Disney World Shuts Down Major Park Due to Weather Concerns
Things got a little too chilly for Blizzard Beach at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Florida resort temporarily closed the year-round Blizzard Beach Water Park Saturday due to "low temperatures" in the mid 50s rising to highs in the upper 60s, WDW Magic reports. The official Disney World website shows Blizzard Beach will close again on Monday, January 23rd, but will remain open from the hours of 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, January 22nd. The resort's other water park, Disney's once long-shuttered Typhoon Lagoon, remains closed indefinitely due to refurbishment.
Blizzard Beach reopened in November 2022 after an extended refurbishment, featuring a retheming of the Tike's Peak children's area to include touches from Disney's Frozen and Frozen II.
Originally opened in 1995 as "Florida's first ski resort" that melted into a winter-themed water park, Disney's Blizzard Beach features heated water and multiple attractions, including its signature Chairlift and the 120 foot-tall freefall body slide Summit Plummet. Other, less-extreme attractions include the Downhill Double Dipper, the inner-tube ride Runoff Rapids, the Slush Gusher waterslide, and the family-friendly Teamboat Springs whitewater raft ride.
January 22nd is also the last day guests can ride Splash Mountain, the iconic log flume ride permanently closing January 23rd for its transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a re-imagining inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios film The Princess and the Frog. The resort, home to the two water parks and four theme parks including the Magic Kingdom, recently announced the April 4th opening of TRON Lightcycle/Run: the all-new high-speed thrill coaster at the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland
Walt Disney World — which is hosting the "World's Most Magical Celebration" in honor of its 50th anniversary through March 30th — will join California's Disneyland Resort in celebrating 100 years of The Walt Disney Company. The Disney100 Celebration, kicking off January 27th at the original Happiest Place on Earth, will also see the debut of a brand-new nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World's World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT in late 2023. Read on for more about the Disney 100th Anniversary celebration at Disneyland Resort.