BB or TL with a 5 year old?

[MNT568]

We have never been to a waterpark. Which would be better for a 5 year old, BB or TL?

 

[tbear]

.....as, within TL, there are kids things to do throughout the park, and at BB, there is an entire area devoted to the smallfry.

One of the things that we have found, is that BB is alot more open sky...while theres more cover from the sun at TL.

TL is actually my familys fav park....dont know why...it may just be the whole tropical theme...or it could be were predjudiced towards the snow theme.

Another point to ponder....how tall is your 5yr old, and how daring??Theres also the swim thing(can he/she swim well??) All of that gets taken into account in this....can you give a bit more info??

 

[BadgerBruce]

I've never been with a young child, but TL would be my choice for a first-timer. It's easy to get too much sun at these places & there is a lot more shade at TL. It has a beautiful, tropical theme & the slides aren't as big or fast as BB. We really enjoy both water parks!

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

I prefer BB for younger kids. In addition to a preschool area (which TL also has), BB has a 'Junior Ski Patrol' area specifically intended for pre-teens......seems like the recommended age range was 5-12 or something like that. We've been to both TL and BB with 3 kids (last year they were 3, just turned 5, and just turned 9), and they all preferred BB. The 9 and 5 year olds both went on many of the bigger slides at BB (even though the 5 year old couldn't really swim yet), and we all loved the family raft ride (which is much better than the one at TL.)

All that said, TL does have some advantages: much nicer landscaping......more tropical feeling, and the wave pool at TL is certainly awesome.

Even considering those things though, our family still votes for BB.

I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you decide is best for you.

 

[MKFan-PR]

You'll be OK at both, though, like tbear said, TL has a lot more cover from the sun.

We took our 3 1/2 y.o. DD (she's 4 now) to TL and she loved the kiddie area. But BB also has one, so it may just a matter of your preference of themes.

Have fun!

 

[sha_lyn]

here's a link to a post about this from a few weeks back. I did a comparrison of the 2. Neither of my kids (or I) like TL at all.
The wave pool is too strong, the kids area is boring, there is nothing for teenagers/thrill seakers, you have to carry your own large(6person?) raft for the family raft ride ..... our complaints go on and on.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=349245

 

[kimmar067]

...would be BB!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We have been to both, and we prefer TL. The adult rides are pretty much the same at both places though. We just didn't seem to get as tired after TL as we did at BB. I think it's because BB has stairs to EVERYTHING while TL you just kind of meandered up a hill. At BB you had to carry tubes up long flights of stairs, while at TL you could roll them up...JMO

 

[AuntMinnie]

Are the parents allowed in the kid section at the water parks? in the water with the kids I mean.

 

[JCarangal]

We haven't been to TL, but we did like BB. My children were 2 and 3 1/2. Facing the pre-school area was a covered pavilion with chairs beneath. We were able to get a spot there in the shade (we got there when it opened). The pre-school area was perfect for my kids -- a few small slides as well as other areas to play in. For the most part, parents were definately staying near their children in the play areas. DH and I split up for the slides -- he would be at the top to help them get started (there was also a cast member there) and then I'd be at the bottom waiting for them (depending on the slide, there was a cm there as well). We also rode on the lazy river around the park in inner-tubes. Each of my children were in a children's inner tube, DH and I were in adult inner tubes and we all held on to each other. It was a lot of fun!