Conference koolit::disney

    Following is all the annual report had to say about a new water park, 
    but it sounds like it is probably the same thing: 
    
    "Because of the tremendous success of Typhoon Lagoon and River Country, 
     design work has begun on a third water park, Blizzard Beach."
    
    Of course, it may have progressed to the ground breaking stage by
    now. 
    
    I am changing the name of the note to reflect the name of the new 
    ride/park.
    
    Linda

    Let me be the first to say...
    
    Cool.
    
    - Skip

    I posted a question to the Internet, asking for some details about
    Blizzard Beach.  Here's what I got back:
    
"The last I heard, it is supposed to open in '95.  The theme is that it is
the result of the only blizzard to have ever hit central Florida.  The water
in the park is a result of the "runoff" as the snow on the mountain melts, and
there is supposed to be white sand so that it will look like snow.  There
will not be a wave pool like at Typhoon Lagoon and I don't know what there will
be as far as pools go.  I do know that there will be one VERY long slide that
will come down off the mountain.  It will be a lot higher and longer than
Humunga Cowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon, but not as steep.  The top will look as if
it is part of a ski jump that goes over a small chalet on the side of the 
mountain and the slide will continue under the chalet and emerge on the other
side.  For those who have been to Typhoon Lagoon and can remember the boat
(Miss Tillie) on the mountain, the height of the Blizzard Beach slide exceeds
the height from the base of Cowabunga to the peak of the tallest mast on Miss
Tillie.  I don't remember the exact height as far as the numbers go, but that
is a very tall slide.  That is all that I can remember about the new park, I 
haven't heard much about it since last summer when I worked at Typhoon."
    
    - from Wayne Allen Woodworth, Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA

    That's pretty tall. If anyone has walked on that suspended bridge
    behind the Wave Pool Wall you really get a feel for how high up you
    are.
    
    Hopefully the slide will have enough dips and turns to make it last
    long enough to make the wait worthwhile.
    
    Mike

Just picked up a copy of a new travel guide, Fodor's Walt Disney World for 
Adults, and it has the first map that I've seen to show the location of 
Blizzard Beach, the future third water park. It's next to the All-Stars
Resorts, on the same side of World Drive, towards the Magic Kingdom, before 
Buena Vista Drive goes off to the right. 


Drawing not to scale:
                                     TTC
                                       |
                                     W |  
                                     o |
                                     r |
                                     l | Buena Vista Drive 
                                     d  -------------------------------
                                       |                    
                                     D |        MGM        
                      Blizzard       r |      Studios                          /
                       Beach         i |                                    /
                                     v |                                 /
                                     e |                              /
                   All Star Village    |                    I 4    /
                                       |                        /
-------------------------------------------------------------/---------
                 I 192                                    /
                                                       /
                                                    /  
                                                 /
    
    
    
Linda

    Linda,
    
    The E&E centerfold map I referred to elsewhere (in the Wilderness Lodge
    note, I think) shows BB as you noted but also shows a new road, called
    Osceola Parkway, running between BB and the All-Star Sports Resort. 
    The map shows a new road extending from the existing Buena Vista Dr.
    around the west side of BB and then connecting with Osceola.  These new
    roads appear to supply needed additional access to the new areas plus
    access to areas which would appear to be logical sites for future, yet
    to be announced expansions.  This map also shows the castmember and
    support facilities scattered throughout the World.
    
    Bob

From the Disney Annual Report for 1993:

A "northern" cousin to Typhoon Lagoon and River Country, Blizzard Beach opens
in early 1995 at Walt Disney World. It will be Disney's largest themed water 
park, with 19 water slides and "icy" bobsled runs that stay comfortably warm
and thrillingly fast. Built into the side of a "snowcapped" mountain are 
thrills such as Summit Plummet, the world's longest speed slide with a 120-foot
free-fall plunge, and Teamboat Springs' bobsled run, where four-person tube
sleds twist down a 1,200-foot water run. The park will feature special areas 
for teenagers and young children and a one-acre wave pool. 



Linda             

Here's some details on what's in Blizzard Beach, opening just weeks from
now if on schedule...

"Enjoy 19 water slides and 'icy' bobsled runs that stay warm and thrillingly
fast at Blizzard Beach."

