This post is in partnership with Walt Disney World and Disney Parks. I was provided a complimentary tickets and food. All thoughts are my own.
On November 13th, Disney World reopened Blizzard Beach Water Park after closing in January for an extensive refurbishment. There were rumblings about what was happening as part of the refurbishment, and last weekend, Disney invited my family and me to see it all!
Blizzard Beach Water Park is one of two water parks at Walt Disney World and opened on April 1, 1995. I have always said the theme of this park is genius and something that only Disney Imagineers could create. Picture this: in 1977, a freak snowstorm in Central Florida led to the development of Florida’s first ski resort. But, once the snow melted (because, you know, Florida), the ski resort was left with a slushy, watery mess and was turned into a water park.
Throughout Blizzard Beach, you will find bobsled and toboggan runs that became waterslides, a ski jump that is now one of the tallest and fastest waterslides in the world, and a snowy creek that melted into a lazy river. There is also a children’s play area called Tike’s Peak, a wave pool, and Ski-Patrol Training Camp (for pre-teens). As you walk through the park, you will see that the architecture of the buildings looks very similar to the ones that you would find at a ski resort.
On Sunday morning, we arrived bright and early at Blizzard Beach to get a glimpse of some of the refurbishments before the park opened to guests. As we walked into the park, we were greeted by falling snow and Santa Claus himself (in beach attire, of course).
We stopped at the Lottawatta Lounge for a special buffet breakfast complete with holiday-themed foods, Christmas gifts, AND Goofy!
Once we gobbled up our food, Disney took us to Tike’s Peak, where we were able to see the most significant refurbishment of the water park: Tike’s Peak.
Tike’s Peak is an area of Blizzard Beach that is intended for children under 48 inches tall (Brooklyn!) and includes a splash pad, a pool, and scaled-down gentle water slides. Before the refurbishment, this area featured Ice Gator (the park’s mascot) and his friends, but now it’s FROZEN! That’s right, Disney has changed the area to include Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and baby snowgies.
We met with an Imagineer who told us all about their ideas for the area and how they redesigned it. Then they let us walk around, take it all in, and finally jump right in!
As you can tell, Brooklyn was absolutely obsessed with this area; she could’ve stayed there all day. She played in the splash pad, waded in the pool to see Olaf, and went down some of the water slides. The new Tike’s Peak area is adorable, fun, and magical in every way.
After prying Brooklyn away from Tike’s Peak, we decided to check out the rest of Blizzard Beach. We went down TeamBoat Springs (a family water slide), ate lots of snacks, and spent the rest of the day in the wave pool.
When we finally left Blizzard Beach, our entire family could not stop talking about how much fun we had. Brooklyn has asked me almost every day since, “can we go back to Blizzard Beach, please?” and I’m right there with her. Blizzard Beach is the PERFECT water park and something you should not skip on your next Disney World vacation. You can purchase a single ticket to Blizzard Beach OR add the “Water Park and Sport Option” to your Disney World Theme Park ticket.
If you are visiting Disney World between now and December 31, be sure to check out all of the holiday fun at Blizzard Beach! You can meet Santa, find snowfall throughout the park, and enjoy holiday-themed snacks.
Sending love and magic.