Disney water parks

Quick Tip: Refillable Mugs

Disney water parks offer refillable mugs for unlimited soda, tea, and coffee refills throughout the day for $12.99 plus tax. If you're visiting on another day, you can bring your mug back and reactivate it for just $8.50. These mugs are available at both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

best treat: ice cream pail

The Sand Pail Ice Cream Sundae, available at both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, is the most fun snack at the water parks. It’s served in a sand pail with a shovel and is piled high with chocolate and vanilla soft-serve, waffle cone pieces, Oreo crumbles, sprinkles, hot fudge, caramel, and whipped cream.

choosing a park: blizzard beach vs typhoon lagoon

Theming and atmosphere

Blizzard Beach: A melted ski resort theme, complete with snow-covered structures. It feels fun and quirky, perfect for families.

Typhoon Lagoon: A tropical island paradise hit by a storm, featuring shipwrecks, and a relaxed, beachy vibe.

Winner: 🥇 Typhoon Lagoon.

wave pool

Blizzard Beach: The Melt-Away Bay wave pool is calmer with consistent small waves.

Typhoon Lagoon: The Surf Pool produces massive waves every 90 seconds, which can reach up to six feet high. This is the largest wave pool in North America.

Winner: 🥇 Typhoon Lagoon

Family friendly activities

Blizzard Beach: Offers Ski Patrol Training Camp, a play area for older kids, and Cross Country Creek, a lazy river.

Typhoon Lagoon: Has Ketchakiddee Creek, a play area for younger kids, and Castaway Creek, a longer lazy river.

Winner: 🥇 Typhoon Lagoon

crowd levels

Blizzard Beach: Tends to be less crowded, especially since Typhoon Lagoon is often the more popular choice.

Typhoon Lagoon: Can attract bigger crowds due to its wave pool and tropical vibe.

Winner: 🥇 Blizzard Beach

Thrills

Blizzard Beach: Summit Plummet, Toboggan Racers, and Slush Gusher are great water thrill rides.

Typhoon Lagoon: Has Crush 'n' Gusher and exciting wave pool action, but fewer extreme slides.

Winner: 🥇 Blizzard Beach

overall winner

🥇 Typhoon Lagoon – Its theming, wave pool, and family-friendly options give it the edge for most visitors.

🥈 Blizzard Beach – Thrill-seekers and those looking for a quieter experience will still love this park.

Disney Water Parks vs Aquatica & Volcano Bay

pricing

  1. Aquatica 🥇

    Lowest ticket prices, frequent discounts (e.g., military and resident offers). Starts at ~$59.99 for adults; ~$54.99 for children. Also, Aquatica is the only park to offer an All Day Dining Deal ($39.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids under 10.) Guests can enjoy an entrée, a side or dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage once every 90 minutes throughout the day.

  2. Blizzard Beach/Typhoon Lagoon 🥈

    Mid-range pricing with Florida resident discounts. Starts at ~$69 for adults (ages 10+); ~$63 for children (ages 3-9).

  3. Volcano Bay 🥉

    Higher prices, though it offers good value for its tech and attractions. Starts at ~$80 for adults (ages 10+); ~$75 for children (ages 3-9).

Theming and Atmosphere

  1. Volcano Bay 🥇
    A fully immersive Polynesian themed park with a massive 200-foot volcano at its center with water rides flowing through it.

  2. Typhoon Lagoon 🥈
    A shipwrecked tropical island with palm trees, sandy beaches, and scenic waterfalls.

  3. Blizzard Beach 🥉
    A ski resort theme with a ski lift, faux snow, and lodge-style eateries.

  4. Aquatica
    A bright and colorful park with animal habitats, like dolphins near the slides. While fun, it doesn’t feel as immersive as its competitors.

Family friendly activities

  1. Aquatica 🥇

    Best interactive play areas for kids (Kata’s Kookaburra Cove and Walkabout Waters) and calm animal-focused attractions like Dolphin Plunge.

  2. Typhoon Lagoon/Blizzard Beach 🥈

    Excellent lazy rivers and family play areas. But lacks the amount of play zones for younger children in comparison to Aquatica.

  3. Volcano Bay 🥉

    TapuTapu wristbands reduce wait times, and Tot Tiki Reef provides a fun, interactive play space for kids. However, the park has more options for thrill seekers than younger children.

crowd level

  1. Blizzard Beach 🥇

    Typically, the least crowded of all four water parks. Attracts fewer visitors than Typhoon Lagoon due to its ski resort theme (some guests prefer tropical settings). Wait times for slides are generally shorter than other parks.

  2. Aquatica 🥈

    Often less packed than Typhoon Lagoon and Volcano Bay, especially on weekdays. Two wave pools help spread guests out. Plenty of family play areas keep congestion in different areas.

  3. Typhoon Lagoon🥉

    Busy but manageable. Most popular Disney water park. Massive wave pool draws in large crowds. A long lazy river (Castaway Creek) helps distribute guests throughout the park.

  4. Volcano Bay

    The TapuTapu virtual queue system means people aren’t waiting in physical lines, but instead are spread out in pools, food areas, and lazy rivers—making the park feel congested. Often reaches capacity before noon, especially on weekends. Express Passes sell out quickly, making it harder to skip waits.

Thrills

  1. Volcano Bay 🥇
    Home to Krakatau Aqua Coaster, one of the best water coasters in the world, and Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a 125-foot near-vertical drop slide.

  2. Aquatica🥈
    Features Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, Orlando’s tallest and steepest multi-drop slide.

  3. Blizzard Beach 🥉
    Summit Plummet is one of the tallest and fastest free-fall slides in the world. While thrilling, Blizzard Beach has fewer thrill slides overall compared to Volcano Bay and Aquatica.

  4. Typhoon Lagoon
    Typhoon Lagoon is more focused on wave pools and family-friendly attractions rather than high-speed thrills

overall winner

  1. Volcano Bay 🥇

    Best for immersive theming, technology, and thrills but most expensive and crowded.

  2. Aquatica 🥈

    Best for families on a budget with great kid-friendly attractions and all-day dining.

  3. Typhoon Lagoon 🥉

    Best wave pool and relaxing Disney theming, but high crowds and mid-range thrills.

  4. Blizzard Beach

    Best for thrill-seekers with shorter wait times, but fewer family attractions.