1-day Admission:	Adult 22.79	Child 3-9 $17.49
Admission to be included on World Hopper 5 day and length of stay passes.

Features

1. Chair Lift - wooden-bench chair lifts that carry guests over Mt. Gushmore

2. Mt. Gushmore; experience Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher which are
exciting water slides

3. Teamboat Springs - a white-water rtaft ride; Toboggan Racer - an 8-lane 
water slide; Snow Stormers - three flumes through a switchback ski-type
slalom; Runoff Rapids - an inner tube run

4, Melt-Away Bay - a 1-acre pool constantly fed by "melting snow" waterfalls

5. Cross Country Creek - a lazy creek curcling the entire park, carrying
floating guets through a bone-chilling ice cave (Cool! -ed. comment)

6. Blizzard Beach Ski Patrol Training Camp - consists of bungee cord slides,
a rope swing, a T-bar drop, culvert slides and a challenging ice-flow walk
along slipperly, floating icebergs (designed for pre-teens)

7. Avalunch and the Warming Hut - Snack bars

8. Lottawatta Lodge - A North American Ski Lodge with Caribbean accents (!)
affords diners a view of Mt. Gushmore and Melt-Away Beach

9. Beach Haus - souvenirs, etc.

Note: Food may be brought into Blizzard Beach.

Bill A.

Article 86955 of rec.arts.disney:
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From: [email protected] (Holger Kruse)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Re: Blizzard Beach
Date: 11 Apr 1995 17:11:38 -0400
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References: <[email protected]>
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[email protected] (Alan Cartledge) writes:

>I was just wondering who is going to be the first person to give us a 
>report on Blizzard Beach.

>Now there's a challenge! ;-)

Not a full report (I don't have time for that :-)), but some first
impressions about Blizzard Beach, WDW's new water park:

I was at Blizzard Beach (and Typhoon Lagoon) on Sunday, April 9.
WDW sells "Water Park Hopper" passes for $22.50 plus tax per adult
that include unlimited admission (and hopping) to all three water
parks and Discovery Island for one day - not a bad deal IMHO
considering the relatively high admission prices for single water
parks. The crowds were not too bad and the weather was beautiful
that day.

About Blizzard Beach:

I assume you are already familar with Typhoon Lagoon. The
whole concept of Blizzard Beach is quite similar: There is a
large wave pool in the center, a beach in front of it, a hill
behind it, several slides and other rides starting on top
of the hill, and separate kiddie areas.

IMHO there are really three differences between Typhoon Lagoon
and Blizzard Beach:

- Theming: Typhoon Lagoon has that "a-great-storm-created-a-
  tropical-swimming-paradise" theme. Everything looks rather
  tropical and some boats got dumped :) all over the park.
  Blizzard Beach is set in a melted ski resort :) with all
  of the ski slopes converted to water rides. The identifying
  symbol of TL is a ship that got trapped on top of the mountain.
  BB has a large ski jump platform on top of the mountain.

- Overall impression: I must say that in this respect I am
  a bit disappointed in Blizzard Beach. The snowy mountain
  is done nicely, but everything else looks somewhat boring.
  They used a lot of concrete and steel for the walkways and
  waiting areas and there seems to be a lot less vegetation
  than in Typhoon Lagoon. Typhoon Lagoon is wonderfully twisted
  with wooden walkways, ropes as handrails, a lot of vegetation etc.
  Blizzard Beach is more "open", easier to overview, and rides do
  not look as well integrated into the scenery as in Typhoon
  Lagoon. Everything looks a bit more sterile. I hope this will
  change after some time though...

- Rides: Some of the rides in BB are more or less identical to
  ones in Typhoon Lagoon, e.g. Cross Country Creek vs. Castaway
  Creek, a slow "continuous-flowing-river" type of ride.
  Overall I prefer most of the Blizzard Beach rides over
  similar Typhoon Lagoon rides though. More below...

Rides:

- As mentioned above: Cross Country Creek (BB) is very similar
  to Castaway Creek (TL).

- Each park has one family raft ride: Gang Plank Falls (TL),
  Teamboat Springs (BB). I have not been on either one.

