Disney Food Blog Guidebook
Click here to plan your Disney Dining with ease.Tour the Parks
Buy from Garden Grocer
Get the scoop on Disney Food
Our web guys
Category Archives: Water Parks
Fun Ways To Get Wet At Walt Disney World
While most families have plans to stay dry while visiting Walt Disney World, others look for ways to get wet and cool off on those hot, humid, summer days. Sure, you and your party can ride attractions that will get you wet such as Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids (or just stand on the bridges outside the attraction and try to catch a splash), but I’m referring to other ways to get wet!
The obvious is take a dip in the pool back at your resort, or spend a day at one of the water parks: Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. But did you know there are still other ways to get wet at Walt Disney World? (And I’m not talking about playing in the rain during the “summer showers” in Central Florida- however, that will work too!!)
- Find a fountain in the parks and stand downwind. If you’re lucky, you can catch a delightful breeze that has a mist from the fountain.
- Visit one of the misting stations: Epcot has the Cooling Station near Test Track and Hollywood Studios has a Coke bottle at the end of Pixar Place near Streets of America.
- Jump in the stream of “squirting water” at Star Tours (Hollywood Studios), the camels at The Flying Carpets of Aladdin (Magic Kingdom) or Stitch at The World of Disney (Downtown Disney).
- Play in the “splash pads” at Downtown Disney Marketplace as you enter from the bus stop or Epcot before the bridge from Future World to World Showcase.
- Play in the “jumping water” at Journey Into Imagination at Epcot.
- Splash in the water features outside Kali River Rapids.
- Rent watercraft, parasail or water ski on the lakes at Walt Disney World.
What is your favorite way to get wet on a hot day at Walt Disney World?
Related articles
- Why I love Walt Disney World Extra Magic Hours! (chipandco.com)
- Relaxing things to do in Walt Disney World Parks (mydreamsofdisney.com)
Disney Water Parks—Are They Worth It?
Looking for a thrill at Walt Disney World? The Resort’s four theme parks aren’t the only places to satisfy that urge.
Typhoon Lagoon, as legend holds, resulted when disaster struck Placid Palms Resort in the tropical paradise of Safen Sound. Ships were tossed upon mountains, surfboards flung through trees and sharks deposited into the harbor. Left in the wake were an inland sea with breaking waves, a watershed mountain, caves, waterfalls, rivers and slides—a vacationer’s dream adventure.
- Surf Typhoon Lagoon in one of the world’s largest wave-motion pools. For $150 per person, strong swimmers ages 8 and up can learn surfing basics in a 2-1/2 hour session taught by professional instructors from Craig Carroll’s Cocoa Beach Surf.
- For nothing more than Park admission, snorkel the 362,000-gallon saltwater Shark Reef and swim with tropical marine life in a natural aquarium. Swimmers longing for more may rent SAS (Supplied Air Snorkeling) tank systems at an additional charge.
- If you’re just looking for some awesome aqua time, chute down Crush ‘n’ Gusher, the only water coaster in North America with three separate rides off a single tower.
How in the world did a ski resort end up in Florida? Well, they say a freak snow storm blanketed the area awhile back. Alas, just as quickly as the resort sprang up the heat returned, and it all began to melt. But a fun-loving alligator had a solution. He slid down the snowless ski jump, shouting “Yahoooo!” all the way they say, and landed in a pool of runoff. Everyone around followed his lead and so transformed the snowy slopes into the ski-themed Blizzard Beach.
- Plummet from the Summit, an 8-second drop down a 12-story, slightly over vertical flume at 50-60 miles per hour. Instead of catching a wave like at Typhoon Lagoon, here Guests catch some air.
- Scale back up Mount Gushmore or enjoy a leisurely ride on the Chair Lift to access the tamer “green slopes” like Slush Gusher, Snow Stormers, and the racetrack Downhill Double Dipper and Taboggan Racers.
- And when you need a break, catch your breath with a relaxing float along Castaway Creek.
Typhoon Lagoon also offers a lazy river (Castaway Creek), and both water parks feature separate water play areas for the Resort’s littlest Guests as well as lounge areas, snack shacks and, of course, gift shops for whatever else you need.
Are the water parks worth your time and money? I’d say absolutely! If the length of your stay allows, I’d suggest adding the Water Park Fun and More Option to your vacation package. For each day of your ticket, you’ll have access to one of the following:
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park
- DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park
- ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- a round of golf at Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
One-day water park admission is approximately $53 per adult. At $55 for the Water Park & More option, you’re getting a whole lot of bang for the buck.
So go on and have a splashin’ good time!
