DreamWorks Water Park: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“No dream is too big.”

— DreamWork’s Turbo

The modern water park depends on one essential ingredient: thrills. Roller coasters may go faster, but something is unsettling about skimming across the water in nothing but a bathing suit, unrestrained and exposed. The trick is to make you feel as if you were at the edge of danger, while the slide’s designers ensure you never actually cross it.

The story of modern water parks starts in New Jersey. Action Park, located at a ski resort in Vernon, pushed the limits of what thrills these types of rides could offer.

With rides designed in-house, the park sometimes crossed the line into being dangerous, a reputation magnified in the internet age. As a kid, my family visited several times, and I just remember having a great time.

With Action Park part of New Jersey's history, it is fitting that the state is now home to the DreamWorks Water Park, located at the American Dream Mall at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Billed as the largest indoor water park in North America, it has multiple high-thrill slides alongside family-friendly adventures and play areas for little kids, all themed to various DreamWorks properties like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar.

On a recent trip to New York, I visited the park with two of my daughters, both of whom are on the severe end of the autism spectrum. While we had a great time during the three hours we spent there, we experienced some hiccups:

The Good:

Outside of Disney, you are not going to find this level of theming in a water park. It was clean and laid out well. The views of New York City through the exterior glass walls were stunning.

At first glance, the rides didn’t seem very unique, but many of them packed a good punch. Some, like the drop tower with a trap door that sent you into what they claimed was a record‑breaking descent, bordered on terrifying.

While young, most of the attendants were friendly and attentive. Almost all of them recognized the needs of my daughters and exhibited the required amount of patience. On the one slide I allowed them to ride alone; the lifeguard could not get them to confirm that they knew how to swim due to their communication limitations. He cautiously kept them at the top until I climbed the stairs to assure him that they had the skills required to ride safely.

We visited on a non-peak day, which not only lowered our price but also allowed us to ride all of the open slides, most without having to wait.

The Bad:

The layout of the park's entrance was very confusing, as the only way in was through the changing rooms. For our family, this presented an additional layer of difficulty as we did not fit into the categories of "Men," "Women," or "Mom or Dad with small children". Fortunately, we were able to find a staff member to escort us through the "No men beyond this point" area and into the park.

This problem was compounded on the way out, as I had to send my daughters through the women's changing room and hope they understood my directions and would be able to meet me at the exit. My stress level rose until they finally emerged.

The signage around the park could have been better. Tube rides instructed you to pick up the needed tubes at the end of the slide without telling you where they could be found in the maze of intertwined slides. We climbed the stairs to ride the water coaster, only to find the ride was closed for the day.

The Ugly:

In general, water parks are unfriendly to people with mobility issues, as they are exempt from ADA requirements that require commercial establishments to provide alternatives for those unable to climb stairs. The park still insisted that my wife pay full price to enter. This is not an unusual practice and is a problem with the industry as a whole.

Not having my wife present compounded the problems referred to earlier, as the employees would not even allow her into the changing area. This meant I had to send my adult daughters in by themselves and hope they could navigate the area without my help.

Side Trip - Nickelodeon Universe:

Right next to the water park is an indoor theme park. We did not have the time to explore the entire park, but we did purchase individual tickets for two of the roller coasters. Pay one price options, including a combined water park ticket, are also available. The TMNT Shellraiser was one of the most terrifying and painful coasters I have ever ridden. It is a Gerstlauer Euro‑Fighter model that includes both a launch and a vertical lift hill. Before releasing you into a 121.5-degree beyond-vertical drop, it holds you in place with a striking view of the city. There are seven inversions over the ride's course.

The Shredder is another Gerstlauer creation. While cars only reach speeds of 36 mph, they are free-spinning as they traverse the 2,247-foot course. Be forewarned that these rotations can get intense.

If your family can work around the limitations I have described, the park is worth the trip. Even with the challenges, we headed to the parking lot smiling - proof that a day built on dreams can survive a few bumps. Now pass the Advil; my body is going to hurt tomorrow.