Water Parks - When to go?

[SteinsLaFemme]

What's your experience?

Do you think there are less crowds if you go the waterparks at opening (8:00 AM for resort guests) or at 2 or 3 in the afternoon after the early risers have left the park?

 

[gems_smiling]

We enjoy BB more than TL. We love the family raft ride and the ski lift at BB. We find going at opening works best however i have also heard that going late afternoon at about 4 is good but I have not experienced this myself. We always get there for resort guest opening, quickly get towels and locker, put our stuff in the locker and then go to the most popular slides first. I would also recommend wearing your swim stuff under your clothes so you dont have to get changed when you get there, the quicker you get to the slides, the shorter the lines.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

We found that if you get there early when they open, the crowds are lighter. You are also able to get a closer locker and will most likely be able to find chairs that you want a lot easier.

 

[PLibster]

Do you think it is very important to get a locker? We have a local waterpark here and I always just leave my bag and towels at our chairs. I would have money on me. Also, is there a big problem with people taking your chair? This will be our first time at a waterpark and we are very excited!

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

We love going to both TL and BB and usually get there for rope drop. We go on the bigger slides first then anything else, the lines are usually ok for the first couple of hours, then they strat to build up. That said, I've never been in the afternoon - right after a thunderstorm would be good as many people can't be bothered to sit it out under the lightning shelters and leave.

To PLibster: I would definitiely get a locker, I have heard stories of things going missing from sunbeds. We usually leave our towels out but put anything else in the locker.

 

[gems_smiling]

We always get a locker and would not leave our stuff on a chair. However we do not get chairs because we dont sit down at the water parks. We go on everything we want to, then have lunch, then go back to the hotel. I would get a locker if i was you.

 

[ryley26]

We always get there early and leave around noon. It get to hot and your drained for the rest of the day if your baking in that sun. We hit the big slides and then do the wave pools when the crowds roll in.

 

[gems_smiling]

ryley26 - we do exactly the same thing.

 

[almacdonald]

We went twice at opening and once in the afternoon. It's much better to go for opening. There is a lot better selection of chairs and the line ups don't start to build until 11 or so. We rented a small locker to keep wallets and park tickets in. We left our backpack on our lounge chairs. The only things in the backpack were towels, sunscreen and $10 hidden in a pocket. We only had a problem with people stealing our chairs once. We laid claim to 2 lounge chairs in the shade and took off to float in the lazy river. When we came back our stuff was moved to non-lounging chairs in the sun. Grrrrr and there was tonnes of stuff piled on top of what used to be our lounge chairs.

 

[lkjasd]

Does all of this advice also apply the last week in September?

We plan on going to BB on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday that last week and I just assumed it would not be very crowded being in the middle of the week and in September. Am I fooling myself?

Thanks.

 

[dwtootles]

The attendance does slow down a bit after Labor Day, however if it is a really nice day attendance always peaks back up a little.

 

[deedeetoo]

How warm is it at 9am? Being from relatively cold Massachusetts, I can't imagine that it would be warm enough to comfortably go in the water at that hour. Do you just shiver and go because there are no crowds or is it really hot enough out that you want to get in the water then?

I should add that we've never been to WDW during the summer before.

 

[jwfla422]

Mid summer in FL... it's like walking into a sauna at 7 am. The humidity makes it feel really warm but the sun will really start to heat things up by 9-10 am.

DEFINITELY warm enough to go into the water ANYTIME of day between mid May and early October in Florida!

 

[jessica52877]

All the water is heated so temperature is not a problem as long as the outside air is not too cold. Which if it was I don't think you would be going.

We did BB in the afternoon arriving around 3. It was perfect! Hardly a line for anything. We didn't look or care for chairs as we wouldn't be sitting in them, just stuck our bag on the ground. No problems. By 5 the park was quite empty! They closed at 6 that day. This was the end of may on a thursday.

 

[deany]

I love BB and TL. I just wish they had hot tubs there. We got a little cold in 1998 when we went just after some tornados.