Water Parks with kids

[WDWRook]

We are heading to WDW in September for five nights. We were just there this last May and as new DVC members plan to return annually (mostly). This trip we are contemplating doing a water park to do something different. But.... I'm not sure. Our kids will be 5 yrs and 10 yrs. DS10 is a great swimmer, on swim team for four years, still not terribly adventurous (didn't like BTMR). DD5 is learning to swim, but cannot swim on her own yet. She also is not 48" so there are a few rides she definitely cannot go on, and seems like a couple more she would not go one since she would have to go alone but not be able to swim once she got to the bottom.

When do you think it's a good age to take kids to the water parks? When do they become "too old" for the water park? We have gone to some larger indoor parks, and they love them but they have a lot of small kids stuff and are small enough that we can manage too kids going in separate directions. If we don't do the water park, we would likely do a second Epcot day to ensure we can get both FEA and Soaring done (and hope SOAT is still open).

Thoughts?

 

[WDWRook]

BTW, our current plans are:

Sun ... Arrival and attend MNSSHP
Mon ... HS day all day
Tues ... Pool day, then DVC AK Party starts at 7:00
Weds ... Epcot all day
Thursday ... Water Park day followed by Wishes from Poly Beach area.
Friday ... Pool or DSprings, then depart.

I can flip around Monday and Thursday no problem as we don't have any major dinning reservations, but Weds must be Epcot for F&W. If we drop the water park, we would likely rope drop Epcot on Thursday for EMH, then maybe hop to another park. If we drop the water park, we would likely get an Annual Pass and go May 2017 for our next trip and hope to get a spot at BCV.

 

[bpadair32]

We took our 5 and 4 year olds to TL last year when we were there. I don't think that I would do it again until they were a little older. The 5 year old was tall enough for most things but was too nervous for most of it, and someone had to hang out in the kid area with the 4 year old for a while, and that got boring pretty quick. I think that the 10 year old would definitely enjoy it, and I found that water parks have been a good way to get more adventurous. For the 5 year old I think that it would be borderline.

 

[gatormom2tots]

My 9 and 11 year old loved it! My 2 and 4 year old stayed in mostly the kid section- though the intertube ride at Katchakiddie was a HUGE hit with both of them! My 4 year old is very skittish of things so no big rides for her. My 2 year old actually rode a couple of the raft raides at TL.

Your 5 year old might do better in a couple of years. And I don't think you are ever "too old" for water parks!

 

[NYUBwayBaby]

Blizzard Beach should still be open in September (it closes in October for refurb, I think?). I liked that one as a kid. There's a section for kids under 48" and a section for "preteens" (I think it says ages 5-11). There's some less intense slides, a sort of obstacle course, things like that. We never spent a whole day there as my family has the worst luck with severe thunderstorms, but I remember really liking the park. The wave pool is also not nearly as intense, if I remember correctly.
TL has a deeper, more intense wave pool that I didn't love as a kid, if only because I was too afraid to go deep and I kept scraping myself in the shallow end when the waves came. I absolutely love it now, but if your kids aren't super comfortable in deeper water they might not enjoy that as much.
If you want to wait that'd be fine, too. I don't think anyone ever gets too old for water parks. The BF and I went to TL two years ago and we'll be going again in November. I'll be 28 and he'll almost be 30

 

[gatormom2tots]

Agree with the wave pool- TL's is much more "Realistic" with an actual undertow. BB much calmer. I couldn't take my 2 and 4 year old in due to how rough it was.

 

[WDWRook]

Thanks for the comments. Our plan is to go again in May but to stay at BCV; which has the giant pool so I'm not sure we would care to hit the water parks when staying at BCV. Then, our "plan" for the next trip is to go in early December for MVMCP and I assume it would be too cool for water parks. So that would mean 2020 or so for going to the water park if we don't go this time. But it feels like kids would like it better in a couple years.