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Walt Disney World March 2012

January 28, 2012 by Alison Leave a Comment

If you are visiting Disney World in March 2012 it is always good to know what events are happening and which rides and attractions will be closed for refurbishment. Planning ahead is always a good idea when you vista Walt Disney World. The more you know before you go, the more you will enjoy your vacation! We have tried to be as accurate as possible with these dates but things do change, so if you are visiting in March always check schedules before you arrive.

All photos by hubsterdisney

Is March a good time to visit Walt Disney World?

In early March crowds do tend to be relatively low and the weather is usually great with an average temperature of 78 degrees. March of course brings Spring Break so expect the crowds to be heavier, particularly around the week of March 10th when many schools are on vacation.

Which Disney World Rides are Closed in March 2012?

One of the most popular rides with young children is Dumbo The Flying Elephant and this will be closed until March 12th 2012. You will want to warn the little ones about this to avoid disappointment. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is close by and is exactly the same type of ride, but for many it just isn’t the same!

Another Magic Kingdom headline ride Big Thunder Mountain is close for refurbishment until May 27th. This is a very popular ride in the park so the fact that it is closed may mean that crowds are heavier in that area and that the lines for the adjacent ride Splash Mountain are longer. As always with the popular rides get a Fast Pass if you can and this will cut down the amount of time that you spend in line.

The Studio Backlot Tour in Disney Hollywood Studios is closed is closed from February 13th to March 9th 2012.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is closed until March 18th but Blizzard Beach is open if you want to enjoy one of the water parks. This doesn’t tend to have too much effect on crowd levels as traditionally attendance at the water parks is lower in these winter months.

Disney World Restaurant and Resort Facility Closures for March 2012

One of the restaurants in Epcot’s Italy, Tutto Italia Ristorante will be closed until April 28th 2012. The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor in Magic Kingdom is also closed until March 28th.

If you are a guest of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa then you will want to know that the pool slide will be closed from February 6th and reopen on March 3rd. The pool itself is still open, it is just the slide that is being refurbished.

Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival

This is a very popular annual event in Disney’s Epcot park and runs from March 7th to May 20th 2012. No separate entrance ticket is needed – it is included with your general admission to Epcot. The park is beautifully decorated with flowers and spectacular topiary designs.

This popular Flower Power Concert Series is held at the weekends at the American Gardens Theater in World Showcase. Performances are at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

March 9th to 11th Jose Feliciano
March 16th to 18th Starship Starring Mickey Thomas
March 23rd to 25th The Guess Who
March 30th to April 1st The Spinners
April 6th to 8th Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
April 13th to 15th Paul Revere & The Raiders
April 20th to 22nd The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie
April 27th to 29th Chuck Negron, Formerly of Three Dog Night
May 4th to 6th The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO
May 11th to 13th Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
May 18th to 20th Davy Jones

There are also HGTV celebrities scheduled to present the concert series as follows:

John Gidding from HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block – March 9th to 11th
Sabrina Soto of The High/Low Project – March 16th to 18th
Jason Cameron from DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves – March 23rd to 25th
Camille Styles who is an HGTV.com Entertainment contributor – March 30th to April 1st
Dan Faires of HGTV.com’s DanMade and Fan Favorite HGTV Design Star Season 5 – April 6th to 8th
Brandon Johnson who is host of HGTV’s My Yard Goes Disney – April 13th to 15th
Meg Caswell, of Meg’s Great Rooms is presenting April 20th to 22nd
Monica Pedersen from HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012 and Designed to Sell is presenting April 27th to 29th
Antonio Ballatore, HGTV’s The Antonio Treatment – May 4th to 6th
To be determined – presenting May 11th to 13th
Genevieve Gorder of Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star – May 18th to 20th

Have a wonderful vacation if you are visiting Walt Disney World in March 2012.

Walt Disney World Passes

January 18, 2012 by Alison 1 Comment

It really pays to know exactly which Walt Disney World Passes to buy. There are ways to get discounts on Walt Disney World tickets but you do have to be careful that you buy direct from Disney or through an authorized ticket seller.

