For months, fans of this Walt Disney World Park have been in the dark about its reopening. However, Disney recently made an announcement that has fans waiting on the edge of their seats: Typhoon Lagoon is finally returning to Walt Disney World!
The Walt Disney World water park originally closed for refurbishments in November 2022, which in turn resulted in Blizzard Beach reopening after a lengthy closure for Guests to enjoy.
At this time, we don’t know when exactly Typhoon Lagoon is reopening. The official Disney Parks Blog announced that Typhoon Lagoon “will reopen this spring” with no further details.
Typhoon Lagoon attractions include tons of water rides, slides, and pools for Guests of all ages.
Younger Guests will love Ketchakiddie Creek, full of shallow pools, whimsical animals, a water cannon, and more.
For Guests of all ages, Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool is the largest wave pool in North America, where huge waves roll until they roll onto the shores of the sandy white beach.
One Typhoon Lagoon ride that will thrill the whole family is Miss Adventure Falls: a water slide with a four-person raft and lots of splashing. Want a similar rafting experience without an entire party? Check out Keelhaul Falls, a one-person white-rafting water slide!
Other Typhoon Lagoon attractions include the Storm Slides: a series of three different water slides that send Guests careening down twists and turns.
Although we don’t know when Typhoon Lagoon will reopen, we have reason to believe that Blizzard Beach will close for refurbishment once the water park reopens. Historically, one Walt Disney World water park remains open while the other is closed for a lengthy refurbishment.
Disney has announced new dates and new parks for its popular Disney After Hours special events. More dates have been added at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. One of our favorite event, Disney H2O Glow After Hours, is returning to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Finally, for the first time ever, Disney After Hours will be offered at EPCOT this summer.
From a Disney Cast Member;
I’m thrilled to announce that not only have we added additional dates for our Disney After Hours events at Walt Disney World Resort, but we’ve also added a new theme park!
Just in case you aren’t familiar with Disney After Hours, these specially ticketed experiences occur after the gates close for the night, extending access to favorite attractions and providing you with more opportunities to have a magical Disney experience. Your event ticket also allows you early entry into the park beginning at 6 p.m. at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and 7 p.m. at EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Best of all, the number of tickets for these events is limited, which means lower wait times for some of your favorite attractions.
For the first time in forever, you can experience EPCOT for three glorious hours after the gates close and get access to top attractions, like Frozen Ever After, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. This is your chance to explore all four neighborhoods in the park with shorter attraction wait times. Be sure to snap a few photos with your favorite Disney characters and munch on some of your favorite Disney snacks. Delight in ice cream novelties, popcorn and select beverages—all included in the cost of this ticketed event—available at carts throughout the park.
But that’s not all! Grab your neon swimwear and get ready for some glowing tropical fun! We are excited to announce that Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will reopen this spring and along with it, H2O Glow After Hours will be back and ready to “light” up your summer.
With its vibrant decor, a specially themed menu of snacks and treats throughout the park and your favorite watery attractions under the stars, the popular after-hours party is a “must-do” with friends and family this summer. Don’t miss out on what could be the high-“light” of your summer! Move and groove to hot beats during a DJ dance party! H2O Glow is yet another new experience added to our Disney After Hours portfolio.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of the most popular Disney After Hours experiences, is adding more dates for you to take control of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, ride through a cartoon adventure in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, play like one of Andy’s favorite toys in Toy Story Land and more.
These fan-favorite experiences are scheduled to kick off May 20 at Typhoon Lagoon and June 1 at EPCOT. They join Magic Kingdom Park, running through March 27, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, currently running with additional dates being added beginning May 3. They offer a different way to experience the Disney magic!
Event tickets for EPCOT, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Hollywood Studios can be purchased by all guests starting March 3, 2023, with prices ranging from $75 to $149 (plus tax). Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can begin purchasing Disney After Hours tickets for EPCOT and Typhoon Lagoon as early as February 28. The advance-purchase window is available to guests at Disney Resort hotels and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, as well as Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort.
