Talk to me about water parks!

[MissNurse]

We have saved water parks until our kids were older. They are 12 and 15 now, so we are ready to try them out on our trip this April/May. I'd love advice on arrival time, food, order to do attractions, etc. Anybody ever rented cabanas? Are they worth it? Anything else?

 

[BrianL]

I recommend getting there at opening. Just like at the parks, you can get a lot done early, then just hang in the pools or lazy river for the rest of your time. I know at TL they recommend the Crush Gusher first as it moves kinda slowly once the line builds up. I also recommend some kind of water shoe. You have to hold them in your hands for some rides, but they help with the hot concrete.

 

[NavyDad]

Arrive 30 minutes prior to open. As long as you do this it is very easy at both water parks to get chairs in a shaded area to place your towels and "reserve" seats. We take our own beach towels, grab some chairs and arrange them the way we like to establish our home base. We have never had anything stolen from our chairs while we were gone but I wouldn't leave anything of value behind. They do have lockers you can rent when you first come inside the turnstile.

Blizzard Beach:
We grab some seats at the far left end facing the wave pool and head straight to the chair lift that takes you to the big slides. We do the family water slide first which is really, really good and then DW and I head to the lazy river while the kids keep doing some of the big slides. The best time to ride the big slides is the first hour and the last hour. The wave pool is not great here but they have some pretty good slides if you like them (our kids love them). DW and I spend most of our time in the lazy river which is top notch. The food is not that great at either slide but we usually get some quick service lunch (fried chicken strips and shrimp for kids, salads and sandwiches for DW and I) and then we let the kids share one of the lunch pail ice cream treats later in the day. It is huge and a pretty good price. Easily feeds 2-4 people. DW and I get the mini-donuts with chocolate dipping sauce at both water parks. They are really, really, really good!

Typhoon Lagoon:
We grab seats first thing in the back right as close to the Shark Reef as we can get. We do Shark reef once or twice right away before we apply sun block as you have to wash off. This is really cool if you like to snorkel and see tons of fish(including sharks). It is a bit small and the water is FREEZING but DW loves it. It's a pretty unique attraction. Next we hit the Crush N Gusher which is described as a water roller coaster. Basically it is a tube slide that has belts and jets that propel you tube faster than you would normally go. Honestly it is probably the best set of slides at any water park IMHO. Lots of fun for the whole family. The rest of the slides at TL are just OK but the wave pool is amazing if you like BIG waves. Nothing like it anywhere I have been. Our kids will do this for hours but DW hates it because she is short and gets knocked of her feet fairly easily. Lazy river at TL is pretty similar to BB and on par with the best lazy rivers you can find anywhere. Food is just OK quick service but they have the donuts and ice cream pail here as well.

 

[tigerwolf]

I also recommend a water shoe! The bottom of the wave pool tore up my feet the last time we went to TL and the cement can get uncomfortably hot.

 

[amycakes]

Arrive 30 minutes prior to open. As long as you do this it is very easy at both water parks to get chairs in a shaded area to place your towels and "reserve" seats. We take our own beach towels, grab some chairs and arrange them the way we like to establish our home base. We have never had anything stolen from our chairs while we were gone but I wouldn't leave anything of value behind. They do have lockers you can rent when you first come inside the turnstile.

Blizzard Beach:
We grab some seats at the far left end facing the wave pool and head straight to the chair lift that takes you to the big slides. We do the family water slide first which is really, really good and then DW and I head to the lazy river while the kids keep doing some of the big slides. The best time to ride the big slides is the first hour and the last hour. The wave pool is not great here but they have some pretty good slides if you like them (our kids love them). DW and I spend most of our time in the lazy river which is top notch. The food is not that great at either slide but we usually get some quick service lunch (fried chicken strips and shrimp for kids, salads and sandwiches for DW and I) and then we let the kids share one of the lunch pail ice cream treats later in the day. It is huge and a pretty good price. Easily feeds 2-4 people. DW and I get the mini-donuts with chocolate dipping sauce at both water parks. They are really, really, really good!

Typhoon Lagoon:
We grab seats first thing in the back right as close to the Shark Reef as we can get. We do Shark reef once or twice right away before we apply sun block as you have to wash off. This is really cool if you like to snorkel and see tons of fish(including sharks). It is a bit small and the water is FREEZING but DW loves it. It's a pretty unique attraction. Next we hit the Crush N Gusher which is described as a water roller coaster. Basically it is a tube slide that has belts and jets that propel you tube faster than you would normally go. Honestly it is probably the best set of slides at any water park IMHO. Lots of fun for the whole family. The rest of the slides at TL are just OK but the wave pool is amazing if you like BIG waves. Nothing like it anywhere I have been. Our kids will do this for hours but DW hates it because she is short and gets knocked of her feet fairly easily. Lazy river at TL is pretty similar to BB and on par with the best lazy rivers you can find anywhere. Food is just OK quick service but they have the donuts and ice cream pail here as well.

