Disney World's Water Parks...

Its 93 degrees at high noon and you are ready to get wet. But you're at Disney World, so you wont simply be jumping into a pool, you'll be having a totally themed aqua-fantasy.

Do you want stomach-plunging, fanny busting, gimme-a-second -and-I'll-do-it-again thrills? Choose Blizzard Beach. Would you prefer to lie in a hammock under the palms while the kids build sand castles? Choose Typhoon Lagoon. OR would you like to sail out over a lake in a tire swing just like you did back at camp Waccawacca, circa 1966? Then River Country is the choice for you.

Disney's newest water park is based on the premise of a melting ski lodge. Lounge-chair potatoes take note: Blizzard Beach is not for relaxing. There is limited beach space, and with 21 slides, the focus is on attractions that draw the energetic crowd. Snowcapped Mt. Gushmore is the icon of the park, you can get up to the top by chairlift or stairs, but how you get down is up to you. Teamboat Springs, a white-water faft that seats five, is plenty zippy and a good ride to try first since the entire family goes together. There are also mat rides, tube rides, and full-throttle plunges!

Not quite up for that? Kids love the foam rubber sleds of Toboggan Racer, where 8 riders face off for a straight shot down the mountain. Other fun choices include the inner-tube slides of Runoff Rapids and Snow Stormers, a mock slalom run. These rides are like potato chips - once you start, its hard to stop - and most kids clamor to do them again and again.

If your older kids insist that its Blizzard Beach or nothing, dont think younger siblings will be bored. The kiddie area, Tike's Peak, is a small replica of Mount Gushmore and offers a spray pond, a wading pool, and lots of kid-sized slides and tube rides. There are even separate toddler slides to insure that your 2 year old wont be trampled by over-enthusiastic kindergarteners. Ski Patrol Training Camp is designed for preteens that are too hip for Tike's Peak but nt quite up to the full-size Mount Gushmore attractions. (Note: Kids under 10 must be accompanied by an adult). Look for the Cool Runners tube rides, the iceberg walk, and slides so wide the entire family can go down side by side.

Blizzards Beach's newest slide ride is Downhill Double Dipper, an individual tube ride that sends tou through a water curtain and tunnel before you emerge through another water curtain, are flumed down a hill, and wind up in a pool at the bottom. Everyone seems to finish this ride with a smile or a giggle.

The slides are smaller at Typhoon Lagoon and the kiddie areas are not as big as Blizzard Beach's, but just wait until you see the pool. The wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon is the size of three football fields and designed for actual surfing. Even with tubes, this is serious stuff. Certain hours are designated for body surfing, and a foghorn blast alerts you to when a big 'un is underway. (Don't take small children in too deep when the wave machine is cranked up. During the five foot waves, you can count on a pool full of shrieking teenages bearing down upon your head every 90 seconds!)

River Country has plenty of charm. This is a great park if you have young kids or non-swimmers. The sand-bottomed lake is about waist-high on a 10 year old, and there is a large sepaorld Park - nap!

2. The parks are quite different, so try more than one if you have a multi-day pass, admission to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach is $26.95 for adults and $21.95 for kids 3-9. River Country is $15.95 for adults and $12.50 for kids 3-9. Prices are subject to change.

3. Visit early in the week. The water parks may well be your kids' favorite part of the Disney World experience. "We'd have come every day if we'd known how great it was.", one father lamented. "As it was, we visited Typhoon Lagoon only once - on the morning we were due to fly out."

5. Because of the crowds and the confusing, twisting slides, kids can lost at a water park. All the lifeguards wear matching bathing suits and a Disney name tag. Instruct your child if she looks up and does not see you, she should go to the nearest lifeguard, who will take her to the lost kids area near the locker rental. If your kids are older, set up camp at a particular lounge chair and have set meeting times. Otherwise you'll spend precious time searching for them, everyone looks alike once they're wet.