Water Parks?

Are the waterparks worth squeezing into your schedule?

  • Yes

    Votes: 27 81.8%
  • No

    Votes: 6 18.2%

  • Total voters
    33

loblolly

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 24, 2018
Something tells me that the folks over at DIS don't frequent the water parks enough to be able to hold a lengthy discussion. But, I am curious to know a little more about them. I have two older boys, 13 and 16. They're fine in other water parks on their own (after some time I'll find a lounge chair, and let them re-ride everything), but we've never been to a Disney water park. Are they about the same size as a typical water park? Is one better as far as the layout/overcrowding, attractions for older kids, bathrooms and lockers...? Or perhaps Universal's may be a better choice. Do they get so crowded that you don't have the chance to re-ride the attractions, or worse, not get to ride one at all? Something that makes me sad is the fact that the last time we went to Disney World we never got to ride Soarin. The line was so long, and we thought we'd come back later that night, but the kids picked Test Track (whose line was also super long the entire day as well, so it came down to which one we had time for before closing). I know the Magic Kingdom has even more popular attractions that guests just don't get the chance to ride if they were spending one day at each park. And, that's kind of how we plan our trips, with just enough days to spend one at each park, because we're close enough to drive to Orlando, but far enough away that we spend one day driving to get there, and one day driving home. Anyway, you get my point. Which water park is the better choice for a family of 4 whose kids are old enough to not care about splash pads and kiddie areas? Is one more crowd friendly? Is Universal's better? Or, should we just skip it all together and spend more time at one of the main theme parks?
 
Oh OK. Well, one of the reasons I decided to post on this board was that maybe they'd film a discussion about it. (Or an updated one. I don't know if there was an old one that I wasn't able to find). I am looking into planning a trip, sometime during the school season, but maybe during a time that the water parks are open. I'v been online all day looking into this pressing matter:bitelip:
 


Something tells me that the folks over at DIS don't frequent the water parks enough to be able to hold a lengthy discussion. But, I am curious to know a little more about them. I have two older boys, 13 and 16. They're fine in other water parks on their own (after some time I'll find a lounge chair, and let them re-ride everything), but we've never been to a Disney water park. Are they about the same size as a typical water park? Is one better as far as the layout/overcrowding, attractions for older kids, bathrooms and lockers...? Or perhaps Universal's may be a better choice. Do they get so crowded that you don't have the chance to re-ride the attractions, or worse, not get to ride one at all? Something that makes me sad is the fact that the last time we went to Disney World we never got to ride Soarin. The line was so long, and we thought we'd come back later that night, but the kids picked Test Track (whose line was also super long the entire day as well, so it came down to which one we had time for before closing). I know the Magic Kingdom has even more popular attractions that guests just don't get the chance to ride if they were spending one day at each park. And, that's kind of how we plan our trips, with just enough days to spend one at each park, because we're close enough to drive to Orlando, but far enough away that we spend one day driving to get there, and one day driving home. Anyway, you get my point. Which water park is the better choice for a family of 4 whose kids are old enough to not care about splash pads and kiddie areas? Is one more crowd friendly? Is Universal's better? Or, should we just skip it all together and spend more time at one of the main theme parks?
Disney's water parks are the nicest we've ever been to (& we're Texans, so we've been to a lot). They're very clean, well-themed and well-laid out, with good attractions. A lot of Disers aren't into water parks at all (some don't even swim), so the Disney waterparks often get short shrift on these boards.

They're good for teens, including ones who want a bit of a thrill. The scariest attraction in all of WDW (although that's not saying much, I realize), is the Summit Plummet waterslide at Blizzard Beach. Look up a picture of it (from the top looking down) and you'll see why. The other attractions at Blizzard Beach are fun without being scary. Typhoon Lagoon has the most intense wave pool I've ever seen- it simulates a tsunami. TL's Humunga Kowabunga is another free-fall slide like Summit Plummet, but shorter and a bit less scary. TL has a good water coaster ride, too.

Both waterparks have several fun attractions and pleasant lazy rivers. Neither is objectively better than the other. I recommend looking online at the list of attractions for each, and at pictures to get a feel for their two different types of theming.

Arrive before rope drop and you should be able to do all attractions without extreme waits.
 
Last edited:
I think the waterparks don’t get discussed because there isn’t much strategy to them and the two parks are not that different.

Since they have been around much longer than volcano bay, they won’t be as crowded as Volcano Bay. They open from 10am to 5 pm. So you basically want to be there when they drop the rope. Go for the slides, then go to the lazy river and wave pool when it gets busier.

BB is alpine theme with TL is more tropical island theme. BB has a family raft ride which is nice, 2 mat rides, body slides, a speed slide with tube. A regular tube slide with 1 open side and 1 enclosed.

