This entry has been written from the view point of someone who has never been to any Disney theme park, not even Disneyland Paris.
It is also my first holiday in the US, and although I have spent two weeks in eastern Canada, I expect that the experience will be very different.
I would also like to point out that this holiday is being spent with my pregnant wife and two children under the age of ten, and so it is very unlikely that we will be experiencing any of the major thrill rides, which to be honest is no loss as far as I am concerned anyway. |
After a busy day on Monday at the Animal Kingdom, and because we had promised the kids, we decided that Tuesday we would take the kids to one of the two water parks at Disney World. Looking through the guide books we had with us, it seemed that Typhoon Lagoon was the less extreme park of the two and the one most suited to younger children, so we may the park our destination for the day.
Walt Disney World Resort - Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
On arriving at the park the first difference you find from the main theme parks is that the car parking is free, I suspect that this is intended as a mechanism ensure that the park does not get too over crowded. The next difference is that because the car park is smaller that the main park car parks there are no trams shuttling you to and from you car.
As with the entrances at the main parks there is a bag check and then the turn styles, and once through you follow the footpath up and over a small hill to the main changing/lockers area, keys for the lockers are paid for at the gift shop.
A quick change and your ready to go down to the main lagoon, a boardwalk leads you down to, and around the perfectly white sandy beaches that line the lagoon, all you need to do now is find a spot to sit and keep any stuff that you have decided to bring down with you. Be warned unless you arrive early this will not be an easy task, and you will probably end up having to pitch a beach chair, free to use, down by the water line.
The lagoon, is a man made pool that curves around a wave machine, initially this machine creates the gentle waves you might get down at the beach, but at a point during the mid morning a warning siren goes off warning the people in the pool that larger waves are just around the corner.
Courtesy of Edmartin at tripadvisor.com
When I say large I mean large, for those brave enough to be swimming close to the wave machine the wave stands six foot above the water surface. The wave is allowed to race out towards the lagoon, but once it passes the end of the wave section of the pool the height drops off quickly, however be warned that even only ten feet from the beach the wave is strong enough to knock over children, and even un-expecting adults.
The large waves keep going for about the next 2 to 3 hours, an after a while you feel that you want to explore more of the park.
Away from the main lagoon, and travelling around it you will find Castaway creek, a stream that flows with sufficient current to allow adults and children to drift around the park on rubber rings. A word to the wise, this is one of the few parts of the whole Disney World resort where people forget about the children around them and are only interested in themselves. You will have to fight it out with the people around you to get a rubber ring, with a lot of children going away upset and disappointed.
Courtesy of daylelisahall at trivago.co.uk
If you do manage to get an assortment of rings for you and the rest of the family, you will find the creek a pleasant relief from the sun and the action of the lagoon.
A final very important note to those venturing into the water parks, and a lesson learnt from bitter experience, make sure you keep topping up the sunscreen, and that the factor is as high as possible, otherwise you will get burnt. If you do it is worth tracking down a product called Solarcaine, which, not surprisingly you will find sold at various stalls in the Disney Parks, as well as the local Walmart. Solarcaine is an after sun product containing Aloe Vera and a local anaesthetic call Novocaine, you will find it will make the itching almost bearable.
Walmart.com: Solarcaine: Medicated First Aid, 3 oz: Medicine Cabinet
Note
This is an early version of the article and may, and probably will change as the rest of the articles written about this holiday are completed. If there are any mistakes you feel I have made please leave a comment and I will try to resolve them in future revisions. |