had to stop after a few rides due to back discomfort.
The two tube slides offer milder experiences. Barracuda Blast is the dark one and Pelican
Plunge is the illuminated one. The slides have average speed, a few dips, and no memorable turns.
The best aspect about these slides is that the employees allow you to experience them backwards.
These four slides each have a height limit of 48”. I was surprised the tube slides were that high,
even in a double tube. A lot of tube slides are closer to the 42” mark.
In general, this water park is best suited for kids, but if they’re under 48”, just know
the only slides available to them are the tamer ones on Parrot’s Perch and the Dip-In Theater.
So do I recommend this water park? It depends. I think Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg
is New England’s best indoor water park, but I think this is a good water park for young kids.
It’s an approachable size. Then you have a few water play structures plus the larger
slide tower in back if they’re over 48”. I think thrill-seekers may get bored here
and I’d recommend visiting one of the region’s other water parks.
But it all comes down to pricing. While you can visit that aforementioned Great
Wolf Lodge for as low as $25-40, it frequently costs $70-$100 on weekends.
Water Park of New England costs $30-$45 depending on the day. I do think that
price point is expensive when compared to outdoor water parks given their offerings,
but you’re paying the extra premium for the indoor setting. I don’t think it’s worth it in
the summer months, but it’s more attractive in winter when you have far less options.
I think the best deal is the $20 twilight ticket offered on the days with longer hours.
I think you only need a few hours here, not a full day,
so the reduced rate is the best value. As a thrill-seeker, I only needed an hour
there considering there was only one major slide tower and the lazy river was closed.
Remember, I literally had the place to myself and no lines to cope with.
So those are my thoughts on the Water Park of New England in Danvers, Massachusetts.
What are your thoughts on this indoor water park? Have you visited this place
or did you visit back when it was CoCo Key? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.
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