Billed as Canada's largest themed water park, Calypso is located about 45 minutes East of Ottawa in the community of Limoges. First of all, this is a very expensive water park. If you are looking for something less expensive, try Mont Cascades near Gatineau. They have dropped their prices since Calypso has opened, and you can get a seaon's pass for the same price as a one day admission into Calypso.
We did not go to Mont Cascades, but my brother in-law was there the week before he joined us at Calypso. He said the facilities at Calypso were much nicer, and there were more things for the younger children to do at Calypso. My children, aged almost two and almost four loved the kid zone at Calypso.
The Zoo Lagoon has six water slides for the little ones, but parents have to wait in the wading pool. The ramp to the top of the slides is such that you will not lose sight of your child. If your child is daring enough to go down the slide without prompting, then you can do this area with one adult. My daughter loved it, but often would start down a slide before the previous child hit the water. The hardest slide to monitor is the tunnel snake, but otherwise the lifeguards were fairly good at letting the kids know when they could go.
My son was content to play with the hoses, and water the pelicans and skunks. He also liked floating in the narrow wading pool, but his life jacket from Calypso was too big. If you are travelling from afar, you don't have to worry about packing your own life jacket because Calyso has them for free. You just need to give them photo ID or a $40 deposit. If you have your own life jackets, you might want to bring them because the Calypso ones don't have the handle behind the head. I saw quite a few parents use the handle to make sure their little ones didn't go flying off the tubes.
The walkways at Calypso were cool in the sun. I was told Mont Cascades was not as comfortable a walking experience. Waits were comparable. Because prices are so good at Mont Cascades, the wait times are 45 to 60 minutes a ride, on busy days. At Calypso, the more popular rides had longer waits. Also, the rides with only one or two runs moved much slower than the runs where mulitple people could go down at once. For instance, the Zoomerang (one slide, bigger rush) moved much slower than the Black Hole (two slides, not as fast going down).
My husband did only one adult slide. He said it was the worst ride ever. If you are going to do only one slide, and don't like being cold, do not pick the Aqualoops. The wait is very long, over an hour. You are under cover, and you will get cold if it is a windy day, or you are still wet. The ride puts you in a tube (not for the claustropobic), and the floor drops from underneath your feet. You freefall for about two seconds, then you go through a slanted 360° loop, and then you are done. There is a minimum weight requirement (99lbs) to ensure you will make it through the loop. If you don't mind the long wait, or the cold, and are a thrill seeker, this is the ride for you. My brother in-law enjoyed this slide a bit more, but had said my husband would probably be very cold. He warmed up in the wave pool afterward.
My brother in-law did Adrenaline. Also a long line time. The lines for the other slides on this tower moved much faster, but they also allowed more people to go down at once. He said this slide was pretty cool, and that he barely touched the slide for the first part of the ride. It is very steep, and very fast. We went on Zoomerang together. It was really fun. We almost touched the top of the slide. It was good for me because I was not feeling courageous enough to do one of the regular water slides, and this one had a double tube. I saw parents bring their small children with them, holding onto the back of their life jackets, so this is something you can do with your brave toddler or preschooler.
All in all it was an extremely positive experience. If I could have spent the whole day floating in the Jungle Run ( a lazy river) I would have done that, but I still had lots of fun taking my son down the tiger slide, and watching my daughter enjoy doing the kiddie slides solo. The heated pools were a nice feature, although the Pirate area was quite cool.
My recommendations: Buy your tickets online so you don't have to wait to buy your tickets. Arrive when the park opens so you can get decent parking, and a good place to sit. It might give you a shorter wait on your first slide too. Someone has to be first in line. Bring your own lunch. You are allowed to bring in a cooler, just no alcohol, or glass. Bring your own life jacket, if you like its features, otherwise, the ones from the park work very well. Expect to wait lots, and just chill. Enjoy your day. Play in the wave pool, and float in the river ( although it is nicer earlier in the day). Remember to stay in the shade and reapply your sunscreen when you are heading back into the water. Drink lots of your own water, the pools are salty. Have fun.
http://www.calypsopark.com/parc-aquatique/en/
http://www.montcascades.ca/aqua/en_home.asp
PS. There are no discount prices for obviously pregnant woman. The park policy is not to have a non rider fee because they cannot guarantee non riders will not ride. I think pregnant women should be the exception. Complain, or send comments to the company with regards to this issue.