The first thing to decide is exactly which pass you need for your vacation. If you use this guide to Walt Disney World passes it gives you a step by step system so that you can make the right choices and make some savings. Once you understand the basics it will be much easier to decide which Magic Your Way ticket is for you.

A Basic Guide to Walt Disney World Passes

You can buy a Disney World Base ticket for one day and right up to 10 days. Each ticket is valid for a visit to one of the four Disney World theme parks per day until the ticket expires. The ticket will expire either when you have used up all the days on your ticket or 13 days after the first day you used your ticket, whichever is the earlier.

The tickets are not transferable to anyone else. Ever. They will have your name printed on them and you will have to give a finger scan when you go through the turnstiles.

As you will see from the prices in the table below, the more days you buy the cheaper the per day price becomes. Once you get past the 3 day ticket prices then the per day add on price is less than $10. These are the prices you would pay at the Disney World Gate. All prices include tax and are current for January 2012.

Days

Adult

Child (aged 3 to 9)

$90.53

$84.14

$178.92

$165.08

$247.08

$227.91

$258.80

$238.56

$267.32

$247.08

$275.84

$255.60

$284.36

$264.12

$292.88

$272.62

$301.40

$281.16

$309.92

$289.68

Once you have decided how many days you need then you can think about whether or not you want one or more of the available add on options: a Park Hopper, a Water Park Fun and More option and a Non Expiration Option.

Do I Need a Disney World Park Hopper Ticket Option?

The Base ticket allows you to visit one theme park per day (either Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot or Disney’s Animal Kingdom). So if you just have a base ticket and go to Magic Kingdom in the morning then this is the only park you can enter on that day with that ticket.

If you think that you would like to visit more than one park per day then the Park Hopper is a good choice. The add on cost is $37.28 with tax for 1 day $58.58 with tax for 2 days or more. The more days you have on your ticket the cheaper the per day rate. If you have a 10 day ticket the per day price is just $5.58 but if you have just 2 days the cost is almost $30 per day.

Think carefully about whether or not you will use a Park Hopper. If you have a family of 4 you will add over $200 to the cost of tickets. For some the Park Hopper is a great option. You could go to Animal Kingdom in the day and then travel to Magic Kingdom at night to see the fireworks for example. But be aware the park hopping does take time. Depending upon where you are transferring to and from it can take over an hour to park hop. Not so much fun if you are already tired from a day walking around the parks.

The Park Hopper decision is a very individual one. It is always a good idea to plan before your Disney World vacation so give some thought to what you will do each day and see if a Park Hopper is the right option for you.

Disney World Water Park Fun and More

This adds $58.58 to a Base ticket no matter how many days are on the ticket. It allows you admission to Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, or a round of golf at Oak Trail.

You get a pre set amount of admissions depending upon the amount of days on your Base ticket. So if you have a 4 day ticket you get 4 admissions, a 9 day ticket you get 9 and so on. The only exception is with a 1 day ticket you get 2 admissions.

As with all Disney Magic Your Way tickets this will expire after 14 days ( so day of use plus 13 days). As a general rule if you are going to visit these places twice then you will save money on a separate admission price.

Disney World Passes Non Expiration Option

This can be a great choice but be very careful with what you decide here as the add on price is considerable.

Days

Adult

Child (aged 3 to 9)

n/a

$26.63

$37.28

$79.88

$122.48

$138.45

$170.40

$207.68

$234.30

$239.63

A non expiration option can be great value if you know that you are returning to Walt Disney World. For example if you visit in 2012 and buy a 10 day ticket with a non expiration option and use 5 days this visit, you will still have 5 days to use when you return. That would be cheaper than buying two 5 day Magic Your Way passes. But it is rumored that most of the non expiration options are never used. As it adds so much onto the Base Ticket price you do have to be sure that this is a good option for your visit.

Disney World Ticket Upgrades

You can upgrade a Disney World pass within the first 14 days (day of first use plus 13 days). So if you decide after a couple of days that you really do want that Park Hopper option then you can go back to the ticket window and pay the upgrade cost. Once the ticket has expired you cannot upgrade. Also remember you can never down grade. So if you buy a Water Park option and then only visit once you cannot get a refund.

