A Calm at the Center of Disney World Hubbub : At Typhoon Lagoon water park, a family finds an oasis of unscripted fun.

Theme-park overload struck suddenly. We couldn’t take any more--at least not that day. Not one more fuzzy life-size character. Not one more special effect. Most important, not another line. But we had made a substantial financial investment getting here and so we felt compelled to push on and use every available moment.

What we really needed was a break.

That’s probably why the Disney people built Typhoon Lagoon, a 56-acre water park halfway between Walt Disney World Village and the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. Since it isn’t as highly publicized as the major theme parks in the area, the water park may be something that first-time Orlando visitors might not think of. But it’s really a great way to spend a day and catch your breath, especially during the hot, humid Florida summer. As a small bonus, it’s cheaper than Disney World and Universal Studios.

There are plenty of thrills, too, such as Mt. Mayday, a huge water mountain complete with eight twisting and turning water slides with names like Rudder Buster, Humunga Kowabunga and Jib Jammer. But the ambience is more like a day at the beach than stay- on-line-until-you-drop. Or at least until you get your money’s worth. A one-day pass at Disney World is $34 per adult; $27 for kids under 10. That translated to $122 for our family. Luckily, 2-year-old Melanie could still get in free.

In addition to being more relaxing, Typhoon Lagoon was also less expensive: $20.50 per adult and $16.50 for each of the kids. It seemed a veritable bargain. So bowing to our rapidly flattening wallets and the kids’ pleas to “cool out,” we grabbed our bathing suits and sun screen (for a few dollars we rented towels and a life jacket for Melanie) and headed for the water slides.

Judging by the crowds, a lot of people needed a respite from Space Mountain and Chip and Dale. Then, after speaking with a variety of people, I realized we’d stumbled into one of the most democratic spots in the nation. Swapping oversize inner tubes and silly grins were dripping investment bankers and soaking highway workers, vacationing college students and middle school kids on a class trip, doting grandparents, upscale suburban matrons bored by too many visits here and nurses who had carefully budgeted every penny for this trip. And of course, kids of all sizes and shapes--infants and toddlers in strollers, kindergartners and third-graders who, including my own, decided this was a pretty good imitation of heaven.

“Awesome,” 9-year-old Matt pronounced the sight of the shrimp boat “Miss Tilly” precariously perched 95 feet in the air on the top of Mt. Mayday, belching a geyser of water every half hour. He especially liked Shark Reef, a 362,000-gallon saltwater pool where he could snorkel alongside exotic fish, including nurse sharks.

Two-year-old Melanie happily perched on her dad’s lap as they rode an inner tube down the 2,100 meandering feet of Castaway Creek through a misty rain forest and under a waterfall into a hidden grotto. (There’s a separate water playground for preschoolers.)

Everyone, from the Disney neophyte to the experienced hand, it seemed, had some good-natured thoughts, both on Typhoon Lagoon and on doing theme parks.

“Even the crowds are relaxing” at Typhoon Lagoon, said Michael Juhasz, an engineer with his family from England. “No one is in a hurry.”

His suggestion for future Disneyites, as he sat relaxing in the sun: “Pace yourselves. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 2 a.m. and we were shattered the next day.”

Somehow, people seemed friendlier at Typhoon Lagoon than at the major theme parks we’ve visited as a family. Maybe it was because no one was rushing from ride to attraction, plotting strategies to wait the shortest amount of time for the two-minute thrill. Maybe it was because the kids were too busy having fun to beg for souvenirs or junk food.

But what about the lines? The Disney World veterans know what to do.

“Start at the back of the park and work your way to the front,” advised Mindy Minerva, a banker’s wife from New Jersey who was on her fifth visit.

“If there are two lines, always go to the right. They’re always shorter,” said Joe Collins, a Manhattan investment banker who has visited 10 times in the last 15 years.

First-time visitors had some tips too: “Plot out what you’re going to do ahead of time,” said Paula Nicoll, a housewife from New Hampshire. “We got here and were overwhelmed. We got tired a lot sooner than I thought we would.”

“Don’t forget your ponchos,” added Patty Samp, a Michigan day care provider, as it started to rain. Hard.

My kids didn’t even get out of the wave pool.

Taking the Kids invites reader questions and comments about family travel. Address them to: Taking the Kids, 2859 Central St., Box 119, Evanston, Ill. 60201.