Waterparks with diff age kids and one adult?

[disneymom3]

Anyone tried going to the waterparks with an age range of kids and only one adult? I have a 9 yo (almost 10), 6 yo (fearful) and 4 yo (daredevil) and am considering a trip to Orlando on my own with the kids. They would all like to go to Blizzard Beach but I am concerned about having enough to do that we can all do. Would you be able to and would you feel comfortable sending the 10 yo up the stairs and waiting at the bottom of the ride for them? Is the kiddie area fun enough that she won't feel it is babyish and I will have wasted my money?

I have never been to TL or BB at all and have no idea what they are like other than from the trip planning video and I don't think they give you a clear picture of anything.

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[TiffJ]

The kiddie area at BB is for very young kids. The height limit is 48" so you 10 yo would not only be bored, but probably not allowed in there. They do this to keep the big kids from running over the little ones. I had thought about doing this with my 2 DS but have decided it would be too hard. But, I think it would be fine to send your 10 yo up the stairs & you wait for him at the bottom, however the other 2 might get pretty bored with this. You would be better off staying at a resort with a really great pool area/slide & it will be easier for everyone to enjoy & much easier for you.

Have fun!

 

[disneymom3]

Thanks Tiff. That is the conclusion I have come to also. My 6 yo wouldn't be able to go in the little kids area either as he is too tall. But he is not ready for the bigger stuff either. Having never been there, it is hard to picture but we were able to find some pics and maps online last night and it doesn't look like it would work for us.

Funny that you mention the great pool idea--I said to DH last night "You know. It would be cheaper for me to spend a night at Vistana and use the pools for two days than to go to the Water parks!"

I appreciate the input.

 

[TiffJ]

You're welcome. I hope you have fun where ever you go!

 

[sameyeyam]

I would take them to Blizzard Beach. They have an awesome pre-teen area that would be just right for those ages. My DS (7) loved it! Think it's called ski patrol camp. The family raft ride Teamboat Springs is awesome for all ages. There are also a couple of toboggan rides that are tame enough for all ages (Bobsled racers) and can't remember the name of the other one. You will all love the lazy river.

The pre-teen area is one step above the "baby areas", but for kids not quite ready for the "big" slides.

My family would rather go to the waterparks than theme parks. Next year we are only doing 1 day at MK or Epcot and all the rest at BB & TL - per the kids request!

 

[jorodopo]

We just got back and I had three kids by myself at Blizzard Beach and MK. DS9 and DS7 can both swim fairly well. DD2 wore her floaty the whole day. We put our seats in the ski-patrol area mentioned by a previous poster and were there most of the day and had a blast. the area is mostly enclosed in that there are only two exits - the main one which we "sat" near and the back one which goes up the stairs to the green slope rides. I told my sons to stay in the area and I can trust that they will and they did. From the zero entry pool area I could look around and catch glimpses of the boys as they went from place to place. There are slides that have two sets of two and you can go down holding hands with your child so that you are holding on to them the whole way instead of just catching them at the bottom. DD2 loved it. There is a t-bar ride, a tube ride and a walk across moving icebergs holding on to netting thing.

DD2 and I had lunch while the boys played and then I made the boys eat their lunch in the baby area while DD2 ran around in the sprinklers in the splash area and went down the littlest slides by herself (the baby area is only for kids under 44 or 48 inches - it is strictly enforced on the one slide and the one tube ride in the area). We all did the lazy river together and then we spent some more time in the preteen area. Sent them up for the tobogan ride and waited at the bottom.

I was fairly comfortable at BB cause I could see them pretty much whenever I looked for them. We also did Magic Kingdom and I was more nervous there putting them on lines for rides and then not seeing them for 30 minutes. I always asked the CM about how long they thought the wait actually was and then how long the ride took (funny how when you are on it you don't realize that Splash Mountain is a 12 minute long ride). I then waited at the end of the ride. Let the CMs know your situation. Before I found out SM was that long I was getting pretty nervous. The CM who was monitoring the handicapped line calmed me down and was nice enough to give us some fast passes for later in the day which helped tremendously.

Have a great time.