It may be winter right now, but it’ll be summer before we know it. As the clouds part the snow will all start to melt away, and there is one park at Walt Disney World where you can see it happen (sort of): Blizzard Beach.
Blizzard Beach has been closed for almost a year, but the snowy hills and splashy fun are set to restart on March 7!
The Blizzard Basics
Blizzard Beach is the larger of the two water parks at Walt Disney World. It is located between Hollywood Studios and the All Star Resorts.
Blizzard Beach opened in 1995 and is themed after a ski resort that opened in Orlando during a freak winter storm. When the snow started to melt they quickly pivoted to a water park.
The slides look like melting snow rolling down a mountain, with the main slide — Summit Plummet — looking like a ski jump.
When the park first opened it had a mascot named Ice Gator who was a blue gator who wore skis. For the most part Ice Gator has been removed from the park, but there are a few hints of his presence here and there.
The Blizzard Fun
There are 17 water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and areas for children of different ages. Even though it looks like a freezing cold water (it’s melted snow after all!), all of the water at Blizzard Beach is heated to a comfortable 80 degrees.
Most of the attractions are for all ages, but there are a few with height restrictions of 48″. The centerpiece attraction is Summit Plummet, a 120 foot tall water slide that looks like a ski jump. As you slide down, you can reach speeds up to 60 mph.
Some of the other stand out attractions at Blizzard Beach are the Slush Gusher, the Toboggan Racers, and the Chair Lift Up Mt. Gushmore. The Slush Gusher is a 90 foot double hump open slide. The Toboggan Racers is an eight lane toboggan race slide where you go down on mats on your stomach. The Chair Lift Up Mt. Gushmore is exactly what it sounds like: a chair lift that takes you to the top of the mountain. If you don’t like heights, you may want to take the stairs.
The Blizzard Extras
When you are at Blizzard Beach you are able to use their lockers to store anything you don’t want to get soaked or left on an unattended chair. The lockers are not included in the entrance ticket and cost extra. There are two different sizes of lockers available; the standard size (12.5″ x 10″ x 17″) for $10 per day and the large size (15.5″ x 13″ x 17″) for $15 per day. You can rent the lockers in the two locations in Blizzard Beach: Ski Patrol Training Camp and near Frostbite Freddy’s.
As you would expect, there are food and drink options at Blizzard Beach. However not all of them are open year round. Those with seasonal hours typically open in April and continue through summer. Food options at Blizzard Beach tend toward traditional theme park snacks like pretzels, hot dogs, and ice cream. There are a few items that standout from the crowd, though, like the vegetarian and vegan options at Lottawatta Lodge or the Barbecue Turkey Leg Crunch at the Warming Hut. There are also multiple places to get frozen alcoholic beverages.
Whether you spend a full day or just a half day at Blizzard Beach, it is definitely worth a visit.
What is your favorite attraction at Blizzard Beach? Let us know in the comments.
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Omg! The BB ski chair lift was prob the scariest ride I’ve ever been on at Disney 🤣