TL has similar family raft ride, body slides, tube slides, plus the tube coaster with 3 different rides, and the new in 2017 Miss Adventure Falls.

Both have lazy rivers. The big difference is wave pool. TL is like the ocean with periods of big waves while BB is a mild constant bob.
 
Last edited:
We love TL. Nothing says vacation than a tropical theme. We usually pick the busiest day of the trip to go there. It was our Easter Sunday go-to park for years. If you are going during the winter the locals, who are far more used to much warmer weather, tend to avoid water parks. The best days we ever had there was when the temperature went below 70. The water is heated and being from the Northeast anything above 60 degrees is a warm day. One December day we were one of maybe 3-5 families in TL and the lifeguards were wearing winter gear but it was only in the mid-fifties. My tween DD's and DH had the run of the place.

Watch the weather forecast. If heavy thunderstorms are predicted we move the day around. They close the park when there is lightning. Pop up showers aren't an issue.

The best money you could possibly spend is renting an umbrella!! There isn't a lot of shady spots available and I can't sit in the sun. For around $70 you get a reserved umbrella, 2 lounge chairs, 2 low slung beach chairs, a table, a locker rental and 4 towels in a restricted area off to the side. You could probably book it a day or two ahead and still get a spot. They sometime have same day availability but I wouldn't chance it. Call 407-WDW-PLAY to reserve a spot. I sit there and read all day, my idea of a perfect vacation, and don't worry about having shade or saving my seats. We are rope drop people but the water parks don't open until usually 10 AM but I don't feel I need to get there early (like I used to) to get a seat with shade. Most people leave their non-valuables and come and go as they please. There is an entrance to the lazy river close by so my family uses it as a water highway from the other end of the park. There is no through traffic, Getaway Glen as the area is named, is next to Leanin' Palms and on a dead end. They do have cabana's with wait service there that comes with water but they are expensive. My experience is they are rented by families with older grandparents who sit there all day. You could bring coolers with water and food to TL. More than once I have seen large families rent several umbrella's (you are allowed 4 people/umbrella and they hand out wristbands) bring large coolers and have birthday parties or graduation parties. Don't waste your money on the refillable mugs. Bring your own drinks.

Each area umbrella is numbered. Occasionally, someone wanders in and doesn't realize that this is a reserved area and leaves their things and runs off leaving park
personnel to pack up their belonging and take them somewhere when the family that rents the spot shows up. I sit there all day so I usually watch the proceedings with amusement.

Renting an umbrella has completely changed my vacation day there. It went from grit my teeth and get through it for the sake of the kids, hunting for shade, juggling my lunch on my lap and protecting our area from chair poachers to a quiet relaxing day at the beach coming and going as we please.

In terms of park strategy. Get there at 10 AM ride all the biggies, have some lunch, do some smaller things, then the crowds start to thin out mid afternoon and then hit the biggies again. Right before closing the park is pretty empty. During peak weeks we found we were able to have more fun all day between the wave pool and lazy river then at the 4 main parks with just a few attractions per day, big crowds, and long lines.

Take an Uber back and forth. It is very reasonable and convenient. They don't run direct buses to the resorts anymore and getting there is time consuming. We would take a taxi before Uber existed. Wet kids on an air conditioned bus was sometimes unbearable.


getaway-glen.jpg


Getaway-Glen-Umbrella.jpg


p1040123.jpg
img_1945-e1461068845658.jpg
 


Wow I'm still in the beginning stages of brainstorming this vacation and actually assumed that the water parks would be closed in the winter. We're from New Orleans, so I'd rather not get wet unless the temps are above 70. The kids don't mind so much. We recently (mid-late April) went to the Space Coast to watch a couple of rocket launches, and visit Kennedy Space Center. We viewed the launches from a beach, and the kids were fine with swimming, however it wasn't warm enough for me until the second launch day, and that was still puching it. I do prefer hotter days when it comes to swimming. Though, if I had to pick between a hot day and a slow crowd day, I would choose the slow crowd day for sure. So, It's good news that I can at least attempt to plan this trip during a slow time (do those even exist at the main parks anymore?), and just deal with being cold at the waterpark.
Those rentals are right up my alley. I'm not the biggest people person, so that would be $70 well spent for me if I can just sort of keep to myself, and have the comfort of a reserved area.
Thanks for the advice and pictures, you've helped me get a grasp on what to expect, and how to plan.
 
Had to tell you what a fantastic job you did with that reply, @MaryKatesMom !!

Ahhh. You are so sweet!

