Water parks - fill me in please!

[SFMommy]

I have convinced my DH to take a full week of vacation to go to WDW next year for our first visit!

But then he said..."I'm excited to go to one of the water parks there." I was like, huh? We have 7 full days and I was NOT planning on spending any time at a water park.

I have not been to a water park since I was in my 20's. I remember a lot of standing on metal staircases in the sun, shivering and dripping wet. I guess it was fun because I was in my 20's! But it doesn't sound like that much fun to me now...I imagine a lot of lines, sun, and too much work. We have decided to go to a local water park this summer, to see how much how we like it.

I guess I'm wondering...are BB and TL just like any other local water parks...or are they DISNEY water parks? Are they special, magical and different because they are Disney? I'd love to hear any general thoughts on your time spent there!

Thanks!

BTW - We are going to be staying at a deluxe and I have built in lots of pool time so our DD8 can play, swim and slide to her heart's content...while I sit in a lounge chair and watch with a drink in my hand!

 

[robndani]

Watching... We've never been to a Disney park. I kind of always thought it's just a water park. There's no characters there right?

 

[cjparker0110]

Been a while since I've been to either, but I suppose it depends on the crowds/weather when you are there. They are REALLY cool parks because they have themes instead of just being a bunch of normal slides. There are cool things to be done (such as snorkeling with sharks) but they are, at the end of the day, water parks. I don't usually go to them anymore because there is just so much stuff to do, but I guess we are never there more than about 4 or 5 days. If I had a full week, I'd do at least one if not both. You can go on youtube and look them up to see what kinds of stuff they have to help you make up your mind. As far as I know, there are no characters at either of them.

 

[LeslieLou]

There is a lot of theming...does that make them magical? If the weather is nice, there are likely to be lines. The walkways/steps are concrete (at least to the slides we went down)...and themed...

There are plenty of places to sit/relax at the water park, but I'd rather do that by the pool.

We have the PAP, so we will probably go to a waterpark on this summer's trip. We do enjoy the waterparks and think they're nicer than your typical hometown version. However, if I was deciding to add waterparks and more to my tickets, I'd probably pass...unless I had a husband that really wanted to do it

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Disney water parks are very good water parks, but there's nothing "magical" about them in comparison to other water parks out there. With our 7 days at WDW, we spent 3 at the water parks (1 full day at each, and a 3rd day split between the two). If we had it to do over, that 3rd day would probably be an EPCOT repeat day instead. But, we had loads of fun

 

[heidijanesmith]

I might be in the minority here, but we really like TL as I think it is quite different from our local waterparks as far as the over all park goes.

TL has the best surf pool that I have ever been to. It is so much more than a wave pool, the waves are surfing waves. We can spend hours playing in the surf pool, kids and adults. We love the shark snorkeling pool, something very different and fun. We usually go a couple of times.

We do go on some slides, 1st thing in the AM. But the slides for us are not the big draw here. TL is a must for us each trip. There are plenty of shady spots 1st thing in the AM or you can reserve a patio or chairs and umbrellas. We bring a cooler with water and snacks.

 

[Storm98]

Our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to both water parks. We really enjoy them and it's a nice break from the parks. You tube has lots of videos of the two water parks. Might give you an idea which park you would like better.

 

[MommaBerd]

I have only been during November (it was still warm enough to swim!), I cannot speak to crowd levels. Another caveat is that we were at the World for 9 days, so taking 1/2 to a full day at a waterpark wasn't really a sacrifice from park time. All that being said, I think they are MUCH nicer than your everyday waterpark. I don't remember getting burnt feet, which we did at another place. And, the kids play areas were tons of fun for my boys!

 

[2Monkeys]

We love Blizzard Beach! It is definitely super cute with the theming, but magical? Maybe not. There are lots of stairs and it can be very hot with little to no shade while waiting in line.

We went to TL last time, and were not impressed, except for the wave pool and Crush n Gusher. Those 2 things were enough to make us go back, but we would not plan to spend a whole day. We would definitely spend a whole day at BB.

Side Note: I don't know if they do this anymore, but one trip we got to the park about a half hour before it opened. They asked us to "Open the Park," so we got to go in before everyone else, got some great PhotoPass pics, and DH rode Summit Plummet before the park opened. We had about 15 minutes in the park with no one else there but the CMs. It was so much fun!

 

[cerph1]

..."
I guess I'm wondering...are BB and TL just like any other local water parks...or are they DISNEY water parks? Are they special, magical and different because they are Disney? I'd love to hear any general thoughts on your time spent there!..."

