Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
256
Water Park Do's & Don'ts
Tips
1. Go in the afternoons, about 2pm, even in summer, if you can stand the heat that
long and want to avoid crowds. The early birds usually are gone by then.
2. Go early in the week when most of the weeklong guests are filling the lines at
the theme parks.
3. Kids can get lost just as easily at a water park as at the other parks, and the
consequences can be tragic. All Disney parks have lifeguards, usually wearing
bright red suits, but, to be safe, make sure
you
are the first line of safety for the
kids in your crew.
4. Women should remember the one-piece bathing suit rule mentioned above
under “Water Slides.” And all bathers should remember
the “wedgie” rule
on
the more extreme rides, such as Summit Plummet (at Blizzard Beach, below).
What's the “wedgie” rule? It's a principle of physics that causes you to start out
wearing baggies and end up in a thong.
5. Use a waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and drink plenty of
fluids. Despite all that water, it's easy to get dehydrated in summer.
6
and on into the sunshine, all the while passing along some of Disney's meticulously
maintained tropical foliage. Tubes are included in the admission price.
CRUSH 'N' GUSHER
The newest thrill to splash onto the scene is a first-of-its-kind water coaster featuring
three separate experiences to choose from. The
Banana Blaster, Coconut Crusher,
and
Pineapple Plunger
each offer steep drops, twists, and turns of varying degrees as you're
sent careening through an old, rusted-out fruit factory. Intense jets of water actually
propel riders back uphill at one point.
KETCHAKIDDIE CREEK
Many of the park's other attractions require guests to be older children, teens, or adults,
but this section is a
kiddie area
exclusively for 2- to 5-year-olds. An innovative water
playground, it has bubbling fountains to frolic in, mini-water slides, a pint-size “white-
water” tubing run, spouting whales and squirting seals, rubbery crocodiles to climb on,
grottoes to explore, and waterfalls to loll under. It's also small enough for you to take
good home videos or photographs.
SHARK REEF
Guests are given free equipment (and instruction) for a 15-minute swim through this
very small snorkeling area that includes a simulated coral reef populated by about 4,000
parrotfish, angelfish, yellowtail damselfish, and other cuties including small rays and
sharks. If you don't want to get in, you can observe the fish via portholes in a walk-
through viewing area.
TYPHOON LAGOON SURF POOL
This large (2.75-million gal.) and lovely lagoon is the size of two football fields and sur-
rounded by a white sandy beach. It's the park's main swimming area. The chlorinated
water has a turquoise hue much like the Caribbean.
Large waves
roll through the deeper