Loblolly, you are from the south so what you think is chilly may be a warm summer’s day in the Northeast but the water is heated and sitting in a nice tropical atmosphere is novel to us Northerners. They only keep one of two open during the winter months. BB is fun and has more tween activities.

The water parks IMHO are vastly underrated. They are are nice beach/pool days and we found early on that they weren’t the commando grind of the major parks. No rushing to FP’s or ADR’s and the lines never reach the level of any major attraction.
 
If you had the chance I would say Typhoon Lagoon. Blizzard Beach offers a bit more when it comes to thrills, in my opinion, but I think Typhoon Lagoon is a more well-rounded experience and I prefer the landscaping there over the sterile concrete jungle that is Blizzard Beach for the most part.
 
The difficulty of planning a day at the WPs is one of the downsides of FP+. A WP day means that you can’t book afternoon FP+s. I pick two days and book evening FP+’s since it impossible to predict the weather two days out let alone 60 days out. Usually at EPCOT around my dinner ADR. Alternatively, you can do 2 AM FP+ at 9 and 10 and 1 evening which would get you to the water park around Noon.

Plenty of people enjoy an afternoon nap in the lounge chairs. It is such a nice change of pace.

Once my oldest DD hit high school it was impossible to pull her out of school so we had to start traveling during crowded holidays and the summer. Resort pools get pretty crowded and hectic. A day at TL was a much needed down day and Getaway Glen is always quiet and calm even when it is fully booked. Now that I think about it, even on the busiest park days TL doesn’t have the same crush of humanity that the major park days do. There is always room in the lazy river or wave pool.
 
If you're open to leaving the Disney bubble, I've got to put a plug in for Volcano Bay. Great rides, beautiful theming, decent food, very chill vibe, and lots of shaded seating areas. We went at Christmas 2017 and the kids (and us) still talk about it! They don't know yet we're going back this August!!

Actually, VB kind of ruined our reasonably good waterpark for us here at home (Canada's Wonderland north of Toronto), since we're always comparing the two now. And don't listen to incorrect comparisons of VB's tapu-tapu bracelet to fastpasses at Disney - two totally different systems. Just hid the headliners at rope drop (like anywhere else), then later in the day use tapu-tapu to hold your virtual spot in line while you drift in the queue-less lazy river rides.

But if you want a great vlog comparison, Tim Tracker did a "Comparing all 4 major water parks" video last year, and it's well done. As you pointed out, the Dis doesn't do a lot of waterpark content, so hope I haven't offended anyone by directing you to another vlogger!
 
I've been following the Trackers for a few months now, though haven't cought up with all of his older content. He may be the reason I'm wanting a waterpark day this time. I'll have to look for that video.
Now that you've got me thinking of both The Dis, and TimTracker at the same time, I think it would be fun if The Dis invited them into the studio for a collab discussion video. I'd be interested to see them talking about something together.
 
We love TL. Nothing says vacation than a tropical theme. We usually pick the busiest day of the trip to go there. It was our Easter Sunday go-to park for years. If you are going during the winter the locals, who are far more used to much warmer weather, tend to avoid water parks. The best days we ever had there was when the temperature went below 70. The water is heated and being from the Northeast anything above 60 degrees is a warm day. One December day we were one of maybe 3-5 families in TL and the lifeguards were wearing winter gear but it was only in the mid-fifties. My tween DD's and DH had the run of the place.

Watch the weather forecast. If heavy thunderstorms are predicted we move the day around. They close the park when there is lightning. Pop up showers aren't an issue.

The best money you could possibly spend is renting an umbrella!! There isn't a lot of shady spots available and I can't sit in the sun. For around $70 you get a reserved umbrella, 2 lounge chairs, 2 low slung beach chairs, a table, a locker rental and 4 towels in a restricted area off to the side. You could probably book it a day or two ahead and still get a spot. They sometime have same day availability but I wouldn't chance it. Call 407-WDW-PLAY to reserve a spot. I sit there and read all day, my idea of a perfect vacation, and don't worry about having shade or saving my seats. We are rope drop people but the water parks don't open until usually 10 AM but I don't feel I need to get there early (like I used to) to get a seat with shade. Most people leave their non-valuables and come and go as they please. There is an entrance to the lazy river close by so my family uses it as a water highway from the other end of the park. There is no through traffic, Getaway Glen as the area is named, is next to Leanin' Palms and on a dead end. They do have cabana's with wait service there that comes with water but they are expensive. My experience is they are rented by families with older grandparents who sit there all day. You could bring coolers with water and food to TL. More than once I have seen large families rent several umbrella's (you are allowed 4 people/umbrella and they hand out wristbands) bring large coolers and have birthday parties or graduation parties. Don't waste your money on the refillable mugs. Bring your own drinks.