NavyDad is spot on! The wave pool at TL is great fun and my kids love it but please be careful. The bottom of the pool is rough... don't get knocked down in the shallows by the waves.... knees, elbows and feet can get quite cut up if you're not careful.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Arrive early. Take stuff for changing and get a locker, bring a resort towel to leave there, get a chair, start from left to right, do float in the river at least an hour....

 

[michelepa]

What about leaving typhoon lagoon -can you get a bus directly to your on-site resort or do you have to take a bus to disney springs and then get a bus to your hotel?

Also wondering how long on average you stay at the water park?

 

[cocoachip]

We've had success driving and arriving at opening, bringing snacks, and carrying an underwater disposable camera (do they still make them?). Some of our most fun pictures were taken on the Teamboat Springs family raft ride in Blizzard Beach.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

I highly recommend you renting an umbrella at either water park you go to. You can reserve one now by calling Disney Recreation. For about $60 you will get two chairs, two loungers, an umbrella, small table and four towels. The most important thing is that your spot is reserved and only you and a few other families with access to your area are allowed in. So, forget about getting to the water park when it opens to rush and claim your chairs among the masses. There's no need!

We have rented these at both water parks and found the area above the wave pool at TL to be awesome. It is secluded, yet you get to lounge in the shade (if you want to) and watch the fun everyone is having in the wave pool. This area is so protected by CMs that we felt safe enough to leave our camera and bag there to ride some rides.

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

We went to typhoon lagoon last year for the first time and I absolutely loved the wave pool! I could of done that all day but My wife couldn't handle it lol . Enjoy !

 

[SA mom]

What about leaving typhoon lagoon -can you get a bus directly to your on-site resort or do you have to take a bus to disney springs and then get a bus to your hotel?

I would like to know the answer to this, too. One time we were caught in a downpour and everyone left the park. It took more than 2 hours to get back to the resort because we had to change buses.

 

[yaya74]

Arrive 30 minutes prior to open. As long as you do this it is very easy at both water parks to get chairs in a shaded area to place your towels and "reserve" seats. We take our own beach towels, grab some chairs and arrange them the way we like to establish our home base. We have never had anything stolen from our chairs while we were gone but I wouldn't leave anything of value behind. They do have lockers you can rent when you first come inside the turnstile.

Blizzard Beach:
We grab some seats at the far left end facing the wave pool and head straight to the chair lift that takes you to the big slides. We do the family water slide first which is really, really good and then DW and I head to the lazy river while the kids keep doing some of the big slides. The best time to ride the big slides is the first hour and the last hour. The wave pool is not great here but they have some pretty good slides if you like them (our kids love them). DW and I spend most of our time in the lazy river which is top notch. The food is not that great at either slide but we usually get some quick service lunch (fried chicken strips and shrimp for kids, salads and sandwiches for DW and I) and then we let the kids share one of the lunch pail ice cream treats later in the day. It is huge and a pretty good price. Easily feeds 2-4 people. DW and I get the mini-donuts with chocolate dipping sauce at both water parks. They are really, really, really good!

Typhoon Lagoon:
We grab seats first thing in the back right as close to the Shark Reef as we can get. We do Shark reef once or twice right away before we apply sun block as you have to wash off. This is really cool if you like to snorkel and see tons of fish(including sharks). It is a bit small and the water is FREEZING but DW loves it. It's a pretty unique attraction. Next we hit the Crush N Gusher which is described as a water roller coaster. Basically it is a tube slide that has belts and jets that propel you tube faster than you would normally go. Honestly it is probably the best set of slides at any water park IMHO. Lots of fun for the whole family. The rest of the slides at TL are just OK but the wave pool is amazing if you like BIG waves. Nothing like it anywhere I have been. Our kids will do this for hours but DW hates it because she is short and gets knocked of her feet fairly easily. Lazy river at TL is pretty similar to BB and on par with the best lazy rivers you can find anywhere. Food is just OK quick service but they have the donuts and ice cream pail here as well.

Question 1: what time does the crowd start to build up?? TL will open at 9am during our stay. If my family gets there at 9am, will we be able to find at least 1 chair?? We only plan to stay there until 1pm.
Question 2: Is the section near the Shark Reef shaded??

Thank you for the great info!! Getting excited to go to the waterparks.

 

[Klayfish]

We're huge fans of the water parks and have been to each one many times. We were just there in June and hit each one 3 or 4 times. The crowd never reaches the level that it does in the parks, so it's never THAT bad. But the most popular slides will get pretty long lines simply because they move people through slowly. The crowd will start to build about 60 minutes after arrival. If you get there at rope drop, you will absolutely get to do all of the big slides multiple times with little to no wait, so no worries there. Summit Plummet at BB builds up fastest because it's only one person at a time. Slush Gusher, which is right next door, will have a shorter line. Crush n Gusher at TL never really gets a monster line, it's usually under 15-20 minutes at most. I'd do Humunga Kowabunga before I did Crush.

