Attraction Review- Storm Slides

You'll struggle to find a better themed waterpark than Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in the entire world, let alone Central Florida. Although older, its theme is substantially better than that of its sister park, Disney's Blizzard Beach, and lends a lot to the park's overall feel and charm, as all good themes do. When likened to other parts of Walt Disney World, Typhoon Lagoon's storm- ravaged tropical paradise most resembles The Oasis at Disney's Animal Kingdom or Adventureland over at the Magic Kingdom.

As with every Disney Park, Typhoon Lagoon's many attractions are all beautifully themed, and blend seamlessly together to create a immersive themed environment. However, one attraction which I personally consider to be exquisitely themed is (or should I say “are”?) the Storm Slides. More on the theme in a minute! Anyway, the Storm Slides are three unique open air body slides which whisk waterpark guests down the right hand side of Mount Mayday, twisting, turning and intertwining with one another before ending in a cool landing pool near the entrance of the neighbouring Humunga Kowabunga attraction. It's important that I stress that although they are three different slides, that is only in layout, and all three Storm Slides are collectively classed by Disney as a single attraction.

Unlike some of Typhoon Lagoon's other slides, I've never had a problem with riding the Storm Slides, even at the busier times of day. As with every other attraction in existence, long lines can and will materialise at peak times, but visiting the Storm Slides early or late in the day should help you to avoid this. Also, the three slides help the line to move at a decent pace, especially when compared to lines which only serve a single slide, which are notoriously slow. Even if you are made to wait, the Storm Sides boast what is in my opinion one of Walt Disney World's nicest queues, which I always like to meander my way through, appreciating the incredible detail of it.

Here's how I rate the Storm Slides in the following areas, and why:

Thrill~ 9/10
More than anything else, the Storm Slides are visually thrilling. As I previously mentioned, the theming is amazing, and this contributes a great deal to the overall feel of the attraction, and therefore the thrill. The thrill of anticipation also has a big role to play with this attraction, as there's really no way of knowing what awaits you once you hurtle around the next tight corner in the slide. For overall thrill, I find that the right hand slide gives you the best bang for your buck, although the other two aren't far behind. Nevertheless, if you only have time to ride one Storm Slide, I would recommend the right hand one.

Scariness~ 7/10
Whilst the slides themselves don't feature any of the signature drops of many Disney waterslides, they are very fast, and all three have extremely sharp turns incorporated into their layout. This, alongside the aforementioned anticipation, adds up to a moderately scary experience, which is a great way to introduce waterpark first time guests to waterslides.

Theming~ 10/10
Yes, I may have *forgotten* my usual attempts at optimistic impartiality when deciding on this rating, but I do genuinely consider the theme of this attraction to be fantastic. The Disney Waterparks both have their own theme, which is the only theme portrayed in the entire park, unlike the theme parks, which have a central theme, with several sub themes related to it. I just really like Typhoon Lagoon's! It's so laid back and relaxed, and really does transport me to a tropical paradise. To be honest, Typhoon Lagoon IS a tropical paradise, within the magical paradise which is Walt Disney World.
As I stated earlier, I consider the Storm Slides to be one of Typhoon Lagoon's best themed attractions. The gushing, winding streams in the beautiful queue are simply superb, as is the stream tumbling down off Mount Mayday, running straight through the loading area, or end of the queue, whatever the technical term is! It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a good water feature, especially in a Disney Park, and the ones which can be found at the Storm Slides make the attraction all the more realistic and immersive.

Educational~ 1/10
I really can't think of anything educational about the Storm Slides. At the end of the day, not every attraction is designed to educate, in the same way that not every book is written to entertain.

Fun~ 9/10
It's a basic scientific fact that all waterslides are awesome fun, and the Storm Slides are no exception! Although climbing up to the top of the slides on a blisteringly hot day is about as fun as being chased by an angry bear, the reward you get at the top is more than worth it. It's fun to pick a slide to ride (and to become a poet when you didn't know it), and the three slides themselves are incredibly enjoyable to ride and compare.

Repeatability~ 9/10
The fact that you have a choice of three awesome slides means that you could quite easily spend a whole day at Typhoon Lagoon and exclusively ride the Storm Slides. However- THOSE STAIRS! You have to climb a considerable amount of stairs to get to the top of the slides, with walking being your only option. Whilst I accept that stairs are inevitable for a waterslide, and that Disney have done a pretty darn good job with theming the queue, it doesn't change the fact that repeatably walking up long flights of stairs can be very tiring, especially on a hot summer's day.

And finally, my overall rating of the Storm Slides~ 10/10
Setting aside the fact that this rating was largely fuelled by my love for Typhoon Lagoon, the Storm Slides combine to make a truly great attraction, which is arguably WDW's best all round waterpark attraction. It's hard to top a good waterslide, especially when it's bursting with Disney magic!

Now it's your turn! I would love to hear your opinion on the Storm Slides! If you share my love for them, think my ratings are totally inaccurate, or have any other comments, please share them in the comments section below or on the Blog's Facebook Page! I would also like to thank you, the readers for your support- I really appreciate it. I love sharing my passion for Disney with all of you, and it's a great feeling to know that my work is being read by Disney Fans around the World! When I started the World of Dreams Blog, I had no idea that it would get so many pageviews, and I feel blessed that it has as many as it has- thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Thank you for reading, and have an awesomely magical weekend!