Once you consider Disney World or Common Orlando, your thoughts inevitably goes to the theme parks. Disney World is house to 4: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Common Orlando has two: Common Studios Florida and Islands of Journey (a 3rd gate, Epic Universe, is slated to open in 2025).
With all these theme parks, you could not have realized one thing large: Every resort can also be house to its personal water parks. You’ve two water parks at Disney: Blizzard Seashore and Hurricane Lagoon. Common Orlando’s water park, Volcano Bay, is a bit newer, having opened in 2017.
Every of the water parks provides a wide range of totally different water points of interest, swimming pools, and beautiful theming. However that comes at a price — every of the water parks has a separate price ticket from the excessive value you may already be spending on the theme parks. With time and money out of your trip on the road, the large query you could be asking is that this: Is it really price going to a water park at Disney World or Common?
Disney World Water Parks
First, let’s check out the water park choices. Disney World has two water parks, Blizzard Seashore and Hurricane Lagoon. Blizzard Seashore has, as you’ll have guessed, a ski resort-themed setup. Hurricane Lagoon is the precise reverse, providing visitors a tropical paradise.
For the previous few years, Disney has alternated opening dates for every water park, so just one has been open at a time whereas the opposite goes by means of annual upkeep. Whereas issues might change sooner or later, it is best to needless to say you may solely be capable to do one whereas visiting Disney World as it’s now.
Hurricane Lagoon
Theming: a tropical parade that includes an island really feel
Ticket Price: 1-Day Tickets are $69 for ages 10+, $63 for ages 3 to 9
Dates Open: sometimes open in late spring to early fall, alternating with Blizzard Seashore (as of 2023)
Attraction Choices:
- Bay Slides: twin physique slides (for 60″ or shorter)
- Castaway Creek: lazy river
- Crush’ n’ Gusher: coaster-like raft experience (for 48″ or taller)
- Gangplank Falls: outsized inside tube experience
- Humunga Kowabunga: close to vertical physique slide with a 5-story drop (for 48″ or taller)
- Keelhaul Falls: one-person inside tube experience
- Ketchakiddee Creek: shallow swimming pools with play space for youthful children (for 48″ or shorter)
- Mayday Falls: highest and longest waterslide on the park
- Miss Journey Falls: 4-person raft experience
- Storm Slides: three physique slides
- Hurricane Lagoon Surf Pool: surf pool that options as much as 6-foot waves
Blizzard Seashore
Theming: The story behind Blizzard Seashore is {that a} freak snowstorm created a ski resort in Florida. The ski resort started to soften, creating the water rides of Blizzard Seashore.
Dates Open: sometimes open in late fall to early spring, alternating with Hurricane Lagoon (as of 2023)
Ticket Price: 1-Day Tickets are $69 for ages 10+, $63 for ages 3 to 9
Attraction Choices:
- Chairlift: a scenic chairlift experience as much as the summit of Mount Gushmore
- Cross Nation Creek: 3,000-foot-long lazy river
- Downhill Double Dipper: side-by-side high-speed slides with inside tubes (for 48″ or taller)
- Soften-Away Bay: heated wave pool
- Runoff Rapids: three totally different innertube waterslides
- Ski Patrol Coaching Camp: waterslides, obstacles, and extra for youthful visitors
- Soften-Away Bay: a heated wave pool
- Slush Gusher: 90-foot high-speed water slide (for 48″ or taller)
- Snow Stormers: three water slides which you can experience on a toboggan-style mat
- Summit Plummet: a physique slide with a near-vertical drop-down 12 tales
- Teamboat Springs: lengthy, winding waterslide with innertubes that may match as much as six riders
- Tike’s Peak: Frozen-themed play space for youthful children (for 48″ or beneath)
- Toboggan Racers: water slides with toboggan-style racing
Common Water Park
Over at Common Orlando, you can’t miss the water park Volcano Bay, with an enormous 200-foot-tall volcano that is as eye-catching because it sounds. Situated subsequent to Common’s Cabana Bay Resort, Volcano Bay has tropical theming and an progressive queuing system.
