Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach?

[JT's World]

Although my family and I have been to Walt Disney World many times, we have never tried one of the water parks. During our trip this June, I have promised my DS (9) and DD (7) that we could finally go to one. Now the big question: Which water park to try? Should we visit Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach? Both kids can swim, so the question is which one do you prefer and/or recommend and why?

I appreciate all comments and suggestions!

Thanks!

 

[bopper]

One thing that Typhoon Lagoon is the "swimming with the sharks"...you can snorkel in a little "lagoon" where there are sharks swimming at the bottom.
Also it has the "Crush and Gusher" water slide which is called a water coaster (you go up and down a bit).

 

[Grumpy92]

They are basically the same and you will find great childrens areas with minature versions of some of the more thrilling rides at both as well.

TL- Is like a version of Gilligans island, You can swim with sharks and they recently added a water roller coaster.
BB- Is like a snowstorm meltdown in Fla. You ride a ski lift to get to the super slides. It does seem to have more water slides in tubes then TL. But that also means more stairs to climb holding the inner tube.

It basically is going to come down to personal preference for theming. You cant go wrong with either Park.

 

[mjkaferle5]

One thing that Typhoon Lagoon is the "swimming with the sharks"...you can snorkel in a little "lagoon" where there are sharks swimming at the bottom.
Also it has the "Crush and Gusher" water slide which is called a water coaster (you go up and down a bit).

The ONE thing my oldest son wants to do at all of Disney is "swim with the sharks"!!

 

[sameyeyam]

Both parks are great, my family is hooked on them and we now spend more time at the water parks than the theme parks. Both parks have numerous slides/rides for each age group.

TL-I find it very relaxing with a tropical feel, so I try to go to this one when I feel I need the relaxation or more down time. Still lots of slides and fun though. If your kids like wave pools, this is the one to go to. I think this is a great park for families. It also seems more shaded to me than BB. It is my personal favorite.

BB-If your kids are really into more thrill rides/coaster types then they might like the bigger variety of slides at BB. Has a great pre-teen area good for kids your age. My 7yo son loved it. Family raft ride is way better and longer at this park than TL.

We always get at the water parks when they open. If you're staying onsite you can arrive 1 hour earlier than other guests and will feel like you have the entire park to yourself. Do all of the slides early, then just relax in the lazy river in the afternoon when it starts getting busy and lines for slides start forming! We arrive by 9am and leave around 2-3pm when it starts getting crowded.

One fun thing for kids to do in the morning is go on the lazy river and look for all of the change that people have lost/thrown into the water. My kids usually end up with $5-$15 each day in found change. My son puts on goggles and has a great time. Most change can be found in the early morning, near the lazy river entry points, and by bridges.

You can't go wrong with either park, they are both great. If I had to chose just one I would probably choose TL. But if you can, go to both, a day spent relaxing in cool water is much better than a hot day at a crowded theme park (at least in my opinion)!

 

[Demon Llama]

The Wave Pool at TL is massive and it's so much fun! You can spend hours getting swept away over and over again!

 

[kellyf2626]

Well....TL has a a bigger wave pool than BB. It has 1 big huge wave that comes down every 4min or so. BB has continuous "bouncy" waves throughout the pool. BB seems to have more slides as compared to TL. You will have a blast at either one!! We tend to always go to BB due to the greater amount of slides!

Have fun!

 

[kaysmommie]

I like Blizzard Beach better because it has more slides and the toddler are is nice for my little one, that is not a deal breaker for you becuase your kids are a bit older. TL has a nice tropical feel to it which I like but swimming with the sharks is not for me.

 

[Ride Junkie]

DH and I prefer Blizzard Beach because they have a lot more slides, and their slides are better in my opinion (esp. the racing slides). The shark/snorkeling thing at Typhoon Lagoon was kind of neat, but too short. Both parks have great theming!

 

[helenm29]

Well, we've never been to Blizzard Beach but we always go to Typhoon Lagoon...particularly for the Wave Pool! my kids love the wave action but be ware if you have smaller kids because those waves can hit really hard! also it has a cement bottom and if you are too close to shore when those waves hit you can get scraped up pretty bad. We are going to try Blizzard Beach in October...I hope there are things for me to do because I don't ride Slides because I'm Pooh sized. I don't think you can go wrong with either park.
HAVE FUN!

 

[scoolover]

BB but I am not sure why. I just liked it better.

 

[laura001]

If I had to pick......I would choose Typhoon Lagoon.

It has some good slides, a very cool water roller coaster of sorts, shark lagoon, and an amazing wave pool!!!

 

[slp87]

Our preference is TL because DD loves the wave pool and swimming with the sharks. After our last trip it moved even higher up because of Crush 'n' Gusher. It was a blast!! We still always make a trip to BB because we love the slides, but we usually only spend about 2 - 3 hours there. We love relaxing more at TL and usually spend 4 hours there. One nice treat about the water parks is that you can bring in food. We usually take some snacks and drinks, but don't miss the mini donuts. I'm not sure if they have them at BB, but they do at TL and they are to die for!!

 

[JT's World]

Thanks for all of the feedback. It certainly sounds like both are great water parks and we will have fun which ever one we pick. Based upon responses, I'm leaning towards Typhoon Lagoon, but the kids will get the final say so on this choice.

Thanks!

 

[stm61]

another vote for BB. Our last trip my dd's were 6 and ds was 12. He was able to do the slides in both parks since he's over 5'. The dd's both preferred BB over TL. They said the kids area at TL was "for babies". It really didn't have anything for kids past the preschool age. They loved Ski Patrol area at BB. It's sized for kids under 12, past a certain height they're not allowed on the slides and rides. The water isn't very deep, I think the only thing where the water was over my petite dd's head was the zip line. They hated the wave pool at TL because they're to short to stand far enough out in the water to not get knocked over and when I took them out deeper they were constantly getting knocked under water by adults and bigger kids. They weren't impressed with the lazy river in either park, it was "to slow". The family raft ride at BB is longer then TL. It's a longer walk uphill, if you don't take the ski lift up, but you don't have to drag the raft up with you like you do at TL.

 

[bhsurfer]

My family prefers BB. I would agree but I think TL was plenty fun; you really cant go wrong.

One think I saw in a book was that you have to walk more at one of them. We use the lazy river for transportation. It keeps you cooled off and gets you around the park. I have not seen that mentioned anywhere on the board or in the books we have gotten. : It's a great way to get around.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

how about for going with toddlers? TIA!

 

[sameyeyam]

how about for going with toddlers? TIA!

Both parks have nice kiddie areas for toddlers. I remember the one at TL didn't have a lot of shade nearby. I didn't look real close at the BB kiddie area for shade, just glanced at it quickly.

Some folks think the wave pool is too much for toddlers at TL and prefer the bobbing pool at BB. If your toddlers are scared of water in their face, then they won't like the wave pool.

I think both parks do a great job of making sure their is something for all ages. Just like the theme parks have plenty for all ages, I think the water parks are set up the same. BB probably has a special areas for pre-teens (I would say ages 6-11) that would make me recommend BB over TL for that age group. My 7yo DS loved that area!

My personal favorite is still TL. I felt like I was in the tropics and it seemed more relaxing to me for some reason. BB felt more open & "theme parky".

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Thanks Sameyeyam!!!

 

[ImagineerHopeful]

BLizzard Beach is the best. there is summit plummet and it has winter theming. so you feel like your sliding down a mountain during a warm floridian day plus lines there are shorter because there are chair lifts

from ImagineerHopeful