Which water park for younger child?

[TDERadulski]

In all the times I have been to WDW I have only been to a water park once. That was with DH before we were married. We had a blast at Blizzard Beach, but don't remember much about it!LOL!

This summer, my sister and I are surprising our youngest kids with a trip to WDW. My niece is 9 and my son is 3. The other night my sister emailed me to say "maybe we should plan a day at a water park while we are there in July". The translation of that statement is "Tara, plan a day at the water parks, ok?".

Which water park has the most attractions for younger kids? DS will be three, but does not know how to swim, and although my neice is 9, she is not comfortable swimming for long periods in deep water.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

- Tara

 

[ncbyrne]

Definitely, Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[eeyore0062]

I totally agree.... Typhoon Lagoon is better suited to the little ones.

 

[WendyinNC]

I was just curious what the advantage is to TL over BB. Maybe I should give TL a try. I tried BB when my kids were 3, 5 and 7 and had a terrible time. My 7 year old was too tall for the toddler area and my 3 and 5 year olds were too little to enjoy the pre-teen area. We stayed a little at both, then there was a thunderstorm and we left. My kids are 5, 7, and 9 now.

 

[matt&jakesmom]

My vote is also for Typhoon Lagoon. We were there when my DS's were 5 and 3. They had a kids area where they could go down a slide. I cannot tell you how many times they did that. I also brought my 3 years swim vest from home so I did not have to worry about him going under if I couln't catch him. That water in that area though, I believe, is 3 feet. I could be wrong though. Have a great time!!

 

[tjmw2727]

I am in the minority here but I say Blizzard Beach!

The toddler area is AWESOME, and they have the Beach Patrol area for the "tweens" my girls LOVE that. A 9yo, even a not so strong swimmer can have fun in this area lots for them to do, in this area as the slides end on the slide and don't "dump" you.

We also loved the family raft ride (the 3yo can ride if she chooses) and taking the ski lift rather than walking the stairs was a bonus.

We loved the lazy river and the wave pool was fun but les intense than TL. We also love that BB has lots more side by side type slides so we can all go together instead of one after another.

So, IMHO, having done both, and been going since my girls were 3 and 5, they are 8 and 10 now my vote is for Blizzard Beach!!

Either way you can't go wrong so have fun.
TJ

 

[Celestine]

DD preferred TL to BB - I lost count of the number of times we had to carry the ring up for her to use on the kids river rapids. One word of caution - the waves were quite fierce & almost took her off her feet!

 

[MaryKatesMom]

My DD's 7 and 5 prefer BB. At TL the Ketchakiddie creek area is too babyish but the preteen area was perfect. Frankly, I didn't see many "Tweens" there. Most of the kids were around 7-10 yrs old.

Don't fret the decision. I prefer TL myself because I love the atmosphere.

 

[WendyinNC]

At BB the toddler area would be great for the 3 year old and the preteen area would be great for the 9 year old. However, the 3 year old would not have much to do in the preteen area and the 9 year old would have nothing to do in the toddler area. Is TL different?

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

Typhoon Lagoon - For sure

 

[Donnask8pro]

How about a 5 yr old who swims rather well? BB or TL?

 

[Donnask8pro]

How about for a handicapped child?

 

[java]

Um for the 3 year old I would say BB because of the great little kid area- even little water slides with tubes. My guys loved it and I think the 9 would love the tween area. This year my kids are pushing for TL because of the new ride and the shark area....but I think it is going to be packed there. I am dreading our water park day because I think it has to be TL. I also have two under 2 and I think they will be bored here and probably won't make the full day- someone may be going back to the hotel with them(do the buses run to the water parks?)For the ages you posted I would say BB check out the park maps and you will see the layout and the areas that would work for your son. I can't think of a single area that he would enjoy at TL(the kid area is a very baby geared area. Just little fountains. My daughter was 3 at the time and was so bored there. We didn't spend more than half a day.
Edit about the 5 year old.... the big things at TL are the snorkle area and the new ride IMHO- I think he is too young for the snorkle(unless they changed that requirement) BB has that tween area that is mostly climbing and jungle gym kind of place in water. Hard to say----- I guess I am no help.

