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Tag Archives: Blizzard Beach
Top 5 Mountains at Walt Disney World Resort
The tallest mountain range in the sunshine state–well, the only mountain range in Florida–is located smack dab in the middle of the state at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s a rather unique geographic feature, sampling desert outcroppings, snowy peaks, even reaching to the stars.
Today’s Top 5 was an easy list to assemble, seeing as there are only five mountains in the World. Ranking them, however, was a different challenge.
1.) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Built to resemble the rugged redstone of Utah’s Monument Valley, this runaway mine train totes ’49-ers up a 197-foot mountain, then careens down gorges, through caverns, and around hairpin turns at speeds reaching 25-30 mph. No wonder it’s called the wildest ride in the wilderness! My youngest braved Big Thunder last fall. He cried halfway through the first ride, then shouted, “This is awesome!” the rest of the way, and trekked back through the line five more times.
Top 5 Reasons to Choose Blizzard Beach
Just like Disney World’s theme parks, Blizzard Beach, one of the Disney’s waterparks, offers a great theme, storyline, fun for the family, and an experience you will never forget! Blizzard Beach is also a great way to get some relief from that intense Florida heat.
The story behind Blizzard Beach is that a freak snowstorm in central Florida prompted the opening of a ski resort; but when it began to melt, it was turned into a waterpark.
5. Experience-Where else can you and your family spend hours splashing in the Florida sunshine amidst snow drifts to a Christmas soundtrack with a ski lift overhead? Yeah, didn’t think so.
4. Summit Plummet-The centerpiece of Blizzard Beach, this slide is made to resemble a ski jump; and at 12 stories high, it holds the title of the tallest free-fall waterslide in the world. In addition, it sends guests in and out of the dark at 50 to 60 mph, making it also the fastest free-fall slide in the world! Get ready to scream!
3.Thrills-Blizzard Beach is home to a vast variety of slides which are sure to get your adrenaline pumping! So if you are a thrill-seeker, this is the park for you.
2. Theme-The story behind this waterpark is incredibly fun and unique. No other waterpark that we know of can boast a theme quite like Blizzard Beach; and Imagineers cleverly carried the melting ski resort theme throughout the park in their attractions, architecture, and those little details. Keep an eye out for icicles, snowmen, and even a snowplow!
1. Variety-Blizzard Beach boasts many slides and pools, including a special area for toddlers and another for young children. Due to the vast variety of water fun available at this park, there really is something for every age and taste making it great for families!
Will you choose Blizzard Beach on your next Disney World vacation? Share with us!
Related Article:
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- Quizzes: Which WDW Water Park Do You Choose? (aglassslippervacation.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!
Some of our Favorite Hot Dogs at Walt Disney World Resort
This year, the trend is designer hot dogs. Don’t believe me check out Sonic and all their delicious dogs! This trend is way beyond the old-fashioned frankfurter with a splash of mustard and ketchup.
Here are some of our favorite finds at Walt Disney World. Have you tried any of these meals in a bun?
At Fairfax Fare at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, check out the dog topped with mac ‘n cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil. Or the one with barbecued pork and slaw (a version is also served at Downtown Disney Marketplace). Maybe you’ll order the burrito dog with lettuce, tomato, cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream.
In Magic Kingdom Park, Casey’s Corner on Main Street, U.S.A., serves the classic Chicago-style dog topped with tomato slices, dill pickle, relish and banana peppers. The popular eatery has its version of the ‘cue dog with pulled pork, slaw and barbecue sauce. And we still love their chili dog with a flourish of cheddar.
Over in Tomorrowland at the Lunching Pad, order a Philly cheese steak hot dog topped with beef, onions, peppers and cheese sauce. Or the taco dog with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, salsa and sour cream. (A similar version is over at Downtown Disney Marketplace snack locations.) Nearby, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe brings us a deluxe chili-cheese with crispy onion straws on top.
You can splash ‘n burn (calories) after downing the tropic dog at Blizzard Beach, with spicy banana peppers, tomatoes and onions, or the pretzel dog stuffed inside a chewy pretzel bun.
ESPN Club does the Italian hot dog with fried potatoes, sautéed onions, peppers and mustard, along with the classic chili dog.
YUM!
Source Disney Parks Blog
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Blizzard Beach- A Family Friendly Water Park!
If you are considering going to Blizzard Beach at Walt Disney World but are wondering how family friendly it really is, let me tell you that out of all the water parks I have frequented this is by far the most family oriented I have found! Disney does a great job of remembering kids of all ages (even big ones like me) at Blizzard Beach. They have created a really fun park where families of all sizes can make ever lasting memories!
First off, let me say that safety is Disney’s main goal at the water parks. In fact, they offer FREE life jackets to everyone in the park who needs one! Only you know your child’s swimming ability, if you think they should have a life jacket there is absolutely no reason not to get one!
Tike’s Peak is a really fun kids area at Blizzard Beach. It is geared more toward preschool age children and there is a height limit of 48 inches. But of course, you may accompany your child anywhere you please! In this area, there are many fun play areas to choose from. There is a tube slide, a body slide, racer slides, a wadding area and some really fun fountains all scaled down to the kids size! There is plenty of seating in this area and even some picnic tables. We try to get to Blizzard Beach early to get seats in this area. It is kind of tucked away and rarely crowded!
If you have older kids they can make a splash over at the Ski Patrol Training Camp. This area is specially designed for big kids and preteens! This area features several attractions very close together, so the kids can float from one ride to another with you still being able to have a watchful eye on them! The funnest attraction in this area are the giant floating icebergs in the main pool! Nets are suspended above so you can hop from one iceberg to the next! There is even a zip line, where kids 60″ or shorter can speed down into the water! There are also several slides in this area that are still tamed down for children who may be too intimated by the bigger attractions.
Looking for a few things to do together as a family? Blizzard Beach offers several options that the whole family can participate in together! My favorite ride at Blizzard Beach is the family raft ride, Teamboat Springs! It is actually one of the longest raft rides in the county. Teamboat Springs holds up to 6 people making it big enough for the whole family (or close to it)! But be warned, it is fast and water can get into the little one’s faces. So make sure Mom or Dad is sitting next to the smaller kids for a quick wipe of the face if need be! Are you a competitive family? Then “race” over to the Toboggan Racers where kids and adults of any age can take a turn racing on the slopes!
Blizzard Beach is so family oriented that they even make a treat for the whole family to share, The Garbage Pail! This chilly treat includes chocolate and vanilla ice cream, waffle and cookie pieces, chocolate and strawberry sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry served up in an actual pail! This treat was definitely made to share!
All of this and so much more really does make for some great family memories at Walt Disney World. If you are considering trying out Blizzard Beach, I say go for it! It is really fun to experience Walt Disney World in a whole new way, and this water park is just the way to do it – family style!