When visiting Volcano Bay, you may be given the TapuTapu, a water-proof wearable that may maintain your house in a Digital Line for every attraction. You’ll be able to scan in on the attraction of your alternative after which calm down and do different issues as a substitute of ready in line. As soon as it is your flip to return, TapuTapu will let .
Volcano Bay
Theming: tropical-themed water park centered round a 200-foot-tall synthetic volcano referred to as Krakatau
Dates Open: year-round
Ticket Price: 1-Day Ticket begins at $70 (goes as much as $90) for ages 10+, $65 (goes as much as $85) for ages 3 to 9
Attraction Choices:
- Honu of the Honu ika Moana: five-passenger raft on an open flume (for 48″ or taller)
- Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Physique Slides: two physique slides with twin entice doorways that plunge riders down the tubes (for 48″ or taller)
- Ko’okiri Physique Plunge: a physique slide with a 70-degree drop by means of a drop door (for 48″ and taller)
- Kopiko Wai Winding River: lazy river
- Krakatau Aqua Coaster: four-person canoe water coaster (for 42″ or taller)
- Maku PuihiRound Rafter Trip: five-person raf experience with excessive speeds (for 42″ and taller)
- Ohno of Ohyah & Ohno Drop Slides: drop slide with a six-foot drop right into a pool (for 48″ and taller)
- Puka Uli Lagoon: leisure pool with playful components like bongo drums and spraying water
- Punga Racers: physique slide by means of underwater sea caves (for 42″ and taller)
- Raki of Taniwha Tubes: two twisting water slides with inside tubes (for 42″ and taller)
- TeAwa The Fearless River: whitewater river experience (all visitors required to put on life jackets)
- The Reef: peaceable leisure pool
- Tonga of Taniwha Tubes: two curving water slides with inside tubes (for 42″ and taller)
- Waturi Seashore: stress-free seashore overlooking the park.
When the Water Parks Are Well worth the Price
Whereas the water parks value much less per day than the theme parks, the tickets nonetheless definitely aren’t low-cost. For that motive, you’ll actually wish to take into account how a lot you may get out of a day on the water parks when visiting Disney World or Common.
Every of those water parks has unimaginable theming and top-tier points of interest not like water rides you may discover anyplace else. These aren’t your common pool slides — these are water rides in their very own proper. Every of the parks additionally has points of interest for all ages and ranges of thrill seekers. You’ll be able to select to sail away on a lazy river or make the leap with a full drop-down water slide.
There are some things to consider when deciding whether or not to go to one of many water parks or not. A type of issues is the size of your trip. If you are going to Disney World for just some days, you seemingly must surrender worthwhile time within the parks to have the ability to do a water park as effectively. Nonetheless, for those who plan on staying for an extended trip, you’ll be able to in all probability slot in a day on the water park extra simply.
Common is a bit totally different since there are solely two theme parks, making it simpler to get extra executed in a shorter period of time. Common’s Volcano Bay additionally has the good thing about the TapuTapu system, making it simpler to get to all of the points of interest you need and get essentially the most out of your day on the water park.
One other factor to think about could seem apparent, however it’s simply how a lot you and your get together would take pleasure in a day on the water parks. If you happen to might see your self spending the total day, or near it, on the park, perhaps it is well worth the per-day value. However water parks are divisive. I am not naming names, however I do know loads of individuals who keep away from water parks just like the plague, loathing the thought of spending a whole day in a showering swimsuit swimming in swimming pools that, in all probability, somebody has peed in. Water parks are the Wild Wild West of theme parks — you both love ’em or hate ’em.
Finally, whether or not you may benefit from the water parks at Disney or Common comes all the way down to your price range and the way a lot you suppose you may get out of them. All three parks have unimaginable thrills you will not discover anyplace else, with immersive theming that can make you are feeling such as you’ve stepped into an entire new world. Plus, let’s get actual: When Orlando is sweltering scorching, what sounds higher than a day of swimming pools?
