Six Flags Hurricane Harbor 2015 Review: New Bar & Grill, Upgraded Cabanas

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey’s largest water park, has a tradition of making new additions every year. In 2015, they just introduced a new outdoor eatery, the Cabana Cove Grill. Besides a variety of grilled food, this is, finally, the first concession stand in the water park that serves beer and wine! Therefore, its enclosed space with picnic tables is my new favorite eatery in the park. And it’s not just because of the ability to have a cold brew on a hot burning day at the park. But the food is pretty good too. it’s freshly grilled fare, and my favorites are the tri-tip steak sandwich, as well as the jerk chicken sandwich.

The Cabana Grill is located next to the wave pool and the cabanas. And if you’ve never rented a cabana at Hurricane Harbor (as we haven’t until this year), let me tell you that it changes the whole day’s experience, especially on a busy summer weekend. On these days, you can’t find a chair after 11am, and every resting spot is packed. The new upgraded “platinum” cabanas are a great place to settle down, rest in between the rides, the wave pool or the lazy river, eat lunch, drink beer, sun bathe and relax. They’re pretty big, with 2 couches, an armchair, a table, fridge, fan, as well as two lounge chairs in front. They’re on sand, so the kids can play like they’re at the beach, and they’re surrounded by a lush tropical landscape.

These cabanas are right next to the wave pool, so they’re almost like a pool club, you can lounge by the cabana and then walk a few steps to take a dip in the water. The lazy river, kids splash playground and some of the rides are a couple of minutes away, but of course you can get anywhere in the park in less than 10 minutes. Most importantly, they’re quite affordable, especially when coming as a group. The platinum cabanas are $200 for the day for 4 people (kids are not counted, but you pay $20 for extra adults), and they come with the unlimited soft drinks free for the day, a big chicken fingers & fries basket for the kids, and include tube rentals (which, as you probably now, are practically impossible to find on weekends). So if you add up all the extra perks, they’re already worth over $100. There are also a few basic cabanas which are cheaper, but they only have 4 plastic chairs inside, and I’m not sure if they include those extra items.

Now that I’ve talked about what’s new in 2015, let me go back to some of the new stuff in the last two years.

A couple of years ago, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor brought King Cobra, a unique and fascinating “racing” tube slide. Two rafts can go down the pair of tubes looking like the snake’s coiled tail, before plunging down the open area and then heading fast right into the cobra’s mouth. You’ll stop just a few inches from its water-misting fangs, and then slide back and forth a few times, almost in reach of those teeth. It’s a really cool ride, that dominates the park’s landscape with its distinctive shape, and that drop and subsequent rise to the cobra’s mouth really takes you by surprise.

New in 2014 was the Big Wave Racer, a six-lane race course to enjoy with your friends. You’re first twisting inside narrow dark tubes before coming out in the open and plunging head-first down the steep final stretch. It’s a fast, intense slide experience that you’ll want to do over and over (well, on days with short lines).

Finally, don’t forget to read our review from 2014, which focuses on what you can do at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor with little kids. We went with our 2 year-old and 4 year-old, and enjoyed the splash playground, lazy river, wave pool and so much more!

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