5 reasons this is the best water park hotel in Orlando

If you’re looking for the best water park hotel in Orlando, you’re not alone. When traveling with kids to Walt Disney World and the theme parks, chances are an address where they can get wet and wild day into night is on the bucket list. You could shell out and take the whole family to one of the many water park options in the region–an undoubtedly fun way to spend a day.

Or you could book a room at the best water park hotel in Orlando and have access to all the action throughout your entire trip.

The Orlando World Center Marriott rolls a hotel and water park into one package. There’s no need to get in the car and head somewhere else (that said, the beach isn’t far!). There’s plenty to keep the whole family busy and cooled off right here in one spot.

Read on for five reasons why the Orlando World Center Marriott is the best water park hotel in Orlando.

1. The best water park hotel in Orlando takes the term “water park” seriously

A room view from the Orlando World Center Marriott gives you an idea for the sheer scope of the hotel’s superlative water park (image courtesy of Beth Luberecki).

Orlando’s all about outsized and over-the-top fun, and the Orlando World Center Marriott doesn’t skimp when it comes to its wet-and-wild, family-friendly amenities, making it the runaway choice for the best water park hotel in Orlando and a guaranteed way to keep cool in the hot Florida sun. This resort doesn’t have just a couple of boring and basic waterslides by a nothing-special pool. It’s actually got two different zones where kids (and the young at heart) can spend hours splashing, sliding, and getting soaked.

At the Falls Pool Oasis area, guests find a 400,000-gallon, zero-entry, lagoon-style heated pool with sundecks for sitting by the water’s edge and cascading water features to duck under. There are three waterslides here, along with umbrella-shaded lounge chairs and cabanas to rent.

Opened in 2022, the hotel’s River Falls Water Park (which is included in the daily resort fee) adds higher-octane thrills to the equation, with three zippy inner-tube waterslides for single and double riders. There’s also a 575-foot-long lazy river for a relaxing float beneath the Florida sun.

2. There’s fun for all ages at the finest water park hotel in Orlando

An inner tube awaits a taker at the Orlando World Center Marriott’s lazy river (image courtesy of Orlando World Center Marriott).

The gradual, beach-style entry at the Falls Pool at the Orlando World Center Marriott is one reason it’s the best water park hotel in Orlando for families with young kids.

Little ones can also enjoy a splash zone designed for younger guests in the Falls Pool Oasis area, along with a small “aqua playground” with bubbling nozzles and sprayers at the River Falls Water Park.

Thrill-seeking older kids, teens, and adults will love zooming down the 90-foot speed slide by the Falls Pool. At the River Falls Water Park, the aptly named Boomerango sends riders flying up a wall of water before sliding down into a plunge pool.

The Aquasphere and Tailspin slides also offer plenty of exciting twists and turns of their own. Fun for all ages awaits in the hotel’s lazy river, too.

Keep in mind that guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride the waterslides at the hotel.

3. Everything’s easy to access at the most epic water park hotel in Orlando

The hotel’s youngest guests can take the easy way in at the Splash Pad (image courtesy of Orlando World Center Marriott).

All of the Orlando World Center Marriott’s 2,010 renovated guest rooms are just a short stroll away from the pool and water park. And the two areas are close enough to each other for the kids to go back and forth between them all day. Guests are provided with wristbands that must be worn for access to the River Falls Water Park.

That close proximity also makes it easy to go back to the room for a midday nap or to grab any must-haves you forgot to throw in your pool bag.

Clever pool towel “vending machines” can be found in multiple spots around the hotel to make drying off a breeze. Just have your room key handy, and make sure to return the towels when you’re done to avoid being charged for them.

4. The fun continues at night at the best water park hotel in Orlando

While the slides all close at 6 p.m. at the Orlando World Center Marriott, the pool stays open until 10 p.m. every night. And that’s a great place to take in the hotel’s nightly laser light show. Popular tunes serve as the soundtrack to a lively show that lights up the pool area and hotel façade in a rainbow of colors. That makes this property the best water park hotel in Orlando for late-night entertainment, too.

Guests can also take in the laser light show from their balcony if they’ve reserved a pool-facing room. All guest rooms at the hotel have balconies, so you might also be able to spot a spectacular sunset or a Walt Disney World fireworks display from your room, depending on its location at the hotel.

On select nights, the hotel adds to the nighttime fun with a glow party and mermaid experience at the pool, too. Glowing pool inflatables and bubble machines help set the scene for meet-and-greets with special “mermaid” guests. We’re going to go ahead and claim this one of the top water park hotels in Orlando if you’re a mermaid or merman, too.

5. There’s lots to do here when you need a break from living it up at the best water park hotel in Orlando

If the family’s feeling waterlogged or a Florida thunderstorm has temporarily shuttered the pool and waterslides, fear not. There are all kinds of other fun activities and amenities on-site here at the largest Marriott property in the world.

The Orlando World Center Marriott’s arcade serves as a great escape from the Florida heat, and a mini-golf course offers opportunities for a little family competition. There’s also a full-size, 18-hole championship course for more serious golfers, along with a fitness center, jogging trail, and spa for self-care needs of all types.

A full schedule of family activities includes games, arts and crafts sessions, and weekend visits from Gatorland animal residents, and 10 dining options make it easy to refuel without leaving the hotel. But if guests do want to venture beyond the property, scheduled shuttle service is available to the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks and Disney Springs.

Next: 7 Beaches Close to Walt Disney World

Beth Luberecki is a longtime freelance writer and resident of Florida who enjoys exploring the state with her husband and teenage daughter. Her work has appeared in media outlets including Forbes Vetted, FamilyVacationist, USA Today Travel, and Washington Post’s Express. Learn more about her at bethluberecki.com and on Instagram at @bethlubereckiwrites.