Walt Disney World Annual Passes

Disney World offers several different types of annual pass including special passes for Florida Residents. For more information about this I have written a guide at:

Disney World Tickets for Florida Residents

As a rough guide if you are planning on visiting 11 days or more in a year then an Annual Pass offers savings over a Magic Your Way ticket. Some annual passes also have benefits such as discounts on merchandise and perks such as free parking which can also add up to significant savings. There are also sometimes offers of discountson Walt Disney World resorts for annual passholders.

An annual pass which will give you access to all the four theme parks for one year is $552.74 for adults and $509.07 for a child aged 3-9. Renewals are offered at a discount.

A deluxe Disney Annual Pass is $691.19 for adults and $636.87 for children aged 3 to 9. Renewals are also offered at a discount. This ticket will allow you access to the main four parks, the water parks and Disney Quest.

Where Not To Buy Disney World Passes

There are scams out there. Lots of them unfortunately so you do need to be aware of them. Only ever buy direct from Disney World (either at the gate or online) or from Authorized Disney Ticket Agents.

Disney World tickets are never transferable so if someone is offering you un expired days off tickets or you are looking at sites like eBay or Craigslist just do not go there. Never, ever buy a Disney ticket unless it is from an authorized source. It is illegal to sell tickets in this way and every year someone is arrested for doing just that. Do not be a victim of these scams.

Discount Walt Disney World Passes

There are safe places to buy discount Disney World Passes. You can buy direct from Disney or an Authorized ticket dealer. Click below to look at the discount prices for this highly reliable ticket seller:

Discounts on Disney Park Tickets!

Savings vary according to which ticket type you buy but it can save your family a lot of money.

They key to saving on Walt Disney World Passes is understanding which ticket you really need and then buying it from a safe source. With this guide you now have everything you need. If you have any questions just leave me a comment below.

Walt Disney World February 2012

November 29, 2011 by Alison Leave a Comment

Are you thinking of visiting Walt Disney World in February 2012 and want to know what events are happening and which rides are being refurbished. When you visit Walt Disney World it is always a good idea to know what special events will be taking place as well as finding out which rides will be closed. So what is happening in February 2012 at Walt Disney World?

Photo by armadillo444

Disney World Ride and Attraction Closures for Refurbishment in February 2012

If you have small children you need to know that the Dumbo ride in Magic Kingdom is closed from January 9th until February 17th 2012. There are of course plenty of other rides for toddlers but if your young one particularly wants to ride on Dumbo then you may want to prepare them for the fact that it is closed.

Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom is also closed fro refurbishment and will re open on 27th May. This is a very popular attraction and so that area in the park will likely be rather busy with guests finding that the only major attraction in that area is Splash Mountain. So plan ahead if you want to ride Splash Mountain as the lines will likely be longer than usual for that time of year. Ride early in the day or later at night, or get a Fast Pass.

The Main Street Electric Parade is only running on February 2nd, 6th, 13th, 16th, 17th, 18th. 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th, and 27th 2012.

The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor which is located on Main Street in Magic Kingdom will be closed until March 27th 2012.

Unfortunately Fantasmic! is only staged in Disney Hollywood Studios for limited dates in February 2012. Over the last year the once daily show has now been reduced to select performances. Fantasmic! will only be shown on February 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 28th, and 29th. The wait time for Fantasmic! is always long – you need to arrive at least 60 minutes and up to 90 minutes before the show starts. These shows are likely to be extremely popular due to the limited availability of performances. If you want to book a Fantasmic! Dinner Package be sure to do so as much ahead of time as you can by calling 407 WDW DINE.

Tutto Italia Ristorante is closed in Epcot until April 30th 2012. There is another restaurant as an alternative in Epcot Italy but make sure you get your reservations ahead of time for the very popular Via Napoli Ristorante.

Typhoon Lagoon is closed until 17th March 2012 but Blizzard Beach is open during that time if you want to visit a Disney Water Park.

Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend

The annual Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend is taking place from February 24th to February 26th. The weekend is full of special events and the Disney Princess Half Marathon takes place on Sunday February 26th 2012. The half marathon is run through Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Who can resist the chance to earn a Disney Princess Half Marathon Tiara Finisher Medal? Other events taking place over the weekend include Disney Royal Family 5K, Disney Royal Family Kid’s races and Disney Princess Fitness Expo.

If you want more information visit the official Disney Princess Marathon site.

The event is not as large as the Disney World Marathon which takes place in January each year but it will have an effect on crowds. So expect the parks to be pretty busy on that weekend. In fact the busiest week in February is likely to be 17th February to 26th February as this is the President’s Day weekend crowd. If you have a choice of when to visit in February 2012 then most likely the quieter weeks will be the first 2 weeks of February 2012.

Walt Disney World January 2012

November 14, 2011 by Alison Leave a Comment

If you are visiting Walt Disney World in January 2012 here is a guide to what is happening in the parks at that time including parades, special events and ride closures.

Disney World Ride and Attraction Closures for Refurbishment in January 2012

It is always best to be prepared for which attractions will be closed when you visit, so here are the scheduled refurbishments for January 2012.

In Magic Kingdom the very popular Dumbo ride will be closed from January 9th to February 17th. You do need to warn the younger children about this as they may be disappointed. An alternative ride is The Magic Carpets of Aladdin which is very similar to Dumbo.

Also Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom will be closed for refurbishment from January 9th to 27th May 2012. This is a major attraction which will be closed for quite a considerable time. Expect Splash Mountain to have longer lines as it will take up some of the capacity of guests who would have been riding on Big Thunder Mountain.

The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street in Magic Kingdom will be closed from January 4th to March 27th 2012.

The only closure in Epcot for January will be Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy World Showcase Pavilion which will be closed from January 7th to April 30, 2012.

If you are visiting Disney Hollywood Studios in January and early February 2012 you will be disappointed to find out that Fantasmic! will not be playing for much of the time. It will be dark from 9th January to 12th February 2012.

Also in Epcot the Sounds Dangerous Soundstage is open only seasonally and due to low attendance is unlikely to be open for any of January.

The water parks always close over the winter for refurbishment – whilst one is closed the other will be open. If you are visiting in January then Blizzard Beach will be open but Typhoon Laggon is closed from 4th December 2011 to 17th March 2012.

Disney World Magic Kingdom Parade in January 2012

If you possibly can then you should always try and catch Disney’s Main Street Electric Parade in Magic Kingdom. It will be performed most nights in January 2012 but will not be run on 8th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 27th, 29th, and 31st January.

Disney has a very good idea of which days will be the highest attendance days – so expect the days when the Electric Parade is scheduled to be the busier ones in Magic Kingdom.

Disney World Hotel Refurbishments

These closures generally only affect Disney World hotel guests but are worth noting.

The Disney Grand Floridian Resort Spa closed in September 2011 and will remain closed for 18 months. The fitness center is still open.

In the Polynesian Resort the sand beach is being refurbished from 24th December to 10th January 2012.

Walt Disney World Special Events January 2012

The major event in January 2012 is the Walt Disney World Marathon. This event is held every year in January and this year various races will be held in the theme parks from 5th January to 8th January 2012. This is a popular event and will mean that attendance at the parks is heavier than you may expect at this time.

Disney World Tickets for Florida Residents

January 15, 2011 by Alison 3 Comments

Disney World offers some great discounts on park tickets for Florida Residents. There are a number of different options ranging from one day Walt Disney World park tickets to annual pass options for those who are likely to visit the parks more frequently.

Here are the options for Disney World tickets for Florida residents. All prices are correct in January 2011 and do not include taxes.

Disney World Annual Passes for Florida Residents

The Florida Resident Annual Pass includes unlimited admission to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park for 365 days of the year. The price is $403.64 for adults and $364.23 for children aged 3 to 9.

If you want to include the Disney Water Parks and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive theme park and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course (green fees only) in addition to the Disney parks then you may want to consider the Florida Resident Premium Annual Pass. This gives 365 days of admission for $531.44 for adults and $479.25 for children aged 3 to 9.

