runoff rapids- with tall 2yo?

[asmit4]

Runoff rapids 2 slides have no height req. My son will be almost 3 when we go, he's a 'dare devil' and will be about 38 inches at the time. Would you/did you ever do Runoff rapids together? I'm fine with the slide together in a double tube but I"m worried about the end- how deep is the water at the end of the ride? I'm worried if he flips off the raft. (he will wear a life jacket).

Also- is it true that the 'mid level' slides at BB end in an 8 foot pool? Are there any slides at either Typhoon lagoon or BB that allow parents to ride too? Like holding your child?

 

[xie]

Hi - Yes, I would say it is safe to take him (obv as long as he meets the height). You will be able to hold onto him thanks to the way the double tube is configured. We took ours on it many times when he was younger.

At the bottom pool, the water is probably 2.5 or 3 feet deep tops, and it gets shallower closer to the steps. I have done that slide as both a single and double rider many times. The only time you are at risk of ducking your head underwater is after you enter the pool, when you try to get yourself off the tube, sometimes it's hard and you fall off of it, kinda. They keep the tubes highly inflated so it's not easy to just stand up and walk off of them. You will want to be careful trying to get yourself and him off of it without putting him underwater. If he is swimming at all, even dogpaddling, you can put him off and send him towards the steps before you roll off the tube yourself. But there are lifeguards on the pool steps as well, so no worries.

HTH!

ETA: The mid level slides - not sure where you are talking about. There is a little kid area, which is more of a play area and the tiny slides there end in puddles.

There is a pre/teen kid area as well, and your son could do part of that. It has two or three slides that end in a small shallow pool (18" or so IIRC), and parents are allowed to ride down this with their kids in their laps if needed.

The other two major parts of the pre/teen area are stepping rocks with an overhead rope, and a zipline that drops the kids into a deep pool. He'd be too small for those two things.

 

[xie]

A little more info, I went to look at a park maps because I can never remember the ride names.

When he was smaller our son liked BB better. These days we enjoy both parks. But for one that age BB probably has the edge.

Waves - The wave pool at BB is more manageable when they are smaller, because it's swells instead of the TL waves that can knock them over hard. At BB you can plop them on a tube and keep them safe.

Rivers - The lazy rivers at both parks are equivalent and were favorites with ours when he was little. The theming at BB's river is more fun for younger kids, I think, especially the Gator House.

Teamboat Springs - at BB - kid LOVED this when he was little, yours will too. You can walk to it or if he's brave enough take the chair lift up which is a unique ride in itself. (The comparable ride at TL is Gangplank Falls, which is much shorter and less fun in our opinion. The line for it is always much longer than Teamboat Springs too, for whatever reason.)

The only unique thing that TL has is the snorkeling pool, but it's salt water and very cold (they don't heat this pool due to the fish), and only you could say if your son would be able to put his face into the water or use a snorkel and mask to see anything.

I probably sound like a Blizzard Beach cheerleader, but there's nothing like winter holidays in summer - it's a really cute park for kids.

 

[Princess Melody]

I have a tall little daredevil too. She turned two last April and about a month later we let her start riding Runoff Rapids. She loved them! Obviously we don't do the one that is one rider and enclosed but that one usually has a long line anyways. We may try it in a month or two when she's three though because she's ready and I know she'd love it so depends on your kid. Last year we always put a life jacket on her but honestly it's pretty easy to hold on to them and grab them at the end of these slides. Now at almost three she is a pretty good swimmer so our last few visits to Blizzard Beach we've even let her go on them without a life jacket. I'd just put the life jacket on him and let him ride!
As far as other things my daughter refused to go to the tyke's peak kiddie area at Blizzard Beach by the time she was 2.5. (Probably our fault for sending her down some of the slides there alone at 6 months, lol, they used to not allow parents to do any of the kiddie slides with kids when she was tiny but now they do.) There are plenty of little slides and a tame raft ride there for them though and some slides are bigger/longer than others to appeal up to about age 5.
She loves the ski patrol preteen area. The individual tube raft ride there is a favorite and she's been riding it alone since she turned two. We just go first and have a lifeguard send her after so we can catch her at the bottom if necessary but have never had to. The other slide and the t-bar in that area do end in a small 8 foot pool and you can't go with your child. She has not been on either yet for that reason and not planning on letting her anytime soon. Other than a few small slides in the tike's peak little kid area & multiple person raft rides you can't slide on anything with your child.
My daughter also loves the family raft ride & trying to get across the icebergs in the preteen area (you can't go on the icebergs but can be in the water next to them and they won't be able to reach the top net anyways so she basically tires to walk/crawl across but needs some help). There is a small pool area next to the iceberg area to swim/play in (with depth over a 2/3 yr old's head) and then there is the lazy river and wave pool.
Really a lot more for a 2-3 yr old daredevil to do at Blizzard Beach than Typhoon. At Typhoon her favorite thing to do is the storm slides, wave pool, and family raft ride. There is also one slide there that dumps into one side of the wave pool that is for kids that have outgrown the kiddie area. She will do the snorkeling area with one of us but is not a fan since the water is freezing. Hope that helps!

 

[asmit4]

this is great info! thanks so much!