 

[HopperFan]

No doubt in my mind it is BB.

The kiddie area is large, well staffed, lots of slides, water activity, lots of adult seating and it is it's own area with only two ways in and out. Right across the bridge is the pre-teen area, but I agree that "pre-teen" is a stretch. By 11/12 they will not be allowed to use the area because they are too big. It is perfect for the 10 and under group. The family raft ride is a blast, they have a lazy river, and the wave pool is very calm so both kids can enjoy it ! The entire park is very cartoonish and the kids will love it.

Why not TL ? It was built first with a very small kiddie area right on a main path. Yes, they have expanded it but each time I go in, it seems to be total chaos and I don't know how you can relax while watching your child. I also think the activites are very babyish. My 3 year old was totally bored. The wave pool is extremely powerful and can be dangerous for kids who are not good swimmers or used to the ocean. It also has a lazy river and the draw of the shark reef - if you are going to use it.

Remember too that TL just got a big new water slide that is going to be very popular and probably keep it more crowded all day long.

 

[HopperFan]

I am also the parent of a handicapped child.

It will depend on their age, size and their special needs......

 

[polkadotminnie]

We went to TL last week just to ride Crush-N-Gusher, but my kids 3, 6, and 8 much prefer BB. It has more slides even in the toddler area and the Ski Patrol area can't be beat! The family raft ride is a lot longer at BB too!

 

[Donnask8pro]

He is 10. But cannot walk. I will have to hold him. I posted on Disabilities waiting for more posts in reply. I am now leaning towards BB. What do you think? Thank you

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

It seems more people with young kids vote for TL over BB, but I'm the opposite....I've definitely preferred BB from the time the kids were young.

BB Pluses:
-- Toddler/Preschool area with a variety of slides for young kids including a tube slide PL
-- a 'Preteen area' specially designed for kids that are too big for the preschool area but not yet ready for the big slides (Preteen is probably a stretch though as most preteens probably go on the big slides....I'd say this area is best for about 5-8 year olds)
-- The BEST family raft ride that entire families (from toddlers up) can enjoy together
-- Good mix of different level slides including several slides that don't empty into deep water which is good for beginning swimmers

TL Pluses:
-- That wave pool can't be beat (although BB does have a more limited wave pool)
-- Lots of sand and wading areas near the wave pool -- good for more reserved Toddlers
-- Nice landscaping/environment....much more relaxing for the adults.

The reason I didn't like TL was that much of the toddler/preschool water play area consisted of a variety of water jets that could be pointed at others. Many (most?) toddlers don't really enjoy getting squirted in the face with water jets ... especially when they don't see it coming. My oldest who was mostly interested in thrill slides preferred BB as well as could have been predicted. My middle child did like that wave pool though, so if a wave pool is a high priority TL is a good choice.

The great thing is that you can have fun at either park, but for the reasons listed, I prefered BB even with young kids.

 

[digskat]

absolutely Typhoon Lagoon, my kids ages 5 and 7 had a blast.

 

[tinkerbell of winter]

Well my daughter's favorite water park is definitely Blizzard Beach, she was 7 the last time we went and small for her age and had a great time, especially on the zip line. Of course it took her a few tries to actually be able to reach the bar, I think the one on the left side is a little lower since this was the one she had to end up using. She was about 45 inches tall then, she loves the little water park area for the kids. Of course I have to disagree because I love Typhoon Lagoon and could swim in the shark reef all day, and I'm really looking forward to the new water coaster they have there. I'm secretly hoping for a cooler day while i'm there, we would go to the water parks then, hopefully the crowds would be less. The day we went in October on our last vacation seemed cool compared to the rest of the days and they weren't too busy. We are from the cold north country so right now anything above 60 will be tropical to us. Heck I went swimming at St. Pete Beach in January one year, everyone thought I was nuts but I wanted to swim in the ocean, and it wasn't that bad. If I could just remember the saltwater thing, I always forget (I know, sounds stupid) about the salt in the ocean, since I swim freshwater much more often than I go in the ocean. Anyway, if you could only do one of the two water parks, for kids i'd pick Blizzard Beach.