When do you go the water parks-am or pm?

[mamahauldren]

I have read conflicting info on several sites about the best times to go to the park.
One says hit the water park when it opens because the heat and lines are not as bad, plus you can usually get a seat where you want.
Others have said that you should wait till around 3pm or so when the crowds start leaving and enjoy your evening at the water park.

I knew I could get some great expert advice here....and would like to know your opinions. Thanks,

 

[Deb & Bill]

We do both. We either go when the park opens (we're there to make the run to get a shady spot) or we come later in the afternoon (around 3PM) and get our choice. It just depends on what we are doing the rest of the day and what we did the day before. Never plan on showing up about 11AM or Noon unless it's November, December or January.

 

[TiggerPiglet]

We do the same thing as Deb & Bill, either we go first thing or later in the afternoon

 

[mskay]

Does anyone do both on the same day? We are considering being there at opening and staying til lunchtime. Back to hotel for nap/rest and then returning again late afternoon/early evening. Anyone ever done this?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Transportation is a problem.

We stayed at the GF last trip and it took over an hour each way. The bus stops at DTD. My husband took at taxi ($16) to join us later. It was very frustrating.

If you want to go back and forth to the hotel then use your own transportation.

 

[Hollua]

About doing both on the same day. I haven't done it, but my DH planned too. We went to TL first thing in the morning and left at noon. We never made it back because TL totally WIPED OUT my kids. They loved it there, but to go back might have been the end of them. They were young (five years old), but I was exahausted too.

 

[kimwim8]

I've only gone first thing in the morning. We usually plan something else for that night. Like this trip we will do Typhoon Lagoon & leave early afternoon for some R&R at the hotel & then we are going to MNSSHP.

No matter what time you go, it's fun!

 

[Princess Dot]

The only problem I could see about going in the afternoon is thunderstorms which seemed to happen every day in the summer. We were at TL last August and it closed in the afternoon due to some whopper storms that blew in. I'm not sure if they opened back up later or not.

 

[tci1212]

We go as soon as the park opens. The kids get to ride everything and we float around in the lazy river. By 1:30 they are done and we head back to our room and rest for a couple of hours and then have time to head back out to a park or shopping in Dtd.

 

[slp87]

Because we like the slides at BB, we like to be there at opening to beat the rush. At TL we like the wave pool and lazy river, so we'll show up at anytime.

 

[georgina]

It depends on what time of year you go, and I think also what day of the week you go. We were at BB yesterday (Monday) from noon to 4, and the lines were not bad for the most part. Things did empty out after 3 PM. A lot of people seem to hit the major theme parks early in the week, I think, and water parks toward the end of their week's trip.

 

[mamahauldren]

We have a Tuesday 08/17 & Thursday 8/19 still "free" in our plans.

I think will do one of these:

Plan A - Go to TL opening on Tuesday Morning, stay until early afternoon and back to Rest and then whatever...
On Thursday Morning go to DQ at opening and then whatever.

Or

Plan B - Go to DQ on Tuesday Morning have Lunch and then go to TL in the afternon and still have another "free" day on Thursday for something else.

What do you think?

 

[Mickey76]

I always go in the morning. It is usually hot, even in the morning, and if it isn't, it will be shortly. It gives me time to see and do everything at the park, and still leave me with plenty of time to go to one of the four major parks in the afternoon into the evening.

Mickey76

 

[ncbyrne]

If we are using PHP passes, we don't go into the parks on the day we go to TL. Normally we get to TL as it opens (as others have posted, to get a good spot and to go on the slides first thing when the lines are the shortest). We stay until mid afternoon when we've had enough water and sun. We head back to the hotel to rest until dinner time. Then we'll head to a restaurant in DD and end the day at PI. A full fun day.

 

[disneyholic family]

we go to blizzard beach mostly...
we're there at opening, make a beeline for the slides at the back, ride all of them about 3 times each, then the tobaggan run once or twice...
then to the family raft for 1 or two runs...
then the lazy river for twice around..
then we have a sno -cone (it's usually just opening up)...
then we get our stuff and leave....
we're usually heading out by 11:00...

 

[courage]

We always go in the morning so that we can enjoy a few slides without the lines and also get a chair in the shade and near the food and rides. The water parks close when they reach capacity so going late is a risk. We always leave about 2 - 3 pm because it gets so CROWDED ( I think there was some bloodshed trying to get a tube in the lazy river last week) and in the summer that is when the storms start. If the disney "radar" shows lightning they will close the rides and they have to wait until someone official tells them that the cost is clear.
The lines at MK and Epcot are shorter in the evening and you can do those rides in a thunderstorm with a good raincoat.


A Water park annual pass holder