Blizzard Beach advice

[Mrs. Pirate]

Looking for some advice on Blizzard Beach. I have never been to a water park. Going in March with DD6 and DD11. What do we need to bring? I looked in the Polar Patio and Umbrella Lodge. They wanted $300 for the Polar Patio and $50 for the Umbrella Lodge. Can't afford the Patio and was interested in the Lodge but the lady on the phone told me the Lodge only comes with 2 chairs, not 4 like the website says. Also, can we wear beach / water shoes on everything to protect our feet? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[BrianL]

I would bring towels and a change of clothes (you can bring the resort towels). Rent a locker and stash your stuff in it. There is really no need to rent the prime space unless you really want to lounge. The free chairs in the shade will be taken up early after opening, so if you get there first thing you might snag one, but if you're going to ride the slides you may not be able to keep it (usually people will not mess with your stuff, i.e. a towel, but you never know). Also, keep your sunscreen with you as you don't want to run back to the locker to re-apply (they are not convenient).

Anyway, I do recommend water shoes to keep your feet safe on the hot pavement, however you may have to take them off on certain slides. You can just hold them, but you can't wear them on your feet because they can cause friction with the slide. Be aware too that they will not allow any swimwear with metallic pieces, like snaps or buckles, on slides since they can scratch the fiberglass. If you have glasses/sunglasses, these are usually fine though you may have to hold them as well on certain slides (Summit Plummet is one).

Like the theme parks, it is best to get there before opening. The lines are very short for the first hour or so, and you can get a lot of the different slides done. Once it gets busy, you can hang out in the lazy river or wave pool, where waiting isn't an issue.

Have fun!

 

[Alesia]

I wouldn't bother to rent chairs - I you get there in the morning, you won't have trouble finding chairs in the shade.

You can wear water shoes if you want. I think they're incredibly uncomfortable once they're filled with sand, though.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

DS9 and I have been to Blizzard Beach several times and we've never rented chairs or a patio. In fact, we never sit down unless we are eating lunch!! We always bring some towels from the resort and a change of clothes. We rent a locker (a small one works for us), put everything inside and go on our way to enjoy the park. If we need any of our stuff, we just go back to the locker which is conveniently located by the main rest room area and Lottawatta Lodge. Unless you are planning on sitting down and camping out for part of the day, I don't think renting a dedicated area is needed.

 

[MartDM]

With kids that age, unless you are visiting during a peak week, I wouldn't bother renting a permanent space as they will want to keep moving around to experience all the park has to offer. The only place we've ever hung out for any period of time is the wave pool, and we've never had trouble finding a chair to toss our towels on. And, we've also never had trouble finding a place to sit for a bit when we wanted to take a breather for a few minutes while making our way through the park.

We've also found that water shoes aren't necessary...the paths are usually saturated with water and are not too hot to walk on whereas they can be one more thing to keep track of when you have to take them off for the attractions, which is a pain. As the previous poster said, just rent a locker and carry as little as possible with you in the park.

 

[peanutmomma]

We rented the chairs during our July trip - it included 2 chaise loungers and 2 beach chairs.

We liked the location because it was right next to an entrance to the lazy river, which the boy would gladly do float laps in all day given the chance. The umbrella was really handy during the afternoon rainstorm as well.

Have a great trip!

 

[Mainemama]

We went for the first time on 12/28 and it was a hot day, and we did see the chairs and loungers fill up by noon (opened at 10:00.) we arrived at 10:30 and easily found chairs and a lounge, though they were in sun. We left our stroller and things by the chairs, and they were fine. We only returned to chairs to reapply sunscreen and 3/5 ate their lunch there, 2/5 ate at a table at Lottawatta Lodge. We were enjoying the park the rest of the time. The park itself is much smaller than a theme park, so it is easy to get back wherever you leave things. We paid to rent towels, as I did not want to carry 5 towels on the bus, but if driving, bringing your own makes sense. I found the food options limited and kind of gross, so a cooler with preferred snacks or lunch might be nice, too. Next time we go, I think we might just do a big breakfast, eat ice cream there, and head to an early dinner when we leave. We did not wear our water shoes, just walked barefoot, but I was happy to have them, as your feet get wet just walking in and out of the park. We loved it and can't wait to return!

