Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can enjoy free admission to one of the water parks, Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, on their check-in day. This is a new for 2025 on-site perk that’s tricky to maximize, so we’re breaking down the pros & cons and how to get the most mileage out of it and avoid the colossal crowds that have descended on the WDW water parks since the weather has warmed up.
Let’s start with the basics of the new Walt Disney World resort guest benefit. This is new free water park perk is included on the first day of all on-site stays: room-only reservations, vacation packages, etc–even money-saving Disney Vacation Club point rentals are eligible! So long as you’re staying in a Disney-owned resort and all guests are on the reservation, you’re good to go. There’s no catch.
For those already looking ahead to 2026 vacation packages at Walt Disney World, we’re expecting this perk to make a return. It remains to be seen whether it’s modified, as this year’s approach is arguably unsustainable. So they either need both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon open by spring break or to start the perk later, have blockout dates, etc. To that point, there are a few problems with this free water park day perk.
The first is that the weather is too cold for water parks for a few months of the year. Unless you’re the wearing shorts-in-the-snow type, water parks can be unpleasant during the holiday season and winter. In fact, they often close completely on various days from November through March. That was especially common this winter, as it seemed like Blizzard Beach was closed due to weather as much as it’s been open.
More recently, the issue has been overcrowding. As a result, there’s been confirmation from Walt Disney World that both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach WILL operate simultaneously in Summer 2025. This is something that hasn’t happened since 2019 and it almost didn’t happen this year, either. When Typhoon Lagoon’s reopening was initially announced, so too was Blizzard Beach’s closure. It wasn’t until about one-month later that Walt Disney World changed course.
The reason for Walt Disney World’s about-face and opening both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon is pretty simple and straightforward: crowds. After a slow start to the year, Blizzard Beach has been absolutely slammed since the start of spring break. Attendance has been so high that the water park has had capacity closures on at least a handful of occasions, the parking lot has filled up and they’ve resorted to overflow across the street, and the bus situation has been suboptimal. To put it mildly.
The reason Walt Disney World didn’t originally intend to operate both water parks both summer is a bit more complicated, but for our purposes, there’s one relevant consideration: staffing. Finding qualified lifeguards and filling other positions isn’t easy, and Walt Disney World is now scrambling to do exactly that before the hottest months of the year arrive.
Consequently, we’re concerned about crowds at Typhoon Lagoon and/or Blizzard Beach from now through August. While having both open simultaneously will certainly help, there’s still the likelihood that they’ll be understaffed. And as we’ve seen during the brutal heat and humidity of the last few summers, demand can be really high for the water parks when the weather is right.
Even with pent-up demand having exhausted itself, this new perk will drive attendance higher during the summer months. We’re already seeing that through spring break. Although these peak season dates are busier than summer as a whole, water park demand is also driven by weather–and that’ll be worse from June through August. This is precisely why Extended Evening Hours are busiest those same months, regardless of daytime crowd levels.
The new water park perk is going to exacerbate crowd levels at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach this summer. To what degree is unknown, but if spring break is a sneak peek, probably by a lot! Especially once longer hours and higher heat create a greater incentive to use it upon arrival.
To that point, the water parks regularly close at 5 or 6 pm outside of the summer season. This makes using the free water park perk on arrival day very tricky! Unless you take a redeye or early morning flight, there’s a decent chance that you won’t have a ton of time for the water parks on check-in day.
Even if you land in Orlando by noon, it can take 90-120 minutes to get to your resort, drop off your bags, then transfer over to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. Perhaps longer if you rely on Mears Connect. One thing first-timers underestimate is transportation times at Walt Disney World–even when things are running smoothly (as is often the case now, minus Mears), getting around can take a lot longer than you expect. So there’s a chance you land around noon, and realistically aren’t at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon until after 3 pm.
At what point are you better off just going the easy route and hanging out by your resort pool, chilling at the lounge, and waiting until your room is ready? I’d argue it’s at that point. The hotel pool obviously isn’t as robust as a water park, but this is the more laid-back option, and taking the path of least resistance to decompress on arrival day–before the commando park days begin–is probably the smarter approach. You don’t want to get burnt out too early.
Despite our concerns about crowds, we are going to recommend taking advantage of the free water park perk for guests visiting between June and August 2025.
If past precedent is indicative, Typhoon Lagoon will be open until 8 pm starting in mid-to-late June, and continue with those hours until mid-August. Our hope is that, due to the free water parks perk, those added hours start earlier and end later in the season. Memorial Day to Labor Day for 10 am to 8 pm hours at Typhoon Lagoon would be fantastic.
Our favorite time to visit the water parks is the last 3 hours they’re open. This is the best time of day as the sun starts to get lower in the sky, so the pavement isn’t quite as scorching. Three hours or so before closing is also when the early-arrivers start getting their fill of fun in the sun and head for the exits.
The water parks have a very similar dynamic to Animal Kingdom (too bad they’re not offering free arrival day tickets there!), which has a mass exodus in mid-afternoon. This probably won’t be as true in 2025, as most guests using the free perk will necessarily be arriving long after park opening.
Nevertheless, people tend to overestimate just how much time they want to spend at a water park, and end up heading for the exits early. By contrast, far fewer arrive late. That leaves the end of the day as a great time to visit. (Again, this should sound very similar to Animal Kingdom!)
The water parks have changing areas, so you can arrive in street clothes and change into swimwear. You can also change back into normal attire prior to leaving. From Blizzard Beach, consider a visit to nearby Animal Kingdom Lodge or Coronado Springs Resort for dinner. Sanaa, Jiko, Boma, Three Bridges, and Toledo are all excellent restaurants that are frequently overlooked. If you’re doing Typhoon Lagoon, head to Disney Springs for dinner and dessert.
If you’d prefer to the do the water parks earlier in the day, there’s another option–one of our favorite options–a split stay.
Since we’ve received some questions about split stay eligibility, we can confirm that split stays are eligible for this free water park perk. It’s not just the day you arrive into Orlando or Walt Disney World. It’s the first day of any on-site resort reservation that automatically triggers the water park perk. So if you’re doing a series of 1-night stays for whatever reason, you have that many potential water park days.
You could even get really strategic by artificially creating a split stay by making multiple reservations at the same resort. Of course, there are pitfalls to this–you may end up having to change rooms rather than the stays being linked and being continuous. We probably wouldn’t recommend the artificial split stay for that reason, but that’s up to you.
Assuming you have a nice hotel for the first half of your trip or have just had whirlwind days in the parks, you might want to relax in the morning. And that’s perfectly fine! The great thing about this water park day being free is that you shouldn’t feel the pressure to be there from opening until close (a feat very few people manage, anyway).
However, one thing to consider if you’re doing a split stay is the aforementioned crowds. If the water parks continue to be this busy when both parks are open, and it’s disproportionately due to the free arrival day perk, it might behoove you to rope drop your water park of choice instead of waiting until the end of the day.
The vast majority of guests using the perk will be arriving in the afternoon, so you could benefit from beating those crowds. Transportation or parking will be easier, so too will snagging a spot in the shade, and lines will be shorter. I still personally prefer late afternoon and evening in the water parks, but I’m not so sure that sentiment will hold true in Summer 2025. This freebie has thrown a monkey wrench into things and changed attendance and (specifically) arrival time dynamics.
Regardless, the point is that there’s really no reason to pay for water park admission in 2025 at Walt Disney World if you’re an on-site guest. Hopefully, Disney itself recognizes this and makes the perk easier to use in 2026. It’d be nice if the perk just offered actual value to all guests without having to jump through hoops to hack it.
A lot of readers have asked us about split stays, whether they’re worth the effort, and how to leverage them strategically. We answer all of those questions and share way more than you probably want to know in How to Do a Split Stay at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. Among other things, that covers what we think works and doesn’t, a few split stay scenarios, and more.
I don’t want to rehash all of that since (hopefully!) you’ve already read that post in your planning process. In case not, I’ll make a condensed version of our “pitch” for split stays. First, resorts help set the tone of the trip and changing hotels can thus change the vibe. You can travel to both the tropics and the Pacific Northwest during your Walt Disney World vacation with stays at Caribbean Beach or the Poly and Wilderness Lodge.
