Splashing Around at Typhoon Lagoon

On our recent trip to Walt Disney World, we decided to try something new and completely different.  After forty plus trips to the World, this might sound impossible, but indeed, there are still experiences that we have not had at WDW.  On this particular trip, we decided to visit one of the Disney water parks.  After some research, we decided to give Typhoon Lagoon a try, and we were not disappointed at all! 

            In order to give ourselves enough time, we decided to get to the park before it opened in the morning, and this turned out to be an excellent idea.  We queued up at the entrance along with several other families.  We did not know this at the time, but you can bring in ice chests with drinks and food as long as you do not bring in anything that is glass.  We had a plan for entering the park.  I would go and scout out a coveted shady seat, and my husband, Mark, was going to seek out a locker to rent.  We wanted to put our dry clothes in a locker so that they would not get sandy or wet during our time at the park.  When we entered the park, Mark went to retrieve the locker, and I headed over to the rope that was blocking the entrance to the lounge chair area.  After a few minutes, the rope was dropped, and then everyone dashed for the chairs.  We were lucky to find two chairs in the shade, and we set up our stuff, which included some extra towels and water.  Then, we were off to ride some of the rides before the lines became too long later in the day.  I am not a thrill ride kind of person, so we stuck to the raft rides and the family raft rides.  These were fun, and I highly recommend that you ride them early before the line is too long.  I would not have waited in a long line in the blazing sun on the hot wooden stairs for a one-minute raft ride.  Don’t get me wrong; the ride was fun, but it would not have been worth a thirty-minute or longer wait. 

            After the raft rides, we settled into Castaway Creek, which is a lazy river that winds around the entire park. This was the highlight of the water park for me. It was so relaxing just to kick back and float around in the tube. There was so much shade and vegetation that you did not even feel too warm.  As we floated around the park, we could catch a glimpse of some of the rides, and we could listen to the 1930s and 40s music that was being piped in.  All in all, this attraction was my favorite! 

            Now, if you are adventurous, there are many more slides to ride, and we watched a few people splash down from them.  There is also a Shark Reef where you can swim across a very cold 30-foot span of water to catch a glimpse of various fish.  When you get in line, the cast members give you a snorkel and a pair of goggles that you can use as you slowly swim across the pool.  This experience was not for me, so we did not try our luck with the fish. However, we did visit the underwater viewing tank where you could catch a glimpse of the fish as they swam along.  That was close enough for me!

            Before returning to the lazy river, we took a spin in the wave pool.  I have never been in a wave pool before, and I was not adequately prepared for the strength of the waves that came at us.  Even though I braced myself, I was sent careening over the concrete bottom of the pool, and I sustained some minor scrapes and cuts as a result.  Word of warning: if you have little ones, stay in the very shallow section of this wave pool!  Those waves are very strong, and they could easily pull a grown person several feet while under water.  I can only imagine how that might scare a small child.  
          All in all, Typhoon Lagoon was fun and relaxing.  I am not a thrill seeker, so I enjoyed floating around in the inner tube on Castaway Creek.  If you would like to experience more slides and excitement, then Blizzard Beach might be for you.  If you have time, give Typhoon Lagoon a try; it was a refreshing way to spend part of our last two days at WDW.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!