Typhoon Lagoon WDW at Large

gardenia's report
Guest Comments

*****

A Special Report by gardenia

So when I finally get to Typhoon Lagoon, I fall in love with the place! In fact, I've already bought an annual pass.

It took a lot for me to get there, being pretty fat and all (right around 300 pounds), but I am glad I did it. I've been a few times now and while I am usually the largest person there, I haven't felt terribly uncomfortable walking around- even without a cover-up. I don't know if it's because a lot of the Guests are not from the United States and are less inhibited with their own bodies, or because I just would rather swim than care what others think, but either way, I am there in all my gooshy glory.

Typhoon Lagoon has this pool. Well, it's this huge pool that has two personalities. The first is the milder "bobbing waves" that rocks Guests for 10 minutes at a time. Standing on the "shore," these waves roll in looking a lot like the surf at the real beach. When out deeper, a choppy sea effect can really offer a work-out for those that want one. I'm a very strong swimmer and even I find the bobbing waves to be overwhelming at times. Depending on where you position yourself, you can be gently rocked or have a wave slosh over you every 5 seconds.

I am using the bobbing waves as my personal exercise machine. I swim out beyond the red line where I can no longer stand and tread water – hard! By the time the first 10 minute cycle (there are two of these with a five minute break inbetween) has passed, I am near exhaustion. Boy, am I out of shape! Oh well, I may never be svelte, but at least I can work on being fit, right?

The second personality is the longest – 80 minutes of tidal wave action. Every 90 seconds, a whoosh of air pushes the water into one gigantic rolling 6-foot wave. Wow! is it a kick to feel the power of the water lifting me up and tossing me nearly into the air! I almost feel like a child being thrown in a beach blanket – totally moved by an energy that isn't my own.

During the calm between the waves, I continue moving (exercising) by cross-country skiing or doing jumping jacks – then I'll turn my back to where the wave will come from and wait to be lifted into the air once again.

I wandered to the Shark Reef wanting to swim in their big aquarium. I knew they supplied vests, snorkels, and masks, but was worried that if the vest didn't fit I wouldn't be able to go. As it turns out, it did not fit, but they let me slip into the cold (69 degree) water anyway. I asked if I could bring my own goggles instead of using their leaky mask and they said "sure" to that as well.

Floating in that tank was such a wonderful experience. I wasn't even bothered by the salt water. I got to be with glowing purple fish, sleek stingrays, and even smallish, though still scary, sharks! It really was a calming experience for me.

Typhoon Lagoon has a Lazy River – a slow moving ride in inner tubes that takes 10-15 minutes to traverse. My first ride on the river was with my roommate Susan who says she wishes she had a video camera so she could have taped me trying to clambor into an innertube. Warning! Single innertubes are for small people! I pressed my butt into the hole and felt like a pressed penny. Susan had to help me out of the thing by dumping me over so I could be set free.

My next attempt was belly-down on a double innertube (undoubtedly made for little kids and their parents). I managed to float all the way around in this position, but wasn't so comfortable with my butt sitting up in the air or my neck looking up to see where I was going. When I went around the river the next time, I swam instead and had a much more pleasant experience even if the depth was a mere 3 feet (why isn't it deeper?).

I haven't gone on any of the flume rides and am not sure I will do more than test the size, but when I do, I'll be sure to add the information.

Food at Typhoon Lagoon is the standard park fare – including the ever-gritty pizzas (yuk!). $9 will get you a rather large jug that is refillable for the entire day – and it is only good for one day – a sticker being placed on the cup stating the day it was bought; no sticker, no re-fill.

I hope this encourages others to try out the water parks. I was so scared for so long… embarrassed of my size or that I wouldn't be able to do anything. And now I like it so much I am going several times a week! I will visit the other two Disney waterparks as time goes on and I will report on their size-friendliness, too. For now, though, if you see a big woman riding the waves at Typhoon Lagoon… come and say hi!

GUEST COMMENTS

I am 5'4"and 290 lbs.and we went to Typhoon Lagoon. They have beach chairs for all, but they are very low to the ground. There are areas where they have tables and chairs for eating. I didn't however get on any of the slides. My hubby had to help hoist me up when I needed to get up, so if you can, take a comfortable sports chair for yourself if you can't sit that far down. My hubby said at Blizzard Beach, they have nice picnic tables and shade. I hope I've added a small part to the wonderful reports prior to mine. Enjoy your trip.

*****

I am 5'8" and weigh close to 350, with a very large tummy and ample bosom. My husband is 6'3" and has a nice, big belly. My one issue here was the inner tubes. Let's just say that after struggling with the inner tube for an unreasonable amount of time, TWO WOMEN FROM ENGLAND had to help me get in it. I was blushing so badly! Did I mention that my tummy was bigger than the rest of my body? Well, bigger = heavier, and the weight of my stomach, chest, and upper body tilted me back so far in the innertube that my legs were literally UP IN THE AIR LIKE TWO STICKS and my back was on the water, with my head dragging behind me. I could not see where I was going and could only see people behind me upside-down and trying politely not to laugh. My husband laughed so hard I almost divorced him right there on the spot!!! I then tried to flop onto the inner tube stomach first, which left my butt up in the air now, and my face smack in the water!! I STILL couldn't see where I was going and my husband was laughing EVEN HARDER when I finally gave up. So we went to the wave pool instead, where I didn't need an innertube to float. :>)

*****

This tip is for your at large at the waterparks page. I am a Bigger person and have problems with the intertubes at water parks. What I do is get a double tube and put one of the openings over my head and hang on with their my arms. I then bring my legs up through the second opening and relax which is quite comfortable. This also helps for people who feel the need to control where they are going and don't like the feeling of not being in control while sitting in the tube. (Angela)