Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach

[FrostyFriend80]

My family is going to WDW in 14 days. We only have time to go to one waterpark. We went to Typhoon Lagoon the last time we were at WDW and really enjoyed it. Some of them want to try Blizzard Beach and some want to return to Typhoon Lagoon. Has anyone done both? Which do you feel is better? Thanks for any info.

 

[HopperFan]

My comparison:

BB: Fun cartoonish theme throughout - very kid oriented
Plus: Ski lift to top if needed, great kiddie area off to itself, awesome pre-teen area, great family raft ride, nice gentle wave pool, great slides

TL: Tropical lush atmosphere - very adult feeling
Plus: Shark Reef, oh so powerful & awesome wave pool, has a new ride, lines for slides seem less crowded, more adult atmosphere, more shaded seating

Both have the lazy rivers and plenty of slides for me personally. Our large regular attending water park group (most over 40) prefers BB for our fun, but I think they liked our "spot" at TL for the relaxing.

Either way it is a great time, but if you have tried one, why not try the other...

 

[zdad]

We're lucky, it's out plan to do both when we go in June. If I had to pick one though, it would be BB. Got to do the big slide from the top of the hill !

 

[luuuceee]

I haven't been to both, but we went to BB last year and loved it. My kiddos love the water, and the wilder the slide, the better. Needless to say, they had a ball on all the BB slides.

However, we're doing TL on the next trip. We're going for 14 days, so technically we could do both, but due to one of "us" (not me!) not liking water parks, I've decided to stick to only one. My reasoning is simple: I've heard great things about TL, and we've already experienced BB.

If you think your party will like BB, then go! Experience something new!

 

[Benjo]

I'd say if you've never been to Blizzard Beach, then it's definitely worth going to. I personally prefer Typhoon Lagoon, but that's pretty much because I love the wave pools and I'm crazy about body slides (waterslides where you don't have a mat or anything).

I think you'll be surprised just how different the two parks are. I'd go to Blizzard Beach because you haven't before. Make sure you do the family raft ride, I think it's the longest in the world, and it's pretty amazing.

 

[luuuceee]

Oooh, yeah, we LOVED the raft ride! (Teamboat Springs, I think...) We did that one a few times.

(Ah, now I'm reminiscing and can't wait to go back... )

 

[PrincessRianne]

I'd stick to Blizard Beach if I were you. I have 4 younger sisters, and they all seemed to prefer it cause there were rides designed for their age. (One of htem is a bit of a scardy cat. 14yr.) Plus, the atmosphere is fun in general. I mean, come on, a blizzard in florida? Doesnt get much better then that.

 

[Benjo]

I'd stick to Blizard Beach if I were you. I have 4 younger sisters, and they all seemed to prefer it cause there were rides designed for their age. (One of htem is a bit of a scardy cat. 14yr.) Plus, the atmosphere is fun in general. I mean, come on, a blizzard in florida? Doesnt get much better then that.

This is a good point. I'd have to agree that Blizzard Beach is the best option for smaller children. The kids' area at BB is ten times better than Typhoon Lagoon, it has so much to do. Kids will probably enjoy the theming of BB better as well.

If your children are older, early teens and up, I'd stick with Typhoon Lagoon. There's a lot of rides for them to go on that they'll love.

 

[XAVIER]

Which of the two has better facilities for eating and drinking? Are there bars and cafes or just kiosks?
Also what time do you have to get to either of them by in the morning to guarantee a sun bed?

Thanx.

 

[luuuceee]

XAVIER, I can answer one of your questions for one of the parks...

BB has a pretty decent-sized counter service place, and that's where we ate lunch when we were there. I couldn't tell you about getting a good seat, though. We were there before they opened, but we just tossed our stuff in a locker and headed out to the rides - we didn't "settle" anywhere. The only thing I remember is that it seemed that by about 10:30, most chairs had people's things on them...

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks Luuuceee!

While I'm here can someone tell me if Summit Plummit is really as fierce as it looks? Now, I'm no chicken (Cluck, cluck) but blimey the picture makes it look like a 90 degree drop! Don't you go into freefall and just start tumbling down the slide?

Finally, can you get a beer in the water parks? Cos, if I'm gonna do that slide I'm going to need one to recover!

