Blizzard Beach -- What do you do when a freak snowstorm hits Florida? Build a ski resort, of course. But as our lift went up, so did the temperature, leaving some of the world's fastest, longest, slushing, gushing, downhill thrills. Disney's largest water park offers 66 acres of whitewater raft rides, water slides and floats. Guests can travel side by side at speeds up to 25 mph on the Downhill Double Dipper or plunge 120 feet from Summit Plummet's "ski jump" tower. Designated areas for pre-teens and young children in addition to a one-acre wave pool create a magically wet experience for the entire family.

Typhoon Lagoon --  Boats were tossed and palms were bent. And when the storm of storms finally blew out to sea, it left behind a topsy-turvy tropical playground. A paradise for snorkeling, sliding and bodysurfing, the park also includes a 2.25-million-gallon wave pool with waves averaging four feet. The 56-acre Typhoon Lagoon features speed slides, and a 362,000-gallon salt-water coral reef where guests can snorkel amid colorful fish, live sharks and coral. A water park "first" in Central Florida is Typhoon Lagoon's Crush 'n' Gusher "water coaster" that sends guests on a twisting and turning adventure that includes steep drops with gravity-defying, coaster-like inclines as screaming jets of water propel riders back uphill.

Automated Ticketing Now Available -- Faster than a trip down Summit Plummet. Easier than floating in a tube down Castaway Creek. Able to leap long lines in a single bound. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's the new automated ticket vending machines at Walt Disney World water parks!

Quick Links: Operating Hours | Ticket Prices

Typhoon Lagoon

• the first-ever water coaster thrill ride attraction in Central Florida, Crush 'n' Gusher
• a man-made watershed mountain with eight twisting-and-turning water slides and roaring streams
• a two-and-one-half acre wave-making lagoon with surfing-size waves.

In a Typhoon Lagoon exclusive, guests come face-to-face with all the colorful creatures of the Caribbean when they snorkel in Shark Reef, a saltwater pool presented by NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors). The park also features a water playground for children, sunny beaches and lazy streams surrounding a 95-foot mountain. The water-entertainment area takes its theme from a legend of romance and danger evident with Miss Tilly, the wrecked shrimp boat storm-stranded on the mountain peak.

"Upon entering Typhoon Lagoon, guests find themselves in a ramshackle, tin-roofed island village landscaped with cargo, surfboards and other marine wreckage left by the great storm," said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Towering behind the lagoon is Mt. Mayday, "landscaped" with a number of thrill-and-spill water slides. Topping the mountain is a shipwrecked shrimp boat (Miss Tilly out of Safen Sound, Fla.), left dangling crazily 95 feet in the air by the force of the legendary typhoon.

Mt. Mayday's water attractions include:

• Humunga Kowabunga's three 214-foot enclosed water slides which drop guests down the mountain and through rocky caverns at speeds up to 30 mph.
• Storm Slides, consisting of three 300-foot long curving body slides called Rudder Buster, Stern Burner and Jib Jammer, take guests past assorted nautical flotsam before depositing them into a pool at the bottom of the mountain.
• Three rafting adventures -- Mayday Falls provides guests with a white-water experience; Keelhaul Falls boasts a triple vortex that literally adds new "twists" to riding the rapids; Gangplank Falls enables families to ride together on three- to five-passenger rafts.

In addition to the mountain, with its water-smoothed rock flumes and other rideable waterways, the mythical cataclysm left behind the surfing lagoon -- twice the size of a football field and large enough to encompass an ocean liner. The Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool also boasts one of the world's largest artificially created waves for body surfing.

Circling the lagoon is Castaway Creek, a meandering, 2,100-foot stream. Guests of all ages hop onto inner tubes for a relaxing tour that takes them through a misty rain forest and a hidden grotto, providing a spectacular view of Typhoon Lagoon and its many activities.

Just on the opposite side of the surfing lagoon is Crush 'n' Gusher, a water coaster thrill ride weaving among the washed-out remains (so the story goes) of a dilapidated fruit packing plant. Three out-of-control wash spill ways with torrents of gushing water propel the most daring of raft riders on an extreme gravity defying adventure up and down twisting caverns that lead to the tranquil waters of Hideaway Bay.

Ketchakiddee Creek is a water playground adjacent to Mt. Mayday. Geysers, fountains, bubblers, slides, three interactive water boats and a pint-sized white-water rafting adventure cater to young children and families.

