Walt Disney World is billed as offering four theme parks and two waterslide parks, but for the past half decade, customers were not allowed to access all of that on a single vacation.
That’s because when Covid-19 hit and all of Disney’s Florida attractions were shuttered for a few months, the company decided to keep one of its two water parks closed at all times.
A couple years ago, we pointed out that Disney World vacationers were getting less for their money as a result. Instead of being able to access six parks with their vacation packages, families could only access five at a time.
This year, for the first time since the Before Times of 2019, both Disney World waterslide parks, Typhoon Lagoon (pictured above) and Blizzard Beach, will be open simultaneously.
The dates of simultaneous operation will be from May 21 to September 7, the company announced on Tuesday.
After September 7, Blizzard Beach, which turns 30 this year, will close for refurbishment and the resort will return to operating just one waterslide park at a time, as Disney began doing during Covid.
The company did not announce the reason for the temporary return to full operation—but then again, it didn’t announce the official reason for the staggered opening system lasting so many years, either.
Also this year, people staying in a Walt Disney World hotel will have the right to use a Disney water park for free on the day of their arrival. Early last year, when that perk was announced, we explained why it will be too difficult for most people to take advantage of this offer.
Typical opening hours for both water parks are 10am to 6pm.