I visited Caribbean Bay in June and although there is an English-language page for those who intend to visit, here is the inside scoop of the visit.

Firstly, the video that moved this place to the top of my list:

 

‘The Way Things Are’ Advice: One of the first things I realized is that the rules should all be taken with a grain of salt. Rules like “swim cap required”, “you must shower before getting into any pools”, etc are not really enforced, along with rules like ‘no street clothes allowed in the pools’. There were a lot of people wearing extra (non-swim) clothing as well.

Time Advice: The park, despite the dreadful swimming weather, was rather full, as it was the last Saturday of a special discount for people with a certain bank’s card. (Note: If you have a friend who has a special deal on their card, it won’t work for you, too. You can only purchase 1 discounted ticket per card.)  Although the lines were only about half the available length, there was still a considerable wait – approximately 30 minutes for each ride.  When you consider that most of the rides/slides take less than one minute to complete, you are in for a long wait.

You have other alternatives such as the Lazy River and the Wave Pool, which are open to all comers without a wait, although a bit crowded.  Another line-less option are the Bade Pools (aka heated pools), which, saved the day for me.

Rides Advice: My favorite rides were the AquaLoop and Wild River (when they said ‘Wild River’ in the CABI song, they were referring to the rides). I loved Wild River because you get more ride for your time – the ride is 3-4 minutes, and it’s like a water roller coaster. The AquaLoop, well, check out the CF with Nichkhun and Victoria:

It’s not as fancy as the CF, but its similar.  You get into a capsule, cross your arms and ankles, and the floor falls away into a nearly vertical drop, which shoots into a 360 degree loop before it spits you out. If you are looking for a huge adrenaline rush, this is the ride for you.

Money Advice: How much should you expect to spend?  The ticket will set you back 50,000 – 70,000 KRW, depending on when you go, and if you snag a discount. (There are discounts available for students and foreigners, but you need to fill out a form and print it out ahead of time.) In the park, prices are high, and life jacket rentals are not cheap.  Also, don’t forget 500 won coins for the “outdoor”/free lockers.

Culture and Clean-up Advice: After you’re all done, head back to the locker rooms to shower and change.  The showers/locker rooms are public.  And by public, I mean, there’s a lot of nudity going on in there. My advice – You don’t stare, they won’t stare. Get over it. There are shampoo/conditioner in the showers as well as body wash, so get good and clean. When you’re dressed, it’s time to hit the powder room, where you can find hair-dryers, lotion, hair gel, cotton swabs, etc. to get you tidied up and ready to return to regular life.

Miscellaneous Advice:

  • Bring a small towel to dry off with after your shower, but don’t bother with a beach towel, it’ll only sit in your locker or get soaked with you on the rides.
  • Plan to go barefoot in the park. My flip-flops were a hassle.
  • You can’t bring food into the park. They will check your bag for food. There are free storage lockers outside the park (including refrigerated ones) for food you brought along.
  • All the park signs are posted in Korean, English, and Chinese, so it’s highly foreigner-friendly.
  • Check out the Everland website or call 1330, the tourist information hotline (Dial 02-1330 if you’re calling from a cell phone.) for more information.

This has been Madeline, your Seoul Insider, signing off ’til next time.  Please leave your request for the next Seoul Insider in the comment section.

(blobbie, KGG, visitkorea, youtube 1, 2)