- Raft rides: TL has Keelhaul Falls (medium speed) and
  Mayday Falls (fast). BB has Runoff Rapids, which are actually
  three separate rides, one of which is completely (!) enclosed.
  Going down this ride is somewhat scary :-) and quite unique,
  because you really can't see *anything* inside and are quite
  surprised by each twist and turn. All of these rides are at
  medium speed. Anyway, I personally think Mayday Falls at TL
  is more fun to ride (faster !) than Runoff Rapids at BB.
  A nice idea at Runoff Rapids is that you can ride in groups
  of two or three persons - more fun :-).

- Ordinary body slides: TL has Storm Slides, three similar
  twisted body slides at medium speed, very well integrated into
  the scenery. You ride lying on your back. BB has Snow Stormers,
  three twisted slides at medium speed and Toboggan Racers,
  eight (or six - not sure...) parallel slides. You ride each of
  them lying head-first on a rubber mat. Personally I found
  Toboggan Racers somewhat boring (too predictable and slow),
  but Storm Slides and Snow Stormers about equally good.

- High speed body slides: You ride each of them lying on your
  back with your ankles and arms crossed - for maximum speed :).
  TL has Humunga Kowabunga, two relatively fast parallel slides -
  not bad :-). BB has Slush Gusher, a single slide with two
  "bumps" (slowing you down) on the ride. In spite of the bumps
  you get quite fast. And then there is Summit Plummet (BB)...
  This ride is *amazing* and IMHO easily the most scary ride in
  all of WDW. You climb up all the way to the top of the mountain
  and then up the ski jump platform. From there you have a wonderful
  view over all of BB (and to each of the other WDW parks, too).
  The ride goes down from here VERY steeply all the way to the
  bottom (height difference: 120 feet !) without slowing you down
  along the way. You can get VERY, VERY fast on this ride (WDW claims:
  up to 60 mph). Just looking down from the top can be terrifying,
  and I saw several guests "freak out" and climb back down after
  looking down from the top. The actual ride experience is great
  of course :).

That's about it. BB also has a Chair Lift to take you to the top
of the mountain and two kiddie areas. TL has one kiddie area and
a Shark Reef where you can snorkel in a tank of sharks. I don't
have any first-hand-experience on any of this. I have not spend
much time in either of the wave pools either, but I think the one at
TL is larger. It also alternates between tidal (large) waves and
ordinary waves. I believe the one at BB does not have tidal
waves (not sure though...).

My recommendation: If you like fast and interesting rides check
out Blizzard Beach. If you prefer nice scenery and surroundings
go to Typhoon Lagoon -- or better: Get a "Water Park Hopper" pass
and visit both parks :-). Have a great time !

-- 
Holger Kruse     [email protected]

Article 87544 of rec.arts.disney:
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From: [email protected] (25312-lazaro)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Blizzard Beach Review - long, minimal spoilers.
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 12:41:22 GMT+7:00
Organization: Bell Communications Research
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OK, I've been back to reality for a few days, time to post
some reports.

I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum level, about what 
you'd find in a guide book.

All of the following is IMHO, and I'll state that I'm an avid 
skier and a water park enthusiast, so my hopes were high for
Blizzard Beach.

We arrived at Blizzard Beach on April 4th at 9:40 for the 10 p.m. 
opening.  Unlike Typhoon Lagoon, they allow guests past the
turnstiles and into the front of the park before opening time.  In 
this area there is a gift shop, food counter, changing rooms, and 
towel and locker rentals.  They rope off the bridges over the lazy 
river which lead to the rest of the park where the lounge chairs 
and rides are.  It's analogous to Main St. in the MK being open 
while the hub is roped off.  At ten seconds to opening, there is a 
countdown, and as the rope drops, so does a castmember, 120ft. 
down Summit Plummet with a howl!

