Water Park Logistics...help!!!

[nblake05]

Hi there all! DH and I are heading to WDW in late August!!! We've never been there during such a HOT time of year before, so we thought we might take a day and go to a water park, right now we're leaning toward Blizzard Beach. I've NEVER been to a water park beforeo be honest the logistical details kinda stress me out a bit! So.... For all of you who have been, could you answer a couple of questions for me? Does the park supply the towels, or do you bring your own (&from home or the hotel?)? I read that the magic bands are waterproof, do you still need to bring ID? I plan on bringing sunscreen...a lot of SPF!!!! Where does one keep stuff like that? A locker? What else do you all bring and where do you keep it??? Also, how long a day can 2 adults stay at a water park before they're either bored or exhausted? I know there isn't just one answer for that one, but I'm still curious as to people's experiences! When's the best time to go? Certainly, you don't need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening....right???? TIA guys!!!

 

[grimley1968]

The water parks have towels (I can't remember if you have to pay to rent them), and you just return them in bins at the end of the day. There are lockers for rent if you feel you need one.

The MB's are indeed waterproof. You won't necessarily need ID, but I'd bring it along just in case. You should be able to use your MB's for charging in the water park just like the theme parks.

On hot days, people tend to get to the water parks early. While showing up later won't prevent you from enjoying all the attractions, the best seats might be taken early.

 

[JeremysDisney]

Does the park supply the towels, or do you bring your own?We bring our own.
I read that the magic bands are waterproof, do you still need to bring ID?ID required for adult beverages.
Where does one keep stuff?Lounge chairs, locker, and car.
A locker?Not really.
What else do you all bring and where do you keep it?Towels, sunscreen, slippers, hat, reading material, and a rain poncho to cover stuff up if it rains.
Also, how long a day can 2 adults stay at a water park before they're either bored or exhausted?All day. Treat it like being at the beach and having some ice cold adult beverages. Don't treat it like an amusement park.
When's the best time to go?Rope Drop
Certainly, you don't need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening....right????
You do need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening because the lines to the slides will get long by noon.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We rent lockers for clothing & valuables. We bring our own towels, but you can rent them. See link below for more info

 

[Brian McGee]

I agree with Mr. Grimley RE arriving early. That is the key at all Disney parks. Our last few trips have been in late August and the crowds have been relatively light compared to the rest of the summer so you should be OK. we have never rented a locker, we just put our stuff at a couple of chairs (which we have the choice of when we arrive early). There are water proof plastic card holders you can get on a strap if you insist on having something. This is my first trip with the magic bands so we probably will just come armed with that.

August is a great time of year for the water parks, I'd just recommend avoiding weekends as the locals are more likely to visit on those days.

 

[linzbear]

When DH and I went to the parks before kids, I was tired after 2 hours, he could have kept going (lots of stairs!) There are lounge chairs you can keep your stuff at, and also lockers you can rent. I would bring towels as it costs to rent them, and definitely get there early! In the summer months it closes to capacity frequently.

 

[china mom]

leave valuables back at the hotel or in car or plan on renting a locker. On one trip, banditoswent through the park stealing bags, ransacking them and throwing them in the trash. I was taken for a cell phone and camera

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Does the park supply the towels, or do you bring your own (&from home or the hotel?)?

They do not provide towels. You need to bring your own or "rent" from the waterpark. I think it's something like $2 per towel, but I could be wrong. We grab towels from the pool at our resort and then return them to the resort after the waterpark, but I have heard that some people just drop the resort pool towels in the towel return at the waterpark. Do not do that if you are using towels from your resort room!

I read that the magic bands are waterproof, do you still need to bring ID?

I haven't been since Magic Bands started. Our trip next month will be our first experience with those. I have also read that the bands are waterpoof and you can wear them at the parks. You will need ID if you plan to purchase any adult beverages at the park. In the past, I brought my KTTW card and a small amount of cash. Our first time at BB, there was an ice cream card whose card reader wasn't working so they were accepting cash only.

I plan on bringing sunscreen...a lot of SPF!!!! Where does one keep stuff like that? A locker?

We rent a locker and keep everything in there. We're on the move the whole time we're at the waterparks. There's never a time when we are lounging on chairs so it's better for us to just store everything in a locker and not have to worry about it. I believe the small lockers are $8/day plus a $5 key deposit which you get back when you return the key. Large lockers are a few dollars more.

