The legend of Blizzard Beach goes:
"It was a meteorological phenomenon of the strangest order.
One balmy day, a freak winter storm developed over the western end of
Walt Disney World Resort and covered the area with a thick blanket of
powdery white snow. Before you could say "hot cocoa," plans were underway
for Florida's first ski resort.
Ski lifts
were put up, toboggan runs were laid down and an entire resort area blossomed
around the mountain of snow. Yet before the first skier could strap on
a pair of boots and stick his poles into the snow, the temperatures returned
to their normal Florida levels, and the powdery snow quickly turned into
slippery slush. The ski resort operators saw their dream melting down
the hillside. Yet that's not all they saw.
As the slush
began cascading down and pools of water began to form, an echoing "yahoo"
was heard from the summit of the mountain. Everyone looked up to see a
playful alligator careening down the melting hillside. He slid to the
base of the mountain and landed in a pool of water with a thunderous splash.
They knew at once that they were back in business.
Slalom courses,
bobsled and toboggan runs became downhill waterslides. The creek of melted
snow that formed at the base of the mountain became a relaxing tube ride.
The chairlift carried swimmers instead of skiers. The ski jump became
the tallest and fastest water slide in the world. The ski resort became
known as Disney's Blizzard Beach, the most slushy, slippery, exhilarating
water park anywhere!"
Blizzard Beach opened on April 1, 1995 and is located on 66 acres of land. The water is heated to a constant 75 to 80 degrees year round.
Like all things at Walt Disney World, there is immersive theming at play at Blizzard Beach and you will feel as if you are in the midst of a melting ski resort.
The centerpiece of Blizzard Beach is Mt. Gushmore, a snow-capped 90 foot high peak. There is a chair lift that takes guests to the top of Mt. Gushmore where they can access Summit Plummet, Slush Gusher and Teamboat Springs. Guests must be at least 32 inches to ride the chair lift. Guests who do not meet the height requirement for the chair lift or who do not wish to use the chair lift may access the top of Mt. Gushmore by stairs.
At the top of Mt. Gushmore is the launching pad for Summit Plummet, a 360 foot waterslide that is 12 stories high with a 120 foot slope. Riders of Summit Plummet can reach up to speeds of 60 mph, making it one of the fastest waterslides in the world. Guests must be 48 inches tall to ride Summit Plummet.
Not far from the base of Mt. Gushmore is the Ski Patrol Training Camp which is an area designed for pre-teens to enjoy Blizzard Beach.
This area of the park contains a thin ice training course for guests to test their balance by walking across ice flows with the help of an overhead cargo net, a T-bar zip line that ends in a 8 1/2 foot deep pool of water, two mild body slides, and an inner tube ride.
Running throughout Blizzard Beach is Cross Country Creek, a 3,000 foot long lazy river tube ride that is also a great way to make your way around the park. It takes about thirty minutes to make a loop through the park on Cross Country Creek.
There are 7 different landings where you may enter or exit Cross Country Creek and plenty of tubes available at each landing.
As you make your way throughout the park make sure to keep your eyes open for Hidden Mickeys!
Melt-Away Bay is Blizzard Beach's one acre wave pool located at the foot of Mt. Gushmore that features relaxing, bobbing waves. Tubes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Another favorite attraction at Blizzard Beach is the Downhill Double Dippers. The Downhill Double Dippers are two side by side 50 foot high racing slides. The slides end in a catch pool that is 54" deep. While kids must be 48" tall to ride, the catch pool may still be over their head, so be sure that they know how to swim when they reach the end. Riders can reach up to 20 mph and often skip across the catch pool.
The Toboggan Racers are also located at the top of Mt. Gushmore and are eight lane water slides that are a 250 foot slope with 3 exhilirating dips. Racers go down headfirst on racing mats.
Tips and Thoughts
* There are several ways to pay for admission to the Disney Water Parks - you can add the Water Parks and More option to your vacation package, purchase a one day admission, or purchase an annual water park pass. In my opinion the annual water park pass is the best value, as two visits to the water parks pay for the pass and it is good for one year from the date of purchase.
* Be at the water park about thirty minutes before the park opens, this will allow you to do the slides first thing in the morning before the lines get long. You should be able to ride each attraction before the lines back up. Also, during busy months the water park can reach capacity and you may not be able to enter the park.