PlanItDisney – A fast and easy way to plan your trip
PlanItDisney map-based planning
PlanItDisney.com, a revolutionary free Disney trip planning website, went live to the public today. PlanItDisney allows users to build an online travel itinerary and budget from over 3000 Points of Interest in and around Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Planning a vacation with PlanItDisney is a four step process:
The Map – An interactive map containing photos, details, descriptions, and reviews for every single attraction, show, hotel, service, food, and transportation location at the Disney resorts is the starting point to building your perfect trip. Browse the map, find things to do and add them to your itinerary queue.
The Planner – Select any point of interest and drag-and-drop it anywhere in your itinerary. Shuffle events around until your trip is just right. Color coding of events gives you a quick overview of what kind of activity is up next. You can add custom itinerary items or attach a note (like ADR information) to any event.
The Budget – Once you’ve got your itinerary looking the way you’d like, with one click PlanItDisney will help create a budget based on your exact trip. Common (but commonly overlooked) budget items like internet charges, parking, and other costs are noted for you.
Book It – Once your plan and budget are in place, PlanItDisney makes it easier than ever to book your Disney vacation online. You can choose to share your itinerary and budget with one of a select group of Authorized Disney Travel Agents who can help finalize all the little details of your trip and make all the hotel, ticket, food, and theme park reservations at absolutely no cost to you. Or you are free to make your own travel arrangements.
Interactive itinerary tool
PlanItDisney is the quickest and easiest way to learn about everything to do at Disney, remove the confusion and hassle of planning and budgeting a trip, and get on with enjoying the most magical vacation of your life!
"Smart" budgeting helps estimate the trip
Related articles
- Ask Us a Disney Question – Can I pay for my vacation with gift cards? (chipandco.com)
- Disney Free Dining 2011 and 2012 (pixievacations.com)
Favorite Disney Websites – Tips from the Disney Diva
Ok, I may be a little biased, but one of my FAVORITE Disney trip-planning websites is Tips from the Disney Diva www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com
The site, which really began taking off in December of 2009, was originally designed to help families in the planning process for their trip to Walt Disney World, but is expanding this year with the addition of multiple “Diva & Devo” writers who specialize in tips on:
- Disneyland trip planning – RunDisney Events – WDW & Dland dining, attractions, and resort reviews – Packing tips – Disney trips with Toddlers in your party – Disney on a budget – Disney trips with TEENS in your party (from a teen’s perspective) – Disney trips WITHOUT kids in your party – Traveling with people who have dietary or physical special needs in your party – Traveling to Disneyland Paris – Disney Cruises – Traveling to Disneyland Hong Kong – Traveling to WDW and Disneyland from outside of the country – Disney Weddings and Honeymoons – Disney Vacation Club – Thrill ride lovers – Specialty Tours – Photography at Disney Parks and more!
Tips from the Disney Diva is EXCLUSIVELY a trip planning site. It does not discuss Disney news, Disney movies or television, ABC Family, or any of the other great stuff that is covered here at Chip and Company, so we’re QUITE compatible with one another. Tips from the Disney Diva’s goal is for you to have the BEST POSSIBLE Disney vacation you could have , so information is sincere, fun to read, easy to understand for people who are planning their FIRST TRIP, and straight talk that will help you plan a trip even a DIVA would love!
If you’re looking for some great HELPFUL tips for planning your next Disney come meet me over at Tips from the Disney Diva (www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com) and look around. You can get just a taste of the site by looking at some of the most frequently read posts and join us on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/tipsfromthedisneydiva and/or TWITTER @WDWDisneyDiva. Bring your friends and make sure you sign up get emails sent to you daily with fresh tips for planning the best Disney vacation EVER!
- Packing the PERFECT Walt Disney World Backpack
- Packing Checklists
- Counter Service Lunch AT Magic Kingdom
- Only got TWO days to do Disney…. check it out
- Breakfast in the Magic Kingdom
- Ride or Walk? Strollers at Walt Disney World
- The 7 Deadly Sins of Disney World Vacationing
- In Case of a WDW Melt-Down: Break G.L.A.S.S.
- Fast Pass Pouches
- “Hoofing it”. Walking around Walt Disney World
Related articles
- Doing Laundry vs Bringing a full suitcase (chipandco.com)
- Disney Diva Tips: Disney World Printable Checklist of Age-Appropriate Rides (chipandco.com)
Top 10 Extreme Rides at Walt Disney World
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
With four theme parks and two water parks, thrill seekers are sure to find their happy place at Walt Disney World. Let’s take a look at 10 of the resort’s top extreme rides.
