Walt Disney World is a massive resort with so much to do it is near impossible to do it all, especially in one trip. In addition to the four theme parks there are two very different water parks, but guests have only been able to experience one at a time since the pandemic, and that’s not going to change anytime soon, as Disney World has just announced that Blizzard Beach will be opening in a few weeks, while Typhoon Lagoon will be going on the Disney World refurbishment list.
In March 2021, Blizzard Beach became the first Disney World water park to reopen following the global pandemic closure of the resort. It remained open until January 2022, at which point it closed down, and Typhoon Lagoon opened for its first bow since the pandemic. Now, the two water parks will be trading places again, as Disney World has announced Blizzard Beach will reopen after a lengthy refurbishment on November 13. This is also the first day that Typhoon Lagoon is set to be closed.
When Blizzard Beach reopens it will have a bit of a new look as some of the aesthetics have been updated. Tike’s Peak, the area designed for young kids, now includes some elements from Frozen including a young Anna and Elsa and an igloo castle, and Olaf and the Snowgies from the Frozen Fever short.
The winter season can still get cold, by Florida standards at least, so it’s usually this time of year that we see the water parks go down for refurbishment. We haven’t seen Typhoon Lagoon getting incredibly overcrowded for the most part, so it seems that Disney World doesn’t need both water parks running even in the busy summer season, at least not quite yet.
We have yet to see both water parks open at the same time since the pandemic closure and it’s entirely possible that we won’t for some time. While recent theme park attendance numbers have shown that 2021 made significant gains, it’s clear that Disney World is still not seeing as many visitors as it once did. While that day will come, it could still take some time.
And the rotating schedule we've been dealing with seems to work. It's nice to have at least one water park open year round for the guests that want it. It's only really an issue for those that have a particular preference of one water park over another.
If Typhoon Lagoon goes down for a major refurbishment as Blizzard Beach just did, it will be closed for several months, but it is possible that it could only close for a standard refurb, in which case it could be open early next year, and we might see both parks open together for the first time in forever.
