Colossal Pizza at Adventure Island: New Slices, Same Old Questions
We tried the new Colossal Pizza Adventure Island menu at Tampa’s water park, from the switch away from flatbread to the wait times and the taste. Would the new menu be better than the former flatbread-style pizzas?
Pizza is a staple of theme park dining. That does not mean it is good. It is one of the great mysteries of this industry: why is it so hard to make a decent slice of theme park pizza, and why do we keep buying it anyway?
If you want to find pizza that is somehow a notch below theme park pizza, you only need to drive to a water park. Despite that, Florida’s water parks have actually been adding more pizza locations lately, so someone out there is buying it. That brings us to Adventure Island in Tampa.
Adventure Island has five dining locations, and one is almost always closed, depending on the day. Two of the remaining four sell pizza. Colossal Pizza recently changed styles of pizza, and that alone was enough to get us to order pizza at a water park. How did it go? Is the change worth it?
In fairness, from the time this change became public, and we found Colossal Pizza open was several weeks later. Also, since Adventure Island has converted to a Friday through Sunday schedule, that means even fewer chances to find Colossal Pizza open. We have visited on several Fridays to find Colossal Pizza declared open in the Adventure Island app but for it to be closed. However, our recent Sunday afternoon visit saw us encounter a fully-functioning Colossal Pizza.
From Flatbread to Slices
Colossal Pizza Adventure Island used to serve the flatbread-style pizza that has become common across United Parks and Resorts properties in recent years. Now, similar to the switch at Springs Taproom at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, it has moved to more traditional slices. Guests can also order a whole 16-inch pizza, which is a smart option if you are dining with a larger group.
The change does reduce how much pizza you actually get with the All Day Dining Plan. Whether the potential quality bump makes up for that is the real question. On the plus side, paying around ten dollars instead of the roughly eighteen dollars the old flatbread cost makes this a much easier a la carte option for someone who just wants a snack. Still, if you specifically want the flatbread style pizza, it has not disappeared entirely. It just moved down the path to Captain Pete’s, which also sells ice cream and hot dogs.
Getting There Was Half the Battle
The Adventure Island app said Colossal Pizza would open at noon. We have been burned by that promise before, so we gave it some extra time and killed the wait at Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe, which remains a far better dining option at this park. To be fair, Colossal Pizza is rarely open during the slower stretches of the year, and we visited on a Sunday afternoon.
We ordered a slice of Meat Lovers Pizza, which runs $10.00 before any discounts or the All Day Dining Plan. Right after the location opened, we were quoted a six minute wait for a single slice. The ambassadors working the counter looked genuinely unsure about the prep process, and given that confusion, the wait ended up running well past the promised six minutes.
When the slice finally arrived, it came with a side of chips, which we were not expecting. That is a nice bit of added value, but it is also an odd inclusion since chips are not listed anywhere on the menu board as part of the pizza.
A Basic Meal Gets More Affordable, the Dining Plan Gets Less Valuable
To summarize the change: Colossal Pizza has swapped the standard United Parks flatbread for a regular slice, with a whole pizza available for groups. We have seen this same move play out at Springs Taproom at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, where ordering a full pizza for the table worked well. At Adventure Island, this shift has clearly dropped the value of the All Day Dining Plan here, since guests are now getting less pizza for their credit. On the other hand, it has made grabbing a basic meal a la carte noticeably more affordable than before.
Colossal Pizza Adventure Island: How Did It Taste?
The Meat Lovers slice comes topped with pepperoni, bacon, and what we are fairly confident is ham. The fact that we have to guess should tell you everything you need to know about how much flavor that particular meat brought to the table.
The cheese was standard, mostly tasteless United Parks cheese, though credit where it’s due, it did melt evenly. Overall, this slice is a step down from even the least impressive item you could order at Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe, which sits just a short walk away. Mango Joe’s is a genuinely solid quick service option for a water park, so that comparison is not close.
The chips add some value, but do not expect anything beyond basic, generic kettle chips. We ate them because someone has to. Again, the menu board lists chips separately as a side, not as something that comes with the pizza, and it specifically calls them kettle chips, which feels like a stretch.
The crust did its job. It was light and arguably a touch undercooked. Like the rest of the slice, this tastes like fairly standard, unremarkable theme park pizza. It is not an upgrade over the flatbread version that used to live here, it is simply a different shape of average.
Colossal Pizza Adventure Island: Should You Get It?
If you are on the All Day Dining Plan and just want something quick and filling, the slice format still works fine as a snack stop, especially now that a full pizza is on the table for bigger groups. However, it is the worst use of your All-Day Dining Plan at Adventure Island. If you are paying out of pocket, the version of theme park pizza will cost you less.
Colossal Pizza Adventure Island Menu
| Item | Price | Notes |
| Pizza | ||
| Cheese Pizza (Slice / 16″ Pizza) | $9.00 / $29.99 | |
| Pepperoni Pizza (Slice / 16″ Pizza) | $9.50 / $31.99 | |
| Meat Lovers Pizza (Slice / 16″ Pizza) | $10.00 / $33.99 | |
| Meatball Sub | $17.99 | Served with chips. |
| Kids Menu | ||
| Kids Pizza | $10.79 | Served with chips. |
| Sides | ||
| Kettle Chips | $7.49 | |
| Garlic Knots | $9.99 | |
| Small Side Salad | $8.29 | |
| Beverages | ||
| Fountain Drinks | $6.49 | |
| Bottled Water | $5.29 / 2 for $8.50 | |
| Add A Day | $10.29 | |
| Dessert | ||
| Chocolate Chip Cookie | $6.99 | |
| Cheesecake | $8.99 | |
| Chocolate Cake | $10.29 | |
Additional Adventure Island Dining Reviews
For more theme park dining reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. Additionally, we sometimes post bonus theme park dining reviews. As always, eat like you mean it!
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