What is a good age for the water parks?

[happymom52003]

There have been alot of threads about what age to take kids to WDW in general, but what about the water parks? I'd like to hear different opinions on what is a good age to start taking kids there, and what activites are available for different ages, etc.

 

[mousebymarriage]

The first time we went to a water park at Disney was last year(April 2007). My DS was 5 at the time and DD was 10. They both had the time of their lives at Typhoon Lagoon. We just went again on February 4th and DD11 and DS6 had a blast. Last year he was too small for most of the body slides, this year he just made it and rode almost everything. I think probably about 5 years old for them to really enjoy it but, it depends on your child's sense of adventure and how much they like the water. Ketchakiddie Creek in Typhoon Lagoon is great for the little ones, they have slides that are perfect for little kids and water cannons that the kids love!

 

[MichWolv]

My son first went to the waterparks at the age of 2. He absolutely loved Blizzard Beach. There are two kids areas, one for the very young set, and one for 8-12 or so. Aaron loved the toddler area (Tike's Peak) and some of the stuff in the pre-teen area (Ski Patrol Training, I think) even at the age of 2. Some of the kids slides allow the child to ride on a tube alone -- mom and dad were scared; Aaron just said "Again!". He also absolutely loved Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride. It was, I think, he favorite thing in all of WDW. With a lifevest, he also loved floating in the wave pool. And the chairlift is great for a kid with little legs who gets tired walking up the mountain.

Since then, we've returned to BB 3 times (he's now 4 1/2). We've added to our list of rides Runoff Rapids, which has double tubes where Aaron can ride with one of us, as well as the two matt slides (names escape me), and everything in the pre-teen section except a couple of things. He loves riding everything.

On each trip, we buy a pic of the three of us taken at the end of Teamboat Springs, so we can watch him grow with the same happy smile on his face in each picture.

 

[WIX]

40 :lookaroun :lol:

 

[gettingsmaller]

We went last year with kids ages 4,6,8.
They loved Typhoon Lagoon. The wave pool is a but much for anyone who is very small, but even my 4 year old enjoyed the tube slides he could ride (there are 2 or 3 close together that he could ride). Also, they enjoyed the Kid area. Since we are not from a beach area, we had a lot of fun just slowing down and playing in the sand, building castles, tunnels, and whatnot... It was a nice change of pace from frantically running all around the World.

 

[happymom52003]

Is one of the water parks better than the other for little kids? My son will be 7 on our next trip and I know he would love to go to a water park, but my DD will only be 3 1/2. Which of the two parks is better for that age, or is there not a difference?

 

[MichWolv]

Is one of the water parks better than the other for little kids? My son will be 7 on our next trip and I know he would love to go to a water park, but my DD will only be 3 1/2. Which of the two parks is better for that age, or is there not a difference?

We definitely found BB better for the real little ones. The Tike's Peak area is specifically geared to 3-6 year-olds or so. TL's kids area is more a mix, with less to do for the toddlers. Plus, the family ride at BB (Teamboat) is better than the family ride at TL, in part because you don't carry/roll the huge inflatable thing you ride on up the hill -- BB has a conveyor for those, while TL does not. Plus, Teamboat is much longer. Also, the BB wave pool is gentle bobbing vs TL's crashing waves. And, finally, the chairlift is a big help. So, for our little one, BB is better for many reasons. We'll return to TL when he's 6 or 7, but for now, it's BB.