Day 4 - Part 2
With me back from my photo stroll, and having eaten a little breakfast, we got ready to head out the door to visit Typhoon Lagoon. Wed be using our free pass, courtesy of PChef.
And, this would be our first-ever visit to a Disney water park.
We got to the bus stop at about 8:45, but my bus mojo ran out on this particular morning, as we waited at least 20 minutes for a bus. It gave the kids some time to meet a new friend, a companion of Dr. Agonfly. His name was Lee Zard.
Once we arrived at Typhoon Lagoon, we took a photopass picture on the way in.
Then we walked in and set off in search of a really great spot to put our stuff. We walked and walked and walked. A couple of times Judy said, Hows this? or What about here? But no, I kept going, looking for that perfect spot that might provide a little shade. We finally settled on a spot back near the shark reef. It wasnt anything like the really great spot I had envisioned, but it was going to have to do.
We decided to try out the shark reef first, because we were close and also because I thought it would probably get pretty busy later in the day. We walked onto a bridge that spans the reef and looked at the water and its inhabitants. Thats when James chickened out. Nah-uh, not gonna do it. So Judy waited with him, while the girls and I went to get in line. At the window to pick up a mask, Marlene was a little indecisive about which one to take, and a cast member said, if you touch it, you have to take it because theyre all sanitized. Thats good to know. Then we got in line to make our swim across the reef. While receiving our instructions from the lifeguards, we put our masks on and made any necessary adjustments. A few moments later my face started burning and I thought that maybe it was from sunscreen or something. But just before we were to get in the water Marlene said that her face was burning too and we realized that it must have been due to the sanitizer on the masks. There was a waterfall right behind us so we washed off our masks in it and that helped a lot. Then we stepped into the water.
COLD!!!
Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold.
Im not even sure if I saw any fish. My new goal, dictated by the water temperature, was to get across that water, (without making any splashes, which was a major no-no according to our pre-swim instructions), in an expedient a fashion as possible. It was just colder than the bathwater temperatures I like to swim in. I know that they have to keep it the proper temperature for the type of fish in it, and they should, but now that Ive done it, its just not an attraction Ill need to repeat.
Okay, so with the shark reef done, we decided to move on to the wave pool. We ambled out into the surf and when we got out about waist-deep I turned around and we were all there except
James. Hed stayed at the ankle-deep water. The big waves started (I think they run about every 5 minutes or so?) and we, well those of us out there, enjoyed being buffeted by them. I eventually went and got James and dragged him out with us and he enjoyed it also, once he was out there. After a while, I decided to go way out in the deep area since I used to be a pretty good body-surfer when we lived near the ocean. I rode a couple of waves in, but wasnt able to
really catch one.
After that we decided to try out the Storm Slides. They were pretty good, and James liked them. They were just the right level of thrill for him, I guess. After just a couple of trips up those steps we knew that our legs were going to get quite a workout on this day.
For this next story, I need to tell you that my swim trunks have an outside pocket on the side, and its held closed with Velcro. After the second Storm Slide run, I happened to touch the pocket with my hand and I realized that it felt empty. I checked it, and yep
empty. Oh, no! Id had my room key in it, the Typhoon Lagoon 1-day pass, and the photopass card. I suspect they came out while I was body surfing, but it could have also occurred at the reef or on the Storm Slides. I talked to a lifeguard at the Storm Slides and he said if they find any cards they send them up to the front of the park, so we could check there later in the day. But, I also figured that we were okay: the room key could be replaced, the Typhoon Lagoon card had already gotten us into the park, and the photopass card
well, remember that day at DHS when the Streetmosphere lady asked why I was taking a picture of that card? And when she learned why, she said that I was smart
and handsome? Well, she was right. (But then, you already knew that.)
Even though I was a little bummed at the loss of the cards, we decided to keep trying out the park attractions, so we went to Humunga Kowabunga. James didnt want to go on it, of course, and we decided not to prod him. When I got to the top I was glad I hadnt. He wouldve hated it, it was so steep. The girls went first. They each picked a tube, sat down, and disappeared with a, Aaaaaaaaaaaaa sound that trailed-off as they quickly descended. Then Judy and I each sat down. Even that close, all you can see is the tunnel wall, you cant see the bottom. As I nudged forward, I finally caught a glimpse of the light at the bottom and instinctively closed my eyes, and kept them closed for what seemed like only a second when I opened them and realized that I had come to a stop halfway down the runway at the bottom of the slide. It was about then that I also realized that I hadnt used the proper technique for a ride of this type. I had correctly crossed my arms over my chest, but I had forgotten to cross my legs. Now, I probably dont need to describe to you the science involved in what occurred: the laws of physics of a body in free-fall, the mathematics of fluid flow, and the biology of the human anatomy. Lets just say that for me, this particular slide will forever be called, Humunga Wedgiebunga.
Lauren and Marlene wanted to try it again. Judy and I were content just to watch from the bleacher-type seats at the bottom, along with James.
From there we went over to Gangplank Falls, the family slide. Unfortunately, being a family of 5 we had to split into two separate groups - Judy and Marlene; and Lauren, James, and me. I dont remember anything too eventful on that slide, just that it was a nice ride.