What else do you all bring and where do you keep it???

If we are heading back to the resort afterward, we just wear our swimsuits under coverups and flip flops. I'll pack a hair brush, sunscreen, a change of clothes (I don't like riding back to the resort in a wet bathing suit), small amount of money, and a lanyard to put our locker key on. If we are headed to a themepark right after the waterpark, then I'll pack soap and shampoo plus whatever shoes we want to wear while touring the themepark.

Also, how long a day can 2 adults stay at a water park before they're either bored or exhausted?

As you indicated, this is personal preference. DD and I will usually spend 3-4 hours. But we don't just laze around and relax.

When's the best time to go? Certainly, you don't need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening....right????

We like to go right at opening because we can ride the slides with almost no wait. Plus we avoid the afternoon thunderstorms that are common.

 

[nblake05]

Thanks everyone!!!! This REALLY helped! I can't wait to tell DH all the new info I learned! So excited! One more dumb question... Are there ever any character meet and greets at the water parks or any PhotoPass photographers?

 

[xie]

Didn't see anyone mention this, but you might want to wear water shoes. There's a lot of concrete and it isn't so much the heat but scraping your feet on places like the bottom of the lazy river (only 2 feet deep in most places) and the wave pool (when you get pushed around). Pretty sure the 2 body slides are the only ones that won't let you keep them on during your ride, IIRC.

Buy them before you go - Disney sells them in park but of course they're much more expensive there, and they are the cheap kind with the insoles that move around too much.

And yes, rent a locker and put everything in it. We stop by the locker every hour or two and top off our sunscreen. We don't even bother to rent a towel, because if it rains (like it often does in the afternoon) your towel will get wet. We drive down so we leave our own towels in our car, and drip dry our way out to the parking lot. Rent one at the end to dry off if you must- at least it will be dry!

There are a few photopass photogs here and there. Often one will be wading in the lazy river, for example. I have never seen any characters at the water park myself. They do also have a lot of cute "vignettes" around that you can take your picture with.

Lastly, you can easily amuse yourself for the day in there. We often go in when they open at 10am and stay until 4 or 5pm. We slide, but we also spend a lot of time as a family in the wave pool and the lazy river. Taking a water park day in between theme park days is hugely restful.

 

[Wishes Count]

Magic Bands are waterproof but they Do Not float! So just keep that in mind.

Also you should ALWAYS carry your photo ID and another method of payment with you. You never know what could happen that you may need your ID, or if you want to purchase alcohol they will not sell without the ID. Also as others have stated you may encounter some places where touch to pay is not working or is not available at any of the parks. Ticketing windows at this time are not equipped for touch to pay as are a few third party places.

 

[xie]

Magic Bands are waterproof but they Do Not float! So just keep that in mind.

Also you should ALWAYS carry your photo ID and another method of payment with you. You never know what could happen that you may need your ID, or if you want to purchase alcohol they will not sell without the ID. Also as others have stated you may encounter some places where touch to pay is not working or is not available at any of the parks. Ticketing windows at this time are not equipped for touch to pay as are a few third party places.

Yep to all this. If you do not own one already, stop at the gift shop right inside the park gate (where you also rent lockers). They have huge barrels of "boxes on a lanyard" you can put your room key and other card/money/lip balm in. We have found them hugely useful over the years. They aren't 100 percent leak proof, so don't put anything in there you don't want to get wet.

They do have breakaway fasteners and they do float- sometimes the wave pool will knock them off you, but they're easy to grab up again since they float. That happens more in TL's pool than BB's, though, due to the nature of the TL waves.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Thanks everyone!!!! This REALLY helped! I can't wait to tell DH all the new info I learned! So excited! One more dumb question... Are there ever any character meet and greets at the water parks or any PhotoPass photographers?

DD and I saw Goofy at BB in 2010. I don't remember seeing any characters there in 2012. There are a few Photopass photographers around, but they are scarce.