* Rent a locker for your belongings. Small lockers are currently $10, while large lockers are currently $15.
*Charge to your Magic Band. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort and have linked a credit card to your Magic Band you can charge to your Magic Band while at Blizzard Beach. This is extremely convenient as it eliminates the need to carry any money with you while at the park.
* Wear a one-piece bathing suit. While that bikini may look super cute, the slides at Blizzard Beach are no joke and many women have lost their bikini tops on them.
* Bring water shoes. The concrete is hot and rough so after a long day at the water park it can really take a toll on your feet, water shoes can help prevent this from happening.
* Bring your own towels. The water park does not offer towels. You can rent towels for $2 each but they are very similar to those found at hotels, they are not beach towels.
* Drive to the water park even if you are staying on property. While we are staying at Disney resorts we almost always use Disney transportation to get us back and forth from the parks. However, we have found that driving to the water parks is the easiest.
At the top of Mt. Gushmore is the launching pad for Summit Plummet, a 360 foot waterslide that is 12 stories high with a 120 foot slope. Riders of Summit Plummet can reach up to speeds of 60 mph, making it one of the fastest waterslides in the world. Guests must be 48 inches tall to ride Summit Plummet.
Not far from the base of Mt. Gushmore is the Ski Patrol Training Camp which is an area designed for pre-teens to enjoy Blizzard Beach.
This area of the park contains a thin ice training course for guests to test their balance by walking across ice flows with the help of an overhead cargo net, a T-bar zip line that ends in a 8 1/2 foot deep pool of water, two mild body slides, and an inner tube ride.
Running throughout Blizzard Beach is Cross Country Creek, a 3,000 foot long lazy river tube ride that is also a great way to make your way around the park. It takes about thirty minutes to make a loop through the park on Cross Country Creek.
There are 7 different landings where you may enter or exit Cross Country Creek and plenty of tubes available at each landing.
As you make your way throughout the park make sure to keep your eyes open for Hidden Mickeys!
Melt-Away Bay is Blizzard Beach's one acre wave pool located at the foot of Mt. Gushmore that features relaxing, bobbing waves. Tubes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Another favorite attraction at Blizzard Beach is the Downhill Double Dippers. The Downhill Double Dippers are two side by side 50 foot high racing slides. The slides end in a catch pool that is 54" deep. While kids must be 48" tall to ride, the catch pool may still be over their head, so be sure that they know how to swim when they reach the end. Riders can reach up to 20 mph and often skip across the catch pool.
The Toboggan Racers are also located at the top of Mt. Gushmore and are eight lane water slides that are a 250 foot slope with 3 exhilirating dips. Racers go down headfirst on racing mats.
Tips and Thoughts
* There are several ways to pay for admission to the Disney Water Parks - you can add the Water Parks and More option to your vacation package, purchase a one day admission, or purchase an annual water park pass. In my opinion the annual water park pass is the best value, as two visits to the water parks pay for the pass and it is good for one year from the date of purchase.
* Be at the water park about thirty minutes before the park opens, this will allow you to do the slides first thing in the morning before the lines get long. You should be able to ride each attraction before the lines back up. Also, during busy months the water park can reach capacity and you may not be able to enter the park.
* Rent a locker for your belongings. Small lockers are currently $10, while large lockers are currently $15.
*Charge to your Magic Band. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort and have linked a credit card to your Magic Band you can charge to your Magic Band while at Blizzard Beach. This is extremely convenient as it eliminates the need to carry any money with you while at the park.
* Wear a one-piece bathing suit. While that bikini may look super cute, the slides at Blizzard Beach are no joke and many women have lost their bikini tops on them.
* Bring water shoes. The concrete is hot and rough so after a long day at the water park it can really take a toll on your feet, water shoes can help prevent this from happening.
* Bring your own towels. The water park does not offer towels. You can rent towels for $2 each but they are very similar to those found at hotels, they are not beach towels.
* Drive to the water park even if you are staying on property. While we are staying at Disney resorts we almost always use Disney transportation to get us back and forth from the parks. However, we have found that driving to the water parks is the easiest.
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