Overview
The layout of the park is similar to Typhoon Lagoon in that there 
are a lot of footpaths zigzagging around the base of the mountain, 
leading to all the attractions.  Although there is a "ski lift" that 
takes riders to the top of Mt. Gushmore, it is REALLY slow, 
slower than the slowest beginner chair I've ever seen at a ski resort.
This is probably so no one will have trouble walking off their 
chair once they reach the top, as opposed to skiing off.  Still, I've 
seen high speed chairs at ski resorts that detach from the cable 
and move very slowly when loading or unloading but zip you 
right up the mountain.  My guess is that BB's chair lift was less 
expensive to build without detachable chairs.  To add insult to 
the slow moving chair lift, the castmembers were loading these 
triple chairs with two or even one person at a time.  At real ski 
resorts, when it's crowded, EVERY chair gets three people, as 
single and double skiers have their own lines and get grouped 
together at loading.  Maybe it's the sitting next to a stranger that 
Disney doesn't want to subject its guests to?  Once the chair lift 
takes you to the top, your greeted with your choice of three more 
long lines: Teamboat Springs, Summit Plummet, and Slush Gusher.
Luckily, you can bypass the chairlift altogether and save 30 min.
each time you want to go on one of these slides by hoofing it up
the mountain via the staircase.  You'll have plenty of time to catch 
your breath at the top.

There's a lot of hoofing it at Blizzard Beach.  The staircase to Runoff 
Rapids is clear around the back of the mountain.  Just walking over to 
it barefoot on the hot concrete is a chore.  And for some rides like 
Toboggan racers, even though you may be near the stairs to this ride,
you have to first go to the ride exit, wait on line for a rubber mat, then 
go back around to the stairs and up.


Theming
I love the winter and ski resorts, and I love the summer and swimming. 
Each one brings a sense of relaxation.  But I didn't really care for the 
atmosphere at BB, much to my own surprise.  At first approach from 
the parking lot, the place looks so neat, like another Disney dreamland.
Like seeing the new Tomorrowland at night  Once inside the park, 
however, the magic started to fade.  The white "snow" reflects the 
Florida sun mercilessly into the eyes.  Hot concrete abounds, and no logic
seems to be used in planning the walkways.  All day long people were 
cutting their own swaths through the shrubbery.  The lounge chairs were
all jammed together like on the deck of a cruise ship.  It made going to 
and fro like exiting a row of seats at the Hall of Presidents.

I did like the music they played though speakers hidden everywhere.  And 
I was glad to see the usual amazing Disney attention to detail was there in
every hand-hewn pine beam and rusty sled.  The Imagineers did their 
homework in mimicking the details of a ski resort, and even shape of the 
park map will ring a bell with skiers, but the overall effect as a water park
just didn't come off well.  I agree with an earlier poster that a lot more 
vegetation needs to fill to help the place look less open.

Lines
Here's another departure from what we've come expect from Disney.  The 
free-form open air pace of a ski slope gives way to the single file, one at a 
time please nature of water slides.  I was hoping for better from Disney 
than what you must endure at all other water parks.  Also, the steps up the 
mountain are just...concrete steps.  If you've been up the side of Mt. Mayday
at Typhoon Lagoon, then you know what shaded, well-themed steps are.
A major blunder they made at BB is the line for the three slides around back, 
called Runoff Rapids.  Two of the slides give mild rides in the open, the third 
gives a wild ride in the dark.  But all three have one common queue, and hardly 
anyone wanted to go on the milder two slides.  So here's two empty slides and 
a really long queue for the wild slide.  Even worse is that anyone who wanted 
to go on the milder slides that had no one waiting to use them STILL had to 
wait on the common queue to get to the top.  Memo to Disney: change one 
of the two mild slides to a wild one, and create two separate lines.

There are no signs indicating "wait to this point is xx minutes".  But 
for Slush Gusher and Summit Plummet, I timed the rider interval at 
exactly 30 seconds, so if there are 30 people waiting to ride, the wait
is 15 minutes (duh).  Bring your waterproof camera while waiting 
on line at the top of Summit Plummet.  The view is great.  I could 
see all the usual landmarks, and even most of Future World in 
Epcot.  The line at Summit Plummet moves so slowly that they
closed the line a half hour before the park closed.  Actually, 
they closed the ski lift and the stairs leading up to the top.

Food
Least expensive of any of the Disney parks, it seems.  Maybe they
know they are competing with coolers and home-made sandwiches 
(no bottles or booze, please).

Rides

First of all, all the water was freezing!  Talk about theming!  TL's water 
was 80 deg, but I don't think BB heats any of the water.  Hope this 
changes.  yow!

