Walt Disney World Resort lodge friends can get pleasure from free admission to one of many water parks, Storm Lagoon or Blizzard Seaside, on their check-in day. It is a new for 2025 on-site perk that’s difficult to maximise, so we’re breaking down the professionals & cons and methods to get essentially the most mileage out of it and keep away from the colossal crowds which have descended on the WDW water parks for the reason that climate has warmed up.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals of the brand new Walt Disney World resort visitor profit. That is new free water park perk is included on the primary day of all on-site stays: room-only reservations, trip packages, and many others–even money-saving Disney Trip Membership level leases are eligible! As long as you’re staying in a Disney-owned resort and all friends are on the reservation, you’re good to go. There’s no catch.
For these already waiting for 2026 trip packages at Walt Disney World, we’re anticipating this perk to make a return. It stays to be seen whether or not it’s modified, as this yr’s method is arguably unsustainable. In order that they both want each Blizzard Seaside and Storm Lagoon open by spring break or to begin the perk later, have blockout dates, and many others. To that time, there are a couple of issues with this free water park day perk.
The primary is that the climate is simply too chilly for water parks for a couple of months of the yr. Except you’re the carrying shorts-in-the-snow sort, water parks may be disagreeable in the course of the vacation season and winter. In actual fact, they typically shut fully on varied days from November by means of March. That was particularly widespread this winter, because it appeared like Blizzard Seaside was closed attributable to climate as a lot because it’s been open.
Extra just lately, the problem has been overcrowding. In consequence, there’s been affirmation from Walt Disney World that each Storm Lagoon and Blizzard Seaside WILL function concurrently in Summer time 2025. That is one thing that hasn’t occurred since 2019 and it virtually didn’t occur this yr, both. When Storm Lagoon’s reopening was initially introduced, so too was Blizzard Seaside’s closure. It wasn’t till about one-month later that Walt Disney World modified course.
The explanation for Walt Disney World’s about-face and opening each Blizzard Seaside and Storm Lagoon is fairly easy and simple: crowds. After a sluggish begin to the yr, Blizzard Seaside has been completely slammed for the reason that begin of spring break. Attendance has been so excessive that the water park has had capability closures on no less than a handful of events, the car parking zone has crammed up and so they’ve resorted to overflow throughout the road, and the bus state of affairs has been suboptimal. To place it mildly.
The explanation Walt Disney World didn’t initially intend to function each water parks each summer time is a little more sophisticated, however for our functions, there’s one related consideration: staffing. Discovering certified lifeguards and filling different positions isn’t straightforward, and Walt Disney World is now scrambling to do precisely that earlier than the most popular months of the yr arrive.
Consequently, we’re involved about crowds at Storm Lagoon and/or Blizzard Seaside from now by means of August. Whereas having each open concurrently will definitely assist, there’s nonetheless the chance that they’ll be understaffed. And as we’ve seen in the course of the brutal warmth and humidity of the previous few summers, demand may be actually excessive for the water parks when the climate is true.
Even with pent-up demand having exhausted itself, this new perk will drive attendance increased in the course of the summer time months. We’re already seeing that by means of spring break. Though these peak season dates are busier than summer time as an entire, water park demand can also be pushed by climate–and that’ll be worse from June by means of August. That is exactly why Prolonged Night Hours are busiest those self same months, no matter daytime crowd ranges.
The brand new water park perk goes to exacerbate crowd ranges at Storm Lagoon and Blizzard Seaside this summer time. To what diploma is unknown, but when spring break is a sneak peek, most likely by quite a bit! Particularly as soon as longer hours and better warmth create a better incentive to make use of it upon arrival.
To that time, the water parks repeatedly shut at 5 or 6 pm exterior of the summer time season. This makes utilizing the free water park perk on arrival day very difficult! Except you’re taking a redeye or early morning flight, there’s a good probability that you simply gained’t have a ton of time for the water parks on check-in day.
Even for those who land in Orlando by midday, it may well take 90-120 minutes to get to your resort, drop off your baggage, then switch over to Storm Lagoon or Blizzard Seaside. Maybe longer for those who depend on Mears Join. One factor first-timers underestimate is transportation occasions at Walt Disney World–even when issues are working easily (as is usually the case now, minus Mears), getting round can take quite a bit longer than you count on. So there’s an opportunity you land round midday, and realistically aren’t at Blizzard Seaside or Storm Lagoon till after 3 pm.
At what level are you higher off simply going the straightforward route and hanging out by your resort pool, chilling on the lounge, and ready till your room is prepared? I’d argue it’s at that time. The lodge pool clearly isn’t as strong as a water park, however that is the extra laid-back choice, and taking the trail of least resistance to decompress on arrival day–earlier than the commando park days start–might be the smarter method. You don’t need to get burnt out too early.
