Tropical Islands

This place is amazing for all ages!

Free Transportation from the train station is possible. You must get to the Brand Tropical Island stop. From the main Bahnhof you go to Ostkruez then to Brand Tropical Islands (U5 towards Cottbus). That's where the shuttle will pick you up. Check Tropical Islands website for the schedule. Just note that this train station is not in use (there isn't an attendant, snacks or anything like that).

The obvious issue is the language barrier especially at check in. Poor guy that checked us in was not good nor comfortable speaking English. We got through most of it and another employee finished the briefing. Most employees in the other areas spoke English or at least enough for our interactions.

Another thing that was a con for us was the rooms did not have face towels. Not a big deal but was annoying.

Upon arrival you are able to enjoy everything immediately even if your room isn't available. They will store your bigger pieces of luggage and you can use the lockers in the changing room for smaller bags.

Wifi is good everywhere inside the dome. Can't speak for the Amazonia area as I didn't have my phone out there.

Walking to rooms can be loud due to hard walkers and the way the platform is made. This can even be heard on the second floor.

There are about 3 different gift shops there to purchase things. They have chargers for sure but didn't check for other items that may be forgotten. They definitely have pool items such as goggles and floats. The air pump is right outside the kid shop.

When staying over night you receive a wrist band that can unlock your room, lock and unlock lockers as well as purchase food and other things at the stands. (I'm not sure if this applies to those that come out for the day). When leaving you can use the kiosk to total out or you can pay at the exit gate. Adult bands can charge up to about €200 and kids is €35.

The water depth is 5ft for all bodies of water in the dome minus the slides. Pools have a metal bottom. Feels weird but we wore water shoes so it was a little slippery for us but once we adapted we were good.

There are multiple slides throughout the dome. One section has 4 slides. This area the kids must be certain ages and most do not allow more than one to go down together. The blue slide is the highest. Yellow is next with red slide allowing tubes and green is for mainly for the littles. In the other section where the "beach" is there are a bunch of family friendly slides that does allow for 2 to go down together. There is 2 more slides in another section that typically only one person goes unless a little is with the parents. One slide is dark with a strobe type light and the other has lights all the way to the end.

There is a "beach" area that has sand and lots of lawn chairs. I've been in the past and chairs were not used on the sand so it allowed/encouraged sand castle building/play. It's not as easy now to do.

Food places are cool but it sucks trying to figure out what is open at what time as that is not listed on the map especially after breakfast is over and lunch has not fully started yet. The food court is cool when you catch them at the right time. Some staff members just didn't seem to care. They messed up our burger. When we returned to get another one we found out a few others were in the same boat. One lady was given cold pasta. Pizza may be best but we didn't try it.

Breakfast was included with our rooms. It's from 8:30 to 9:30. It's a typical German breakfast. They do have waffle, pancakes and two types of scrambled eggs.

There is an area for kids for games and things such as bumper cars and such. They cost €1,20. There's also table tennis and air hockey tables as well.

There is a spa area but I didn't utilize it. There are also tanning beds.

One bar area called Bora Bora was cool as that's were most of the smokers hung out since they had 2 big areas enclosed to smoke in. This area is also only for 18 and up. People were also going to the Amazonia area to smoke there as well. All the bars have the same drink list. Bora Bora did have a daiquiri machine. Also they have nachos.

Balloon ride is €39 plus €6 for adults and €3 for kids.

The Amazonia area has two parts that are open in winter months. One is a fast river that pushes you over the hills and dips pretty fast. Not sure if there is an age requirement but due to how it was pushing us through and unknown hills/dips I wouldn't recommend little kids until you have tried it yourself. The other side had a lazy river feel that allowed you to float around. You also could go sit on the wall and relax. The water is warmer so it was nice with the cool winter breeze. There was also another pool but was closed during the winter month.

The TV in the room only offered news channels. That was a little disappointing as I figured with it being a family friendly establishment there would at least have a cartoon type channel.

We've spent 2 days in the Tropical Islands with an overnight stay in a Premium Tent. Unfortunately, it was a terrible experience, and it felt like everyone there was just preying on our money, while also being rude to us:

1. For context, paying for service inside Tropical Islands happens with a microchip and then you pay the whole bill for each of the microchips during the trip. On the first day of our trip, my wife used her microchip to buy 1 frozen yogurt with no toppings, but the seller charged her for 2 frozen yogurts with toppings and somehow even managed to charge me for another frozen yogurt with toppings even though I didn't buy anything and didn't even tap my microchip! There are only 2 possible explanations that I see here, the more favorable one is that the seller was just extremely incompetent and didn't know how to operate the cash register, or the person didn't like foreigners and wanted to charge us more out of spite. TL;DR we should've paid €5.90, but we paid €22.20 for a frozen yogurt.

