Waterpark of America & Radisson Hotel, Bloomington, MN, USA

>> Monday, January 19, 2009

I should probably begin this post by saying that I am really not a big fan of swimming pools, water parks or beaches. Vacationing near or because of water is not high on my list of things to do. But my girls love pools, so when the opportunity to stay at the Radisson Hotel in Bloomington- which is attached to the Waterpark of America- presented itself, we went.

The hotel is located quite near the Mall of America and IKEA. (Which means you can go shopping and leave the kids (and husband/babysitter, chaperone) at the waterpark. Of course the kids could have a great time at Nickelodeon Universe at the mall, too.

The hotel itself is easy to find- just look for the waterslides curving their way around the outside of the building.

The lobby is spacious and looks into the waterpark. You'll want to unload your baggage when you check in as this is the only official hotel entrance- and there is no parking near this door. Our check in was quick and courteous; elevators are easy to find and plentiful so you won't have to wait long.

I booked a deluxe room, described as this on the website: Deluxe Mall of America hotel rooms are ideal for families on the road and feature one king bed, sleeper sofa, two bunk beds with privacy curtain, activity table and chairs and all standard amenities. The room was quite a bit larger than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. Lots of room. The girls were quite excited about the bunk beds.

Radsson Room collage

We also had a balcony overlooking the waterpark (if this is not specified in your room description I would make sure to request it).


Radisson & Waterpark of America 002

The girls were content to sit and watch the excitement below as we unpacked and found everything we would need for our splashy-time fun.

Notes on the hotel:
  • Room rates are available with or without waterpark passes. If you plan to use the waterpark while you are there make sure you purchase them with your room. Staying at the hotel does not give you automatic waterpark access.
  • Rooms have wireless internet access at no extra charge.
  • The Deluxe Room included a small refrigerator and microwave.
  • Breakfast is not included in the room rate. The Split Rock Grille has a breakfast buffet: $11.95 ages 12 and up, $6.95 ages 4 to 12 and free for ages 3 and under. Room service is also available.
  • Radisson is a Carlson property. Be sure you get the best price: learn about their online rate guarantee.
Waterpark of America

The Waterpark of America is open to both hotel guests and the general public so it can get busy. An all day pass is $24.95 and a half day pass is $14.95. (If you are staying in the hotel and need additional passes or didn't get them with your room you get a 20% discount. You can also save 20% by booking your passes online 48 hours or more in advance.)

This is Minnesota's largest indoor waterpark and features:
  • A Flow Rider Surf Simulator
  • The Lake Superior wave pool
  • America's longest indoor family raft ride, which is ten stories tall and over a mile long (which is fast and a bit scary for those of us who don't like waterslides or roller coasters. My girls (ages 4 & 2) enjoyed it. As did my husband.)
  • Several body & tube slides (single and double tubes available)
  • Activity pools with hoops, nets and balancing logs
  • Fort Snelling play area for smaller children featuring numerous places to climb, slide, and have fun; including a large bucket dumping 500 gallons of water every two and a half minutes
  • A lovely "lazy river". I could have just lounged on this for hours. (The only thing that would have made it nicer is a frozen beverage in a coconut shell.)
Waterpark of America collage


Locker rooms are located directly inside the entrance and locker rental is available for $3. The waterpark provides towels but they are very small. I would recommend bringing your own from home (don't take them down from your room). And don't forget a cover up, it is necessary if you pass through the lobby area.

If you don't want to leave the waterpark to eat your meals Camp Many Point is right there in the waterpark. It features kid friendly items like corn dogs, burgers & fries, pizza, sandwiches and salads. The food is good but a bit expensive (too be expected in an amusement setting, though.)

The Waterpark of America is open exclusively to hotel guests from 9-10 am, one hour before the general public.

Would We Go Again?

Definitely. My girls had a great time which means I had a great time. They continue to talk about our time there and can't wait to go back.

8 comments:

Anonymous January 21, 2009 at 2:40 AM  

thanks for the information. Question though, how packed was it? Thinking of going on a Friday.

Jody January 21, 2009 at 4:31 AM  

We were there over Thanksgiving holiday, which the hotel said was their busiest weekend. The waterpark didn't feel over-crowded. We were able to get tubes and rafts easily and didn't have long waits at any of the slides or other amusements.

Anonymous January 23, 2009 at 1:44 PM  

Thanks for the review. My kids have been begging to go there.

A few questions: Are there lifeguards on duty? Do they have life jackets available for use in the pool area?

Jody January 23, 2009 at 3:41 PM  

There are many, many lifeguards on duty. As for life jackets, I did see some that were supplied by the facility. I don't know how many they have available; we took our own.

Anonymous February 4, 2009 at 12:48 AM  

Thanks for the rundown! We're going there in a few weeks and I was wondering if we'd be allowed to take preservers of any kind. I was told no water wings, but we've got these "Puddlejumpers" that are USCG approved...anyway, thanks!

Anonymous February 22, 2009 at 7:48 PM  

Is the Water Park open on Thanksgiving Day? We'd like to go this year but can't get information from the park this early. Thanks for the information!

Jody February 24, 2009 at 10:12 AM  

While I can't speak for upcoming years, we were there on Thanksgiving day 2008 and the park was open.

Anonymous April 23, 2009 at 2:33 AM  

I lifeguard at the WPOA, and I can assure you that we are open on any and all holidays - I end up working them all, too.

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Thank you for visiting and reading of our adventures. I hope you are inspired to travel with your kids and I hope I gave you tips, tricks and maybe destinations you didn't think of!

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PS Information is accurate when published.

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