The rides are the area this park excels at!  After baking on a hot line,
the rides here convinced me to get right back on the hot line again.
Summit Plummet is not for the queasy.  This slide makes the drop at
the Tower of Terror feel like a speed bump from the back seat of 
an '84 caddy with bad springs.  Much like the Tower of Terror, it's 
the anticipation that's the worst.  If your borderline chicken, ride 
this first thing in the morning when there's little line.  Watching 
people scream down it all day, and waiting for a long time on 
line from such a high perch really works away at the courage.
My only complaint here is what I call the "friction trough" at 
the bottom.  Instead of gracefully dumping riders into a pool at 
the bottom, riders come to an abrupt halt in 6 inches of water 
as the ride flattens out.  I found that if I put my weight on my 
heels and shoulders the force of the water pounding at my back 
could be minimized.
Slush Gusher isn't as intimidating but there's a surprise that 
makes this a lot of fun.
Teamboat Springs was a blast.  It's nice and fast with lot 
of turns.
Toboggan racer was fun.  The rule is the heavier you are,
the faster and further you go.
The lazy river had some neat surprises along the way.  It seemed 
that the water moved along much more quickly than at Typhoon 
Lagoon.  The vegetation needs to fill in a bit.
The kids in the kiddie areas seemed to be having a lot of fun.  
The wave pool is meager compared to TL's.  Some lounge chairs 
are positioned right *next to * the wave making machinery which 
is really noisy.  Bad show!


Tips
OK, here's the first stab at the Unthawed Guide to Blizzard Beach:
Every Disney resort now has a bus to BB.  I found that driving 
my rental car to BB was MUCH quicker than the bus from the 
Caribbean Beach.  Scooting over to TL from BB is much faster 
in a car, too.  Parking is free and fast - the lot is set up like 
D-MGM's, with those long parking spaces for two cars and 
every row exits in the same direction(as opposed to Typhoon 
Lagoons shopping-mall type parking lot).  

By arriving a half hour before the rope drop, there's time for locker 
and towel rentals, studying the map,  last minute purchases of 
newspapers or suntan lotion, changing, etc.  And time to position 
for the big dash - lounge chairs!
The area around the wave pool seems to be THE destination, but 
since it's so much smaller that TL's , it's more of a critical dash, 
it seems.  There are lots of other areas with chairs, but they're 
mostly in cemented over areas.
The lines build to intolerable about an hour after opening, so save 
the lazy river and wave pool for later in the day.
A trick I used: went to BB for a second day, got there at opening, 
did the major slides in rapid succession, then drove over for a 
leisurely day at the less crowded (and more relaxing, IMHO) Typhoon 
Lagoon.

Summary
I liked the thrill of the rides at BB, but I think there's room for 
improvement in traffic flow and theming.  To me, the slides alone 
don't put this park ahead of Typhoon Lagoon, which remains my 
favorite for spending a day in a relaxing and more natural setting.  
I overheard one 10 year old boy at Typhoon Lagoon say, as he 
was making a dash for the tidal pool: "Boy this place is so much 
more fun than Blizzard Beach."  Many others echoed this sentiment
that day.

Matt

Just getting over my sun-burn from last Friday at Blizzard Beach.  In my case
I'd rename the place to Slide-and-Fry.  In general we liked the place, maybe not
as much as TL as has been said.  We thought they were just too similar.  It is
like comparing DisneyLand with DisneyWorld MK.

There seems to be enough vegetation but it just needs some time to grow in. 
They've used pine needles to try and keep people on the walkways, ouch!

Here are some pointers I haven't seen mentioned.

1. On the Snow Stormers slide you need to keep your elbows in or else get them
all scuffed up.

2. On both Snow Stormers and Toboggan Racers try and keep the front of the mat
up so that the water runs under.  If you put to much pressure up front you don't
go as fast or, on Toboggan Racers, as far.  Note: They told me not to do this on
Toboggan Racers because they didn't like me going all the way to the end ;-).

3. Teamboat Springs was fun for a group and they do require a group of 3-5
people per raft.

4. Avoid the snack bars at lunch time.  They don't have a system down and it
takes a loong time to get anything.  Meanwile you freeze because the air
conditioning for the Cast Members is blowing on you while you're wet; and it was
in the 90's (only time I was cold all week).

