Not Your Ordinary Disney Adventure – Snorkeling atTyphoon Lagoon

Thanks to the magic of Disney, this past weekend I had the pleasure to experience all of the above.   My son and I went to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon on Sunday and it was a great time. We swam in their salt water lagoon to snorkel with leopard sharks and bonnet head sharks and sting rays.   Yes real sharks! They really aren’t very concerned with you but it is a humbling experience to look down in the water and see a shark as long as you are gliding gracefully beneath you just a few feet away.  That was a great time and the perfect way to have less experienced people learn to snorkel.   They have coral reefs with lots of tropical fish that swim right up to you.   You can wear a life vest if you aren’t a strong swimmer.

So don’t let your fears cause you to miss out on a truly magnificent experience.    There’s also an opportunity to do an extended shark experience in the second lagoon.   You wear a wet suit and use an oxygen tank with about 30 minutes of air.   You float just near the top of the water but you are able to really take in the beauty with this lengthened experience.  My son was about 10 years old the first time we did this and he absolutely loved it.  The next time we go I will have a digital water camera so that I can get up some pics on the blog.

After we tired of looking at tropical fish we decided to go into the wave pool.   All  is well until……the giant Tsunami size wave in their wave pool carried me into the shallow end where I banged up and scraped up my knee.   The result?  An ugly spot of white meat on my knee and a very zombie-like walk.   I drug my injured leg along behind me so that it remains stretched out.  The worst part is that I had a similar incident a few years back in the same pool!  But last time it was both elbows scraped up and banged up from the same pool.    Needless to say I think I’ve given up on braving the giant wave…I’m 0 for 2.

I didn’t want to stay in the water with a bloody knee so we decided to head over to Epcot.  (the beauty of being an annual passholder).   I haven’t been to Epcot in many moons and my impression of it way back then as a kid was that it was indeed the most boring place on Earth.    Fast forward to now and it’s quite possibly one of my favorite parks!!!    This is truly an adult playground.   We did rode some of the rides; my favorite being the Sum of all Thrills simulator where you design your ride using math and engineering principles on a way cool futuristic digital design board. Then you ride your ride in a virtual reality simulator that spins and goes upside down.

The best part of the visit was definitely visiting the countries.  We actually only made it to Canada and the UK and we had fish and chips and sipped one of the tastiest drinks I’ve ever had at the Rose and Crown Pub.  It’s called the Welsh Dragon and it was dangerously good and bright green.  All of the staff was from the UK and their accents really did make the place feel authentic.    Needless to say, I plan to eat my way through every country in the park over the next year or so.   I’m also really looking forward to the Food and Wine Festival coming up very soon!

Lessons Learned:
1.  I’m apparently too long (or perhaps too old) for the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon.
2.  If you’re a Florida Resident,annual passes for the various theme parks is a must!
3.  Epcot doesn’t suck once you’re a grown up.
4.  Workouts are mandatory if I’m going to eat my way through Epcot this year!!!
5.  If you’re going to swim with sharks, Disney is probably your safest option.

Looking to recreate this adventure?   Here are some helpful websites:

Typhoon Lagoon – https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/typhoon-lagoon/shark-reef/
Epcot – https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/epcot/