The 411 on 911s at Disney

When someone requests Central First Aid at a Disney park, the "Code-1" call goes out on the radio, letting everyone know that CFA has been dispatched. It's upgraded to a "Code-2" when the paramedics are called; obviously, things are more serious. Managers tend to come on the run when a Code-2 is put out. You don't want to see a Code-3. That's imminent danger of life, and paramedics come onstage.

I've seen all three in my time working for Disney, and launched a few Code-1's on behalf of someone at my restaurant. But this past weekend while at Blizzard Beach, my party initiated a Code-2. Someone in our party who is a little advanced in age had trouble after climbing up the main mountain, feeling both dizzy and nauseous. Just as the nurse was getting settled, she passed out completely, still sitting up (we propped her up).

The nurse moved her to lying down, while calling on the radio for upgrading the case (I didn't hear the exact wording, but four minutes later I heard the wail of the ambulance nearby). Meanwhile regular guest passers-by jumped in. They were obviously trained medical personnel of various kinds; they knew what to do and they didn't ask permission (nor did they apologize) for elbowing aside the family members. Good for them.

Water was used externally to cool her down, chemical ice packs were broken (some of them by the regular guests, who knew what to do). Good thing the nurse had a medical kit with her (pictured).

It turned out to be just dehydration and too much exertion. Color returned slowly to her skin. She was taken by wheelchair down the one gondola on the ski lift, and led to the ambulance (which was parked just backstage, near the Tyke's Peak kids area). There, she was given an EKG, vitals were checked, and so on.

She was fine. Disney, through it all, offered not just medical care but also drinks. While waiting for the ambulance tests, we were offered frozen lemonade too. Later, they kept handing drinks and Powerade to the affected member of our party. Needless to say, after the clean bill of health she just wanted to head home (she lives locally).

Disney did a tremendous job. I asked about payment - no payment is expected or due (or probably even possible). When Reedy Creek paramedics come out, Disney foots the bill apparently. Had she gone to the hospital, there would be costs, but otherwise everything was free. Presumably, they don't want lawsuits and thus err on the side of caution, which is wise.

While backstage near the ambulance, we saw the pumps for the water park, and giant nearby chlorine tanks. Not a sight you see every day!

Shark Reef fish

When you exit the snorkel adventure is when you're most likely to see this sign, which is probably the most useful time anyway, since the fish types you just saw are so fresh in your mind.

See? Those WERE harmless leopard sharks!







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Welcome to Typhoon Lagoon

The nautical flags at the entrance to TL spell out "Welcome to Typhoon Lagoon". There's a helpful key to decipher the flags nearby.














- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ketchakiddee Creek Cave

The children's play area of Typhoon Lagoon, Ketchakiddee Creek, has water cannons for squirting each other, and fanciful, geyser-inspired landscape to crawl around on. What makes it most unusual among water parks, though, is the cave in the back.

Sporting a waterfall on one side, and simple passage through in the back, the cave lets visitors go from one side of the play area to the other without braving the water cannons. Most water parks would just offer a passageway, or minimal theming at best. Not Disney. This is a fully-rendered cave that must have taken many man-hours (man-months?) to carve and sculpt.

Crush 'n Gusher's Skeleton

Here's a view from October, 2004, when Crush 'n Gusher was taking form.

Refill Stations at Disney

The resorts at WDW have a refillable mug option which works for "length of stay", but the refill stations at the Disney water parks are on their own system.

You can buy an all-day mug for $10, or if you want to bring a previous year's mug, they will sell you a barcode-for-today that you can stick onto your mug for a mere $6.50

Frankly, not a bad deal at all, especially for repeat visitors!

The Beach Haus

You might lump this one together with the (Pinocchio) Village Haus in Fantasyland - certainly the idea is the same. An alpine setting and a need to say "chalet" in a foreign language that is nonetheless comprehensible to English-speaking visitors will only yield so many possibilities.

Inside the Beach Haus is more theming, but we'll leave that for another day. This is the "Emporium" type shop at the entrance (and thus the exit) to Blizzard Beach. And... it's gloriously air-conditioned. Isn't that enough?

Water Playground at Aquatica

The riot of colors at Aquatica's water playground Walkabout Waters doesn't let up even when you're standing in the midst of the structure (no doubt being drenched by the buckets above, some of which controlled by fellow visitors). It's all in good fun. Kids could easily kill an hour here, and parents may enjoy the ensuing respite. The big buckets up top take turns dumping on the crowds below every few minutes.