Second, split stays can enable you to stretch your vacation budget and splurge on a resort you might not be able to afford (or justify) for the full trip. You could start at Pop Century for 4 nights, finishing with 2 at the Polynesian–checking it off your bucket list in the process. (I’m already pretty positive our go-to split stay is going to be Pop Century to the Magic Kingdom area DVC resorts for the next few years.)
Our third and fourth points are strategic extensions of this–timing that stay right at the Poly opens the door to Extended Evening Hours not just once but potentially twice. Likewise, the Poly is convenient to Magic Kingdom and Pop Century is ideal for getting to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Great for Early Entry or midday breaks, and for doing part of your stay in a Value Resort so as to not bust your budget!
This water park day offers an opportunity for a new riff on one of our favorite split stay options, which is a Club Level stay paired with pool days. That’s still completely possible here, even if the hotel pool is far more convenient to the lounge than a water park. It works because you can still check-in early, do a big breakfast at the lounge, head to the water park, and then return and continue using the lounge.
You’re eligible to use the concierge lounge and all of the perks that come with staying Club Level on both your check-in and check out days, meaning that one night essentially enables you to access that lounge over the course of two days. Doing Club Level for a night or two, arriving early and leaving late gives you the most bang for your buck, and is a good way to get a taste of the Club Level life without breaking the bank.
This might seem like a lot of transfers (and possibly is depending upon how you pack/unpack), but we like putting a Club Level ‘break’ for relaxation and rejuvenation between parks days. For our favorite concierge lounges and recommendations, see our Guide to Club Level at Walt Disney World.
Ultimately, I hope that this helps you make the most of this on-site water park perk and how to use split stays strategically to take advantage of that “freebie” when staying at Walt Disney World in Summer 2025. In case you can’t tell, we love split stays.
There’s something truly special about sleeping in the rustic seclusion of Wilderness Lodge for a night, and then flipping a switch to the isles of the Poly the next. Or going simple with All Star Sports to save up for a splurge at Coronado Springs’ Chronos Club. There are endless permutations for split stays, and we’ve done many of them over our years as Walt Disney World fans and resort enthusiasts.
We’re also looking forward to this free water park day mostly because we know it’s going to introduce a ton of lifelong Walt Disney World fans (and even casual guests–but we’re more interested in the lifers) for the very first time. And in so doing, it’s going to create a ton of instant fans for Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.
I’ve gushed about it over the years, imploring Walt Disney World fans to give the water parks a chance, as they’re criminally underrated. Blizzard Beach is a master class in thematic juxtapositions, mixing water park with ski resort to great effect. It works insanely well, and is a thematic exemplar–one of the best at Walt Disney World.
On the surface, Typhoon Lagoon seems like a pretty “safe” concept for a water park. It’s laid back and seems just like it has regular tropical design. But once you get beyond the surface, there is rich theming throughout Typhoon Lagoon, and the Imagineered environment has the added elements on top showing how the huge storm decimated the resort.
We cannot overstate just how nice both are as water theme parks. We’ve made visits to the water parks that didn’t involve ever getting into the water. And we’re not alone in doing that. Both water parks also have great senses of place, and it’s great to just be there. If you’re the type who enjoys wandering World Showcase to enjoy the rich design and sense of place, I’m betting the water parks would also be right up your alley. Don’t underestimate them!
This is far and away the biggest reason why I think the water parks are a must-do for Walt Disney World fans. They offer cohesive design and are the only two parks at Walt Disney World that maintain full thematic integrity so long after opening. While I love both, I give the edge to Typhoon Lagoon. Don’t let the fact that these are water parks discourage you—even if you don’t care about water slides or anything else, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach is a great place to waste a morning…or an “arrival” afternoon…at Walt Disney World!
Finally, we know split stays can be confusing, intimidating, and so forth. If you want more thorough guidance or assistance navigating the ‘split stay’ planning waters, we’d highly recommend contacting an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Those travel agents are free-to-use so long as they handle your booking, and they can offer personalized planning that takes into account your priorities and preferences. No Disney planning advice is one-size-fits-all, and that includes our strategies for split stays!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you done a split stay at Walt Disney World? Planning on doing one (or multiple) in 2025 to take advantage of the free water park day? If you’ve done split stays in the past, are there any hotel combos you particularly like? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!