Questions for the water park vets!!

[kimisabella]

In the 9 wdw trips we've taken, we have yet to go to one of the water parks - since we are going late august, I'm thinking that it may be a good idea since it will be so HOT and dd's love the water. Anyway, I don't know what the "procedures" are when going to one of the water parks - do you rent a locker and put all your stuff in it - do you take a stroller - what about your towels, shoes, shorts - do you take them from attraction to attraction? Let me know all your secrets and advice ----- THANKS!!!

 

[Belle1111]

I'm no vet- we've only been to Blizzard Beach once- last August but really loved it!

We rented a locker and towels there. It was really convenient for us since all of us were in the water.

I'm sure you'll get lots of good opinions from more seasoned water park people!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We've been to the water parks a few times. My biggest tip is to get there early during the summer. It is common for them to close the water parks around 10:30-11 am due to being overcrowded, not letting anyone (even if you're staying onsite) into the park until the crowd levels go down (sometimes it's early evening before the park reopens). Although you might be fine going in late August, I don't know.

I would rent a locker unless you want to tote your stuff around. One of our trips my aunt and uncle went with us and left all of their stuff (nothing "valuable" just clothes and towels) on a chair. We came back a little bit later and the whole chair was gone and no one knew where it was (I guess someone had decided they either really needed a chair or a man and woman's clothing ).

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We rent a locker to put our passes and Wallets and stuff in. We take our own beach towels. We keep our shirts with us and put a pair of shorts and underwear int he locker to change back into when we're done. When we get there, we snag a shaded cabana and put our towels, shirts, and sunscreen there along with a couple bottles of water. We tend to wear our shirts unless we're swimming or sliding. When we're walking around to the slides, we wear those cheap water shoes from Target or K-mart or whathave you or cheap flip flops. We leave them near the exits of the particular slides and put them on if the concrete gets hot. when It's time for lunch we get our money (or meal card as the case may be and lock it back up when we're done. We didn't see a single stroller in the water park on our last trip. Most people with little ones just got a cabana over near the kiddie area and sort of camped out there.

Hope that helps.

Oh and I can't stress enough the importance of getting there early, preferably at least 15 minutes before opening so you can get a good cabana.

 

[lindakmonty]

yes...get there early as possible, and don't forget sunscreen and water shoes!! it gets very hot to walk w/o them!! Do the main attractions first before the big lines start. If you're staying onsite, you can get in an hour early w/ emh they are some awesome attractions at each of them. Summit Plummit is great but be careful of wardrobe malfunctions

 

[daisyduck123]

We've been to both waterparks several times. We used to just leave our beach bag (all our stuff in it) on a lounge chair, but not anymore. During one of our visits to BB in January, someone stole from our bag - they got a disposable camera (the waterproof kind), Ds's goggles, & his new Star Wars toy from MGM. Another person had her entire backpack taken that day.

When we returned in May, we now rent a locker & put towels in there & leave everything else in the car. We carry money & room key cards in a waterproof box (they sell these in the gift shop) around my neck. We also keep the waterproof disposable cameras with us now. **Don't buy them at the park, they are very expensive. We buy ours at Target before we leave on our trip. The kids love using them!!

 

[iHEARTflorida]

when we get to the parks we go and rent a locker, strip down into ours swimming costumes, put our clothes into the locker, including our bags, and towels.

all we take around the water parks are the locker key on our wrist, one of those waterproof tube round your neck to hold money in, and a waterproof camera.

we buy lunch at the park, have a quick look round the shop, leting our food sink.

then when we are finished for the day, go back to the locker grab our stuff, go to loos and change, dump towels in the towel box. Home.

 

[kaybird]

Our strategy is somewhat different than the arrive early group. We tend to do the parks early, and get to the water parks later in the afternoon. By then the early arrivers have usually tired out and gone back to their rooms
This works only if they have not acheived maximum capacity, and are open to new guests. We make this work when we have added the water park option, then we can come and go for a couple of hours, feel refreshed, and not think we have wasted money for the day. If you are energetic, BB is great, if you want to relax, TL is a little more laid back. We love them both!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

We get there before the parks open and snag 2 shaded chairs, we place two towels to "save the chairs" and a small bag with sunscreen and water bottles under the chair. Everything else goes in the locker. We wear water shoes, because of the hot pavement, although Disney does a really good job with pavement sprinklers so the water shoes are not neccessarily a must bring.