Regardless of our issues about crowds, we’re going to advocate profiting from the free water park perk for friends visiting between June and August 2025.
If previous precedent is indicative, Storm Lagoon might be open till 8 pm beginning in mid-to-late June, and proceed with these hours till mid-August. Our hope is that, because of the free water parks perk, these added hours begin earlier and finish later within the season. Memorial Day to Labor Day for 10 am to eight pm hours at Storm Lagoon could be improbable.
Our favourite time to go to the water parks is the final 3 hours they’re open. That is the very best time of day because the solar begins to get decrease within the sky, so the pavement isn’t fairly as scorching. Three hours or so earlier than closing can also be when the early-arrivers begin getting their fill of enjoyable within the solar and head for the exits.
The water parks have a really comparable dynamic to Animal Kingdom (too dangerous they’re not providing free arrival day tickets there!), which has a mass exodus in mid-afternoon. This most likely gained’t be as true in 2025, as most friends utilizing the free perk will essentially be arriving lengthy after park opening.
Nonetheless, individuals are likely to overestimate simply how a lot time they need to spend at a water park, and find yourself heading for the exits early. In contrast, far fewer arrive late. That leaves the tip of the day as a good time to go to. (Once more, this could sound similar to Animal Kingdom!)
The water parks have altering areas, so you possibly can arrive in avenue garments and alter into swimwear. You can even change again into regular apparel previous to leaving. From Blizzard Seaside, contemplate a go to to close by Animal Kingdom Lodge or Coronado Springs Resort for dinner. Sanaa, Jiko, Boma, Three Bridges, and Toledo are all glorious eating places which can be regularly ignored. When you’re doing Storm Lagoon, head to Disney Springs for dinner and dessert.
When you’d favor to the do the water parks earlier within the day, there’s another choice–certainly one of our favourite choices–a break up keep.
Since we’ve obtained some questions on break up keep eligibility, we will affirm that break up stays are eligible for this free water park perk. It’s not simply the day you arrive into Orlando or Walt Disney World. It’s the primary day of any on-site resort reservation that routinely triggers the water park perk. So for those who’re doing a sequence of 1-night stays for no matter purpose, you could have that many potential water park days.
You possibly can even get actually strategic by artificially making a break up keep by making a number of reservations on the identical resort. After all, there are pitfalls to this–you might find yourself having to vary rooms moderately than the stays being linked and being steady. We most likely wouldn’t advocate the synthetic break up keep for that purpose, however that’s as much as you.
Assuming you could have a pleasant lodge for the primary half of your journey or have simply had whirlwind days within the parks, you may need to loosen up within the morning. And that’s completely wonderful! The wonderful thing about this water park day being free is that you simply shouldn’t really feel the strain to be there from opening till shut (a feat only a few individuals handle, anyway).
Nevertheless, one factor to contemplate for those who’re doing a break up keep is the aforementioned crowds. If the water parks proceed to be this busy when each parks are open, and it’s disproportionately because of the free arrival day perk, it’d behoove you to rope drop your water park of selection as an alternative of ready till the tip of the day.
The overwhelming majority of friends utilizing the perk might be arriving within the afternoon, so you may benefit from beating these crowds. Transportation or parking might be simpler, so too will snagging a spot within the shade, and contours might be shorter. I nonetheless personally favor late afternoon and night within the water parks, however I’m not so certain that sentiment will maintain true in Summer time 2025. This freebie has thrown a monkey wrench into issues and altered attendance and (particularly) arrival time dynamics.
Regardless, the purpose is that there’s actually no purpose to pay for water park admission in 2025 at Walt Disney World for those who’re an on-site visitor. Hopefully, Disney itself acknowledges this and makes the perk simpler to make use of in 2026. It’d be good if the perk simply provided precise worth to all friends with out having to leap by means of hoops to hack it.
Loads of readers have requested us about break up stays, whether or not they’re well worth the effort, and methods to leverage them strategically. We reply all of these questions and share far more than you most likely need to know in Learn how to Do a Cut up Keep at Walt Disney World Resort Inns. Amongst different issues, that covers what we predict works and doesn’t, a couple of break up keep situations, and extra.
I don’t need to rehash all of that since (hopefully!) you’ve already learn that publish in your planning course of. In case not, I’ll make a condensed model of our “pitch” for break up stays. First, resorts assist set the tone of the journey and altering motels can thus change the vibe. You possibly can journey to each the tropics and the Pacific Northwest throughout your Walt Disney World trip with stays at Caribbean Seaside or the Poly and Wilderness Lodge.