 

Central Florida icicles

I'm not sure how many people are buying pearls while at Blizzard Beach, but it's comforting to know that Disney theming continues in full force. Those icicles on the roofline drip water, as if they were melting. It's this kind of detail - the sort of thing they could have omitted, but didn't - which makes a Disney park so special.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blizzard Beach wave pool

Personally, I prefer the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon. There, big waves descend upon the masses every few minutes, though I also have vague memories of "choppy" small waves in TL too.

At Blizzard Beach, the waves at Melt-Away Bay are always small and choppy. For many years, I considered them inferior, but tried them again recently with my three year old and found them satisfactory. They are oddly interesting with a toddler in a way I'd never considered when younger.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crush 'n Gusher

It's hard to overstate how important Crush 'n Gusher is to Typhoon Lagoon. It added three new slides, but more importantly, added a new dimension to slides: a powered water coaster.

These had been introduced at Schlitterbahn, to great effect, but it was new for Disney to get them. No other competitor in Central Florida has a water coaster. The lines here might be a little longer, but it's worth it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Typhoon Lagoon's famous vista

Here's the Miss Tilly, seen from a bridge over the lazy river. Some visitors never explore this mountain trail, which merely allows you to switch sides of the park, but offers some fun exploration. Don't miss it!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Taumata Timer

When Aquatica first opened, the colorful racer slides had no particular technology installed on them. Riders just (hopefully) waited until the attendant said "go" and then jumped in their tubes. The absence if a clock meant winners were mire likely decided by who traveled the farthest in the straight "slow down" section at the bottom.

At sone point before its first anniversary, however, a digital clock was added to the bottom. (meaning there must be sensors at the top, too, unless everyone just gets the same start time?) With the clock, now the competition is the race to the bottom, not the distance traveled. It's more exciting this way, though also a touch more stressful.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aquatica under construction

You couldn't see much when driving by - just skeletons of the staircase towers for what would turn out to be the racers and the family slides - but it was nonetheless interesting to drive alongside the Aquatica site. Even in Orlando, theme parks don't open every day!

Whanau Way, the old view

Here's something you can't see anymore. This view of Whanau Way from its tower is now blocked by Omaka Rocka, which was built atop these slides (and uses the same stairs/tower). Kudos to Aquatica for adding to its park so quickly!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ski lift? Why not?

Blizzard Beach sprang into existence after a freak snowstorm gave an entrepreneur an idea to make money, or so the fake backstory goes. That may seem a bit thin when you see the ski lift - could they realty build it that fast before the snow supposedly melts? But you'll quickly forget your theming doubts (dare I suggest they will "melt away"?) when you realize this chair saves you from having to climb the mountain for most of the slides.

The lines for the lift rival those if most slides, unfortunately. It's faster to walk. But riding is more fun, and you do get great views!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aquatica's color scheme

Let's be honest: Aquatica lacks the lush landscaping that the Disney water parks have (and while we are telling truths, we'd have to admit that Wet & Wild lacks such rich vegetation too, and it's much older, so this is not about allowing time for things to grow in).

But Wet & Wild feels just like a water park, with no particular theme or indeed even color scheme. Aquatica, by contrast, does have a color scheme, and thus an identity of sorts. It's all bright orange, yellow, and purple for Aquatica. That doesn't particularly scream "New Zealand" to me (more on that in a future update), but at least the patterns are consistent in the park, giving the place a look/feel of its own.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sno-Cat food cart

At Disney, everything has a theme. That includes food carts!

At Blizzard Beach, why not something appropriate for the snowy conditions? It may not fit with the theme of a single freak snowstorm (who would have a Sno-Cat handy in Florida?) but it's looks good here, and that's what counts.

Crush 'n Gusher under construction

When Crush 'n Gusher was under construction, things started as you might imagine with a skeleton of the building in place. But large pieces of the slide and support strucutres were stored elsewhere. This photo shows the hilltop "overflow" parking at Typhoon Lagoon, which gets used every summer day now.

Looks like a mighty big puzzle to assemble!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Little blue gators

The mascots of Blizzard Beach appear to be liitle blue "dragons" usually dressed minimally in a cutesy item of clothing. But they aren't dragons. It turns out that these are alligators who have turned blue from the cold, called Ice Gators (they have a distant cousin at Typhoon Lagoon called Lagoona Gator).

The mascots aren't around everywhere, but just enough to look familiar the next time you see them.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone