Slides. Check. Wave pool.
Check. Snorkeling with sharks and
rays. Check. Disney characters. Check.
Where might one find all of the above? At Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon!
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is one of two water parks located at
the Walt Disney World Resort. The
sprawling water park offers something for ever member of the family from thrill
rides to small tube and body slides.
Water park admission is $45 per day for adults. The water parks and more fun option added to
Magic Your Way tickets will also grant admission. Disney transportation via bus is offered from
Disney resorts to Typhoon Lagoon. Hours
vary depending on the season.
The day we were at Typhoon Lagoon, the park opened at 9:00
am. This was our third visit to Typhoon
Lagoon, but it had been a few years since our last visit. The park had already opened when we arrived
about 9:30, as we had had breakfast at O’hana’s and took the bus from the Polynesian
to Typhoon Lagoon.
With towels in hand, borrowed from the towel case near the
main pool at our Disney resort, we found a great spot near Crush’n’Gusher. There is a small zero depth entry swimming
area along with plenty of chairs. The
area has restrooms nearby as well as great access to the rest of the park.
Our first stop was Crush’n’Gusher as it was early in the day
and the lines were minimal. Crush’n’Gusher
is a water coaster of sorts with guests being propelled by water on rafts up
and down hills. There are three slides
to choose from with varying rider capacities on each ride. We carried a 3 person raft up the stairs and
rode the slide designated for three people.
Guests need to make a decision at the bottom of the stairs, getting the
right tube, and then proceeding to the appropriate staircase for their
slide. Note: Some of the tubes have bottoms on the holes
and some are more like donuts. If you
can, get a tube with a hole that has a bottom, as the slide can be tough on
your exposed bottom. They told me to
lift my bottom, but that is easier said than done!
Next, we hit Mount Mayday and all of the tube and raft
slides. There are signs at the bottom of
the mountain that tell you which line is for which slide.
Gangplank
Falls, a family raft ride
was first. We climbed the trail for a
bit and then were given our raft where other guests are exiting the water. We then carried the raft the rest of the way. Not laborious, just awkward. Rolling is best. This was our favorite of all of the raft/tube
rides at Typhoon Lagoon.
Mayday
Falls was next. Again, we proceeded in the line and got our
tubes at the ingenious exit area for the guests just finishing the slide. The tube just floats right to your feet. Mayday
Falls is described as “the
park’s highest and longest sing-rider tube slide” and the views from the top
were great. The bumps within the ride,
not so great. The bumps are designed to
make rapids, but since the water level seemed lower, there weren’t really
rapids, just a jousting and bumpy ride. Mayday Falls
was our least favorite water slide.
We couldn’t leave the mountain without riding Keelhaul Falls which is also a single rider tube
slide. This ride is faster than the
others and both the husband and I spun around several times. Other than the raft ride we could ride
together, this was our favorite.
Who wants to walk in a water park? Not us!
After our time on the slides, we caught a tube in Castaway Creek to take
us to Shark Reef and the other side of the mountain. The entrance/exit points at Castaway Creek
are numbered and given an ocean life name, such as Seahorse. If you aren’t sure where you are going, ask a
Cast Member lifeguard as you are floating by as they are very helpful.
To the left of the exit for Shark Reef are the Storm
Slides. The boy and husband headed up
the trail and soon they were storming down the slides. I wanted to go too! But Shark Reef was calling our name.
Shark Reef is a salt water area within the park that offers
free snorkeling gear to guests. Scuba
experiences are an extra fee. We grabbed
the snorkeling gear and headed to the entrance of the reef. Wait.
No vests? Last time, vests were
included and possibly required. I headed
back to the equipment shack, followed by my family, and asked for a life
vest. The rest of the family got life
vests too. Why? Well, I wanted to float through the reef and
enjoy the experience rather than concentrate on staying afloat. We are all good swimmers and I would have
been okay with all of us not wearing life vests, but since I wanted one, the
rest of the family did too.
So in the midst of this tropical water park, we snorkeled
with sharks and rays. The water is
cooler here than in the rest of the park, so be prepared for the slight
chill. On hot days the cold water is
refreshing. A shower is available at the
exit of the reef to rinse off the salt water.
The guys reported a slight burning sensation on their faces and we were
told that the chemical used to clean the snorkel gear (masks) has an
interaction with sunscreen.
Don't fall off the surf board! |
By this time, it was 11:30 am and we had experienced almost
everything we wanted to, except the wave pool, including meeting a few Disney
characters! It was time for lunch.
Typhoon Tilly’s was near Shark’s Reef, but we headed back to
our “home spot” to get our Key to The World cards since we were using dining
plan credits for lunch. Wow—just thought
about how convenient this process will be the MagicBands!
Know that Typhoon Tilly’s has two levels. The lower level has sandwiches and salads and
the upper level has more substantial selections such as friend shrimp, which is
what I ordered. We found a picnic bench
in the area quite easily, ordered extra glasses of water which were free and
enjoyed our lunch.
The wave pool was calling our names! There are a variety of whistles that are emitted from Tilly at the top of Mt.
Mayday, and those
whistles signal different waves. When we
got to the wave pool it was time for the giant 10 foot waves that come every
few seconds. I tried to get pictures
using our waterproof camera, but they didn’t turn out so well, as I was
swimming for my life; trying to regain my footing after being swept away in the
huge waves.
Part of the beach area had been roped off for “Beach Parties”
in front of the beach shack that had been erected as part of Disney’s Monstrous
Summer event and to promote Disney’s Teen Beach Movie that was premiering a few
days later.
Times for the “Beach Party” were listed and the boy wanted
to participate in one of the parties.
Music and games were included along with Cast Members dressed as the
main characters from the movie.
By about 3:30 pm, we were ready to call it a day. We exited the park, after buying a dozen mini
donuts, which are only sold at the water parks, and caught the Disney bus
returning to our resort.
There are even Magic photos available from Phtopass photographers! |
Photopass photographers were everywhere in the park. We found them at the character greeting area,
near the wave pool, at Crush’n’Gusher (though we didn’t ride when we were
there), in Castaway Creek, near Shark Reef, and at various locations along the
path around the wave pool. We love the
little card they give you with the rubber band to go around your wrist. I just combined those cards to our on-line
Photopass account.
The last time we visited Typhoon Lagoon, Ketchakiddee Creek
was our home base area, but this time we didn’t even go there as the boy is now
more than 48 inches tall. Ketchakiddie
Creek is a great area for the little ones.
There are also reserved areas throughout the park—Beachcomber
shacks and umbrella areas that offer services for an additional fee. We found those areas to more remote than the
area we found that had an umbrella and was no additional charge. My thoughts:
I don’t want to pay extra for something that is available for free AND
have to walk or traverse farther to get to the rest of the amenities in the
park. I guess it is beneficial for some
guests, hence the offering.
Oh, and those towels we brought with. Well, we placed them in the towel return bins
located throughout the water park, so no toting them back to our resort.
Having visited both of Disney’s water parks during this
visit—click here to read about our visit to Blizzard Beach—it
was interesting to be able to compare the parks. Typhoon Lagoon is our favorite—for its size,
theming, ease of getting from one location to another, and variety of
experiences it offers guests.
Wonderful pictures, you’re really talented photographer
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