5. The Chair Lift is just a waste.

6. Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher lines are just too long and slow.  Can also
say the same for Runoff Rapids. Never got on these.

7. Cross Country Creek goes in the opposite direction to TL, counter-clockwise. 
I did not notice it was any faster than TL's; thought maybe it was slower. 
Generally I think there are just to many rafts in the water, like apple dunking.

8. The wave pool is a joke next to TL's.

< 3. Teamboat Springs was fun for a group and they do require a group of 3-5
< people per raft.

What is the minimum age (or height requirement) for this?

     Carol

    Carol,
    
    I don't know about Blizzard Beach but there was no age or height
    requirement for the family raft ride at Typhoon Lagoon when we
    went.  Andrew was two at the time.  If anything, they may require
    the younger kids to wear life jackets.  We had borrowed (with a
    deposit) two of theirs so we didn't get to test this.
    
    Ruth

<    If anything, they may require the younger kids to wear life jackets.  
<    We had borrowed (with a deposit) two of theirs 

How are deposits done at the water parks?  Credit card?  Cash only?
Is it a lot of money ($20) or more like $5 or less?

     Carol

    Carol,
    
    I can't remember how much the deposit is but it's in your "a lot of
    money" range.  I think you can use cash, checks or a credit card.  We
    used a credit card.  They wrote up the slip, took an imprint of the
    card and had us sign it but didn't really complete the transaction.
    They tore up the slip or had us tear it up when we returned the jackets
    at the end of the day.  The nice thing about this method is the charge
    never shows up on your monthly statement.
    
    Ruth

RE: -12

I can't really answer your question with confidence since my kids are 8 and 9
years old and I didn't pay enough attention to see if there were restrictions
outside their age.  However, I didn't notice any age or height restrictions. 
Life Jackets weren't needed in our case either.

Costs; a towel was $1; a small locker $5 with $2 back when you returned the key;
it was $8 for a large locker but I don't recall the return amount.  My guess is
the life jackets were somewhere around $10.

    I second these comments.  I wore a *lot* of sunscreen and I don't burn. 
    Some people were frying last week.  TL has a lot more shade.  
    
    The deposits are a lot more than you mentioned I can not remember the
    exact amount but it is something like $40.00 for the life vests.  I
    would use a credit card.
    
    -Jay
    

Is renting a life jacket $10 per kid for each day we use them?  If so,
it sounds like we should borrow some or buy our own!

      Carol, with 2 kids and a few days of water parks...(I could go broke
                                                              quickly!)

    I believe it is a requirement that you use their life jackets for
    liability reasons. This may not be enforced in the lagoon, but it may
    be enforced if you wanted the kids to be able to go on the tube rides.
    I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a sign at Typhoon Lagoon about using
    only WDW life jackets.
    
    When we were at Typhoon Lagoon last week, I think I paid $16 for a
    locker rental and a life jacket. They did not require me to leave a
    deposit on the life jacket, however. The attendant just said, "PROMISE
    me you'll bring this back here at the end of the day, and I won't make
    you leave a deposit on the life jacket." I got a couple of dollars back
    when I returned the locker key I think.
    

    Last year we rented a life jacket for my son for the Fort Wilderness
    pools.  The only life jackets that they allowed in the pool were ones
    from Disney (for liability reasons as stated previously).  We had to
    pay a $25 deposit but it was returned when we returned the jacket
    (which we kept for our entire stay).  We also had to show a Walt Disney 
    Resort Id.  I don't know if it works the same at the Water Parks or not.

    We went to Typhoon on Friday and they just handed me the life-jacket
    and said to return it when finished.
    
    Julie
    

    I think all the Disney water recreation areas require you to use
    their life jackets.
    
    I never had to pay a deposit at Fort Wilderness, we just asked the
    life guard if we could take one.  I don't remember having to show a
    resort id there either.
    
    We visited with Bill and his wife at the Yacht and Beach Club.  He
    had to show his resort id and they wrote down how many life jackets
    he borrowed.  I don't believe there was any deposit required but a
    fee would have been charged to his room if we didn't return the
    jackets.  Is this correct Bill?
    
