Blizzard Beach: what's not to be missed/suggestions

[BigThunderFamily]

So we'll be doing the water parks for the first time in over 25 visits. Anyone do these often that may have any advice? Any suggestions from food or where to sit or what to do or how long to stay? Up for any advice! Also, thinking of renting the Polar Patio, is it worth the money?
Thanks!

 

[cobright]

We did Blizzard Beach for the first time last trip.

• The wave pool was amazing. It was also terrifying. One of the few rides/attractions/whatever that gets a real fear reaction from me. The closest thing to feeling a real force of nature you'll get inland and on-demand. Be warned, it will blow glasses right off your face. This happened to my 10 yr old with his only pair (+10 prescription so he's near blind without them). Thankfully, we were able to find them sliding along the bottom when the water pulled back out for the next wave.
• The slides were fun, but seemed a bit too much work for not a lot of excitement.
• The lazy river (and I am not generally a fan of lazy rivers) was actually very enjoyable.
• It seems like a higher concentration of beautiful foreign tourists. I don't mean to get all playfully racist on this. Foreign tourists tend to take longer vacations and tend to be more likely to spare a day or two for the water parks. They also tend to where very small swimsuits.
• Sunglasses are a must. They keep your eyes from fatiguing and prevent beautiful foreign tourists (and similarly attractive domestic spouses) from seeing where your eyes are pointed.

 

[AllieBoo]

We did Blizzard Beach for the first time last trip.

• The wave pool was amazing. It was also terrifying. One of the few rides/attractions/whatever that gets a real fear reaction from me. The closest thing to feeling a real force of nature you'll get inland and on-demand. Be warned, it will blow glasses right off your face. This happened to my 10 yr old with his only pair (+10 prescription so he's near blind without them). Thankfully, we were able to find them sliding along the bottom when the water pulled back out for the next wave

I think you may be talking about the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon. It has the really strong waves that come in periodically. The one at BB is a lot tamer.

 

[AllieBoo]

As far as rides at BB - we love the family raft ride! It holds 5 people I think and it is so much fun! We also enjoy the lazy river. We've never rented a polar patio before, we usually just find a spot on the beach by the wave pool.

 

[cobright]

I think you may be talking about the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon. It has the really strong waves that come in periodically. The one at BB is a lot tamer.

You are absolutely correct. Something turned sideways in my memory there.

 

[Klayfish]

So we'll be doing the water parks for the first time in over 25 visits. Anyone do these often that may have any advice? Any suggestions from food or where to sit or what to do or how long to stay? Up for any advice! Also, thinking of renting the Polar Patio, is it worth the money?
Thanks!

Yep, we go to both water parks a lot. Sorry, can't tell you much about the food, as we bring our own. As for where to sit, there are lots of places. We like to sit in the area that's right near the ski lift entrance. Lots of shade there. As for what to do, what do you like? The "big" slides there are Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher. They are right next to each other, in fact the queue shares the same sidewalk, so you need to be sure which line you're in. Summit Plummet is one big continuous drop, it's a rush. Slush Gusher is 3 drops and you build speed as you do...it drops, levels out a bit, drops again, levels out, drops again. The last transition, you'll feel yourself lift off the slide a tiny bit. Those two will get the biggest lines, so get to them early. The family tube ride is really cool and pretty adventurous as family tube rides go. Lazy river is nice and relaxing. There is also a nice mix of smaller tube rides, body slides and mat slides. Wave pool is calm, it's nice to float in, it's steady and small waves. If you want a killer wave experience, go to Typhoon Lagoon instead and be prepared...it's like nothing you've seen.

How long you stay is up to you. We tend to stay about 4-5 hours, but we go fairly often. If you're only going once, you can make a day out of it. Beware that there is a lot of stair climbing, so you may get tired. There is a chair lift there, but frankly it takes longer than just walking and it stops pretty often due to people not knowing how to get on, etc...

Renting a patio is a personal choice thing. We never do and wouldn't consider it. We're there to do the slides and go swimming. We grab chairs that are in the shade, so when we do chill out a little, we're comfy. We're not the type to just sit at the chair for a few hours.

No need to do a rope drop like the 4 main parks, where you show up 45 minutes early. If you want to show up 10 minutes early, or even 5 minutes early, that's more than plenty. Grab a chair and head to the big slides. You'll be able to get on them over and over with minimal to no wait for the first 30-60 minutes the park is open...depending on the day.