Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
Typhoon Lagoon Entrance
LocationWalt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States
Coordinates28°21′54″N 81°31′40″W / 28.365025°N 81.527772°W / 28.365025; -81.527772
StatusOperating
OpenedJune 1, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-06-01)[1]
OwnerDisney Experiences
(The Walt Disney Company)
Operated byWalt Disney World
ThemeStorm-ravaged tropical bay
Operating seasonYear-round with annual maintenance closure (water is heated in the winter)
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Walt Disney World
Theme parks
Water parks
Other attractions and areas
Resorts
Affiliated services
Transport

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the second water park to open at the resort, preceded by Disney's River Country which closed in November 2001.

The park, which opened on June 1, 1989, is home to one of the world's largest outdoor wave pools[1] where it is even possible to bodysurf.[2] The theme of the park is the "Disney legend" of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear, and surfboards are strewn about where the storm flung them. Its centerpiece is "Miss Tilly", a shrimp boat impaled upon a mountain named "Mount Mayday" that erupts a 50-foot (15 m) geyser of water every half hour, right before the bells of the watch sound on it. Its mascot is "Lagoona Gator".

Typhoon reclaimed the title of most popular water park in the world in 2022, admitting 1.92 million guests, by beating Chimelong's (China) 1.62M, Volcano Bay's (Florida) 1.85M, Thermas Dos Laranjas' (Brazil) 1.7M, and Therme Erding's (Germany) 1.7M.[3] Before COVID-19, Chimelong and Typhoon had taken the top 2 spots for years, annually averaging 2.66M and 2.25M, respectively.[4][5] It operates year-round, with an annual maintenance closure during either the fall or winter. During the closure, its sister park, Blizzard Beach, will remain open. Since COVID-19, Disney has only operated one water park at a time, Typhoon accounting for <30 days (2020), 0 days (2021), 314 days (2022), and 231 days (2023), not counting weather-related closures.

Of the major parks at Disney World, it is the only one that lies within the city limits of Lake Buena Vista. Blizzard Beach and the four theme parks are within the adjacent city of Bay Lake. However, Lake Buena Vista is the mailing address for the entire Walt Disney World Resort.

The water park, along with all the other Walt Disney World parks, closed in March 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The park remained closed whilst the four theme parks reopened July 11–15, 2020.[6] Disney's Typhoon Lagoon reopened at the Walt Disney World Resort on January 2, 2022,[7] after being closed almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the last portion of the resort to reopen after COVID-19 related interruptions.

  1. ^ a b "A History of the Walt Disney Company". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  2. ^ Greenfield, Beth (May 16, 2012). "America's Coolest Water Parks". Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "AECOM 2022 Global Attractions Attendance Report".
  4. ^ "AECOM 2019 Global Attractions Report".
  5. ^ "AECOM 2016 Global Attractions Report" (PDF).
  6. ^ Laughing Place Staff (May 27, 2020). "Live Blog: Walt Disney World Presents Reopening Plans to Orange County Economic Recovery Taskforce". Laughing Place. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Disney World to reopen Typhoon Lagoon Water Park on Jan. 2". New York Post. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.