Tips about Water Parks

Spent a wonderfully fun day at Blizzard Beach this trip. We read in your FAQ that there are 4 Polar Patios, so we reserved one for the day. What a great thing! Having a semi-private space with an attendant made the day even better. I'm writing to let you know there are actually 15 Polar Patios! When we checked in at Snowless Joe's, I was surprised when the CM told us we were in #5, so I checked the map and saw how many there are. - Jeff Surette

On my last trip to Typhoon Lagoon, my sister lost one of her earrings during the big wave at the main pool. Given the size of the pool, we gave up on finding it fairly quickly. At the end of the day, we decided to try the lost and found at Guest Relations, on the off chance that someone had found the earring and turned it in. It hadn't been turned in, but the cast member advised us to wait about 15-20 minutes. It seems that they clean and check the pool filters at closing and whatever is found is then taken to Guest Relations. Sure enough, my sister's earring had been found in one of those filters and was promptly returned to us. While I would recommend not wearing anything you aren't prepared to lose in the first place, it's good to know that your item might turn up by the end of the day. - Johanna

If you are planning on playing mini golf at the Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course you may be able to pick up a free unique souvenir. At the check-in counter there is a board that posts the low score of the day thus far. If you beat this score your name, hometown, and score will be posted and you will receive a colorful award certificate from the cast members there. Also your Disney Vacation Club discount can be used here, I always forget this! - Gail

We just returned from a brief stopover in Disney after enjoying a few days in Vero Beach. We planned to go to Blizzard Beach on our only full day at the World and were disappointed to find rain showers that morning when we woke up. After watching the weather, we saw that was the forecast on tap for the whole day and decided that it was now or never. We quickly got over our disappointment when we discovered that we practically had the whole place to ourselves (or so it seemed)! The longest wait on Summit Plummet was 15 minutes, which was short in comparison to the normal two-hour wait in the summer. The light crowds and cloudy skies made for a wonderful, sunburn free trip to Blizzard Beach. - Julie Peyton

Water parks, get there BEFORE they open. They will let you in far enough to get a locker and towels. Then get on line to the beach, when they open get a beach chair first and then hit the slides. There will be no wait and you can get your fill before the park gets crowded. When it starts to get too crowded we leave and go to the parks. Don't forget to bring your sandals to your chair -- the sand gets very hot by noon time! Bring your own towels from home if you can, saves time and money. - John Rigolini

When visiting the water parks, we always start the day by establishing a home base at a couple of lawn chairs. Because of the children's different ages, we often split up in twos with me and the younger daughter going on some attractions, and Dad and older daughter going on the more adventurous attractions. So to keep tabs on each other, we leave a spiral notepad, a pen, and an inexpensive watch so that we can keep up with each other throughout the day. We leave each other notes including the time so the other twosome can have an idea of when we will be back. - Linda Hanson

We happened to go to Typhoon Lagoon on our first day and they use a smaller Photopass card with a springy bracelet. It was great, I wore my Photopass to all of the parks and never had any problem finding it when it was time to have the card scanned. - Joy Palmer

If you go to the water parks early in your trip and you have pictures taken, your PhotoPass has a stretchy bracelet so that you can wear it on your wrist. Use this pass for all of your photos in the parks. The bracelet clicks open and can be put on your lanyard, or you can wear it around your wrist for the whole trip. - Tim Banic

As a large woman (5'8", size 20W), I was wary of the water parks. I have to say both were incredibly enjoyable with Typhoon Lagoon being my favorite. I've read how some have experienced "challenges" with the innertubes. I found the easiest way to get "on" was to pull the thing up on the entry stairs by the handrail. Climb aboard with your tush touching the step. Then use the handrail to give yourself a shove into the river. I would simply "roll" off when I was done. Seemed to work for me. - Kat

My husband and I played a round of mini golf this past weekend at Fantasia Gardens and we accidentally timed it perfectly with Fantasmic! across the road at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The whimsical Fantasmic! music went quite well with the Fantasia golf course! It was such a treat. Plus, we could see the fireworks at the end of the show. Check to see what time Fantasmic! is and plan your tee time accordingly! - Kathryn

I have a comment to add to Josh's tips for larger guests (ALL EARS® Issue #342, April 11, 2006). He mentioned that he had tested Typhoon Lagoon water rides with the exception of Crush 'n' Gusher. When I visited in November '05 with my husband and two children, I went on Crush 'n' Gusher with my 8-year-old son and it was AWESOME! I was a little anxious about whether I would be able to manage this because of my weight and I had my husband try it out first (he is much closer to average weight). I am 5'4" and weigh about 290 lbs. We used the two-person raft and I sat in the back (as instructed by the attendant). The great thing about this water ride is that you can get yourself situated properly on the raft since you are resting on rollers, not water, before you are launched. The attendant had no problem waiting until we were ready. My son was so happy that I was able to ride with him. We went on all three slides, each being different in its hills and turns. The ride does have rollers throughout the slide to help propel you up the inclines. For a larger person, I would recommend keeping your backside raised up off of the bottom (the raft has a cut-out hole in each seat portion) as far as you can because hitting the rollers with your backside is quite a shock and can be painful. It didn't stop me from going on multiple times and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I did have some bruising the next day because of it. This evidently is not a problem with average weight individuals, as they don't sink down as far as a larger person. Also, Crush 'n' Gusher is somewhat hidden off to the right when you enter Typhoon Lagoon. It wasn't on the map when we went so we had to ask to find it. We didn't discover this area until late in the day and I wish we had found it much earlier. It has its own large chaise area, sand areas, and a walk-in pool area adjacent to the splash-down pool at the bottom of Crush 'n' Gusher that was beautifully landscaped (as would be expected). - Anne Marie

I have to tell everyone how great Typhoon Lagoon is! We had the most fun at this water park. I wasn't really into going, but I was really glad we did. They have this huge wave pool -- it is awesome. I have a 3-year-old and we were all able to go down the water slides with her. My husband went first, then I helped my daughter (gave her a push), and my husband caught her at the bottom. I was the last. This was GREAT! There was lots of stuff for kids... I would put it on your list of things to do! - Amy Facchini

If you are at a water park and they announce, "The National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm/severe weather warning. We may close if it comes closer," just get out then and avoid the rush. We did that at Typhoon Lagoon and missed the crowded change rooms and being trapped by a thunderstorm. - Victor

My 20-year-old daughter and I tried the new "water coasters" (Crush 'n' Gusher) at Typhoon Lagoon. Holy Cow! They were great! Our suggestion is this, though: Keep your bottom from dragging through the hole in your inner tube. The rollers that help propel you faster and onward can give you a nice little rug burn on your rear-end if you drag it. We learned the hard way the first time, and kept on going back. Just lift your bottom and fly! - Linda

Don't let the rain keep you from the water parks! On the day we were to go to Typhoon Lagoon we awoke to cloudy skies and rain. We checked with the front desk and they said that the park was still scheduled to be open. When we arrived at about 10:15 a.m. the Cast Member at the turnstiles said that we were numbers 9 and 10 in the park for the day. We had a blast! It was like having the park to ourselves and saved us from being turned into lobsters. Next time we go, we will schedule our water park day on the rainy day. - Melissa Gvist