 

[NavyDad]

Hi there all! DH and I are heading to WDW in late August!!! We've never been there during such a HOT time of year before, so we thought we might take a day and go to a water park, right now we're leaning toward Blizzard Beach. I've NEVER been to a water park beforeo be honest the logistical details kinda stress me out a bit! So.... For all of you who have been, could you answer a couple of questions for me? Does the park supply the towels, or do you bring your own (&from home or the hotel?)? I read that the magic bands are waterproof, do you still need to bring ID? I plan on bringing sunscreen...a lot of SPF!!!! Where does one keep stuff like that? A locker? What else do you all bring and where do you keep it??? Also, how long a day can 2 adults stay at a water park before they're either bored or exhausted? I know there isn't just one answer for that one, but I'm still curious as to people's experiences! When's the best time to go? Certainly, you don't need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening....right???? TIA guys!!!

Just like the other parks get there about 30 minutes before park opening.

You can rent a small locker and towels if you want. We bring our own towels and don't bring anything of value or we wouldn't want stolen.

As soon as the rope drops we stake out a nice area under a roof and lay our towels out on a few chairs. It's nice to have a home base you can come back to out of the sun when you get tired throughout the day.

We hit the water slides the first two hours before they get two busy and spend the rest of the day in the lazy river, in the wave pool or snoozing in our lounge chairs.

We have seen Goofy at BB a few times and have been able to get pics with him. During the summer there is usually plenty of Photo people around the park.

Water shoes are nice but you can't wear them on some of the big slides and the Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon.

Disney water parks are amazing and a great way to spend a day doing a lot more lounging than the normal parks.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Thanks everyone!!!! This REALLY helped! I can't wait to tell DH all the new info I learned! So excited! One more dumb question... Are there ever any character meet and greets at the water parks or any PhotoPass photographers?

We saw Goofy when we went there in Sept 2012, we even got a photopass photo with him . As for other photopass photographers, I do remember them around in a few places. There was one that took our picture as we were going around in the lazy river, he was standing there in the water asking if we would like to get a photo of our family, got another one taken as we were coming off of the family raft slide, both DDs each got a photo taken as they were falling into the pool from the zip line and while they were walking across the ice bergs in the teen area, and DH got a photo taken just as he was going over Summit Plummet.

 

[ZoZo]

Does the park supply the towels, or do you bring your own (&from home or the hotel?)? You can rent towels for $2 each, or bring your own from home or from your hotel. I like to rent them, because then you don't have to lug wet towels back to your hotel room.

I read that the magic bands are waterproof, do you still need to bring ID? If you have a magic band, you shouldn't need ID. Just make sure your water park tickets are loaded onto your magic band.

I plan on bringing sunscreen...a lot of SPF!!!! Be sure to bring waterproof sunscreen (I like Coppertone Sport Spray - that stuff stays on until you scrub it off with a soapy washcloth!

Where does one keep stuff like that? A locker? I put valuables like cell phones, wallet, ID in a locker. With non-valuable items, it has always seemed safe to leave things like sunscreen on your lounge chair. That way, it's all handy and you don't have to keep running back and forth to your locker.

What else do you all bring and where do you keep it??? I would bring sunscreen, bottled water, some kind of water shoes (the concrete can be very hot), snacks, lip balm.

Also, how long a day can 2 adults stay at a water park before they're either bored or exhausted? Great question. I find that being in the sun all day can be pretty tiring, especially since you have to climb a lot of stairs to get to the slides. Plus, most of the areas where you stand in line aren't shaded, and standing in the sun can sap your energy. I usually arrive before the water parks open and stay until around 2:00. One fun thing to do, though, is the lazy river - I never get bored there! It's very relaxing.

When's the best time to go? Certainly, you don't need to rush over to Blizzard Beach at opening....right???? I actually recommend getting there before the water park opens! The lines are much shorter first thing in the morning. By late morning, the lines for the slides can get really long (30 minutes are more). If you go early and leave in the early afternoon, you'll get much more done. By the time the lines get long, you can move into the lazy river or wave pool, where there are no lines at all!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Thank you for this thread! My kids have been asking to go to Blizzard Beach for the longest and we are definitely going to try to make it happen on our next trip. These tips are very helpful

 

[summerw]

For those who have been to both did one seem to be more walking and/or stairs than the other? Thanks.

 

[luv2sleep]

We went to blizzard beach in June. It rained in the afternoon and there were storms and lightening. Park **** down for an hour. Next time I'll go early to avoid the rain. Lester shoes were helpful. They sell them there.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

For those who have been to both did one seem to be more walking and/or stairs than the other? Thanks.

Blizzard Beach has more stairs, definitely. I touch a little on that in my review (link below).