WDW water parks: full of Disney magic or just a nice way to cool off?

[Eddie512]

Hello and thanks to those who responded to my earlier thread re: water park vs. DHS or Epcot. Now considering adding one day to go to BB or TL, but it will cost me $300+ for admission alone! The 4 Disney parks are so great for so many reasons... Characters, staff, theming, etc etc and I'm wondering if the water parks are like that? I want to feel like I'm really at Disney! Any input???

 

[Ametista]

When are you going? If it's during a hot season then it's totally worth it to spend the $64 or so per person to add on the Water park fun option to your tickets. That way you can visit a water park almost every day for a break or to start the day stress-free. We have become so lazy we spend more time at the water parks than the theme parks. And yes, they have the Disney magic. Plus they are totally relaxing compared to the stress, lines, heat, and crowds of the theme park. Just try it for one trip and see what happens.

 

[serenitynow]

Aquatica is better

 

[poppinspenguins]

I love blizzard beach. But, I love it as a Waterpark if that makes sense.

I don't think it is very "magical". No characters or shows or anything that makes it "more" than a waterpark.

But, It is my one of the highlights of my trip because I like waterparks but hate how dirty and uncared for some of them seem. BB and tl are very clean and that makes them as good as magical in my book.

And they are so much more.laid back than the parks...which is also another form of magic!

 

[Mom2darlingboys]

The Disney waterparks are very well themed, so you still feel immersed in the Disney bubble. Not sure about magic, but they are loads of fun. I believe LILO and Stitch make an appearance at Typhoon Lagoon - we love that park.

 

[Accident]

I went once.. I'm not a pool person and that was enough for my lifetime.. It's a water park... When are you going? blizzard has been closed for a broken pipe for awhile now with no date on if it might open. Keep in mind you might only have typhoon opened which in the summer might be a little crowded for the cost...

I haven't met a child that didn't find the resort pool the best thing while at disney.. decide while your there if you want to upgrade your tickets to add the water park.. It's easy to get caught up in planning but the price doens't change to upgrade what you have to include ticket extras and you might be too tired or really enjoying the resort pools and not care about it.

 

[kollerbear]

I think the water parks are incredible-- much better themed and maintained than any water park I've ever been to. They are my husband's favorite part of WDW. I definitely think they are worth the money for the wide variety of rides. The lazy river and wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon are especially excellent. At least in my family, they are way better than any hotel pool, at every age.

 

[JRennie]

I also really enjoy the water parks. My husband and I always go to typhoon lagoon on each trip!

 

[pa. dad]

The water parks are fun and Disney's are good.
However, I think much of the theming is lost on the children. They;re getting wet and going fast speeds and zooming over to the next attraction. The theming may be better appreciated by adults who sit down and relax.
That being said, the theming at the water parks is a lot less than at the theme parks. Very little in the way of characters. Gift shop items are very limited. The food is absolutely TERRIBLE with long lines, slow service, no selection and bad quality.
So a water park day is worth it only if you like water slides and wave pools and lazy rivers. If you just want to catch some rays and take an occasional dip to cool off, you can do that at the hotel pool.
Now the last point is Disney hasn't done much to theirs in many years other than fixing broken pipes and sweeping up. Universal has a new one under construction and Sea World has a newer one open for business. At some point, Disney will have to do some upgrades with newer attractions and some improvements as their competition is upping the ante on them.

 

[DOOM1001]

Once the temperatures start hitting 90+ daily with high humidity I'll take a water park everyday over the theme parks.At the theme parks the heat,humidity and rain have you feeling sweaty,nasty and stinky by noon.At the water parks it can be that hot and humid but the constantly coming in and out of the water along with the breeze you just don't feel the heat,just put enough sunscreen.And I'll agree Aquatics at Sea World is better than TL or BB.

 

[Shanti]

The Disney waterparks are cleaner, better maintained and better staffed than any other water park I've ever been to, and definitely more themed than any other water park I've been to. They aren't themed in the same style as MK at all, so you won't likely get characters or that kind of magic, but I definitely feel that I'm in the Disney bubble when visiting Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. They have the clean, wholesome, attractive, safe feel of Disney.

