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Credit: Kevin-Davis-Photography / FlickrDisney has been releasing a lot of news over the past few days, which has been telling guests a lot about how their Walt Disney World vacation will change as of 2025.
Yesterday, we got the news that in 2025, guests staying at a Disney resort can visit one of Disney’s water parks for free on their check-in day. For guests, this is actually a great perk, especially if you are flying in early. Check-in at Disney begins at 3:00 p.m., and while you may sometimes be able to get your room earlier than that, there are many instances in which you will not be, and when that happens, many guests often are not sure what to do.
With park tickets going up again in price, using one of your tickets on check-in day when you are tired or getting in after rope drop (park open) may not seem like the most economical move for guests. While the pool at your resort and Disney Springs are two other free options to keep you busy, being able to enter either Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Disney’s Blizzard Beach on arrival day adds an extra touch of magic that we haven’t seen at Disney for a while.
Lately, a lot of the complimentary features at Walt Disney World have been taken away. Disney’s Magical Express used to be the transport system from Orlando International Airport to your Disney resort. Not only was it free, but it handled your luggage so that you did not have to pick it up or bring it to your room once you landed. Now, that service is officially extinct.
Disney also used to offer free MagicBands to guests staying on the property, now only American guests can purchase the MagicBand at a discount, while international guests must pay full price and only once they arrive at the resort as Disney will not ship to them. No one gets it for free.
The biggest perk that was removed after the pandemic was FastPass. A system that used to let you skip the longer lines for free now costs around $25 to $35 per person per day while only guaranteeing 2-3 attractions that will be utilized with the newly renamed Lightning Lane.
All of that being said, a new perk like free water park access sounds like the old Disney and will likely make guests very happy.
While the perk is certainly a great one, it may also be hinting at a larger issue. Since the news was released yesterday, Disney fans have been speculating why this freebie is being offered during a time when Disney is looking to squeeze as much money from their guests as possible, as we can see with all of the redacted complimentary features.
Popular Disney YouTuber Offhand Disney (@OffhandDisney) reposted the news on X said, “Listen, I’m not saying that Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon aren’t long for this world, but… I actually might be saying that.”
Listen, I'm not saying that Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon aren't long for this world, but…
I actually might be saying that. https://t.co/VyFuxkEXAb
— Offhand Disney (@OffhandDisney) February 26, 2024
The conversation surrounding his post has been interesting, with others joining into the same mindframe when it comes to this being a possible sign of trouble for the parks. One reply stated, “The fact they’re never open at the same time suggests attendance at either is not great. I think both could be rethemed with IP to encourage guests to attend. Typhoon Lagoon would have been great with a Moana re-theme. And blizzard beach well would be frozen“.
Another reply compared the Disney water parks to others in Orlando, which offer a more family-style option for the water slides, “Their water park options are the worst for families, imo. They have little kids’ areas and thrill body slides. But both Aquatica and Volcano Bay have multiple family tube rides. They need to either fix up the current offerings with new rides or start from scratch.”
This is an interesting point as the majority of families visiting are coming with younger children who will not get the number of inclusive rides that are available at theme parks like Magic Kingdom.
Others did note that this could be less about water park attendance numbers falling, and more about ways to get guests to book on property. That being said, we are not seeing EPCOT, or any of the theme parks being offered as free entry on that first day, and there is likely a reason for that which correlates with demand.
Kris (@krismeetsworld), another Disney fan, pointed out a similar sentiment:
When was the last time you saw Disney give anything away for free? Things are not great.
Great for us, though!
When was the last time you saw Disney give anything away for free? Things are not great.
Great for us, though! https://t.co/8f1FRYx88L
— KRIS MEETS W🌎RLD (@krismeetsworld) February 26, 2024
Since the pandemic, neither Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach has been open at the same time. When one park opens, the other closes for refurbishment for a lengthy period of time. Next month, for example, Blizzard Beach will have its last day of operation on March 16, with Typhoon Lagoon reopening on March 17. While both parks certainly need refurbishment from time to time, these closures may also be financially viable for Disney if the demand for two water parks to be open at the same time is not there. By operating only one park that can fit the total demand of guests, they end up saving money.
Overall, this does not officially mean that Disney will be shutting down either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon for good, but this new discount is something we have seen in the past with other failing ventures, like the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which was offering mega-discounts just before a closure was announced. We also saw days of operation shrink as demand was not as strong, much like we have seen over the past few years with the water parks.
Do you think that this new offering is bad news for Disney’s water parks?