A great value option is the Florida Resident Seasonal Pass at $275.84 for adults and $249.21 for children aged 3 to 9. This includes access to Disney Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for select dates throughout the year. The block out dates are select dates in April, June, July, August, December and New Year’s Day. This can be a great option for Florida residents though as you can get a good discounted rate on Disney tickets.

A Florida Resident Weekday Select Pass is also available. This gives access to the 4 main Disney theme parks Monday to Friday at select times of the year. The rate is $185.31 for adults and $167.21 for children aged 3 to 9.

If you just want to visit Epcot then there is a Florida Resident Epcot After 4pm Annual Pass. This option is more likely to be appealing to adults – try and explain to the kids that they can’t go to Magic Kingdom! The price for adults is $153.36 and $138.45 for children aged 3 to 9.

Only the Florida Resident Annual Pass and the Florida Resident Premium Pass include theme park parking. At $14 a day this may be a consideration for which Annual Pass you want to purchase.

All of the Disney Florida Resident Annual Passes provide discounts on select Disney resort hotels, dining and merchandise. These offers do vary seasonally though and do change – so always check out the offers for the dates you are visiting. All Disney Annual Passholders are also eligible to purchase the Disney Tables of Wonderland dining discount card which gives a discount of 20% on most Disney restaurants.

All Disney World Florida Resident Annual Passes are eligible for the monthly payment scheme so you can spread your payments out over a 12 month period.

There are also a number of discounted Disney World ticket options for Florida Residents not wanting to buy an Annual Pass. Disney also offers discounts for Florida Residents on single and multi day Magic Your Way Tickets.

A One Day Magic Your Way Ticket for Florida Residents is $73.80 for an adult and $66.60 for a child aged 3 to 9. Magic Your Way Tickets are available for up to 10 days and all Florida residents do receive a discount. If you want to add a Water Park Fun and More option or the Park Hopper option to a Florida Resident ticket this is available at a discount and costs just $27 per ticket per option.

From January 2, 2011 to May 22nd 2011 Florida Residents can by a Wild 4 Disney Pass. This gives the ticket holder 4 days of admission to the 4 Disney theme parks for $119 for adults and children aged 3 to 9. There are block out dates from 17th April to 24th April and all Wild 4 Disney Passes expire on May 26th 2011. For an extra cost Florida Residents can add the Park Hopper Option and the Water Park Fun & More Option to the Wild 4 Disney Passes for $27 per option.

If you are a Florida Resident and a Water Park fan then you may want to consider the Water Park Annual Passes for Florida Residents. This gives you access to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Blizzard Beach for a whole year each day after 2pm for $63.90 for adults and $51.12 for children.

If you want access to the Disney Water Parks year round at any opening time then the Water Park Annual Pass is $106.45 for adults and $85.73 for children aged 3 to 9. A single day Water Park admission is $47.93 for adults and $41.54 for children aged 3 to 9. So if you are going to visit more than twice a year it is worth buying an annual pass.

What Proof is Required to Purchase a Disney World Florida Resident Ticket?

There are many Disney World Ticket options for Florida Residents which offer a considerable discount. So just who is a Florida resident? All adults over the age of 18 must provide proof of Florida residency.

Disney has recently widened the definition of who is Florida resident. Disney accepts as proof of residence a Florida driver’s license,Florida state-issued ID card (must have a Florida address) or a Florida-based military ID.

Additionally Disney will now accept a state issued ID or passport from any state together with one of the following:

Monthly mortgage statement
Florida vehicle registration or title
Homeowner’s insurance policy or bill
Automobile insurance policy or bill
Utility bill
Mail from a financial institution, including checking, savings, or investment account statement
Mail from a Federal, State, County or City government agency

All photos by expressmonorail

Filed Under: Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney Parks, Disney Tips, Disney Water Parks, Disney World Dining, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Magic Kingdom Tagged With: disney florida residents discount, disney tickets, disney world florida residents tickets, disney world tickets for florida residents

Disney Blizzard Beach

July 30, 2010 by Alison 3 Comments

No Disney World vacation is really complete without a visit to Blizzard Beach. This is Disney’s most exciting water park with water slides to satisfy those guests who really do want to travel at 60 miles per hour into the water (the infamous Blizzard Beach Summit Plummet)as well as those who simply want to relax and drift around aimlessly in a raft around the park. Disney Blizzard Beach has something for everyone.

