Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [91]
The Scare Factor
Castaway Creek is a fun relaxing ride appropriate for any age. The water is 3 feet deep throughout the ride, however, so keep a good grip on young kids or those who can’t swim.
Shark Reef
Map Location 4
An unusual attraction, Shark Reef is a saltwater pool where snorkelers swim “among” exotic marine life, including small leopard and hammerhead sharks. The sharks are behind Plexiglas and aren’t too numerous, so anyone expecting the Jaws experience will be disappointed.
The Scare Factor
Shark Reef isn’t scary per se, but young kids sometimes struggle with the equipment and panic when they either flood their masks or suck water through their snorkel. Swimmers need to be able to confidently cross a 60-foot pool twice, a task that might preclude the participation of some young kids who find this too physically demanding even with a floatation vest. If older kids want to suit up, younger siblings can watch from an underwater viewing area that gives you a good view of the marine life and the snorkelers.
Disney provides the snorkeling equipment and a brief orientation on how to use it. Only official Disney equipment is allowed in the pool, so don’t bother packing your own masks. If you want to snorkel, it’s best to visit Shark Reef in the morning. By mid-afternoon, the pool can get crowded.
Ketchakiddee Creek
Map Location 10
This is a water playground designed for toddlers and preschoolers, with geysers and waterspouts in the shapes of crocodiles and whales, as well as pint-size slides, a grotto with a waterfall, and a small white-water raft ride. No kids over 48 inches are allowed inside, which keeps the area safe for the younger kids.
Blizzard Beach
Blizzard Beach may have the cleverest theme of any Disney park. The tropical ambience of Typhoon Lagoon seems natural for a water park, but who could have predicted a melting ski lodge?
Blizzard Beach is built on the tongue-in-cheek premise that a freak snowstorm hit Orlando and a group of enterprising businesspeople built Florida’s first ski resort. The sun returned in due time, and for a while it looked like all was lost—until someone spied an alligator slipping and sliding down one of the slushy slopes. Thus Blizzard Beach was born. The snow may be gone but the jumps, sled runs, and slalom courses remain, resulting in a high-camp, high-thrill ski lodge in the palms. The motif extends into every element of the park: There are Plexiglas snowmen, a chalet-style restaurant, even ski marks running off the side of the mountain. And the original skiing alligator, Ice Gator, is the park mascot.
At the center of Blizzard Beach is “snowcapped” Mt. Gushmore. You can get to the top via ski lift (long line, short ride) or a series of stairs (big climb, short breath), but how you get down is up to you. The bold descend via Summit Plummet or Slush Gusher, but there are medium-intensity flumes, tube rides, and white-water raft rides as well.
Blizzard Beach was built in response to Typhoon Lagoon’s popularity and has since become the busier of the two. There are big crowds in the morning, but showing up early is the only way you can ensure you’ll get in at all. Like Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach is included in Water Park Fun & More; otherwise, admission is $49 for adults and $43 for children 3 to 9, not including sales tax.
List of Maps
4 Chair Lift | 12 Cross-Country Creek | 7 Downhill Double Dipper | 8 Melt Away Bay | 10 Runoff Rapids | 9 Ski Patrol Training Camp | 2 Slush Gusher | 6 Snow Stormers | 1 Summit Plummet | 3 Teamboat Springs | 11 Tike's Peak | 5 Toboggan Racers
Blizzard Beach Attractions
Summit Plummet
Map Location 1
The icon of the park, Summit Plummet is 120 feet tall, making it considerably longer than Humunga Kowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon. From the outside, it looks like Summit Plummet riders are shooting out of the side of the mountain into