With summer right around the corner, there’s no better time to plan a water park day during your next Walt Disney World vacation than right now. Both of Disney’s water parks, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, are filled with water slides, raft rides, a lazy river, a giant wave pool, and more. And even better, starting May 12, 2026, both of Disney’s water parks will be open at the same time all summer long.
If you’re thinking about adding a water park day to your summer vacation to Disney World, you’re in luck. I’m sharing my best tips to get the most out of your visit to both Disney water parks. Think about everything from how to find the best seats to whether cabanas are actually worth the added cost. Now all you need to do is pack your sunscreen.
1. Picking the right Disney water park for your family
Both of Disney’s water parks are fun for the entire family, but there are some things you need to know before picking the right water park for your family. Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park features mostly body slides and mat racing slides, which are great for older kids. The park also features a cute “Frozen”-themed kids’ splash zone and a 3,000-foot-long lazy river (which takes nearly 30 minutes to go all the way around). The theme of the park, a melting ski resort, is also super unique.
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Over at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, you’ll find more raft rides that multiple people can ride together. The park also features North America’s largest wave pool, where perfect waves come around every 90 seconds. The park’s theme is more like a typical water park with an overall tropical theme.
2. Get to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon Early
To maximize your time at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon, make sure to get to the park about 30 minutes before opening. This will allow you to get into the park and find a home base for the day before all the best spots are taken.
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There are beach chairs and loungers up for grabs around both water parks. If you get to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon early enough, you may even be selected as the family of the day, which comes with some sweet perks like being the first to walk into the park and getting a private covered spot for the entire day.
3. Take Advantage of Mobile Ordering
Mobile ordering is everywhere at Walt Disney World, and if you take full advantage of it, then your day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach will be so much easier. To order your meals, you need the My Disney Experience app with a credit card attached to your account. Multiple locations at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon offer mobile order services.
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One thing to note about mobile ordering at the water parks is that it’s typically much faster than mobile ordering at the major theme parks. Because of this, you don’t need to order super far in advance. I typically like to make my lunch order about 10 minutes before I’m ready to eat. This usually means I’m ordering while I’m drying off from a morning of water slides, then walking over to pick up my lunch right away.
4. Plan Your Day around Priority Attractions
Just like you would plan your theme park visits around the rides at the top of your must-do list, you’re going to want to prioritize certain attractions at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach as well.
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At Blizzard Beach, for example, if you plan to ride the massive body slide Summit Plummet, then you’re going to want to go there first since the line can get very long very quickly. The easiest (and most fun) way to get to the top of Mount Gushmore is with the chair lift located near the front of the park. The ride will take you to the top of the mountain, where all you have to do is climb a few more stairs to reach the top. This is also where you’ll find another body slide and a family raft ride.
Pro tip: Getting the big rides out of the way first will help to reduce your wait times everywhere else.
At Typhoon Lagoon, the “big ride” is Miss Adventure Falls, a family raft ride that takes you through waterfalls and over rapids. The line can get long in the afternoon, so I always try to ride this first, then if I want to ride again, hop in line just before the water park closes.
6. Consider Renting a Private Cabana at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach
If you really want to upgrade your day at the water park, you can rent a private cabana space (called Polar Patios at Blizzard Beach and Beachcomber Shacks at Typhoon Lagoon). These cabana spaces are located all around the park, with many close to entrances to the slides and attractions. There are some added perks to renting a private cabana. A few of my favorites are having a designated space for your family, chairs and loungers in each space, a locker to store all your valuables, towels, food delivery, and refillable drink cups.
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As part of your day at the Polar Patio or Beachcomber Shacks, you’ll have a designated Cast Member to bring you food, drinks, and new towels. The menu for the cabanas is mostly family-style meals meant to serve four to six people.
6. Exclusive perks for guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort
If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you’re in luck because there are some exclusive water park perks just for resort guests. The first is free access to either water park on your resort check-in day. Even better, you don’t have to go to your resort first if you don’t want to. Your water park tickets will already be loaded into your My Disney Experience account. This free access is good for stays from May 26 to September 8, 2026.
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Resort guests also get free towel rentals from select locations around the water parks. All you need to do is show your room key or your MagicBand+.
7. Parking is free for all guests
Unlike the theme parks, parking at Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is free. Just know that during the busier summer months, the parking lots do get full pretty early in the morning. If you want to get the most out of your day, be sure to arrive early for a closer parking spot. Alternatively, you can always take the complimentary resort buses from your Disney hotel, which will drop you off near the entrance of the water parks.