The concept? The idea is that Disney’s Blizzard Beach was formed after a particularly cold winter in Florida when it actually snowed. Of course the snow did not last long in the sunshine state and it all melted. But the mountains and ski lifts remained and all the water melted to form a lagoon.

This was of course the perfect Disney irony as Blizzard Beach opened on 1st April 1995. So now Disney World guests have two choices of water park with this snowy paradise and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon.

What exactly will you find at Blizzard Beach? How much are the tickets? When is the best time to visit? Follow this comprehensive guide to get the very most out of your visit!

Disney World Water Park Tickets

Picture by paladin27

There are two ways to buy your Disney Water Park Tickets

1. You can buy a separate ticket to spend a day at Blizzard Beach. This is $47.93 for adults and $36.21 for a child aged 3 to 9.

2. Buy a ticket to the Disney World parks which includes the water parks as part of the Disney Magic Your Way Ticket. The cost to add the Water Park Fun and More option is $55.38. The number of visits will depend upon the amount of days in your Magic Your Way Ticket. If you are planning a visit to a water park more than once, or to a water park and Disney Quest then it is usually cheaper to add on the Water Park Fun and More option to your ticket.

Annual passes are also available so that you can visit Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon as many times as you want in the year. The rate for this is $106.45 for adults and $85.73 for children aged 3 to 9.

Blizzard Beach Opening Times

Photo by chromatic

The Disney Water Parks close for about 3 months of the year for maintenence and rehab works. When one is closed the other will be open. For 2011 Blizzard Beach will be closed from 9th January 2011 to 19th March 2011.

The park opens daily from 9am until 5pm.

Blizzard Beach Summit Plummet

Photo by gnislew

Summit Plummet is the most extreme water slide at Blizzard Beach. A white knuckle ride on water! Travel at up to 60 miles per hour and drop 13 stories on the ultimate water slide. Blizzard Beach Summit Plummet is very popular so arrive early unless you want to stand in line for a long time. Also ladies the best advice is to wear a one piece. It happens every day that someone loses their modesty on this slide when they lose a part of their bikini! Guests must be at least 48″ tall to ride Summit Plummet.

If Summit Plummit is not for you then try the slightly slower – only 50 miles per hour – Slusher Gusher. The height requirement is 48″.

Blizzard Beach Double Gusher is a lot of fun. The Double Dipper has 2 side by side 50 foot long water slides where you can race against a fellow guest to see who reaches the bottom first. For this slide you ride in an inner tube and can reach up to 25 mph. The height requirement is 48″ and the catch pool is 54″ deep.

Picture by gnislew

Every ski resort has to have a lift and of course Blizzard Beach has one of it’s own! You can walk to the top of the water slides up the stairs or you can take Blizzard Beach Chair Lift. At busy times long lines do form so you may want to use up some energy and use the stairs before you plummet down the slide! The height requirement for the Chair Lift is 32″.

There are no height restrictions for Runoff Rapids. This is a 600 foot inner tube ride with 3 slides to choose from. The slides twist and turn. There are 2 slides which are open and can take 2 people. The third choice is an enclosed slide for just one rider.

Snow Stormers is one of my personal favorites. There are 3 slides which are each 350 feet long and each rider slides along face down on a mat. The water in the catch pool is 3″ 9′ so it is a good one for smaller children. The Toboggan Racers are also a good choice for younder ones as this 250′ slide has a zero entry pool at the bottom.

A great ride for the whole family is Teamboat Springs. This is the largest family white water raft attraction in the world for families. Teamboat Springs is 1200′ long. The rafts take between 4 and 6 people at a time.

