ORLANDO — It's just after noon here at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon waterpark, and the springtime sun is at its peak. Temps are hitting close to a broiling 90 degrees.
Suddenly, a loud, deep thud reverberates across the park.
That sound — part warning, part promise — sends an electric current of excitement through the crowd. My 7-year-old son shrieks, while my 3-year-old daughter clutches my side, wide-eyed with a mix of delight and a tiny bit of genuine terror. I grip her life jacket and plant my feet firmly on the pool bottom, going into my tried-and-true wave survival position.
The the 2,000-foot-long Castaway Creek lazy river attraction at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon waterpark. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
A 6-foot swell of water comes crashing toward us, diminishing in height but not in power as it races across the massive, zero-entry pool. Even at the shallow end, it takes a not-so-insignificant amount of strength to stay standing as the wave hits my legs.
My son flies past us, laughing maniacally as the wave pushes him to shore. My daughter squeals with glee as she gets hit with the cool blast of water. All around us, kids topple like dominos, and parents lunge to grab their bobbing toddlers. Lifeguards perch above us on pool-side cliffs, vigilantly scanning the chaos.
"Again!" my kids shout, before the churning water has even settled.
And so, we wade deeper in, waiting for the pool's cycle of complete pandemonium to begin again.
Typhoon Lagoon's Surf Pool — billed as North America's largest wave pool — is just one of many, many attractions at the sprawling waterpark, but it quickly became my family's obsession. (And yes, the waves are so big you can actually surf them.)
We eventually did take a break to float the entire length of the 2,000-foot-long Castaway Creek lazy river and sample a few slides, but the centrally located Surf Pool was always nearby, beckoning us to catch one last wave.
What finally pulls us away for good is an alert on the My Disney Experience App, telling us our room at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is ready for check-in. We'd dropped our bags with bell services that morning — a seamless process that freed us to hop on Disney's free shuttle service to Typhoon Lagoon.
The timing feels perfect, as our early flight in and several hours of battling waves have left us red-faced, tired and ready for a refresh.
Perfect perk
The best part, however, is the fact that our waterpark visit came as a complimentary perk with our hosted Disney resort stay. This year, guests at Disney Resorts Collection properties receive free waterpark admission on check-in day — a starting value of $64 per adult and $58 per child that made arriving well ahead of our 3 p.m. check-in well worth it.
And for families visiting later this summer, those waterpark options will soon double, with both Typhoon Lagoon and its sister waterpark, Blizzard Beach, set to operate simultaneously for the first time since 2019. (Over the past several years, the pair stuck to rotating maintenance schedules, with one park staying closed while the other remained open.)
The winter-themed Blizzard Beach is scheduled to reopen on May 21.
Blizzard Beach was still closed during our stay, so I can't offer any advice when it comes to deciding between one or the other. But given that several days into our stay and two theme park visits later my kids are still raving about the "biggest waves ever" at Typhoon Lagoon, I'm pretty sure I know which waterpark would be getting their vote.