Water Parks in November?

[turtle33]

We'll be arriving in Orlando the day after Thanksgiving this year for a week in DW. I plan on getting park hopper passes and was going to have it include Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon but now I don't know if it's worth it because of weather. Will it be warm enough down there that time of year to warrant visiting one of the water parks?

 

[TxTink :)]

We'll be arriving in Orlando the day after Thanksgiving this year for a week in DW. I plan on getting park hopper passes and was going to have it include Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon but now I don't know if it's worth it because of weather. Will it be warm enough down there that time of year to warrant visiting one of the water parks?

DH took me there on my 1st trip to WDW to Blizzard Beach in Nov/Dec- what a memory! It was freezing but there was absolutely NOBODY there and we did the whole park in less than 2 hours!

 

[AJKMOM]

You really never know about Florida weather, sometimes it's perfect for swimming in November, sometimes it's too cold. Maybe you could add on the waterpark when you arrive?

You might also want to check the rehab calendar because one of the parks will probably be closed at that time. When we arrive on November 11, TL will be closed, much to my dismay, it's my favorite.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Typhoon Lagoon will be closed for the entire months of November and December for annual rehab.

We keep the water in all the slides and pools around 80F (27C) except for Shark Reef which does not have heaters. What you want is a day that will be bright and sunny and preferably not windy.

If you go on a day that is heavily overcast you will not be able to take advantage of any radiant heating (from the sun) or on a windy day (especially with a dry wind from the North) you will get hit by wind chill.

But a day with the highs in the mid-50s or above which is sunny and calm most people (at least from Northern climates) should be comfortable.

 

[EMom]

I thought Blizzard Beach was due to be closed this Nov./Dec. and that Typhoon Lagoon would stay open. Didn't TL close LAST winter?

 

[vickiea]

I thought Blizzard Beach was due to be closed this Nov./Dec. and that Typhoon Lagoon would stay open. Didn't TL close LAST winter?

Yeah, that's what I thought too. We have been twice now and TL has been closed both times. Darn it!!

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Typhoon Lagoon will be closed for the entire months of November and December for annual rehab.

We keep the water in all the slides and pools around 80F (27C) except for Shark Reef which does not have heaters. What you want is a day that will be bright and sunny and preferably not windy.

If you go on a day that is heavily overcast you will not be able to take advantage of any radiant heating (from the sun) or on a windy day (especially with a dry wind from the North) you will get hit by wind chill.

But a day with the highs in the mid-50s or above which is sunny and calm most people (at least from Northern climates) should be comfortable.

Thanks for all the great answers you give!
We will be down in late Nov., with the closing of TL will BB become really busy or does the weather scare enough people away from it becoming really packed?
Last question, we will also be back to WDW in late March. Generally speaking when would be a better time to go? We are big babies and don't like the cold or chilly temps. We are deciding if PAP's are worth it if the times tend to be chilly.
Thanks.

 

[MissMet]

We went to TL a few years ago the first week of Nov & it was too cold for the lazy river everything else was ok. We have also gone the second week of Nov & the first two weeks of Dec & we never even tried due to the temps & we're from ny. The water temp is great, the problem is getting out.

My guess is prob not, but you never know with fl weather.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I thought Blizzard Beach was due to be closed this Nov./Dec. and that Typhoon Lagoon would stay open. Didn't TL close LAST winter?

The normal procedure is for each water park to be closed for nine weeks for general rehab, including such things as disassembling and rebuilding all of the pumps. Generally one will close either the last Sunday in October or the first Sunday in November. The first will reopen generally the first Sunday in January and the second will be closed starting that same date. It will then be either the second or third Sunday in March that both are open.

Last year was an unusual situation. There had been major cracks developing on the floor of the wave pool at TL. It was necessary to completely tear out the bottom of the lagoon and replace it. So much concrete had to be used that they had to allow 26 days for the concrete to cure.

And, in the interest of saving money, Typhoon will always close first. This is because BB is themed to winter holidays; if BB was closed during November and December Disney would have to decorate TL for the holidays.

 

[AJKMOM]

The normal procedure is for each water park to be closed for nine weeks for general rehab, including such things as disassembling and rebuilding all of the pumps. Generally one will close either the last Sunday in October or the first Sunday in November. The first will reopen generally the first Sunday in January and the second will be closed starting that same date. It will then be either the second or third Sunday in March that both are open.

Last year was an unusual situation. There had been major cracks developing on the floor of the wave pool at TL. It was necessary to completely tear out the bottom of the lagoon and replace it. So much concrete had to be used that they had to allow 26 days for the concrete to cure.

And, in the interest of saving money, Typhoon will always close first. This is because BB is themed to winter holidays; if BB was closed during November and December Disney would have to decorate TL for the holidays.

Thanks for the info, guess if I ever want to visit my favorite water park, I have to go in October, not November? Or else check out the competition, Aquatica. I hate BB, I am from Pennsylvania and I do NOT want to see snow, fake or otherwise, while on vacation in Florida.

 

[turtle33]

Thanks for the great info, everyone! It's been very helpful. I think we'll pass on BB but if it's warm down there we can add it on to our passes. I really hope it's not too chilly... although FL will definitely be warmer than MA in Nov. so it's all good.

 

[DISHoppy]

Based on our experience last year the week after Thxgiving, YMMV. We had days @ or near 80, with one day in the 60s with high winds that made it feel like the 40s and an overnight low in the 30s. We left POR for our 'kids night out' @ Epcot, and I was wearing three layers (t-shirt, shirt, sweater) and there were peeps in the pool. Now, I'm a bit of a polar bear (I wear shorts with temps in the 50s), but that was just plain silly.

-Kevin

 

[qman]

We've been to WDW twice in the first half of November (2003 & 2005) and once in February (2008). During all three trips we checked out the forcast at arrival and went to TL on the warmest day of the week. For all three trips we were able to find a sunny day with little wind in the 80's. I do recall the the shady portions of the Lazy River being a little cool in February but other than that it was great.

For our February trip we left the Water Park option off our tickets until we arrived and added it when we saw the weather was good.

 

[cbg1027]

I live in Florida and the one thing you can count on when it comes to the weather here is that it's unpredictable!

Sometimes it's warm enough to swim in November, and other times its not.

When I was little I had many Halloween costumes ruined because I had to change at the last minute due to the temperature. Sometimes when I trick-or-treated I was sweating, and other times I was freezing.

So going to a water park isn't really something you can decide on until a few days before.

Also, don't be discouraged by rain. In Florida, we usually have half a sunny day and half rainy. It's bizarre down here.

 

[1971DBday]

We've arrived for a 10 day trip on Thanksgiving day for the past three years. Last year was the coldest and rainiest - we are hoping it will be warmer and dryer this year. However, we still had plenty of days in the 70s and it was warm enough for the waterparks. We have become spoiled with the beautiful weather in November!