| PassPorter.com Feature Article Original article at: http://www.passporter.com/articles/10-things-love-blizzard-beach.html Top 10 Things to Love About Blizzard Beach: A Walt Disney World Water Park Reviewby Amy Wear, PassPorter Featured ColumnistLast modified 04-14-2017 Just back from our recent glorious ten-day trip to Walt Disney World, our family squeezed in one last ski day for the season at our local hill. As we sat on the chairlift, we reminisced about the idyllic day we had just a few weeks back at Disney's Blizzard Beach. It was 90 degrees with pure sunshine all day long on the first of March – about as hot as we Atlantic Canadians can bear! Since Southerners don’t consider this extreme heat, it was an extra treat to have the place largely to ourselves and the rest of the Northerners! No long lineups for slides, inner tubes, or snacks. While my favourite PassPorter Moms may rank Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon as their favourite water park (admittedly also a solid choice), here are my top 10 reasons for choosing Disney’s Blizzard Beach for your Orlando area waterpark day…. 10. Ski hill references. When you’re a skier, you’re tickled pink by signs around Disney’s famous water park reading, “do not swing or bounce chairs” and “no skis or snowboards inside the lodge.” Yes, the main food venue, Lottawatta Lodge (get it?), is indeed designed like a ski lodge, with a sign warning not to bring skis or snowboards into the lodge, while the chairlift has the standard warnings on its towers! Skiers also revel in the fact that this waterpark lets you enjoy all the things you love about your local ski hill like kicking back enjoying the scenery on the chairlift and freefalling down the slopes, only in weather that is the polar (pun intended) opposite to what you are accustomed. Slides are even marked as green for beginner, purple for intermediate, and red for advanced. And let’s be honest….It’s super fun to post pics on social media of what fun you’re having at this “ski hill” and compare notes with friends who are skiing back home! 9. They have a chairlift! I mean c’mon! Does it get more fun that riding a chairlift to the top of the “ski hill”? Complete with a “singles line” and operators to assist less experienced skiers, this is a fully functional chairlift worth riding even if you just want to take the stairs back down the hill. What we do find amusing is how awkward it is to get off the chairlift when we are so accustomed to pushing off with our skis! (skis are much easier). 8. Melt Away Bay. This wave pool area is so much fun for bobbing along the waves in an inner tube that time can easily escape you. After two hours, we had to pry our girls away to ensure that we had a chance to enjoy some of the other attractions! 7. Winter Summerland. You know those free rounds of mini golf you get with your Magic Your Way Package that you never get around to using? Visiting this waterpark increases your odds of actually using those coupons. Continuing with the “winter in summer” theming, this quaint mini golf course is right outside the park gates. 6. Teamboat Springs. This family-friendly whitewater-rafting type ride makes the short list of my favourite Walt Disney World attractions. Seating six, the whole family can ride together with mild drops and splashes around every corner. Just ride the chairlift to the queue or take the stairs if you’re feeling impatient and ambitious. 5. Ski patrol training camp. There’s just something about this area that will entertain kids for hours. Aimed at kids ages 12 and under, they’ll enjoy slides that are just their size, as well as a zip line on a T-bar that drops into the water, and the Thin Ice Training Course. During our first visit in December, 2013, we couldn’t get our daughters out until the park closed! 4. Toboggan Racers. These are the perfect slides for families who want to have fun together without attempting the double black diamond slides. You can race each other down the hill, going head first on your “crazy carpet.” 3. Summit Plummet. Since there’s bound to be a dare devil in your crew, they can ride one of the world’s highest body slides, dropping 120 feet. They can also warm up with Slush Gusher, a 90-foot high double-bump slide. To these I say "No, thank you!" 2. Cross Country Creek. If water slides aren’t your thing, you can pass the hours floating along the “creek” around the perimeter of the park. With several entry / exit points, the choice is yours how long you stay. Round trip takes approximately 20 minutes. 1.The Sand Pail! Our family simply had to try the sand pail sundae and finished it in under five minutes! It’s made in an actual sand pail with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, waffle pieces, sprinkles, cookie pieces (“dirt”), hot fudge, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and at least one cherry on top. A visit to Disney’s Blizzard Beach just isn’t complete without your own sand pail souvenir! While the Wear family isn’t much on thrill rides or dare devil waterslides, we thoroughly enjoy the Disney waterparks for easygoing slides and everything else. While you may think the Disney waterparks aren’t for you, if you enjoy cooling off on a hot sunny day, you will find plenty to do. If you prefer the shade, you can even rent a cabana for a day and enjoy an actual rest day from the parks – with perks. About the Author: Amy Wear is a work at home Mom, travel agent. writer, and former occupational therapist. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada, and specializes in planning magical vacations for people of all abilities at Click the Mouse This article originally appeared in the PassPorter newsletter -- subscribe to our popular newsletter today for free at http://www.passporter.com/news.htm Updated 04-14-2017 Check for a more updated version at http://www.passporter.com/articles/10-things-love-blizzard-beach.html |