 

[BigredNole]

I found the food options limited and kind of gross, so a cooler with preferred snacks or lunch might be nice, too.

You can bring a small cooler into the water park?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You can bring a small cooler into the water park?

Yes, we brought a soft side cooler & kept it in a locker along with our clothes & towels. We do the same for the main parks (minus the towels & change of clothing).

 

[MidgeD79]

You can bring a large cooler. Ours has 4 wheels and a long handle.

 

[Mrs. Pirate]

Thank you for all the great advice! We will be taking the bus from POP. How much to rent towels?

 

[MartDM]

As I recall, it's a buck or two.

 

[Mainemama]

Thank you for all the great advice! We will be taking the bus from POP. How much to rent towels?

$2 a towel.

 

[AA.Appeldoorn]

Any advice for a Blizzard Beach / Typhoon Lagoon trip in late April or early May? I have been unable to find info about the anticipated crowds. Many thanks in advance!

 

[aretha30]

We went to the water parks in August and never rented a locker or towels. We got there early found a few chairs put our bag on them and went off. We didn't bring anything valuable with us either that we left with the bag. We had one of those water proof pouches for our phone (we only brought one) and in that case we put extra money and the key to our car. We took turns carrying it and had a plan for when and where to meet up for the day when we split up with the kids.

 

[Klayfish]

Any advice for a Blizzard Beach / Typhoon Lagoon trip in late April or early May? I have been unable to find info about the anticipated crowds. Many thanks in advance!

The water parks never get crowded, when compared to the regular parks. Yes, there are plenty of people there, but it's never a mob scene. We're huge fans of the water parks and go frequently, I can't ever recall it being crowded to the point where we wanted to leave. The bigger slides will get long lines, but there's still plenty of other things to do.

 

[HeatherC]

Also thinking of Blizzard Beach next month if it's warm enough. Would be just my DD 16 and myself. But...I'm a chicken...is there enough to keep both of us happy?

Thanks!!

 

[brockash]

Looking for some advice on Blizzard Beach. I have never been to a water park. Going in March with DD6 and DD11. What do we need to bring? I looked in the Polar Patio and Umbrella Lodge. They wanted $300 for the Polar Patio and $50 for the Umbrella Lodge. Can't afford the Patio and was interested in the Lodge but the lady on the phone told me the Lodge only comes with 2 chairs, not 4 like the website says. Also, can we wear beach / water shoes on everything to protect our feet? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

It does come with 4 -2 larger and 2 smaller. However when in March are you going? If it's not during a super busy time, you shouldn't have any problem finding a decent place for home base. Definitely bring towels from the resort. You can wear water shoes, but will need to take them off and hold them on most rides.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Also thinking of Blizzard Beach next month if it's warm enough. Would be just my DD 16 and myself. But...I'm a chicken...is there enough to keep both of us happy?

Thanks!!

I have been to both parks and I really prefer TL, especially for relaxing. The lazy river is better than at BB and the vibe is more "beachy". I think if you're not into the thrill rides, TL would be a better bet for you and your daughter. But, both parks are lovely and fun. I hope you enjoy yourself!
P.S- I'm not a fan of waterparks in general, but I really love TL.

 

[Hannah S.]

We're planning a day at BB in July and I'm a little nervous - not typically a water park person, but the husband and daughter will LOVE it! Am I correct in what I've read that we can just grab a few towels from our resort (POP) and take them with us instead of renting some there? I'll make sure we wear water shoes and no metal parts on suits! I like the idea of returning to the lockers for a little break - reapply sunscreen, wander the park some. Maybe it'll be good!