YAS Waterworld is one of the world’s leading waterparks and a one-of-a-kind location that offers a fusion of elegant Emirati heritage with cutting-edge ride technology.
By combining local personality with fun aquatic adventures, the park aims to provide a captivating world where its guests can escape for the day and enjoy a unique experience unlike anything else. Yas Waterworld is home to 45 rides, slides and attractions – six of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world – along with a diversity of seasonal events and shows.
Yas Waterworld is managed and operated by Farah Experiences, which also operates Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and CLYMB Abu Dhabi. Farah Experiences’ management consists of several departments including shared services – made up of sales, marketing, IT, finance, HR and so on – in addition to the on-ground teams in each theme park and attraction, such as guest experiences, operations, health and safety, ride operators and technicians, F&B, etc.
As one of the world’s leading waterparks, it is paramount Yas Waterworld delivers a unique offering that guarantees a one-of-a-kind experience with every visit. The park continuously strives to uplift guest experiences through its variety of offerings, including the 45 rides, slides and attractions in addition to seasonal experiences and its year-round calendar that encompasses celebrating special occasions, allowing it to provide guests with the chance to tap into their innermost adventurer with one-of-a-kind experiences.
Working with leading ride manufacturers, Yas Waterworld aims to stay up to date with new technologies and experiences from around the world that can be implemented at the park. Taking on-board guests’ feedback, the team always ensures the introduction of new experiences based on their insight, in order to keep guests engaged and entertained. The park pairs advanced technology with exceptional planning and engineering to ensure the highest level of safety and quality of experience for its guests.
Some of the manufacturers Yas Waterworld has worked with include: WhiteWater – responsible for the kids’ areas, including Marah Fortress, as well as all the speed slides such as Slithers Slides and the Speed racer Sebag; ProSlide – responsible for Yas Waterworld’s two iconic rides, Dawamma and Falcon’s Falaj; and Vekoma – responsible for the Bandit Bomber roller coaster, a ride that is unique to Yas Waterworld.
All of the venue’s rides, slides and attractions are based on an original story developed exclusively for the waterpark – The legend of The Lost Pearl. The story follows the adventures of Dana, a young Emirati girl in search of a legendary pearl that had once brought prosperity to her village. Whenever a new ride or attraction is developed for the park, the team ensures that it fits into the story and pays tribute to the Emirati culture and heritage of pearl-diving.
At the same time, it is important the park stays in touch with the modern world and infuses the latest technology to deliver a stellar guest experience. Most recently, the park launched the UAE’s first-ever Underwater VR experience. Guests can jump into the fantastical world of virtual reality while submerged in the water for an unprecedented immersive sensory experience.
The park recognises that innovation is no longer a luxury – it is a prerequisite for the future! Leveraging the latest state-of-the-art technology within the entertainment industry plays a big role in allowing it to expand its portfolio of rides and attractions, by innovating new immersive and personalised water experiences that guests have never seen before.
Catering to international guests, especially those from its key target markets such as the UK, KSA, Russia, India and China, as well as local guests, the team at the park does this by ensuring the dining outlets serve a wide range of cuisines that suit all dietary needs, as well as by hosting seasonal celebrations and events that are tailored to different cultures and traditions. Kabayan Festival, for example, is one of the park’s most well-attended events and has become a staple favourite for its Filipino guests.
The waterpark’s dining offering encompasses everything from quick snacks to sit-down meals, as well as refreshing beverages and frozen desserts. Skinny’s Frozen treats is the perfect pit-stop opportunity for chilling out in between rides, offering frozen lemonade, juices, ice cream and shaved ice with syrup. For those in the mood for a mouth-watering meal, Chubby’s Kitchen serves up everything from fried chicken and pizza to noodles and daal as guests watch the roller coasters whiz by and pearl divers foraging for treasure, while Dana’s diner offers a variety of tasty bites including burgers, a BBQ, wings, salads and sandwiches. For snacks, guests can head down to Salma’s Snack Shack, where they can choose from salads, sandwiches and fresh-cut fruit, or the Amwaj Beach Bar where they can enjoy a wide selection of mouth-watering snacks and refreshments including milkshakes, ice cream, shaved ice and popcorn. Lastly, guests can head down to Gahwet Nasser and take home some tasty souvenirs – choosing from Arabic coffees, camel-milk chocolates, fresh dates and heritage gift boxes.
Committed to creating out-of-the-box experiences that cater to its wide array of guest segments, as a proud Emirati establishment, the Yas Waterworld team are cognizant of catering to audiences who value their privacy and launched the Yas Waterworld’s Ladies Season, which has quickly grown to be a staple part of the park’s calendar. Taking place yearly, female guests can enjoy a fun-filled evening complete with aquatic activities, music, Zumba classes and more. Guest privacy and comfort is guaranteed thanks to the all-female staff and a strict ban on photography.
Another guest favourite is Cinema Under the Stars. This signature event gathers families and friends of all ages to kick back and relax on a poolside or float in the water as they watch their favourite blockbuster films under the starry night sky.
Yas Waterworld also hosts the Kabayan Beach Fiesta. This offers guests the chance to experience the park with five hours of after-dark access to over 45 world-class attractions in addition to live Filipino music, the karaoke beach club and a spectacular line-up of beach games at the Amwaj Wave Pool.
Furthermore, and created in celebration of the Spring season, Mermaid Adventures at Yas Waterworld is a seasonal event that introduces a number of games, shows and activities to children and families across the UAE, including the biggest egg hunt on Yas Island and the chance to win giveaways and prizes. It features underwater mermaid shows that offer an interactive and engaging experience, as mermaids dance to music and children are invited to a meet and greet with them as they capture special moments on camera.
For the summer season, Yas Waterworld’s Neon Nights brings together a mix of music, performances and light shows with neon vibes spreading throughout the park. With glow-in-the-dark slides, a silent disco and hydrojet shows, Yas Waterworld’s Neon Nights are known to deliver an electric experience to park-goers.
Since opening in 2013, Yas Waterworld has strived to become an award-winning destination and has garnered more than 40 industry awards and accolades to date, taking home the Best Waterpark award from Global Brand Awards and the Middle East’s Leading Waterpark award at the World Travel Awards, as well as receiving the Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice certificate in 2020.
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he park also won the World’s Leading Waterpark award for the second year running at the prestigious World Travel Awards and was recognised as Best Waterpark in the MENALAC awards 2019. The venue also took home a Guinness World Record for the Most Nationalities in a Swimming Pool in April 2019, among a host of other awards.
Considered the pearl of Yas Island, the UAE’s premium leisure and entertainment destination, Yas Waterworld combines fun aquatic adventures with local personality to provide guests with an experience unlike anything else.
At a glance
Opened 2013
Over 40 industry accolades and awards
45 rides, slides and attractions
Main international target markets include UK, KSA, Russia, India, China
UAE’s first-ever Underwater VR experience
Key manufacturer partners include WhiteWater, ProSlide, Vekoma
www.yaswaterworld.com
All details correct at the time of publishing – InterPark magazine Nov/Dec 2021 edition