Each area umbrella is numbered. Occasionally, someone wanders in and doesn't realize that this is a reserved area and leaves their things and runs off leaving park
personnel to pack up their belonging and take them somewhere when the family that rents the spot shows up. I sit there all day so I usually watch the proceedings with amusement.

Renting an umbrella has completely changed my vacation day there. It went from grit my teeth and get through it for the sake of the kids, hunting for shade, juggling my lunch on my lap and protecting our area from chair poachers to a quiet relaxing day at the beach coming and going as we please.

In terms of park strategy. Get there at 10 AM ride all the biggies, have some lunch, do some smaller things, then the crowds start to thin out mid afternoon and then hit the biggies again. Right before closing the park is pretty empty. During peak weeks we found we were able to have more fun all day between the wave pool and lazy river then at the 4 main parks with just a few attractions per day, big crowds, and long lines.

Take an Uber back and forth. It is very reasonable and convenient. They don't run direct buses to the resorts anymore and getting there is time consuming. We would take a taxi before Uber existed. Wet kids on an air conditioned bus was sometimes unbearable.


getaway-glen.jpg


Getaway-Glen-Umbrella.jpg


p1040123.jpg
img_1945-e1461068845658.jpg

You mention the getaway glen by leaning palms, but when I check the map for TL, it looks like there are multiple areas of the park where the rented umbrellas are. I was thinking we may want one closer to the crush n gusher since it looked like they were closer to the lockers. When you reserve the umbrellas do they let you pick the area you want to be in based on availability? Or do they just assign you to an area?
 
There are several areas that have free umbrella's and several areas with rented cabanas but the rented umbrella's that you can reserve are all in one area off to the side. It would be impossible to police rented umbrella's scattered throughout the park. However, they may have added another area since I have been there. Call 1(407) WDW-Play for more information.
 
Are the waterparks worth squeezing into your schedule?
  1. It really depends. We aren't on our next trip, as we have other specific goals, but we have in the past, and loved them!

I have two older boys, 13 and 16. They're fine in other water parks on their own (after some time I'll find a lounge chair, and let them re-ride everything), but we've never been to a Disney water park.

I think they would still be fine together on the slides. - I don't remember either park being hard to navigate.

IIRC, the lazy river is more useful as "transportation" from one area to another at TL, but the wave pool is crazier. (I would watch them more closely in that.) Theme-wise, it's just about which appeals to you.


Or perhaps Universal's may be a better choice.

If that's a realistic option for you, go for it! We just tried that one out when we went to Universal last February, and it is really a step up in terms of technology. - They actually have waterproof bands you scan to "get in line" for the bigger rides while actually floating in the lazy river, getting a snack, whatever. No more standing forever on the stairs!
 
Last edited:
The best money you could possibly spend is renting an umbrella!! There isn't a lot of shady spots available and I can't sit in the sun. For around $70 you get a reserved umbrella, 2 lounge chairs, 2 low slung beach chairs, a table, a locker rental and 4 towels in a restricted area off to the side. You could probably book it a day or two ahead and still get a spot. They sometime have same day availability but I wouldn't chance it. Call 407-WDW-PLAY to reserve a spot. I sit there and read all day, my idea of a perfect vacation, and don't worry about having shade or saving my seats. We are rope drop people but the water parks don't open until usually 10 AM but I don't feel I need to get there early (like I used to) to get a seat with shade. Most people leave their non-valuables and come and go as they please. There is an entrance to the lazy river close by so my family uses it as a water highway from the other end of the park. There is no through traffic, Getaway Glen as the area is named, is next to Leanin' Palms and on a dead end. They do have cabana's with wait service there that comes with water but they are expensive. My experience is they are rented by families with older grandparents who sit there all day. You could bring coolers with water and food to TL. More than once I have seen large families rent several umbrella's (you are allowed 4 people/umbrella and they hand out wristbands) bring large coolers and have birthday parties or graduation parties. Don't waste your money on the refillable mugs. Bring your own drinks.



p1040123.jpg

There are several areas that have free umbrella's and several areas with rented cabanas but the rented umbrella's that you can reserve are all in one area off to the side. It would be impossible to police rented umbrella's scattered throughout the park. However, they may have added another area since I have been there. Call 1(407) WDW-Play for more information.

I wanted to ask one more question. You mention in your previous post that lockers are included with an umbrella rental. The picture above doesn't mention locker rental being included, nor does the info on the Disney website. Can you confirm that locker rental is actually included?
 
Yes they are. I went to TL last April and loved it. It was my 1st trip to a water park in all my visits to WDW. I loved it so much, I ended up going back again two days later. I am definitely hooked on them now.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Latest posts

Top