You will have zero problems finding a chair at any time of the day, and a shaded chair if you get there within the first 30-45 minutes. There are so many chairs, they never all fill up. Plenty of shade to be found at both parks. If you're there at rope drop, you'll have your pick. Personally, I'd never pay the money to rent an umbrella and chairs, I can get them for free. At both parks, if all the shaded chairs towards the front of the park are taken, head toward the back. There are always entire sections of nearly empty chairs back there, with shade.

The area near Shark Reef has some things around to get shade. The reef itself isn't shaded, and the water is ice cold, but it's worth it.

I would also say that water shoes are a comfort/personal taste thing. I wouldn't even consider them for me. For me, there's something just really weird about wearing shoes in a pool, I can't do it. Yes, the pavement can get pretty hot at times, but there are ways to manage around it. Plus, I don't want to be bothered with having to hold them while I'm on a slide.

 

[MHDTS]

We like to go in the afternoon -- around 3:00 p.m. -- as people are usually heading out. There's plenty of seats, the lazy river pools are not as crowded, and it's a good way to cool off.

 

[NavyDad]

Question 1: what time does the crowd start to build up?? TL will open at 9am during our stay. If my family gets there at 9am, will we be able to find at least 1 chair?? We only plan to stay there until 1pm.
Question 2: Is the section near the Shark Reef shaded??

Thank you for the great info!! Getting excited to go to the waterparks.

The crowds in the park build about 1.5 hours after open but lines for the major attractions start to build within the first hour. If you arrive right at 9 AM probably 85% of the seats will still be available. We arrive a little early so we can stroll in and pick out pretty much the exactly the seats we want under a shaded area. We don't rush or have to fight crowds or anything like that. It's just nice to get settled in before it gets crowded. There are plenty of seats available probably up to about 11 AM.

There are some shaded seats right near the Shark Reef that we used to sit at but they have been roped off the last few trips. We now head for a group of 3-4 shaded pavilions to the right between Crush Gusher and the Shark reef. Excellent location close to everything.

***Note on water shoes*** They are great for the wave pool and walking around. However you CANNOT wear them when doing Shark Reef and have to leave them inside the queue area and then walk back through to retrieve them when you are done. We drop our stuff, leave our shoes and head right to Shark Reef. After that we head back to our seats to put our shoes on and apply sun block. This system seams to work best for us.

 

[aretha30]

We went to TL today for the first time. It was great, we arrived about 8:40 and got right in. We went into the store to buy a water proof case for our car keys and were wandering around trying to figure out where to go next. A CM started talking to us and our 8 yr. old was chosen as Big Kahuna of the day. It was great. When we left it was busy but there was still plenty of chairs to be found. We did the raft rides multiple times with little to no wait early in the morning and then at about 1 we did the family one again with about a 1/2 hour or 45 minute wait. Again my suggestion is go early, this way if it rains (thunder and lightning) you still get done everything you want to. Have fun!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Some of our very best days in DW have been at BB and TL! LOVE them both. Is Summit Plummet open? I think I read it was going to have a refurb..... Anyway, I think your kids, given their ages, would like BB much more. They will love riding the ski lift up to the attractions! I can totally see them racing each other on the downhill racers. Taking time to go to the water parks is such a nice way to take a break from the parks and having to plan FP and all of that. It makes us feel like we are really on vacation. Such quality family time! I am happy and excited for you!

 

[suwoogie]

I highly recommend you renting an umbrella at either water park you go to. You can reserve one now by calling Disney Recreation. For about $60 you will get two chairs, two loungers, an umbrella, small table and four towels. The most important thing is that your spot is reserved and only you and a few other families with access to your area are allowed in. So, forget about getting to the water park when it opens to rush and claim your chairs among the masses. There's no need!

We have rented these at both water parks and found the area above the wave pool at TL to be awesome. It is secluded, yet you get to lounge in the shade (if you want to) and watch the fun everyone is having in the wave pool. This area is so protected by CMs that we felt safe enough to leave our camera and bag there to ride some rides.

Do you know if a map exists of where these tables and umbrellas are located? I'd like to see what's available before I rent. Thanks!! I never knew about this before.

 

[MissNurse]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I am really thinking of splurging on a cabana at one of the water parks. I know they are pricey, but I really like the idea of having a nice place to spread out and a person to bring food. I'd love to hear your personal experiences!

 

[IndyPirate]

Do they have prescription masks available at the shark reef? I think my husband would really enjoy doing this if he could see the fish.