Typhoon or Blizzard with 7 year Old?

[SwanVT2]

I have read reviews of both and I have fond memories as a kid of the wave pool at TL. However, I think I was older than DD at the time and as I understand it the wave pool is pretty strong. For anyone who has brought their kids lately to the water parks, what was their favorite for kids in the 7/8 age range? Thanks.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My DS11's favorite is BB. Better slides, IMHO and he loves Ski Patrol Training Camp. He also loves playing mini-golf at WinterSummerland when we are done with the park. I took him to TL last year and he referred to it as "Toddler" Lagoon.

 

[Anthony1971]

BB has better slides for the ones who are willing.....at lot are large and fast. The wave pool is ok and you can use tubes so in that respect if your idea is to hang out and n pool BB is better. TL has mostly family friendly slides but some are bigger and a lot of fun....however the wave pool is rough... make sure your child wears a life jacket and you watch... it will and does knock kids over near the shore and if they are not wearing a life jacket will get cuts...it also has a very strong undertow but is also very fun... overall TL is a much larger and better done park.. but if you are looking for slides that are VERY fast and high BB is the way to go....

 

[Disneypro1]

TL ! 7 year old will have a blast in the wave pool..and IMHO TL has better slides. (except of course for SP) Our kids loved TL. BB is a great water park. But, TL imho is just overall better.
Our son and daughter both when they were 4 Well, almost 5 ,did the wave pool with no issues. Its not like the ocean..But it will toss them around and kids love that. We never used any life jacket..but they went when they were almost 5. And they could easily swim. I wouldn't worry about a 7-8 year old and if they can swim..they won't need a life jacket..but thats up to you.

 

[cgattis]

My whole family (except DD) prefer BB. We love the mat/tube slides so much more than body slides. BB just has more things you can do together. And if your kid has never been on a chairlift, that will be an attraction in and of itself! And they loved the ski patrol area, esp the zip line, when they were short enough.

 

[lovethattink]

My kids always preferred BB. They liked the Ski Patrol area. We'd ask for a locker in that area, which made it convenient.

 

[WDWAurora]

Just so you know, you can bounce between with a one day ticket. We did that last summer with our 8yo and almost 6yo. We started at rope drop at TL. Stayed until early afternoon and drove to BB. We did all of the major slides (except the 2 straight down ones st BB). Most slides we did more than once. We had wave pool time and lazy river time at both. We were tired that night, but such a fun day.

 

[TwinkleKS]

I was not a fan of TL the last time we were there with kids in the similar age range. They can swim and wanted to be in the wave pool quite a bit, but that pool beats the heck out of you - especially if you don't know how to "take the waves". It wasn't that I thought we were going to drown, it was that we all ended up with scrapes and cuts from the bottom of the pool.

 

[Klayfish]

This is truly a 50/50 thing, IMO. They're both fabulous for kids. BB does have Ski Patrol, which is right in the wheelhouse of a 7 year old. It also has Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher if your DD is adventurous. However, its' wave pool pales in comparison to TL. It's amazing. And you don't need to go into the deep end if your DD isn't a strong swimmer, it's a zero entry so you can go as shallow as you'd like. It's no more dangerous than the wave pool at BB...in fact in spots I'd argue that it's even less "dangerous". It also has Crush Gusher, which is unique to TL and lots of fun. It also has a higher capacity on it's "big" slide, Humunga Kowabunga (3 vs 1 at a time at BB Summit Plummet). They both have great family tube rides and lazy rivers.

You won't go wrong either way.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Both of my DD's preferred BB at that age. The Ski Patrol is a dedicated area aimed at that age group. They spent the day in that area for a few years. Here is more information from WDW.

Hone Your Skills, Own Your Thrills
Encounter tricky obstacles, waterslides and more that offer action and adventure for aspiring alpine athletes.
The frosty fun includes:

• Thin Ice Training Course – Test your balance by walking across ice floes.
• Fahrenheit Drops – Drop in on the “T-Bar,” a zip line that ends with a splash in 8.5-foot-deep water (for Guests 5 feet tall and under).
• Frozen Pipe Springs – Thaw out on an enclosed body slide.
• Cool Runners – Coast on an inner tube down curved slides flanked by melting snow.
• Snow Falls – Make a splash on a downhill body slide.

No summer camp was ever this fun!

 

[rg35]

It really depends on your 7 year old's sense of adventure and skills in the water. I suggest reading attraction descriptions and watching POV slide videos on youtube, and then making a determination based on that about what you think your 7 year old would enjoy most.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

It really depends on your 7 year old's sense of adventure and skills in the water. I suggest reading attraction descriptions and watching POV slide videos on youtube, and then making a determination based on that about what you think your 7 year old would enjoy most.

Great idea. Especially true for Fahrenheit Drops. Lots of kids back out of it.