Water rides???

[cinphil]

I'm hoping all you WDW vets can help me out!
I'm type A (DUH, I'm on these boards ) & I'm stressing out over how to attack Splash Mt. & Kali River Rapids.

Do we ride early in the day, mid day or late in day - it's not a wait time I'm stressing over but more of a "how drenched will we be????"
Do I need to bring a dry set of clothes to change in or will we just be able to dry off in the lovely Orlando steam? (We'll be there next week 8/8 - 8/13)
Do you suggest that my sons 8 & 15 just wear board shorts since they are fast drying?
If I want to avoid the "wet T-Shirt" contest where's the best place to sit?

Last question (for now) if you had to choose btwn BB or TL which water park would it be?

As always, I appreciate your feedback & pearls of wisdom

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Less stress! WDW is a place for fun and relaxation! HONEST, it really is!

Don't plan on drying out completely. It's HOT and humid right now so the creases (and thicker areas of your clothing) could well remain wet, or at least damp for the remainder of the day.

If you want to bring a change of clothing along, that would be the best bet for being dry after the water rides.

Never been to the water parks so can't help there.

Now! Relax and enjoy!

 

[TandLMommy28]

I don't recall getting very wet on Splash... but we are planning to wait to do Kali until last before we leave.

 

[lnh'smom]

I hate water rides so I never ride either one. But, I will vote BB every time over TL. My family feels the same way. Slides are much better! Yes the wave pool is better (I think it is almost too rough! ) but the wave pool at BB is still really fun!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

We rode SM during MVMCP in 2006 5 times in a row. It was about 60 outside and around 9 at night. The CM just kept letting us ride since no one was in line. We really only got a slight bit wet. Nothing that you would even notice. You should be fine on this ride no matter what time it is.

 

[pickles]

raincoat then you dont have to worry about wet clothes syndrome

 

[grimley1968]

You should have ponchos with you anyway, because there's at least a chance of brief, but heavy rain showers every day in central Florida summers. Wear the ponchos on these rides.

The poncho won't keep your feet dry. However, on Kali there is a bar you can set your feet on to keep them out of the standing water on the floor of those vehicles. On Splash, even though there isn't as much water on the floor of those logs, I tend to pick my feet up slightly off the floor during and slightly after that drop.

I find wet socks/shoes to be a far worse problem than anything else getting wet.

 

[JennyDrake]

I'm there every year in August and no way in heck wuold I schlepp around dry clothes. NONE of your clothes will be dry in the heat and humidity, in your case you can choose between water drenched and sweat drenched.

My only real advice is to not wear denim as it is abrasive when wet.

Splash, you may or may not get wet, but you won't get very wet, if any.

Kali, you WILL get wet to some degree, it can be damp or you can be SOAKED. It will feel good, so please stop fretting!

RELAX, it's vacation! and have a great trip!

As to the water park, how old are your boys and how adventuresome? Are they strong swimmers?

 

[kelly01]

As others have said, don't stress it! I don't recall ever getting totally drenched on Splash Mountain, but I do employ the "duck and cover" technique. (I bend over and bury my head with my hands--like in a school tornado drill--at the end of every big drop. There is also a time where you are riding parallel to where the other logs drop...watch out for their splash as well.)

Try to wear clothing that will dry quickly. Board shorts will work for the boys, and/or any of the new "under armour/dry-fit " type athletic clothing (doesn't have to be actual UA, a knock off from Target will do). I wore some lightweight shorts and a sleeveless dry fit shirt. I also wore a lightweight tank top underneath, I found this to help with avoiding the "wet tshirt contest" look!

I did not get that wet on Kali--but others in our raft did--so you do need to be prepared for it. Again, we all had athletic type clothing on and dried off rather well.

As for BB or TL, both are fun! We found BB to have better water slides...BUT we also found that it got more crowded (might have just been the day we were there, though). Since we visit the Wisconsin Dells regularly, my boys have been on every waterslide imaginable, so they liked TL better for 3 reasons 1) Shark reef--something very different from anything they can get locally 2)TL wave pool--again, not your typical WavePool, so something they can't get locally 3) crowds seemed easier to manage.

This is just our opinion...again, folks that rarely go to waterparks might prefer BB because of the variety of slides. Also, the waves in the main pool at TL are HUGE...so if you are not a strong swimmer you probably want to stay where you can stand.

Have a great time. No matter what you decide, you will have fun...so it is a win-win!

-kelly

 

[ilovejsparrow]

Ponchos are the way to go!!

And my favorite has been and always will be TL. All the white at BB kills my eyes on a sunny day!

 

[FigNewton]

We rode SM during MVMCP in 2006 5 times in a row. It was about 60 outside and around 9 at night. The CM just kept letting us ride since no one was in line. We really only got a slight bit wet. Nothing that you would even notice. You should be fine on this ride no matter what time it is.

Water splash effects are turned down considerably during cooler weather. In hot weather you CAN get VERY soaked.

 

[cinphil]

Thanks to everyone for your advice!
I need to just relax & go with the flow
I'm going to take all of your comments to heart


Jenny: my boys are 8 & 15 and strong swimmers! I am NOT a big fan of water parks but they are. I'm guessing they would prefer BB but will they be satisfied w/ TL? I think I would be happier but really, whose vacation is this??????

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

WOW! I had no clue that they could turn down the water. Thanks for the great info