    At Typhoon Lagoon we had to leave a deposit for each life jacket.
    In our case we used a charge card so they wrote up a charge slip and
    had us sign it but didn't enter it as a transaction.  They tore up
    the slip when we returned the jackets.  With this method, no charge is
    made against your charge card.  One thing to note is you get the FULL
    deposit back so it really doesn't cost anything to borrow their life
    jackets.  This isn't like the strollers!
    
    One negative about the life jackets is you are not allowed to wear
    them on certain attractions.  They are definitely not allowed on
    the slide at the Yacht and Beach Club and the slides at Typhoon
    Lagoon.  They would scratch the slides.  Our kids were allowed to
    wear the jackets on the family raft ride.  We didn't try any of
    the tube/slide rides so I don't know their policy.  I can't remember
    if Nicole was allowed to wear her jacket on the tube ride in the
    children's area.  The jackets are a great help in the wave pool.
    The kids tend to float on the waves and don't scrape the bottom as
    much.
    
    Ruth

    Just to back up what Ruth stated in -.1
    
    My earlier posting regarding a hefty deposit was true...it is something
    like $40.00 [or a credit card].  But I thought this was a deposit only
    and no charge...my kids are all older do I didn't have to use them, but
    I do take notice of these types of things.
    
    -Jay
    

Ruth -
Yes you remember right -- when you use life vests at resorts there is no
deposit, which is true at the pools and the marinas.  There is fine print
that says your room bill will be inflated if you don't return it.  At
the marinas, they often hold on to your resort ID or Food 'N Fun card
or your driver's license as collateral for the vest and equipment.  Not
that you're going anywhere...

Hey, that was a fun visit.  I hope we all show up at the 25th anniversary!
(Still waiting for the info on it that City Hall keeps promising.)

Bill A.

    When we were at Fort Wilderness in August (1994) we were told by the
    lifeguard that we could get a life vest at the Bicyle Barn free of 
    charge which we could keep for our entire stay so that we could take
    it to whichever pool or beach we went to (They wrote up a credit card 
    slip for $25 which was torn up when you returned the vest).  So in our
    experience we did have to leave a deposit, although since the slip was
    torn up when we returned the vest it really didn't make any difference to
    us (if we didn't return the vest, then we would have been charged $25).
    I was asked to show my Fort Wilderness Resort ID, I guess it depends on
    the castmember whether they ask or not.
      

    
    In mid-August, WDW closed down Blizzard Beach for one day, then
    reopened with the wave pool closed.  When we went a few days later, we
    saw that the wave pool was being dug up completely.  No mention of the
    problem was given, but it sure caused (even-more) outrageous lines
    for the other rides.  Supposedly (according to customer relations),
    they were limiting admissions, but it didn't seem the case to me.
    
    Later, a cast member told us a sink hole had popped up in the middle of
    the wave pool.  They were probably wondering where all the water
    went...  So far as I know, there has been no date given for the
    reopening of the wave pool.
    
    --Jay
    

    In one of the disney newsgroups (rec.arts.disney.parks?) there was 
    a posting that the wave pool at Blizzard Beach is suppose to open up
    mid October (16th?)
    
    todd///

I went to Blizzard Beach (unkowingly) on the day after it reopened 
after the wave pool problem. I was turned away and decided to go to 
Typhoon Lagoon. When I got to TL I was turned away there!!! Seems 
like everyone had the same idea :-( I complained and got some 
complementary tickets. I was later told that the BB wave pool would 
be out of action for 'months', maybe not reopening before Christmas - 
a pipe had burst that necessitated the digging up of the whole pool.

- John.

    Inside Out on the Disney Channel said that Summit Plummet is the
    fastest ride at WDW.  60 MPH!  Last year when we were there we watched
    people going down, never tried it ourselves.
    
    So those of you who've gone down the Summit Plummet, was it really that
    fast?
    
    Julie

    Hmmmmm, maybe fastest water slide....wouldn't the TZTOT be a faster
    ride?
    
    Mike

    The audience picked TTTOT or Space Mt, but they said no.  So how fast does
    TZTOT go.  Anyways, I doubt I'll try the Summit Plummet, and then again
    it may to to cold to go into the Water Parks next week.  The TZTOT is
    on our list, but if I ever thought you dropped as fast as 60MPH, I just
    may have to skip it!
    
