18 August 2012

Where in Walt Disney World: Typhoon Lagoon

I am a HUGE Disney buff, and my specialist subject would be Walt Disney World. I've been lucky enough to visit Disneyland in California and the one in Paris, but WDW is by far my favourite and in my opinion the ultimate.

After many years of travelling to the Sunshine state of Florida, and visiting Disney World i thought i'd impart some wisdom, tips and tricks, the best things to do and maybe what not to, just in case any of you are ever thinking of taking the trip or maybe i can intrigue you to do so. So, get ready for a the ultimate guide to Walt Disney World and the surrounding area while i'm away at the same destination.
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Walt Disney World covers 30,080 acres and holds four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site Disney themed resorts and 8 resorts that aren't Disney owned. You can even find a campground, two spas and physical fitness centres, five golf courses and a plethora of other recreational activities and entertainment. Walt Disney developed the resort in the early 1960's but sadly died in 1966 before his original plans were fully recognised and before it's completion in 1971. Disney World opened on October 1st 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom but EPCOT was added in 1982, Hollywood Studios - formerly MGM Studios - in 1989 and Animal Kingdom in 1998.


It's a place where dreams are made. Come with me and explore the ins and outs of the happiest place on earth.
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Typhoon Lagoon is one of Disney World's two water parks, the other being Blizzard Beach which i won't be commenting on as Typhoon Lagoon is my water park of choice. They're are attractions for the whole family; from fast water slides to pint sized raft rides, 6-foot waves and snorkel shark reef. The park, which opened in 1989, is home to the world's largest outdoor wave pool.




The theme of the park is that of the 'Disney Legend' of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear and surf boards strewn everywhere and the park's icon, a shrimp boat named Miss Tilly, is impaled on to the top of Mount Mayday, in the centre of the park. It erupts a 50 foot geyser of water every half an hour in an attempt to dislodge the ship but it is yet to be successful.




Typhoon Lagoon is a great place to go for aquatic thrill-seekers of all ages. In addition to the great water slides and outdoor wave pool, you'll love the lazy river named Castaway Creek that runs around the outside of the park. Grab a rubber ring, or simply talk a walk or gentle swim around the lazy river. You can take a break from the thrill seeking attractions and float until your heart's content. Guests can grab a raft and and flow around the 2,000 foot long, winding river. Relax on a ring and as your gentle journey takes you through cool mists, and grottoes, lush rainforests and invigorating waterfalls. Ride at your leisure or use it as transportation around the park, just remember where 
you got on as there are five places to enter or exit the river.




The park features attractions for all the family - thrill rides, chill rides, family style raft rides, areas for little squirts and plenty of tropical lounging for grownups.


There are nine water slides, three being at the Crush 'n' Gusher. This is a multi-rider, coaster-like slide for big kids, teens and adults. Discover surprise after surprise as gushing jets of water propel your raft through this white knuckle thrill ride. Up to three guests can ride at once, or you can take the plunge yourself. The attraction is themed around an abandoned tropical fruit processing centre and has three fruit themed slides: Banana Blaster, Coconut Crusher and Pineapple Plunger.




Gang Plank Falls is a four person tube ride - hop aboard and whoosh through caverns, down a 300-foot long water slide. Of the three raft rides, of which Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls are the others, Gang Plank Falls is of medium intensity. Enjoy the view on the crazy, curvy way down the mountain.




Shark Reef is a snorkelling adventure, at Typhoon Lagoon. "Enter a captivating underwater world and see some incredible saltwater sea life up-close. Swim freely with leopard and bonnethead sharks, stingrays and schools of colorful tropical fish in this fascinating coral reef environment." If you want to check out the sealife without getting wet, then just take a walk in the sunken tanker, surrounding the pool, where you can easily see everything the snorkelers are seeing from an underwater perspective. All the equipment you'll need is included in the price and is given to you when you get to the attraction.


 


The surf's up all day in the surf pool, so whether you're a body-surfing enthusiast or you just want to bob in the waves - the surf pool offers something for everyone. Relax on the white sand beaches and listen to the waves, paddle in the water near the shore or dive on in to the big waves where they begin, just be sure you don't go to far in if you can't handle it - those waves are big!




At Typhoon Lagoon, one of the lovely things is that there isn't any sit down eateries, however there are plenty of snack shacks selling hot dogs, turkey legs, salads, chips, frozen drinks, ice cream and much more. So you can relax on your lounger and eat like you're at the beach.




A few tips for Typhoon Lagoon; If you want to get a good spot and make sure you get all of your family a lounger, or a shady spot, then get there in good time. The loungers go fast and only some have any shade, however once your things are there and your towels on the spot your space is reserved. Also, don't leave any valuables at the loungers - make sure to rent a locker and put anything you don't want laying around in there, they're located at the front of the park when you come in. The last and probably most important tip would be to buy, if not at Typhoon Lagoon then somewhere else, swimming shoes. They're a type of shoe that can be found all over Typhoon Lagoon and Walt Disney World, with a wet suit type top and thick rubber soles because if you want to go into the Surf Pool you'll need them. I'm not entirely sure why but the pool's bottom is incredibly rough and can easily rip the skin, especially if you want to play in the waves so these will save the soles of your feet - i learnt this the hard way!


K|xo
All Images sourced from Google Images

2 comments:

  1. informative article but you need to check your grammar!

    ReplyDelete
  2. informative article but you need to check your grammar!

    ReplyDelete

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