Typhoon Lagoon Crowds in the Summer, Specifically July



So, you would love to visit Disney World during the lower crowd times, but your only choice is summer?  The water parks are a great way to take a rest between hot summer days in between visits to the four usual theme parks.  

As local residents, we decided to visit one of Walt Disney World's water parks when our adult children came home for a family reunion.  Our Walt Disney World Annual passes are blocked off for the time we could have them here during summer vacation, but the water parks were available as an option due to their lower entry price, and the fact that we have not been to the water parks before.



Beings, however, that although we are not paying $127 per person to get into the theme parks, the entry fee is still pretty pricey, and we wanted to make sure that our $63 entry fee would bring us back the value of our money.

Going in July, I suspected the water parks get pretty crowded (and I was right), so I wanted to make sure that we knew ahead of time whether the parks were going to be too crowded to enjoy upfront.  

Luckily, others had reviewed the crowds of  Typhoon Lagoon just days before we had gone on Trip Advisor, and had reported good details about the crowds.  What I had learned was to definitely go at the beginning at the week, and get to rope drop, plus arrive in the parking lot by 9:00 a.m. 

We took all of this advice and found it to be very helpful.

Nice atmosphere driving into the park lets you see the real Florida and really adds to the theming of the park.


 So Monday morning, July 17, 2017, we drove in at 9:00 a.m.  We left our hotel in Celebration at 8:15, and it did, indeed, take us 45 minutes to get there with all of the morning traffic on the 192.  The atmosphere, as you can see driving in is beautiful.

We arrived to the parking lot and were the first ones there, but ten minutes later, people were already starting to fill in.

We didn't have tickets, so we had to buy those, which we did at 9:30 a.m. when the ticket booths opened.

We found that because we are Walt Disney World Annual Passholders all of our party of 14 were eligible to receive a $20 discount!!!!!  That included our guests, so we saved $280!!!

After getting our tickets we waited in line, being first in a line that had just opened to relieve the crowds in the other three lines, and we waited there for ten minutes before we were allowed in the park for rope drop.
Waiting in line at rope drop; Oh so hot!  See the people behind my son-in-law and my son?  They managed to get ahead of us doing "the dart ahead and push your way through maneuver".  Not the best way to treat humankind, my opinion.







Rope drop was excruciating.  The people going to these parks are not the most polite and there was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the head of the group.  Typhoon Lagoon seems to have more overwhelmed cast members that are not quite as good as the cast members at the Magic Kingdom when it comes to crowd control.

 We didn't push our way because we know that the little bit of effort to get to be the first is not going to make that much of a difference and it's not worth putting your soul in jeopardy.

We got in line in our appropriate place and waited in the sweltering heat. It was already 96 degrees and the sun was as brilliant as the Florida sun can be.

We inquired at the umbrella rental regarding the feasibility of renting an umbrella and putting it on the beach. The girl at the counter told us if you are trying to rent your own umbrella (for a $60 fee), you need to do it early, online, because they are taken up fast. So, renting an umbrella was not an option for us, which meant darting to a shaded chair once the rope was dropped.

This photo was taken around 10:30 a.m.  You can see that all of the shady chairs are taken and it's starting to get busy.

However, we also learned, through experience, if you get to the park early enough you can get to a cabana and claim that for your family if it is not already reserved for someone else.  We also learned that if you get there early, and you know exactly where you want your central meeting place to be, including chairs to put your towels and other stuff on for the rest of the day, and you are not thrashing around the park trying to decide, you can find a shady spot to park your stuff and your party.  If you know already where you want to be, you will save a lot of time just walking straight to that spot.


These chairs are in the shade and were taken up quickly by the "early birds".  The advantage they had was being at the park by rope drop and knowing exactly where they wanted to be before they got to the park so that they could walk right to it. These chairs were taken up by at least 10:15 a.m.


As a family, we decided to make our "home base" at Ketchakiddee Falls due to the fact that we had three grandchildren visiting.  We were able to pretty quickly find a shady spot that worked fine for our family all day.

We were disappointed, however, that there was not really any good place to see the kiddee area from any of the chairs that we could see, or that we could get to by the time we walked back there after being passed by the speedy people.


Our little hangout just north of the Kitchakiddee falls was nice and shady, but we couldn't see the play area from our chairs.


The good thing was, however, there was not a lot of traffic walking in front of us all day back there, so it was quiet and peaceful.  We selected ten chairs and made that area "base camp", and my daughter, son-in-law, and I traded every half-hour or so with the grandkids so we could take them to their swimming area, but still get to do some of the larger rides.

Tanner relaxing after a busy day at the park.

A word about lockers:  They are near the front of the park and are $13 per day.  If you have a large party like we did and babies to tend, you won't need a locker if there is someone at your meeting place all day.  We had a baby we were taking turns to watch, so we just had the baby tender watch our stuff.  However, if you want a locker you can rent it for the price and when you return your key you will get your deposit (I think around $7) back.

Lockers are rented at Singapore Sals depicted on the left side of this picture and on the left side of my goofy sunburned son. 

If you have spent any considerable time at the theme parks during high visit times like Spring Break or the summer you may have noticed a pattern.  Pretty much, most of the parks are really navigable before 10:30 and you can just any ride in without too long of a wait time before 10:30.  This rule is also true at Typhoon Lagoon in the summer.  

Just like with the theme parks, the crowds become miserable by 1:00 and the wait times increase significantly.

By 2:00 p.m. the level of annoyance had risen to the top and we were ready to leave.

For those who appreciate atmosphere the ticket price is almost worth just getting in and enjoying the atmosphere.  I rode just two rides the whole day and just had a blast walking around soaking up the atmosphere.  Here's a view of the surf pool from the walkway to Ketchakidee Falls.


I can't comment on the rides too much.  I am not a thrill seeker when it comes to water rides.  I haven't had that much experience with them, and since my grandbabies were with me, I felt more enticed to spend my time with them.  I did go on the family raft and the individual tube slide next to it.  By the time I felt I could leave the kids to go on the lazy river it was quite crowded.

This picture is a bit off topic, but Typhoon Lagoon posts the schedule for the wave pool so you can know when to take your little kids into it without getting them completely knocked off their feet.  The back current is really strong even with the bobbing waves, so I recommend life vests and staying behind the buoys for the little ones.
Life jackets are provided for the little ones free of charge and recommended for the wave pool.

Since I'm local, I'll have other chances to review the rides, but I really felt it was more important to spend my time reporting on the crowds in the Summer.

They are asking if I'm going to be okay if they leave me with the little ones.  I'm blessed with thoughtful kids.


I've made this goofy YouTube video for you to watch so you can get a better feel for your summer itinerary decision.  I really do recommend this activity for a break between the theme parks.

After our week with our 15 family members was over, I interviewed most of my party and asked them if they enjoyed the beach or the water parks more and all of the ones I talked to said Typhoon Lagoon.

Of course, the beach will save you a lot more money, so I recommend it highly if you don't want to spend the money, but if money is not an issue, do the water parks.  Just make sure to get there by 9:00 a.m.  Really, don't even wait until 9:30.  If you are in an offsight resort, don't leave any later than 8:15.  If you are in an onsight resort and using Disney Transportation, don't leave any later than 8:15 if they will pick you up that early.  If you are onsight at a Disney resort and have your own car, don't leave your hotel any later than 8:40, maybe even 8:30.  I feel this is pretty solid advice.  Getting to rope drop and close to the front of the line is essential to getting a shaded area!

Now here's the video and have a great time!  Feel free to ask questions in the comments below!!!














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