    Julie
    

On my last trip (Aug 95), I tried all three; Space Mt (both left and right 
hand lanes), TZTOT and Summit Plummet. In my opnion, I would rate them as 
follows (best ride/thrill 1st)

	1. Summit Plummet
	2. TZTOT
	3. Left hand lane of Space Mt
	4. Right hand lane of Space Mt

I believe, Summit Plummit provides more thrill as it is in the open. When you 
are at the top, you can see everything (the other three are in the dark). At
the start there are little butterflies in the stomach, but once you
start........ 

I even tried, Humanga Kowabunga (at Typhoon Lagoon). If I was to place this in 
the above list, it would come between nos. 2 and 3 i.e 2�. Even my eight year
old daughter did this slide and loved it. She also tried both lanes of Space 
Mt. and rated left hand lane better than the right hand lane.

Ravi Parmar

    My son (15) did Summit Plummet - only had a wait of 20 minutes.  Had
    been 45 but end of the day the lines thinned out.  He really enjoyed it,
    but said it was the "biggest weggie" he ever had and you get lots of
    water up your nose.  I did talk with a BB Cast Member and he did say
    this was a 60 MPH ride.
    
    As for Blizzard Beach, we loved it.  Concensus-this is better than
    Typhoon Lagoon.  This year as a family we could enjoy it together.
    Kyle (5) was old enough that he didn't mind being spashed.  So could go
    on the family raft ride, toboggan racers.
    
    Julie

    
    Not sure if this question was asked, but here goes. 
    
    If you purchase a one day ticket for Blizzard Beach,
    can you also use that ticket to go over to Typhoon Lagoon
    on the same day ? Why I ask is because it would be kind of
    fun to experience both parks on the same day. Also does
    anyone know the price for a child for one day using the
    discount card ?
    
    
    Thanks
    Dave

According to the Birnbaum book the ticket you buy for
Bilzzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon is good at all
3 water parks for that day.


Doug

    
    
    Thanks Doug, that gives us another option for that swim day.
                 Who knows, once we get to Bilzzard Beach the kids
                 may never want to leave. But now we at least have
                 the option.
    
    
     Dave

    Sorry - we were just down there in February.  They are changing the
    ticket system for the Water Parks.  No more Park Hopping.  I could only
    buy a pass that would let us go into BB, but as it turned out we were
    there for the day so it didn't matter.  We prefer BB over TL.
    
    Julie

    
    Thanks Julie,
    
     Oh well, I thought it would have been nice to have the option to
     hop from one to the other. As we really enjoyed TF the last time
     we were there. But like I said, we may never be able to tear the 
     kids away from Blizzard Beach anyway.
    
     
     Dave

Not sure about one day tickets but on a 5-day hopper pass you are allowed
up to 7 visits to any of the water parks along with the 5 days hopping
between the others........I went to TL the sunday before last and it was
mopped!!!

hope to get out a trip report later today..........

mike

    We were down in April and did the new Double Dipper slides.  Last
    February this was under construction.  It's behind the toboggan racers.
    What a blast!  We had a wait of 45 minutes.  It's kinda like a free-fall
    on a tube. 
    
    Supposedly they're the first side-by-side racing slides in the world,
    stand 50 feet tall, are 230 feet long and "propel guests to speeds of
    near 25 mph."
    
     

    I'm sure some of you heard what happened at a water park in California.
    
    Some high-schoolers piled up on a slide and it collapsed. I know of at
    least one fatality.
    
    As always....user error contributed to the accident.
    
    Mike

And experts claim that the structure should have been able (by design) to
sustain the weight of 20 people  standing at a single spot (at least that's what
the article in the newspaper article I read said).

    Scott,
    
    You're probably right. They must have all jumped on that slide at the
    same time. Standing on it is one thing...jumping on it all at once is
    another.
    
    Mike

    There were also reportedly 60 jumping on the slide, to set a school
    record.  That's a lot more than 20.  Another report had it at "at least
    30" jumping on the slide, and they were told by life guards that they
    were creating a hazard for themselves.  Very sad.  --S