 

[crjack]

We have been to TL many times and although we love it we would like to try BB on our next trip. For anyone that has been there in the summer months, does the "white" theming of the park make it extra hot or ultra bright? I realize it will be hot everywhere we go but I know of some areas in TL that offer some shade or relief and I am wondering if BB has something like that? Our children really want to try the pre-teen area (ski patrol??) so most likely we will try and find a spot in that area. Thanks.

 

[luuuceee]

I didn't ride Summit Plummet. My DD was 6 and BARELY 48" when we went, and she decided SP was too much for her, so we hit Slush Gusher (I think that's the name of the one next to SP) while DS8 went on SP. He was the 3rd rider of the day! He said that it was awesome and he wished he could have ridden again, but the line was already getting long by our 2nd trip up the lift, so we opted for another trip down SG instead.

I don't know what the angle of the drop is, but you're right - it IS pretty steep! Now, when I first saw it, I didn't understand what the slide did! I saw the part that looked like a ski jump, but I didn't see the rest of the slide that passed under it! I didn't know what it was all about! At any rate, I WOULD have ridden had DD been up for the challenge (she did later say she regretted not going, but it wasn't worth waiting in that line again). The only negatives on SP and SG are that the water really slaps you as you go down. We all had red marks on our backs after our 2 trips down the hill, but I'm the only one who seemed to notice. I must be getting old.

Not sure on the beer, though. I don't remember seeing beer carts, but I wasn't looking for them either (no, it was a few days later in Epcot that my margarita craving was in full gear... ).

 

[luuuceee]

We have been to TL many times and although we love it we would like to try BB on our next trip. For anyone that has been there in the summer months, does the "white" theming of the park make it extra hot or ultra bright? I realize it will be hot everywhere we go but I know of some areas in TL that offer some shade or relief and I am wondering if BB has something like that? Our children really want to try the pre-teen area (ski patrol??) so most likely we will try and find a spot in that area. Thanks.

One thing that TL has over BB from what I've read is lots of shade. There is not a ton of that at BB. DD and I started our day barefoot, but by noon, we were ready for water shoes. The concrete was pretty hot! I would strongly suggest water shoes for everyone in your party.

I'm trying to remember the ski patrol area's seating...I don't recall a whole lot of shade there. I remember seeing some shady seats, but I can't remember where they were. Maybe there were some in the little kid's area...? Sorry, but my memory has faded quite a bit in the past 10 months, darn it!

 

[KimWDW]

I love both, but if I could only visit one I'd choose TL because of the sharks. That's just so much fun.

 

[Benjo]

I didn't ride Summit Plummet. My DD was 6 and BARELY 48" when we went, and she decided SP was too much for her, so we hit Slush Gusher (I think that's the name of the one next to SP) while DS8 went on SP. He was the 3rd rider of the day! He said that it was awesome and he wished he could have ridden again, but the line was already getting long by our 2nd trip up the lift, so we opted for another trip down SG instead.

I don't know what the angle of the drop is, but you're right - it IS pretty steep! Now, when I first saw it, I didn't understand what the slide did! I saw the part that looked like a ski jump, but I didn't see the rest of the slide that passed under it! I didn't know what it was all about! At any rate, I WOULD have ridden had DD been up for the challenge (she did later say she regretted not going, but it wasn't worth waiting in that line again). The only negatives on SP and SG are that the water really slaps you as you go down. We all had red marks on our backs after our 2 trips down the hill, but I'm the only one who seemed to notice. I must be getting old.

Not sure on the beer, though. I don't remember seeing beer carts, but I wasn't looking for them either (no, it was a few days later in Epcot that my margarita craving was in full gear... ).

I did Slusher Gusher last time I was there (yes, because I was too chicken to do Summit Plummet). I really enjoyed it until the second hill dip where I flew into the air for about 2 seconds. It was pretty scarey, considering I had to close my eyes for most of it to keep my contacts in. I've heard that bigger guys usually get airborne like I did. I'm 5'10", and weight about 210 lbs.

Just wondering if anyone else out there caught some air on the ride...

 

[poohangel]

We are going to try BB on next visit if weather is warm enough. We went to TL last October and loved it.