Photos: Blizzard Beach Reopens at Walt Disney World

This ski resort has been on the meltdown for nearly 30 years.

With a theme appropriate for the coming months, Walt Disney World’s third water park has reopened for guests to enjoy, once again welcoming guests to the snowy peaks of Blizzard Beach. The park had been closed for an annual refurbishment prior to this.

The water park, originally opened back in 1995, invites guests to a wintery wonderland that was formed when (according to the story) a freak snowstorm arrived in Central Florida, creating this water playground. Of course, the intense Florida heat means that the snow will obviously be melting, creating the slides and thrills of the park.

Blizzard Beach is also home to one of the tallest water slides in the world, designed to look like a ski jump with a splash illusion that suggests someone went careening off the iconic ski jump visible from most anywhere in the park, Summit Plummet. The slide stands at 120 feet tall and those brave enough to take the plunge can reach speeds up to 60 MPH.

In recent years, Disney has added some friends from the smash-hit Frozen franchise from Walt Disney Animation Studios, which guest can find in the area geared towards younger visitors, Tike’s Peak.

Though it was the third in Walt Disney World’s history, Blizzard Beach is only one of two water parks still operating at the Florida destination. With the reopening of Blizzard Beach, the other water park of Walt Disney World, Typhoon Lagoon, has closed for its annual refurbishment.

Also in recent years (much to the chagrin of annual passholders with the water park option), Walt Disney World has been opting to only have one of their water parks open at a time. When one opens, the other closes for refurbishment and then halfway through the year, the switch is made again. With the reopening of Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon has once again closed their doors and will likely remain that way until Blizzard Beach closes once again. At this time a date has not been set for either of these events.

In 2025, those staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be able to enjoy complimentary admission to either Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park on their check-in day. (Whichever is open at that time) This perk is included in their stay for all guests on the room reservation. Since this complimentary access is limited to your check-in day, Disney advises that guests check water park operating hours closer to their arrival day so that they can take advantage of this benefit.

For more information about the special 2025 water park benefit, or to plan your trip to Walt Disney World and Blizzard Beach, be sure to reach out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel who can assist with all your booking needs.

Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.