2. Water extortion. Tropical Islands FAQ says that you cannot bring your own drinks in "for reasons of hygiene". After we arrived, we weren't able to find water for less than €4.50 per small bottle, which is an unbelievable extortion. What makes it even worse is that the temperature inside is very high, so, even if you don't decide to go to saunas, it's impossible to survive inside without drinking lots of water. The solution that they've developed is selling refillable bottles for €18 a day, however, even that does come with issues:
- It's not just water but also soda, so you can only refill it once every 45 minutes.
- There's a microchip that will prevent you from refilling it after 11:59 PM. If buy the bottle at 11:30 PM and could fill it only once, you will pay the same price as if you bought it at 7:00 AM and could re-fill it 22 times.
- You can only buy them at stores/bars/restaurants, so you can forget about doing so at night to have a supply of water for your sleep
- If you want to use the bottle the next day, you need to pay again.
IMO they should give you a heads-up about the water situation, my wife was sick and needed a lot of hydration, so we weren't prepared for this.

3. Stealing. When going to the water/sauna, we had to leave our towels unattended for a short time, which resulted in them being stolen. What was the worst about the situation was how the staff completely didn't care about this and dismissed us saying that we could go and rent their towels for €4.50 each or buy them from their store for €39.99 each.

4. It constantly feels like the staff doesn't want to talk with foreigners (we are from the US). We don't expect that everyone will be able to speak English, but it would've been nice if everyone wasn't trying to dismiss us as soon as possible and rudely ignore our problems and concerns just because of a language barrier. We had to rely on the information available on the website, which was sometimes conflicting and insufficient.

5. We tried ~3-5 different Visa/Mastercard credit cards and only one worked when it came down to paying. Please be prepared to come with cash to avoid issues, especially if you are coming from abroad.

6. Sleeping conditions were horrible due to the temperature. Our whole bed was wet from sweat in the night. I understand that our accommodations didn't come with AC, but we didn't expect that it would be so hot inside especially given that the temperature inside is maintained artificially - it was freezing outside of the complex.

7. They had several scanners for your microchips so that you can read and check how much money you've already spent, however, the information was in German (even if you turned on English), and the majority of the readers that we've found we inoperable.

8. WiFi wasn't available everywhere, only in some parts of the complex (notably, no wifi in your tent). This was especially inconvenient given that we've had very limited mobile internet as foreigners.

Planned this trip for weeks for my daughter's birthday. She arrived there which takes some planning only to find all the large slides shut down for maintenance. The large slides are the main attraction! And it's winter break for kids! Whats wrong with this establishment? And they didn't even offer a reduced fare or voucher. When I tried to call the establishment, I get hung up on. I tried to submit a written complaint and the web page kicks me out! I wouldn't support this Waterpark!

During our trip to Berlin, we decided to visit the famous Tropical Island. We knew COVID was happening and were glad that it was open. We did our research and booked oit tickets in advance (about a week before) and had no problems choosing our date even with a shorter notice.
Upon arrivial, you can see that there is plenty of parking available. It is a hike to get to the entrance. The line to enter was extremely long, over an hour wait to get in. With with these waits, they should consider putting a bathroom outside. Eventually when we got in, we felt a bit lost trying but after we got our bearing we were on our way. Even with reduced numbers, finding a locker took a while. After getting dressed and heading to the pool, there was no beach chairs available and ended up getting a tight spot in the sand. The pools were pretty nice and warm. People seemed friendly and happy. We had the lunch buffet at the indian place which was 20 euros each adult plus a 10 euro deposit for an arm band and a 2 euro deposit for the cup. We had issues when we left because the restaurant didnt refund us the deposits, but thankfully we kept the receipts. The food was pretty good and the selection of all you can eat Indian was nice. Wish they would include coffee though. We stayed from 12 until almost 8pm.
Our big disappointment was that about half the slides were closed. This is a big no go if you are still charging full price for entrance and at 91 euros for two people. While its a nice water park, I have been to much better ones in other places in Germany. Good to visit once but we likely wont come back.

Cool idea, but the experience isn't as great.
During peak Covid it's supposed to be 50% capacity, but it is fuller than ever. There are so many people, long lines, no seats or lockers.
Hotel rooms are spread throughout random areas in the middle of the park, so you don't get a nice quiet corner. It's loud everywhere and in the middle of everything.

Not worth the money or travel. This was the worst stop on our 2 week vacation. The food is awful. There are no water fountains. If you want a cup for water you have to pay a deposit. Kids were swimming without diapers! It was one thing after another. My wife sprained her ankle and we couldn't even get ice or an ace bandage. They offered to get us a cab at 1am to the hospital which was 45 min away. The worst part came when we checked out after not sleeping because of a crying baby next to our tent. But when we checked out they charged us for our towels. 2 were stolen from outside our tent, they were hung up on the designated line. 2 towels and they charged us for 4. We told them we only rented 2. We had a group of 4 and they said they did,'t care. The man helping us did the same thing to the family before us as well. They charge you for everything even things you don't use. By far the WORST customer service I have ever encountered in Europe. Pretty much non existent! I love water parks and this was just a GIANT disappointment. Don't waste your money. Go to a real water park!

