Is one of Disney World’s newest perks actually a “perk”?
Back in January 2025, Disney World debuted a new water park perk that allows all guests staying at Disney hotels to visit one of Disney World’s water parks — Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach — without any additional charge. However, there was one major caveat to this perk that has truly divided fans.
It is true that all guests staying at a Disney World hotel can enjoy complimentary water park access — but the perk is limited to check-in day. With the benefit being live for quite some time now, we asked our readers, “Do you take advantage of the free water park admission at Disney World or do you skip it? We’re curious what makes it a must-do or a pass for you! 💦” The results were mixed.
Lots of our readers enjoy the perk! Reader Heather wrote, “I have once, I liked it. It’s a good perk if you’re able to check in early enough to take advantage of it.”
Reade NYleia concurred, writing, “I did it last month and I loved it.” Reader Rachel added, “We used it and loved it. We only did the lazy river since most of my family doesn’t swim well, but it was a great way to start our vacay.”
However, the responses weren’t unanimous. Some readers noted that unless you get a super early flight, by the time you land in Orlando, get your bags, and drive to Disney World, it’ll be later in the day — which doesn’t help since the parks close at 6 PM.
Reader Tammi wrote, “Would like to take advantage of it, but water parks close at 6pm (why,??)… So we don’t land til 1:30, by the time we get the rental car and get to the resort, get to our rooms, change, wait on a bus, I figure we’d be lucky to get there by 4pm. So not worth the hassle for 2 hours.”
Unless you anticipate a short commute or getting settled into Orlando early in the morning, chances are your water park perk will go unused — which is something Disney World has likely considered, thus limiting the complimentary tickets to check-in day. Suffice it to say, there are probably tons of families that opt to stay on location at their hotel or in the theme parks on check-in day (and spend money at these spots) rather than take advantage of the free perk.
Reader Megan found a workaround with split stays, writing, “If I have a split stay I go on my second check-in day. Flying in from Maine often means I don’t have enough time to enjoy the waterpark on my arrival day.”
However, more folks probably have experiences similar to Reader Tony, who wrote, “We couldn’t take advantage of the water parks on our check in day due to our flight arriving after the water parks close. Our loss; yet I think it’s a perk that’s offered by Disney that many are not able to take fully advantage of.”
The inconvenience simply isn’t worth it for many. Reader John wrote, “Thought about it just week before last when we were arriving. But we got to WDW around 2 and by the time we would be there it would be near 330 and the temp would be around 9000 degrees so we just hit the pool at Treehouse villas.”
Reader Meghan summed it up by writing, “Skip. Too long a ride with transfer at Disney Spring after a long travel day. Wear yourself out and use up all your energy before you even begin your trip? No thanks.”
The time crunch placed on guests looking to use this perk is very real. Has it deterred you? Do you work around it? Let us know and continue to follow us here at AllEars for all things Disney World!
The New Hotel Perk in Disney World Is Quietly Ruining One of Its Parks
Have you taken advantage of this Disney World hotel perk? Share your experiences in the comments below!
We just returned and used the perk on arrival day with our early flight that had us arrive by noon at Boardwalk but I understand the hesitancy/trouble of the bus to Springs and transfer to/from TL or bus to Animal Kingdom and transfer to /from Blizzard Beach. We were able to get in about three laps of the lazy river and three raft rides before rain set in. We appreciated the second “arrival day” free water park option on our trip last week when we downgraded to a studio on Day 4 of our trip. We were able to visit both water parks on our trip last week with this perk and we hadn’t been to either in about 20 years since we normally visit during the Christmas week. I wish they would give the option to use the water park on the departure day as a choice at least. Appreciate though that this perk is extended to DVC owners since we are regulars and loyal to Disney.:)
We used it on our trip this summer. We are FL residents and have annual passes. We drive in so it works really well for us. With the water parks not opening until a bit later we can leave at a reasonable hour, still get to the water park at opening, enjoy several hours there, then go to the resort. Makes it feel like a full vacation day for us without having to leave super early to rope drop one of the parks!
we enjoyed it. It was the first time in years that we went to the water parks. and for our next trip the first thing my wife wanted to do was go to water park
Since we drive always drive down when going to WDW we are able to adjust our schedule to take advantage of the perk. Currently sitting in Jacksonville after a 10+ hour drive today, Will get up and be at the water park at opening or shortly after opening. Knowing this was a perk at time of booking it was easy for us to plan for.
We are coming from the UK and that’s a 9 hour flight. Even if we arrive when they are open there is no way we are going. We unpack, get something to keep us hydrated then go to bed so we can get to a park first thing. This is really not useful for us.
My husband and I LOVE the water parks perk!! We do split stays almost every time we visit DW and definitely have been taking advantage of this amazing perk. We were able to do the 2 water parks in May. So excited!! Havent been able to go to Blizard Beach in years…..it’s never open when we visit….hopefully they will keep this perk around for a while. 😄