MAGIC KINGDOM:
Space Mountain—This classic Magic Kingdom coaster is an all-time fan favorite. Climb the 180-foot mountain then blast off into deep, dark space through twists and turns and past shooting stars and black holes. Two separate tracks, the Alpha and the Omega, mirror each other as they hurl rocket ships through the cosmos at 28 miles per hour. *Height requirement: 44 inches*
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad—Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was originally designed to be The Western River Expedition, a boat ride through the American West with hiking trails and pack mules featuring a runaway mine train and housed in a large complex called Thunder Mesa. Though Walt Disney World did receive its own attraction in 1980, Big Thunder Mountain was installed at Disneyland first in 1979. The “wildest ride in the wilderness” reaches speeds of 25-30 mph, matching that of the monorail, as it rumbles past actual gold mining tools on two-and-a-half acres of desert canyons and caverns. *Height reqirement: 40 inches*
ANIMAL KINGDOM:
Expedition Everest—Expedition Everest—Legend of the Forbidden Mountain adds a second “wienie” to Animal Kingdom Park with its 199-foot “snow”-covered mountain. A runaway tea train careens forward and backward around and through this breathtaking Himalayan Mountain peak in effort to escape the mountain’s guardian: the Yeti. The phenomenal Audio-animatronic beast stands more than 18 feet tall and has an arm thrust equivalent to the force of a 747 jumbo jet. *Height requirement: 44 inches*
Dinosaur!—Dinosaur! is housed inside the Dino Institute, a large building toward the rear of DinoLand, USA. Dino Sue, a 40-foot long, 20-foot high exact replica of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever unearthed, stands charge by the entrance. Once you eek past her, proceed through the ride queue, strap into your Time Rover and hang on as you travel back in time to fetch a dinosaur before it and you become extinct. *Height requirement: 40 inches*
Dinosaur!
EPCOT:
Mission Space—Designed in consultation with 25 NASA experts and five astronauts, Mission Space is a flight training simulator that allows passengers to experience space travel without ever leaving Earth. Each team member has a specific role in commandeering the cosmic vessel. Passengers may choose their intensity level: Green for a milder ride and Orange for full throttle. *Height requirement: 44 inches*
Test Track—Ever wonder how a car is tested before it reaches your driveway? Epcot’s Test Track takes six Guests per vehicle through a series of quality tests that cars undergo before being released for sale to the public. Test braking systems, environmental factors and crash through barriers…er, um, maybe stop before you collide. Take a lap around the track outside at 65 mph, the fastest ride at Walt Disney World, before exiting to a showroom floor. *Height requirement: 40 inches*
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS:
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror—According to legend, the once glamorous Hollywood Hotel hosted stars of the silver screen during Hollywood’s Golden Age. But then on Halloween night, 1939, a violent storm struck the building, whisking 5 unfortunate souls “beyond the fifth dimension.” The hotel was left untouched after that disastrous eve. Guests board the “fright elevator,” which goes up, then down, then maybe up again…or down. Random drops depart the 13th floor and are determined by the Tower itself. Now if that doesn’t spook you, I don’t know what will! *Height requirement: 40 inches*
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith—A tour of G-Force Record Studio is cut short when the band Aerosmith takes off for a show. They take Guests with them, though, in a super stretch limo. Each “car” pumps 32,000 watts of onboard audio through a 125 speaker, 24 sub-woofer sound system and accelerates from a zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds with the force of a supersonic F-14. Three inversions offer a unique view of Los Angeles: upside-down! *Height requirement: 48 inches*
TYPHOON LAGOON:
Crush ‘n’ Gusher—The theme parks aren’t the only place to find thrill rides at Walt Disney World Resort. Head on over to Typhoon Lagoon for the white knuckle excitement of Crush ‘n’ Gusher. This water coaster defies gravity as its powerful jets pump water at 1,350 gallons per minute, propelling Guests down and up 420 feet of slide. Hold tight to your inflatable raft as you twist and turn through the chutes at speeds reaching 30 feet per second. *Height requirement: 48 inches*
BLIZZARD BEACH:
Summit Plummet—Take the plunge! The 12-story, high-speed drop from the top of Mount Gushmore, that is. The ride towers 30 feet above its mountain base and is built to resemble a ski jump. Riders do not really fly off the jump, though they do catch some air. The 8-second zoom down the 360-foot flume sends riders slightly over vertical then straight down and through a short tunnel under the jump at 50-60 miles per hour. It’s so exhilarating many “skiers” jump right up, adjust their wedgies and take the chair lift right back to the top. *Height requirement: 48 inches*
Summit Plummet
Whew! Now that ought to get your blood pumping.