Blizzard Beach is the water park with the most and best rides, including a couple of thrill rides such as Summit Plummet. Typhoon Lagoon has a few good rides and the wave pool to end all wave pools (which is actually way too intense for me, even though I've been down Summit Plummet twice- go figure.)

If you decide to visit the water parks, you should set a whole day aside for them. They are real parks- and require a lot of energy to get through, just as MK and Epcot do, if you're actually going on the slides. I don't recommend trying to top off a day at the "dry" parks with a water park visit unless you've been to them before and know exactly what you're doing. And even then, I don't recommend it, as one nice thing about a park with no FP's & no ADR's is that it's a great place to relax, and you'll do that best if you're rested.

If you just want to cool off after a hot day at one of the four main parks, stick to the resort pool. If you are looking for a fun way to spend the day in the water, go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[tinawv]

I went once.. I'm not a pool person and that was enough for my lifetime.. It's a water park... When are you going? blizzard has been closed for a broken pipe for awhile now with no date on if it might open. Keep in mind you might only have typhoon opened which in the summer might be a little crowded for the cost...

I haven't met a child that didn't find the resort pool the best thing while at disney.. decide while your there if you want to upgrade your tickets to add the water park.. It's easy to get caught up in planning but the price doens't change to upgrade what you have to include ticket extras and you might be too tired or really enjoying the resort pools and not care about it.

The Walt Disney World web site shows both water parks as being opened.

 

[Accident]

The Walt Disney World web site shows both water parks as being opened.

Thanks for this. I wasn't expecting it so quick. Morning news made it sound like one of those it'll be awhile breaks.

 

[suse66]

The waterparks are a highlight of our trips. We have been to both parks and I would say Typhoon Lagoon is our favourite. We love the theming and the wave pool is out of this world.

 

[Shellyb84]

I've been to both, last year we went to TL because DH insisted on getting the water park and more added to our ticket. The theming is great like everything Disney does, but it's not necessarily magical. Think lines. Long lines in the hot sun. There's no FP+ at the water parks. We don't wait for anything longer than 20 minutes, so we didn't get to ride anything other than one of the raft rides because we went there first thing (which was fun, but no more so than Kali River Rapids at AK). So, the lazy river and a kiddie slide were so not worth the money. Another thing that annoyed me was that we were on the dining plan, and there's hardly anything there that qualifies for a snack credit other than popcorn. As a PP said, many kids will have just as much fun at a resort pool.

Obviously I'm not a waterpark person lol. But, out of the two I think Typhoon Lagoon is the best! We did meet Stitch which was fun.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Both TL and BB are generally rated among the top 5 in the country. They are indeed well themed and maintained with top attractions and filled with the Disney magic and pixie dust.

AKK

 

[yaya74]

Question about Lodge Umbrella Rentals:

We plan to visit BB/TL on 3 half days (open till early afternoon). Is it worthwhile to get a lodge umbrella rental for those three visits?? My kids are 8 and 4 and it would be our first time visiting these waterparks.

TIA!

 

[westie55]

As a child, some of my fondest Disney memories are of the water parks. They are a great place for kids who are a little bit older to go off on their own to the slides and have a blast. Both Disney water parks have great theming, IMO. The melted ski resort and shipwreck oasis or whatever you want to consider them are apparent throughout and they are both very clean, as everything at Disney is. I have only seen Goofy in beachwear at Blizzard Beach once. I wouldn't expect characters, but they still have a Disney feel. IMO, the water parks are definitely worth it if your kids are strong swimmers and are old enough to do water slides. If they're babies or toddlers, I'd save my money and stay at the resort pool until you can get the most out of the cost of park admission.

 

[Hootch]

I assume yo do not have park hoppers.

 

[KEVD]

We went to both water parks for the first time during our recent visit. I totally agree with all of the positive comments in this thread. We were in WDW for 8 days and the cost to add the water park option was minimal when added to the 8-day park hopper.