Blizzard Beach vs. Typhoon Lagoon

[jjarman]

Okay, I need your advice. DS who will be almost 14 and I are going next June, 2004. We will do a water park one day there but can't make up our minds. He really wants to do BB because of the Summit Plummit. I haven't decided if I will let him do that or not. He also likes wave pools. I know both have them but I hear TL wave pool is bigger and better. I like the idea of the shark reef also but then I hear BB has more slides.

Which would you recommend?

 

[Minniespal]

Both parks are certainly fab. BB is more for the adventourous whereby TL is more family orientated. If I had a choice I would chose BB.

 

[Greg K.]

...Blizzard Beach is a little newer, I think, and offers a wider variety of slides. And the theming -- even down to the music, with Beach Boy hits performed as German polkas -- is just a blast.

 

[jjarman]

Would the shark reef be worth going to Typhoon Lagoon instead of Blizzard Beach?

 

[alvernon90]

The shark reef is very very cool, don't get me wrong, but for a 14-year-old boy the number, variety, and intensity of the slides at BB will be much more fun.

Also, you may have been kidding about "letting" him do Summit Plummit, but I think you should let him try it if he wants. It's perfectly safe, and he may decide never to do it again after one try (as many people do because it's more uncomfortable than fun). In any case, telling him he can try it will let him know that you don't think of him as a baby anymore, and he won't come home wondering how much fun he could have had if only he had tried, etc.

Just my humble opinion as a former 14-year-old boy, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Greg K.]

Speaking as a former 14 year old boy, with 30 years of experience since...I think your son just might have second thoughts about the Summit Plummet once he gets to the top and sees what's in store.

At that particular moment, he may come to the humbling realization that he does not have the necessary cylindrical male anatomical equipment to actually go through with it.

Back to the wave pool!

 

[deirdrefitch]

Both parks are very different. I have 18 and 14 year old boys. They like both parks for different reasons. They rode all the slides at BB, and thought they were really cool. We had to pick just one water park for our visit this summer, and they picked TL.
They enjoy the surf pool, and the shark reef. My fourteen year old normally snorkels in the shark reef at least two - three times per visit. This year they want to do the surf lessons before the park opens. I would let him read the descriptions of the diff rides
in each park, and see what he thinks. The travel channel voted BB one of the top ten water parks in the US.

 

[invalid_char]

We love Typhoon Lagoon so much more than BB; in fact, we've decided never to go to BB again.

That being said, however, BB does seem to be built with teenage boys in mind. If you want to play it safe, and care mostly about your ds's feelings, go with BB and let him try the summit. Next time, you can tell him how cool the surf pool is at TL and you can go there.

 

[jjarman]

It was DS's pediatrician who warned me about Summit Plummit. He did it but said he was so sore and scratched up afterwards he said he would never do it again. We may just wait and do it our last day there so if he is sore it won't matter.

 

[primax]

Originally posted by Greg K.
Speaking as a former 14 year old boy, with 30 years of experience since...I think your son just might have second thoughts about the Summit Plummet once he gets to the top and sees what's in store.

At that particular moment, he may come to the humbling realization that he does not have the necessary cylindrical male anatomical equipment to actually go through with it.

Back to the wave pool!

This kid will eat summit plummet for breakfast. Come on now, you never lived through being extreme. I am 28 and can not believe how extreme youth are now compared to when I was younger. I am the early generation of boarders, freestylers, X'ers, Scurfers (not surf, yes scurf), etc. Todays youth are just down right super extreme and riskier than those before them.

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

We loved both BB and TL, but found TL more laid back and BB more adventerous. So with a 14 yr. old boy in mind I'd head to BB.

I swore I was going to do the summit and when I saw the height of it I chickened out. LOL And no I'm not afraid of heights. This year I'm saying I'm going for it again, but if I were a betting woman, I'd put my money on chickening out.

Pammy

 

[goofy4tink]

We did BB on our last trip. My then 8 y/o dd is not into big slides etc. We did the wave pool and she hung out at the 'training area'. The teen-age boys were in 7th heaven at BB. We will be going over to TL this Aug. It looks more like our style, but I really think you and your son should try BB. He'll have a ball.

 

[grinningghost]

BB is a little more of a "fast track" kind of waterpark. A little more going on in the thrills department. Not to say TL doesn't have some fun slides, it definitely does. But for my money, I'll always pick TL first because it has a nice, tropical getaway feel to it. BB reminds me too much of our own snowy Northeastern winters. Who wants to look at more snow?

 

[DisneyBen]

As a 14 yo myself, I can say that BB is a lot better if you are looking for the slides.

On Summit Plummet - If he wants to do it, let him. He will find out for himself if he likes it or not.

 

[jimmybop]

Originally posted by jjarman
It was DS's pediatrician who warned me about Summit Plummit. He did it but said he was so sore and scratched up afterwards he said he would never do it again. We may just wait and do it our last day there so if he is sore it won't matter.

I went on SP 2-3 times in a row one day while playing the the park, other then the weddgie.... i was fine... its just a little bit stingy to your feet for a min or two (like any body slide like that).
Also have him try Slush Gusher, which is right next to slush gusher, it has two bumps... its pretty fun....

The Travel channel ranked Blizzard Beach the #2 water park (just behind a park in TX, which in reality, the TX park has two separate parks).

sooo... BB would be my choice for a young adult that age

 

[sarahj]

For a 14 year old, BB is probably better. My husband and I prefer TL, mainly because of the setting. The tropical island theme is so pretty to us. Floating around the lazy river and seeing the scenery is very relaxing to us. We also love the wave pool and do some of the slides, but we aren't into the more daring ones. The scenery at BB doesn't do anything for us because we see snow all winter long here in New England, so we've had enough of that!! However, our boys (now aged 19 and 22) loved TL until BB opened and then they always wanted to go there.

 

[primax]

no doubt this is a danger slide. I was a lifeguard at a water park in NJ and had to get SPEED SLIDE certified just to deal with possible injuries these things can cause. We didn't even have a speed slide and management wanted us to get certified for these slides.