Water Park question

[jmako]

Looking for advice. We’re heading back to Disney World in late Aug. and I’m just wondering if realistically we could plan for a day at a park from rope drop to around noon, head to a water park for a few hours, then be back at resort by around 4ish. It seems like we might be cramming a lot in (?). We’ve always visited in Nov when the water parks were closed, so we’ve never been and I don’t know what to expect. Can we enjoy the water part for 2-3hrs without feeling rushed? We’re staying at The Beach Club again, so I know Stormalong Bay is a great default-pool. The kids are 15yrs old. Thoughts, experiences?

 

[Klayfish]

We love the water parks. Have been to each of them a ton. If you were only going to hit the water park from mid-day to 3pm, it's unlikely you'd get to do everything, but you certainly could still have a great time. Keep in mind that the water parks don't have FP+, so the best slides can get long lines during the heat of the day. Certainly, they are never remotely close to as busy as a theme park, but still enough for the top tier slides to have 30-45 minute waits. The water parks both offer very similar things, but have some small differences. The biggest difference between them is the wave pool. BB has small and constant waves. TL waves only come once every 2 minutes or so, but they are HUGE...and awesome IMO. If you rope dropped a park, then hit a water park from noon to 3pm, I'd bet you'll be wiped out by the end. Water parks have stairs...lots and lots of stairs. Plus it's just physical activity involved in water parks. If your kids are 15 and enjoy thrill slides, I'd suggest you want to go for rope drop or park close the water park. The first and last hour you can do anything with basically no line.

Stormalong Bay, or any hotel pool, can't be compared to the water parks. The only thing they have in common is they have water. Completely apples and oranges.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

My personal opinion when it comes to the water parks is that we prefer to get there when they open then leave mid-afternoon - so pushing up your proposed schedule a few hours.

Couple of reasons:

- Water park crowds are lowest first thing. With some hustle you can do every big ride pretty efficiently in the first hour, then spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing lower priority things.

- In August, you never know about the weather. Afternoon storms could come early, late, or not at all. If we have an early start on the day, I don’t really care if something rolls through at 2pm.

If we do a theme park that day, it’s in the evening.

I vote TL with 15 year olds.

Have fun!

 

[figmentfinesse]

My boyfriend and I love to stop into the waterparks for an hour or two in the late mornings and just enjoy the lazy river, the wave pool, and maybe a slide or two. I think you could have a great time in 3 hours. I also can’t recommend H2O Glow enough!! It’s fairly cheap per person and there are basically zero lines.

 

[kay1864]

We've done that, but recognize it takes a good half hour to leave the park, get the tram, get to your car, drive to water park. Personally I'd allow a couple more hours in the water park.

Works well with MK, since they get so crowded in the afternoon, and really it takes two days to see MK. We like to return in the evening to play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

For 15yo kids, I recommend BB over TL. Much better slides, and more of them.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Can we enjoy the water part for 2-3hrs without feeling rushed? We’re staying at The Beach Club again, so I know Stormalong Bay is a great default-pool. The kids are 15yrs old. Thoughts, experiences?

I love both water parks. You can certainly enjoy one of them for 2 to 3 hours, but there is no way you can do everything in one of those parks in that time. So will that leave you feeling rushed? I think you're the only person that can answer that question. If your goal is to do as much as possible in the parks, I would go with TL. BB has more slides, which create the longer lines. You can definitely do more of the attractions at TL in 2 hours. Plus, if the lines are bad, the wave pool there is incredible

 

[hedberg1661]

I think visiting the water parks is always a good idea. A couple of thoughts here:

1. You mentioned the Water Parks aren't open in November when you are there. Generally one is taken down for a refurb leaving the other one open. Then they reverse that when they are ready to work on the other water park. Weather will of course impact those plans as well.
2. Since you are staying at BC I would personally take advantage of SAB that if you don't already have tickets/access to the water parks with an AP or something like that.
3. The other MAJOR factor is transportation. If you have your own vehicle then you are fine however, if you are relying on Disney Transportation (while good) you will be spending a lot of time on/waiting for buses.

 

[cavepig]

We just did that and spent about 3 hours at Typhoon in the afternoon about noon, but it was on 10/31 versus August. We had lunch there too. Only the family raft rides had longish lines(a huge tour type group was there with multiple smaller groups within it that played into those lines) but again it wasn't August so crowds can be different. We didn't feel rushed at all and walked on to most slides.

 

[Upatnoon]

The realistic approach is to go to the water park in the morning, enjoy until tired, go to room and clean up and rest, then go to the parks in the evening.

In August, there is a 50% chance of thunderstorms every afternoon.

It's just a safer, more efficient way to visit.

 

[jmako]

Thanks all for the suggestions/advice! We’ll be there 8 days, so I figure if we split our daily downtime between SAB, BB & TL we should be able to hit all the slides and enjoy what the water parks have to offer by the end of the trip. Unfortunately we would be relying on the buses (unless we Uber it). If the crowd level is out of control at BB/TL we can just hang at the BC. That “plan-B” pool option definitely factored into my resort booking decision making ☺

 

[Klayfish]

Water park crowds are never nuts like they are at the theme parks. Even in mid-summer it's not horrible.

 

[jina]

lf late august I'd go on a weekday (tues-thurs) if you can as some schools will be in session and some won't to minimize crowds . We went to TL on 10/29 from 11-1:30 and had a great time and did everything (we ate a late lunch after that at Disney Springs). Very short lines (5 min tops) for everything so we got on every slide plus the lazy river & wave pool too. I agree w/ others- get to the water park at opening, then rest at the hotel and hit up a theme park in the evening. It was summer-hot that week (highs in the 90's w/ humidity which felt like 103) - it was much more bearable being at the parks in the evening (other than the 6-9am EEMH we got to do at DHS before it got too hot).