Walt Disney World Is Making A Change So Surprising I Thought It Was An April Fool's Day Joke

April first is a rough day to be in the professional news writing business. Covering the latest breaking news in the world of entertainment is tough when some percentage of what you see is actually completely made up. It makes you suspicious of everything you see, even when it’s coming from official sources. This is why my first assumption upon seeing the newest Disney World update was that it was a joke.

In the five years since Disney World was closed for the global pandemic, things have either gone back to the way they were before or transformed into a “new normal.” One of those things that seemed to be a new permanent situation was that, despite Disney World having two different water parks, only one of them was open at any given time. But this summer both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon will be open for the first time since 2019. No foolin’.

Elsa and Anna building snow fort at Blizzard Beach

(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

Blizzard Beach And Typhoon Lagoon Will Both Be Open At The Same Time This Summer

This morning, Disney World announced that from May 21 - September 7, both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon will be open for business. Typhoon Lagoon is currently closed for refurbishment. Blizzard Beach will close on May 1 for a brief refurb, meaning both water parks will be closed for a short period until they both reopen on May 21.

When May 21 arrives, it will be the first time in nearly six years that both parks will be open at the same time. The two parks had gone through their own refurbishments in late 2019 and early 2020 until the pandemic caused both to shut down. Even after the theme parks reopened, the water parks were closed for an extended period. Blizzard Beach saw a major overhaul during its extended closure, adding elements of Frozen to the Disney World location.

Guests will now have plenty of ways to keep cool in the Orlando heat, which is good because the extra space will likely be needed.

Typhoon Lagoon Surf pool

(Image credit: Walt Disney World)

Disney World Is Offering Free Water Park Access To All Resort Guests In 2025

While it’s great news that both water parks will be open at the same time once again, the reason to finally pull the trigger on the change is likely one made out of necessity by Disney World. Last year, the resort announced that all guests staying at Disney World resort hotels would get free water park access on the day of their check-in.

Anecdotally, it appears that the offer has already been quite popular, and with the Florida summers often being sweltering, it’s likely that one water park simply wasn’t going to be enough to handle the number of guests who would want to beat the heat.

Of course, by announcing that the two water parks will be open together until September 7, it indicates that on September 8, one of them, probably Bizzard Beach, will close. The big question now is will this summer’s duel opening become the new normal, or is it a one-time special event?

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.

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