Another Water Park Question

[Lisa3]

We had our heart set on BB only to find out that it will be closed in Nov. (we were all sick on our last two late fall trips so we never got there). Now we are trying to get excited about TL. I am a little worried about some of the posts I have read about the wave pool. My kids are 10, 8, and 7. Please give us some of the great things to look forward to at TL.

Also, I hear people talk about "getting a good spot". Where do you consider a good spot and how do you save these spots when you are in the water? Do you bring your own towels, can you borrow towels from your hotel pool (we will be staying at the Polynesian) or should I buy towels to bring? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[grinningghost]

OK, I'm a little biased here, but, TL is the BETTER waterpark. Woo! There, I said it.

Seriously though, not to worry about TL. The wave pool is only as crazy as you let it be. Yep, that wave is a killer, but you do get a good advance warning of it approaching. A loud horn sounds before it comes. You'll know it's coming because either everyone in the wave pool moves closer in, or swims way out to catch the wave. If you want your kids in close to the shore, let them know when the horn sounds to hightail it in. Just tell them not to get TOO close to the shore, as the wave tends to push you down and you can get pretty scraped up on the bottom of the pool. Also tell them to watch out for bodies - the wave often sends people crashing into each other.

As far as shade, I'm sure there has to be some shady spots, but I've never spent much time sitting around, so I can't really answer that.

The slides at TL are great. No Summit Plummet, but Humunga Cowabunga is pretty wild, and the Storm Slides are alot of fun.

We bring our own beach towels to the waterparks, they're bigger and thicker.

Other than that - let me just repeat - TL IS THE BETTER WATERPARK! Love that tropical atmosphere, the beach party music, the wave pool, the lazy river, etc., etc., etc.

 

[safetymom]

We prefer TL also!!! Your good spot may not be my good spot so don't worry about finding the perfect spot. There are plenty of great spots to put down your stuff.

If you want to save your chairs while you are in the water I suggest putting your stuff on them.

We prefer to bring a beach towel or two from home since they are bigger than the resort towels or the ones you can rent.

You will have a great time at TL.

The wave pool is great. If your kids don't like the waves then don't go out too far. Plenty of room to stand and enjoy the water.

 

[momxx5]

I must agree TL is great!

We bring our own beach towels from home. But you can "rent" towels at TL. I do not know how much they are but I've seen towel dropoff bins all over the place.

Thers is a great kiddie area, and although your children might be too tall for the kiddie slides, there is a great "ship" play area that they can spray each other with water cannons, etc. - my boys 9,8 & 6 loved it there.

At TL there are tamer water slides as well as Humunga Kowabunga (my husband and 8 yo did it twice!). The lazy river is a lot of fun for the whole family.

We did step up a couple of chairs as "home base"(in the kiddie area) so we could meet up with each other. My husband took the boys around the park and I stayed in the kiddie area chasing my 17mo while keeping an eye on my 4yr.

I didn't wear water shoes, but I did get blisters. I think it was from being barefoot and chasing baby on pavement all day.

We got there at 9:15 with plans to leave by 1:00. We ended up staying until 5:30. It was a great day!

 

[momxx5]

oh yeah, my husband and boys did the shark reef. They did it first thing and all loved it!

 

[yoko]

Count me in as a TL fan, aslo!

Your 10, 8 and 7 year olds are going to love the wave pool. Most of the time the waves are pretty tame. Just every 1.5 hours or so, they honk those horns to let you know that BIG ONES are coming, and yes, they are big. But nothing a water-loving 7 yo cannot handle. My DD5 had a giggling fit there.

My plan of atack, whic worked well, was to get there early (although we did not get there before opening time or anything), bring ID, a little cash, and credit card in one of those water proof box that you carry around your neck ($2 at Academy Sports), bring towels, and a few drinks, water, and chips/candies. With the credit card strapped around your neck, you do not need to bother with the locked, and can go claim any spot you like without worring about the proximity to your locker. Just pick a spot on the beach, claim it with your towels, and off you go to the slides.

 

[flyingteepee]

If I may add, when you are standing in line waiting for the park to open, check out the map. Locate an area you think would work for you and go for it when the park opens.

We just put our towels on the chairs and left our backpack underneath one of them.

Try the turkey legs! Yum, yum.

 

[fan_of_wdw]

Another vote for Typhoon Lagoon! Wonderful theming and the sounds of Jimmy Buffet wafting through the palm trees...

The Shark Reef costs a little extra but is AWSOME! To check it out, there is a "sunken" ship beside the reef, where you can go down inside and look through the portals at the sharks and swimmers (this is free).

Initially, DD6 said "no way", but a couple hours later she drug me over there to do it! You wear mask, snorkle, vest and flippers, but they ask that you only use your hands to skull across the pool (don't kick your flippers). Made it a challange to get this dad's hulk across the pool with DD6's two hands clamped on one arm!

 

[5dizneynutz]

I agree also, TL is better than BB. My kids loved the Shark Reef too, they did it about 5 times. Unless they changed it since April '03 when we were there, Shark Reef is free! The lazy river is the best! Also, not as many teenagers, much more relaxing.

 

[fan_of_wdw]

Well, I am a pirate looking at 40... and the memory is a little fuzzy... we did the Shark Reef in 98. But it was fun enough that they COULD have charged for it!

 

[sln88]

Do you have to pay to park at the water parks?

 

[safetymom]

No charge to park at the water parks.

 

[WDW4us2003]

Ther is no extra charge for Shark Reef. The snorkeling equipment is free and is sanitized between guests.

It will cost $1.00 each to rent a towel, the same kind you will find at the resort pools. You do not get the money back, and you are asked to return them in the bins when you leave. I might get some heat for this one, but we took 4 towels from our resort pool, and returned them when we got back to the hotel.

TL is also my favorite waterpark. If you want some shade, there are many "huts" to the left of the big wave pool you can plunk down under. It's no big deal to leave your stuff on chairs here.

 

[Katnip57]

We were just there 2 weeks ago...the Shark Reef did not cost extra...and my granddaughter (7) LOVED it so much she did it TWICE!
All we were given was the mask and snorkel, no vest, flippers, etc. and I didn't see any out for the taking either. You really aren't in the water long enough to put all that stuff on anyway.

A lot of people had trouble getting used to the mask/snorkel and ended up just a little on the panicky side....so, if your children haven't ever used one before, there is a small island right after you get into the water they will let you rest on, you have to SIT on it...they won't let you stand there....but at least the children could just sit for a while and look into the water with the mask.
One of the lifeguards let my granddaughter use his rescue float thingy to kinda lay on as she went across the first time.

It was definitely a fun thing to do!

Anyway, count us in for TL being the better of the water parks.

Kat