They are both Disney water parks, are special, very enjoyable, nicely "themed" like all things Disney, but I wouldn't call them "magical".
We visited both parks in 2000. TL has the "tidal wave" pool which really appealed to my (then) high school aged sons. Other than that one feature, all of us much preferred BB to TL (and didn't go back to TL again).
BB has a huge pool which resembles a beach with small waves and hundreds of lounge chairs to lay on. There are multiple water slides and the lines move pretty quickly (or at least they did when we were there- and it was very busy). My favorite part of both the water parks was the "castaway creek" raft ride. You get on an inflated tube which slowly drifts along down a "creek" that goes around the perimeter of the park... very relaxing and refreshing. Both water parks had this ride.
If it comes down to having to choose between going to one of the theme parks or going to one of the water parks on a particular day, I'd choose the theme parks. We did the water parks only AFTER we'd had our fill of the theme parks.

 

[ZoZo]

My first few trips to WDW, I didn't want to "waste time" at a water park. Then on our fourth or fifth trip, we went to TL. It was so fun! Because of the theming, it was way prettier and more interesting than our local water park (which has pretty much just slides and a small wave pool). TL has special things (like Shark Reef) that you can't find anywhere else. I realized that the water parks at Disney are well worth the time, in my opinion. We now go at least once per trip! I could spend hours in the lazy river alone!

But if you're planning to spend time at your hotel pool, and it has great features like a slide, you might not need a water park!

 

[MichelleB]

We've seen Stitch and Goofy at the water parks. I am sure we've seen more characters but can't place who right now. I'll have to check back through my trip pics!

 

[cgattis]

We've seen Stitch at TL every time we've been. We've never seen Goofy at BB though. But we definitely think both are an order of magnitude better than any other water parks we've ever seen.

 

[momof2n2]

I live in an area with some really fabulous water parks. I've done TL & BB but am never super excited to go. It's fun if you've never been there before, though. Your 8 yo will likely enjoy.

 

[Rosebud123]

The WDW are amazing!! Nothing like most water parks, IMHO. They are beautifully themed. We take 10-11 day trips and always go at least 2 and usually 3 times.

We've seen Goofy at BB, and he's just walking around and easy to grab for a photo op!

BB is my fave because of the great slides/family raft rides. However, the water coaster and snorkeling with the sharks at TL are both pretty amazing, too.

You should do it, especially since your hubby wants to try one! I'd vote BB!

 

[NavyDad]

IMO both Disney water parks are pretty special. The theming at both are pretty awesome. We usually do one day at each park but this trip we have decided to add a third water park day.

BB has some pretty awesome slides and a very awesome themed area for pre-teens.

TL is very nicely themed and has 3 very unique attractions:
1. The hands down best wave pool I have ever experienced!
2. A "water roller coaster" that our family LOVES and will ride over and over for hours!
3. A snorkel pool where you can swim with sharks and other salt water fish

Our kids like the water parks almost as much as the normal parks and they are a great way to add some diversity to your vacation.

The key with avoiding lines is to show up about 30 minutes before park opens. If you want a locker you can get your stuff settled before they even up the park. As soon as they open find a quick spot with a few chairs for your towels and then hit the slides for the first hour or so. Then spend the rest of the day at the wave pool and lazy river. We usually leave early afternoon when the crowds get crazy but if you stay all day the place really clears out the last hour or so and you can do all the slides again.

Honestly I can't imagine a Disney trip with our kids where we did NOT do the water parks unless maybe we were staying at Beach Club again...

 

[scrappinmom]

Thanks for this thread! I was debating myself about going in July - it's our first summer trip & our first 10 day trip.

What about water shoes? I'm thinking they're needed in summer???? So feet don't get burned on the pavement?

 

[nkereina]

We did Typhoon Lagoon for the first time two years ago. We were there for 9 days so I was able to fit it in without feeling like I was taking away from something else, which is the only way I'd recommend you do it. IMO, its not worth sacrificing a park for the water park but if you're there for a while and can fit it in nicely, then its worth it.

IMO, the water park is probably nicer and better themed than any water park you'd find at home. But there's nothing extraordinary or special at them. We got there at opening and had no issue getting a chair on the beach. We did all the slides once and spent the rest of the time laying out or in the wave pool (which was very rough!) or in the lazy river which was on the boring side. We didn't have water shoes - the pavement is light colored concrete so our feet weren't hot (this was in September). We did rent a locker for the day to store valuables and we also brought towels from our resort to avoid renting towels.

Overall, I'm glad we tried it but we're in no hurry to return. If you plan to spend a day there, might be worth looking into the cabana or lounge chair reservations which come with some perks. We were there for about four hours (two adults) and had about enough.

 

[jmkjr72]

The only wdw water park I have done is to
it is far better then any of the water parks here in wisconsin dells or any other water park I have been to

 

[DisMommyTX]

We were not overly impressed. Tried both on our last 10 day trip. The wave pool at TL was awesome, but the kids didn't like it. I appreciated the ski lift at BB to reduce the infinite flights of stairs. Overall, I'd say they were better than most city water parks, but nothing compared to Schlitterbahn, which is our local park. Not worth the time or money for us to go back.