This place was alight. The outdoor part was not open when we were there. We stayed in an actual room, like a hotel room. We thought about the tents and I'm glad we didn't stay in them. They are packed together and in sand, it looked miserable. It's really very big with a large ball pit (old pool), climbing structure, and other huge pools. There is not really a lot here for little kids to do. Our kids were 7, 4, and 2 and the 2 year old didn't have any place that she could really play without being held the whole time. There are large slides and my older 2 went on some of those, but even the big slides are often so slow you even stop while going down. Not a whole lot of fun and potentially dangerous. They kids slide area was closed on Sunday night when we were there and even when it was open on Monday the biggest slides there were blocked off. We were in the pool next to this on Sunday, which is open and pretty deep. Suddenly Monday my kids are being kicked out and told they must be with an adult at all times.... So I guess it's perfectly okay to potentially drown on Sunday, but not Monday. Ridiculous.
We ate at the buffet for dinner and breakfast. Both were okay. Dinner buffet was like 20 for adults and 8 for kids. Decent selection I guess. Breakfast was also an alright selection of things.
THINGS TO KNOW: bring your own towels. They do have them to borrow, but you will put a 30 deposit on each one and then be paranoid they will go missing... just bring your own.
The plastic cups they give you have like a 2 or 3 euro pfand on them! They will not tell you this, so you will likely just leave them on the table when you get up... but you will certainly be charged for them when you leave. I had to learn this by reading another review and even when I specifically asked the guy he pretended he didn't speak English. I think this is a big money maker for them and frankly it's pretty sketchy.

Overall the kids seemed to enjoy themselves which was the point of going, but I think there are better waterparks available in Europe. I don't think we would return here.

We first heard about the Tropical Island south of Berlin driving down to the Spreewald. Like an enormous metallic pimple, it stood out against northern Germany's flat terrain.

Intrigued by this bizarre structure, I snooped it out online. It is indeed an indoor water park - one of the largest of its kind - and it didn't actually house zeppelins (though that is a persistent rumor).

And it is large at 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and a 107 metres high. That means that it is big enough to fit the Statue of Liberty standing up, the Eiffel Tower lying down, or all of Potsdamer Platz including skyscrapers. Damn Tropical Island - you big!

Trains run straight from Alexanderplatz to Brand, the closest stop to Tropical Island. From there, a free shuttle bus picks you up and drops visitors off at the campgrounds, outdoor attraction center, and finally....Hello Tropical Island!

There are two basic packages available - one for the water park (Tropical World) and one for the saunas. The smart deal is the package that allows you to visit both. It is fairly expensive at just under 40 euros for the joint ticket, but there are frequent deals (we went on a buy-one-get-one-free deal). Unfortunately, things like the slides, rides, and balloon rides all cost more money. I hate being nickle & dimed so this was irksome. However, with just a one-day visit we actually found there was plenty to do without the extras so maybe it's a draw. Also note that there are other discounts for students and senors, but the price remains the same throughout the year.

Accommodations - There are tents, rooms within all of the themed structures and camp spots as available. As the ride from Berlin was only about an hour in total, it was easy for us to just go home that night when we had enough.

Like life generally, your enjoyment of Tropical Islands has a lot do to with your expectations. We went on a Friday in June and it was not crowded, easy to find a chair and space in the pool. I found the air and water temperature very comfortable. Not too humid but great for walking around in just a swimsuit.
We took our 6 month old and had an amazing time splashing around in their two large pools. We went on their three large waterslides. There was a wait for the slides but it was quite reasonable.
There was amply space to push and park a stroller with many changing tables. I was surprised at how baby friendly it was.
There are many restaurants with prices slightly higher than a normal restaurant but definitely lower than I'd expect at an amusement park.
Everything was very clean and safe. I think this place is absolute heaven for children. There were many little slides and spraying/splashing areas for small children as well as an elaborate dry playground.
There are some activities that cost extra, hot air balloon rides, mini golf, a sauna, and shows. I prefer this system as the tickets are already a little expensive and I don't want to pay for anything else I'm not going to use. However, I got in free as it was my birthday, a great deal!
Easy to get to, the Brand train stop is completely desolate so don't plan on buying anything there.

Tropical Islands is an artificial tropical paradise where you can escape the cold weather, swim, and relax. Entrance ranged from about 30-45 euros depending on discounts, and whether or not you purchase the spa package or not. Lockers are included in this price, as well as a very convenient bracelet that you can scan all your purchases on.

What really spoiled the experience was that there were way too many people. Not once throughout our ten hours there could we find chairs to put our things near the pool. I couldn't swim without being constantly touched by tons of people. My experience here may be due to the fact that I chose to come here on a holiday, but I would imagine it still being busy on other days.

Another complaint I would have, that others may or may not have, is that you are not allowed to go into the sauna or jacuzzis in the spa area with a bathing suit on. Nudity was required. They claimed that this was for our own benefit, but required nudity is a little strange, I would prefer it was just "encouraged".

The water slides were great! They have water slides of different heights, speeds, durations. The food was pretty good too, and they have a wide selection, but there were long lines during the lunch hours. They also offer massages and special exfoliant treatments for additional fees.

Also, bring your own towel! I didn't and I had to pay a 4 euro fee and 20 euro deposit that you get back, just make sure your towel doesn't get stolen!

They have a free shuttle that will bring you to and from the Tropical Islands Bahn station.