Cross Country Creek

Photo by paladin27

Pick up an inner tube and sail around Cross Country Creek. I have to admit that this is one of my favorite ways to spend my time at Blizzard Beach. The journey right around the park takes around half and hour but you can hop on and off at any of the 7 entry points. You can even swim around without the tube so you can pretend that you are getting at least some exercise. The landscaping around the Creek is beautiful.

Blizzard Beach Ski Patrol Training Camp

This is the area specifically designed for children and is packed with things for them to do including ice berg walks and small slides. There is a T Bar attraction which drops into a very deep pool. Guests often do not realize that this pool is over 8 feet deep and so you have to be a very confident swimmer here. So beware. Always have children wear the free life jackets in all areas of Blizzard Beach unless they are strong swimmers.

For the very little ones there is Tike’s Peak where only those 48″ and under can play. As you can imagine this area gets extremely busy so grab your spot early if you have younger children.

Melt Away Bay is the large pool at the foot of Mount Gushmore. This is a very gentle wave pool which is also very popular. Guests tend to gravitate towards this area for seating so once again if you want to sit here then arrive early.

Food At Blizzard Beach

There are of course plenty of places to buy food at Blizzard Beach but to save money you may want to think about bringing your own. Yes Disney really does allow you to bring a cooler and food to Blizzard Beach. Use your common sense as to how much you will bring – so long as you can physically carry the cooler you should not meet any objection from the Cast Members. The only restriction is that you cannot bring in any alcohol or glass containers.

But if you don’t bring your own food you won’t go hungry as there are plenty of fast food eating places in Blizzard Beach. You will find turkey legs,hot dogs and ice cream in Avalunch. The Cooling Hut for ice cream and pop corn. Frostbite Freddie’s for beer and frozen drink specialties. Frosting the Joe Man for coffee. Funnel Cakes for funnel cakes and cotton candy. Polar Pub for frozen drinks and beer. Sled Dogs Expeditions serves ice cream sundaes. Mini Donuts serves just that! The Warming Hut serves hot dogs,turkey legs and ice cream.

There is one counter service restaurant in Blizzard Beach and this is the Lottawotta Lodge. It has the usual fast food favorites of burgers,pizza,sandwiches and salads. Healthy options are very difficult to find at Blizzard Beach so if this is important to you be sure to bring your own food.

When Should I Visit Blizzard Beach?

The Disney Water Parks are popular and will close when they get to capacity – they have to for safety reasons.

Arrive early. Get to Blizzard Beach around 45 minutes before the published opening time with your ticket in your hand or ready to use one of the automated ticket machines. Then you will get a head start on every one else. It is useful to know which attraction you want to prioritize so if you want to go on Summit Plummet then head there first.

Disney Water parks also close for safety reasons in a rainstorm. Often the storm passes and the park opens again. Most of the guests will leave at this point. If you think that the storm may pass over then it may be worth waiting around for the park to open – you will be one of only a few who do and you will have a much quiter park once the storm is over.

Playing the weather game can backfire though. Look at the weather forecast before you go to Blizzard Beach.No rain checks are offered at Disney. If you are in the park and it closes and you don’t go back there are no refunds on your tickets.

Another tip if you arrive early is to bypass the lockers. Just wear your swim gear under shorts and a shirt and wear flip flops or shoes you can wear in the water. The lines at the lockers can sometimes be as long and slow as for the slides so by the time you have secured your locker you have lost you early morning advantage! For those who need lockers these are available for $13 for a small one and $15 for a large including a $5 refundable deposit for your locker key. You can also rent towels for $2 each.

If you are a Disney Resort guest then you can take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours at Blizzard Beach. This is a great time to visit as the park opens every morning one hour earlier than for non Disney guests and also some days stays open for an extra 3 hours. Be sure to check the current Extra Magic Hours Schedule when you arrive at your resort.

Always stay safe. There are free life jackets of all sizes available at Snowless Joes if you leave a photo ID and a $25 refundable deposit. Remember your waterproof sun screen and stay in the shade whenever you can. The Florida sun is hot and you don’t want to spoil the perfect day at Blizzard Beach with a sun burn.

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney Tips, Disney Water Parks Tagged With: disney blizzard beach, Disney Parks, disney typhoon lagoon, disney water park

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