Second, break up stays can allow you to stretch your trip funds and splurge on a resort you may not be capable to afford (or justify) for the complete journey. You possibly can begin at Pop Century for 4 nights, ending with 2 on the Polynesian–checking it off your bucket listing within the course of. (I’m already fairly optimistic our go-to break up keep goes to be Pop Century to the Magic Kingdom space DVC resorts for the following few years.)
Our third and fourth factors are strategic extensions of this–timing that keep proper on the Poly opens the door to Prolonged Night Hours not simply as soon as however doubtlessly twice. Likewise, the Poly is handy to Magic Kingdom and Pop Century is right for attending to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Nice for Early Entry or noon breaks, and for doing a part of your keep in a Worth Resort in order to not bust your funds!
This water park day presents a possibility for a brand new riff on certainly one of our favourite break up keep choices, which is a Membership Degree keep paired with pool days. That’s nonetheless fully potential right here, even when the lodge pool is much extra handy to the lounge than a water park. It really works as a result of you possibly can nonetheless check-in early, do a giant breakfast on the lounge, head to the water park, after which return and proceed utilizing the lounge.
You’re eligible to make use of the concierge lounge and all the perks that include staying Membership Degree on each your check-in and take a look at days, which means that one evening basically allows you to entry that lounge over the course of two days. Doing Membership Degree for an evening or two, arriving early and leaving late provides you essentially the most bang to your buck, and is an effective strategy to get a style of the Membership Degree life with out breaking the financial institution.
This may look like quite a bit of transfers (and presumably is relying upon the way you pack/unpack), however we like placing a Membership Degree ‘break’ for rest and rejuvenation between parks days. For our favourite concierge lounges and suggestions, see our Information to Membership Degree at Walt Disney World.
In the end, I hope that this helps you benefit from this on-site water park perk and methods to use break up stays strategically to benefit from that “freebie” when staying at Walt Disney World in Summer time 2025. In case you possibly can’t inform, we love break up stays.
There’s one thing actually particular about sleeping within the rustic seclusion of Wilderness Lodge for an evening, after which flipping a swap to the isles of the Poly the following. Or going easy with All Star Sports activities to avoid wasting up for a splurge at Coronado Springs’ Chronos Membership. There are infinite permutations for break up stays, and we’ve executed a lot of them over our years as Walt Disney World followers and resort fans.
We’re additionally trying ahead to this free water park day largely as a result of we all know it’s going to introduce a ton of lifelong Walt Disney World followers (and even informal friends–however we’re extra within the lifers) for the very first time. And in so doing, it’s going to create a ton of immediate followers for Storm Lagoon and Blizzard Seaside.
I’ve gushed about it over time, imploring Walt Disney World followers to offer the water parks an opportunity, as they’re criminally underrated. Blizzard Seaside is a grasp class in thematic juxtapositions, mixing water park with ski resort to nice impact. It really works insanely properly, and is a thematic exemplar–probably the greatest at Walt Disney World.
On the floor, Storm Lagoon looks as if a fairly “protected” idea for a water park. It’s laid again and appears similar to it has common tropical design. However when you get past the floor, there’s wealthy theming all through Storm Lagoon, and the Imagineered setting has the added components on prime displaying how the large storm decimated the resort.
We can not overstate simply how good each are as water theme parks. We’ve made visits to the water parks that didn’t contain ever stepping into the water. And we’re not alone in doing that. Each water parks even have nice senses of place, and it’s nice to simply be there. When you’re the kind who enjoys wandering World Showcase to benefit from the wealthy design and sense of place, I’m betting the water parks would even be proper up your alley. Don’t underestimate them!
This is much and away the most important purpose why I believe the water parks are a must-do for Walt Disney World followers. They provide cohesive design and are the one two parks at Walt Disney World that keep full thematic integrity so lengthy after opening. Whereas I really like each, I give the sting to Storm Lagoon. Don’t let the truth that these are water parks discourage you—even for those who don’t care about water slides or the rest, Storm Lagoon and Blizzard Seaside is a good place to waste a morning…or an “arrival” afternoon…at Walt Disney World!
Lastly, we all know break up stays may be complicated, intimidating, and so forth. If you need extra thorough steering or help navigating the ‘break up keep’ planning waters, we’d extremely advocate contacting an Licensed Disney Trip Planner. These journey brokers are free-to-use as long as they deal with your reserving, and so they can supply personalised planning that takes under consideration your priorities and preferences. No Disney planning recommendation is one-size-fits-all, and that features our methods for break up stays!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Inns Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part that you must know!
Your Ideas
Have you ever executed a break up keep at Walt Disney World? Planning on doing one (or a number of) in 2025 to benefit from the free water park day? When you’ve executed break up stays previously, are there any lodge combos you significantly like? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