DD (age 8) prefers Blizard Beach. There are more things for kids her age to do there. Hubby and I hate BB. The water is ice cold and not pleasant for us.

Hubby and I like Typhoon Lagoon. Water is warm and it seems more laid back. Shark Reef is amazing (now the water is freezing in SR but def worth it). The only drawback is the wave pool. Make sure you and your small children leave the wavepool when the horn blasts, signaling the monster waves. These waves are not safe for small children.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

We went to Typhoon Lagoon in MAy. We had EMH and were able to get in before the general guests. My husband rented a small locker to put our money and keys in it and also 2 life vests while my mom and I went to get the chairs. We were three adults and two children so we got three lounge chairs. The kids didn't need their own. We picked a spot close to the restrooms because my daughter has a thing with going to the bathroom alot. There are both sun and shaded areas. We brought our own towels. I think they would have cost $1.00 to rent there. We brought a small cooler with a few drinks and some fruit. For lunch we got the girls a hot daog which came with a pail and shovel so they had somethign to play with. Typhoon Lagoon does play music. We left everything on our chairs when we went on a slide or in the pool. I would never leave anything unattended that was of value. We brought water shoes because you never know what you're walking on. OH and stitch also appeared at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[momtotnt]

We went to Typhoon Lagoon in MAy. We had EMH and were able to get in before the general guests. We brought a small cooler with a few drinks and some fruit. For lunch we got the girls a hot daog which came with a pail and shovel so they had somethign to play with.

Do you think it was ok to leave the cooler there by your chairs if you went off?
If you remember (or anyone knows) how much was the hot dog?

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I did not encounter any probelms with leaving our things at our chairs. I would never leave anything that was of value or could not be relaced. I can't remember how much the hot dog was. It really wans't that much considerign it is Disney, maybe $5.00. It came wilth a pail and shovel to keep the kids occupied for a bit.

 

[twinklebug]

Last time we brought in a small cooler (TL & BB allow this, but the parks do not) filled with PB&Js, waters etc. We got there early, picked a shady spot to leave our towels, shoes, cooler, lotion etc at. Put the valuables in a locker and then the kids were free to return to the "campsite" anytime they needed a break and not have to hunt out the owner of the key for a drink.

I never bring more than what I need with me to the water parks. I have heard of lockers being broken into at TL, and although there are usually quite a few folk about, they are not monitored. I advise being descreet when putting passes and money into the locker... maybe first tuck them into a pair of shoes & tug HARD after the door is closed to make sure it's secure.

 

[schoen]

We always pack as lightly as we can. We don't rent a locker, because we want to take advantage of short lines at the start of the day. We NEVER bring anything with us that we would miss. We often just bring a couple of towels from our hotel. If I do bring a bag I usually hide it under the chair. I also try to pick a spot that is somewhat out of the way. We keep our room keys with us in my husbands pocket (it is okay by disney standards-no rivets or exposed metal) That way if we want lunch it is easy to grab. We ride as many rides as we can in the first thirty minutes while most families are renting towels and lockers, going to the bathroom, and finding the perfect chair.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks for all the advice / experiences. We're heading to WDW next week and are planning a 1/2 day at Typhoon Lagoon. We've never been to a Water Park before.

1. Bring our own towels
2. Wear water shoes
3. Rent a locker (tug hard to make sure it's secure)
4. Wear sunscreen
5. Have fun

Does that cover it?

 

[Dopey420]

here is the top tip: GO ON A RAINY DAY!

We do this everytime. There is no one there and you are going to get wet anyway! There is no way we would stand in line on all those thousands of stairs. I have never been when it is crowded but standing in line, moving 1-2 steps at a time on those stairs does not appeal to me. The water is heated and you will be warm.

We prefer Blizzard Beach. The slides are newer and faster. The slides are plastic at BB. Some of the slides are concrete at TL. Not as fast or comfortable.

 

[daisyduck123]

Thanks for all the advice / experiences. We're heading to WDW next week and are planning a 1/2 day at Typhoon Lagoon. We've never been to a Water Park before.

1. Bring our own towels
2. Wear water shoes
3. Rent a locker (tug hard to make sure it's secure)
4. Wear sunscreen
5. Have fun

Does that cover it?

If you have a chance to get to Target or some other store, you should get a waterproof disposable camera. I always get one for DD11 & one for DS8. We always get some good shots on Teamboat Springs (family raft ride at BB).

 

[kimisabella]

I knew all you vets here would come through for me !! Thanks for all the great info and advice!