The aquatic world of the Caribbean comes alive in Shark Reef, a 362,000-gallon saltwater pool where snorkelers swim fin-to-fin with exotic marine life including butterfly fish, French angels, tangs, groupers and even nurse sharks. Other guests have the opportunity to watch snorkelers through the underwater portholes of a wrecked ship in the center of the reef.

Nearby, Hammerhead Fred's Dive Shop provides necessary underwater equipment for Shark Reef, including wet suits, masks and snorkels. Changing areas, lockers, showers and a picnic area are nearby.

Two restaurants, Typhoon Tilly's and Leaning Palms, serve up everything from specialty sandwiches and salads to cookies and ice cream in waffle cones.

Typhoon Lagoon is usually open daily. Hours vary, with extended hours during summer months.  Our calendar section has more details on current hours.

Adventurous guests can catch a wave and feel like they're sitting on top of the world at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park. Its 2.75-million-gallon wave pool provides consistent waves every 90 seconds that can range from three to six feet high -- and no sharks! Craig Carroll's Cocoa Beach Surf School invites guests to learn from professional surfers how to cut, carve and "hang 10." The program is available by reservation for an extra charge on selected mornings prior to regular park hours. Guests may call (407) WDW-PLAY (939-7529) for more information.
 

Blizzard Beach

• Teamboat Springs -- the world's longest family white-water raft ride takes six-passenger rafts down a twisting 1,200-foot series of rushing water falls.
• Toboggan Racer -- an 8-lane water slide that sends guests racing over exhilarating dips as they descend the "snowy" slope.
• Snow Stormers -- three flumes descending from the top of the mountain and following a switchback course through ski-type slalom gates.
• Runoff Rapids -- an inner tube run, where guests can careen down three different twisting, turning flumes.
• Chair Lift -- wooden-bench chair lifts sporting colorful overhead umbrellas and snow skis on their underside, converted from ski-resort to beach-resort use. These functional chairs carry guests over the craggy face of Mt. Gushmore, from its base at the beach, to its summit.

As legend has it, Blizzard Beach was created by a freak winter storm which dropped snow over the western side of Walt Disney World property and Florida's first snow-ski resort was planned immediately. It is located just north of Disney's All-Star Resorts.

However, the plan was short-lived. Temperatures soared and the ice and snow rapidly began to melt. Dismayed ski-resort operators, ready to close, spotted a playful alligator sliding down the "liquid ice" slopes and realized the melting snow created the tallest, fastest and most exhilarating water-filled ski and toboggan runs in the world. As a result, the ski resort/water adventure park was born.

It was a natural. Former ski slalom courses and bobsled and sledding runs became downhill water slides. The chair lift could still carry swimmers to the top of the slides. The ski jump became the nation's tallest and fastest water slide. The melting snow revealed welcoming beaches, a pre-teen play area and many other activities.

The sandy beach below Mt. Gushmore offers a large wave pool, a lazy river, two snack bars, a polar pub lodge and a pre-teen and children's play area. Among its adventures:

• Tike's Peak -- a kid-size version of Blizzard Beach, including scaled-down elements of Mt. Gushmore. In addition, this area features a snow-castle fountain play area.
• Melt-Away Bay -- a 1-acre pool, nestled against the base of Mt. Gushmore, that is constantly fed by "melting snow" waterfalls.
• Cross Country Creek -- a lazy creek circling the entire park, carrying floating guests through a bone-chilling ice cave. Once inside the mysterious cave, guests will be splashed with the "melting" ice from overhead.
• Blizzard Beach Ski Patrol Training Camp -- designed for pre-teens with a T-bar drop, culvert slides and a challenging ice-flow walk along slippery, floating icebergs. Cool Runners is the camp's twin inner tube slide.
• Avalunch and The Warming Hut -- snack bars.

The Village at the Blizzard Beach entrance houses guest services such as a tube pick-up area, towel rentals, lockers, first aid, merchandise and a restaurant.

Within the Village is the Beach Haus, a specialty shop offering souvenirs, towels, bathing suits, sunglasses and other essentials for a day on the slopes, err, in the water. Ski equipment and cold weather furnishings such as pot-belly stoves are used to display merchandise.

Nearby, Lottawatta Lodge, a North American ski lodge with Caribbean accents, stands ready to serve guests with an appetite. The counter-service restaurant even affords diners with a scenic view of Mt. Gushmore.
 

New Ticketing Options

More ticketing information is available on our tickets page.