After we were done with that ride we decided to split up some. James wanted to go on the lazy river and the girls wanted to do more waterslides. Meanwhile, the fact that I hadnt gotten a locker to put my camera and wallet in was sounding alarms in my head. They were stuffed down into a bag back at our chairs, and being away from our chairs so long was making me nervous. I know, I shouldve gotten a locker sooner, but when we entered the park the line to get a locker was really long and I wanted to find a place for us to settle rather than wait in line. Also, I wasnt sure if Judy was going to do more lounging (and be able to keep an eye on our stuff) or watersliding. So anyway, at that point Judy went with James to try out the lazy river, the girls went on Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls, and I went on a mission to secure our valuables.
On my way to get a locker I took a few pictures. First, heres the slide formerly known as Humunga Kowabunga.
The wave pool.
The entrance to the shark reef.
And, where well have lunch later on.
After I put our stuff in a locker, I went back and found Lauren and Marlene. They had already been on both Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls while I was gone, but they went on both of them again with me. The were good waterslides, but youd think at a Disney park theyd come up with a system to get the inner tubes up to the top without making the park guests carry them up.
After the falls we went back to our chairs and met up again with Judy and James. We told them that we were going to try the Crush n Gusher and asked them to come along. To me, the Crush n Gusher seems to have been tacked-onto the park, and if you werent looking for it, you could be at the park all day and never even know it was there. To get there we had to walk back to the front of the park, pass the towel/locker rental shack, turn left and walk past some lockers and rest rooms and there it was.
We grabbed a couple of raft-shaped inner tube thingees and started up the stairs. On the way up, we saw that the names of the 3 slides were Banana Blaster, Coconut Crusher, and Pineapple Plunger. The fact that these all sounded like they could be titles for an Americas Funniest Home Video of a father pitching a wiffle ball to his son wasnt giving me any comfort, but up we went.
Oh, I should talk about the theming, because it was top-notch. First, on the way to the stairs, we passed this sign.
This picture was taken later in the day, but Im posting it here to help explain the theming. From this sign, you get the whole premise for the area where the slides are. The back-story is that it was fruit exporter company called Tropical Amity, and a huge storm has come through and wreaked havoc. The broken sign now appears to read, Tropic Calamity. (Thats genius, my friend.) As you go up the steps to the top of the slide you can see what appear to be the offices of the company and the damage that the storm has done. Around the 2nd floor theres a whole farm tractor that looks like it was blown there. Its awesome. Sometime Ill have to take some pictures of that area.
Anyway, for the first ride, James rode with Judy, and the girls rode with me. I have no idea the name of the slide we picked; it was the one farthest to the right. Regardless, it was a lot of fun and we loved the ride. At the bottom, a photopass photographer snapped a couple of pictures of us.
Then, Judy sat one out while I rode with James and the girls rode together. The photopass guy caught the girls again.
By this point it was after 1 oclock and we were getting quite hungry, so we started heading back toward Typhoon Tillys for lunch. On the way, we saw a photopass photographer at the wave pool so we decided to get in line for a photo. I like it!
At Typhoon Tillys the lines were long and the cast members in the kitchen were having trouble keeping up. It took quite a while for us to get our food, but it gave me a chance to retrieve my camera from the locker in order to get some trip report photo documentation.
The girls each got a turkey pesto sandwich.
Judy and James each got a basket of chicken nuggets.
I decided to try the fish basket.
The food was okay. I think we were starving and just pretty much inhaled it. If I remember correctly, the drinks were pretty large, which was a good thing since we hadnt really drank very much throughout the morning since wed been hitting all of the slides.
After lunch, I put the camera back in the locker, we re-applied sunscreen and set off for the lazy river. We floated most of the way around the circle and decided that wed get off at Gangplank Falls for another all-family (but spread out over 2 rafts) ride.
Just as we got in line for Gangplank Falls, lightning was sighted and all of the rides were stopped. Ordinarily, I would have waited it out, knowing that the storm would blow over in a half-hour or so, and that the park would be nearly empty. However, we had a PChef exclusive party at the Hollywood Studios that evening, so we needed to get back to the hotel and rest up / clean up, so we had to pack our stuff and head for the buses. On the way out I took the picture of the Tropical Amity sign that appeared earlier, and this picture of a quiet Crush n Gusher.
Before we left, I stopped at Guest Services to ask if any cards had been turned in. None had been, so I was very glad I had a backup snapshot of my photopass card.
All in all, we enjoyed our time at Typhoon Lagoon. I just wish we could have spent more time there, and that it would have been less crowded so we could have spent more time sliding and less time in lines. This is probably a great park in late-summer or early-fall, when its still hot, but there are fewer tourists due to school schedules.
Up next: PChef takes over Disney Hollywood Studios
Link to next chapter
Hi - I'm back... I know I am a little slow 
with this stuff, but I have one more question - and if I can figure it out - that should be the end. 
How do you upload, or link to video clips? I hit jackpot on DH's laptop. Our 2010 trip pics are on here - so when they go to the football game I am planning on loading some on to photo bucket. Have tons of Star Wars pics! 
But I have some video clips too - taken from their regular cameras, not the video camera. Do they upload to PB the same as photos do? Or do you have to do something different? I have some clips of my son as an Indy volunteer that I wanted to include.
Bummer about Jordans ex-favorite bathroom. I forgot to look for it. Glad I didn't. 
Love all the pics of CS. It looks really nice there. Love the theming. We may try it one day! Even though we own DVC, I still watch the specials. If there is a special that would be more benificial than spending points, we will do it and bank our points.....or maybe do 2 trips. 
)
Must of been a newbie on sanitizing duty. Well at least you knew they were sanitized, right? Imagine being a germ. 