For a full list of events, dates and times, and to purchase tickets, visit DisneyWorld.com/AfterHours. Entertainment, available attractions and experiences are subject to change.
Here is a look at the pricing and dates for the upcoming After Hours Events:
At D23 Expo 2022, we announced to much fanfare that Pacific Wharf in Disney California Adventure park will turn into San Fransokyo from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning “Big Hero 6”!
Those of you who have recently been to the park may have seen that this exciting transformation has already begun. Later this summer, during the Disney100 celebration at Disneyland Resort, Guests will be able to step into the new area — named San Fransokyo Square — and discover new offerings inspired by Baymax and friends.
Today, we’re excited to tell you more about the Walt Disney Imagineering story behind San Fransokyo Square and some of the fun that awaits.
San Fransokyo Square will transport you to the not-too-distant future, in a fictional mash-up of two iconic cities – San Francisco and Tokyo. As the tech industry began to emerge and the local fishing trade fell on hard times, entrepreneurs came together to reinvent the seaside canneries into a vibrant, multicultural district of neighborhood restaurants and small businesses where Guests will be able to eat and shop.
An iconic landmark of the area will be the San Fransokyo Gate Bridge, which will span the tide pools linking San Fransokyo Square to the Paradise Gardens Park obelisk. Once Guests cross the bridge, they’ll catch a view of the floating wind turbine atop an old fishing net tannery, powering the district from high in the sky. Clues to the area’s storied and charming past can be found in the details throughout San Fransokyo Square.
Outside a converted warehouse at the south end of San Fransokyo, Guests may have the opportunity to encounter Baymax. Today, Pacific Wharf is home to eateries featuring sourdough bread, ice cream sundaes, delicious Mexican fare, Asian dishes and more. Guests will still be able to enjoy all your favorite Pacific Wharf dining locations during this transformation.
When the transformation to San Fransokyo Square is completed this summer, Guests will find familiar favorites like soups in freshly baked bread bowls, as well as many new Asian-inspired selections. The new Port of San Fransokyo Cervecería draws inspiration from its tri-cultural influences with signage in English, Japanese and Spanish. Outside will be a fun and inviting beer garden decorated with festoon lights and papel picado.
The San Fransokyo Square Public Works Department is hard at work on this transformation. Be sure to stay tuned to the Disney Travel News for more details, and we look forward to bringing San Fransokyo Square to life in Disney California Adventure park this summer!
Theme Park reservations and valid admission for the same Park on the same day are required for Park entry. Park reservations are limited, subject to availability and not guaranteed. Park admission and offerings are not guaranteed. Visit https://disneytraveltradeinfo.com/dlr for important information to know before visiting the Disneyland Resort.
One of the many reasons why we love using Disney PhotoPass Service is because of how well the photographers incorporate Disney stories into our photos. One of our absolute favorite Disney stories is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Tangled.” Thankfully, Disney PhotoPass Service has lots of “Tangled”-themed photo ops at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s always a blast to let our hair down and have Disney PhotoPass photographers help us go live our dream of stepping right into the movie. Plus, they always get our nose right.
So guests don’t have to keep wonderin’ and wonderin’ and wonderin’ where they can take these photos during their next visit to Walt Disney World Resort, check out some of our favorites below.
Go on a towering adventure to Corona, all without leaving Disney Springs! Allow us to explain: At the Disney PhotoPass Studio, guests can take photos in front of Disney-themed virtual backdrops, including a few themed to “Tangled”! Guests just need to let the photographer know this is what they want in their pictures so they can set up the shot. Plus, there’s a frying pan prop they can use in their photos. Who knew, right?
Best…Magic Shot…EVER! Go running and racing (not literally, please) to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, where the Disney PhotoPass photographer stationed at the bridge leading from the entrance of the park into Discovery Island can capture this Pascal Magic Shot.
At Magic Kingdom Park, this lantern prop is warm and real and bright. Whether guests choose to smile or smolder, they’ll gleam and glow. It’s available daily after dark in Fantasyland, weather permitting.
*With the purchase of Disney Genie+ service, Walt Disney World guests can access many Disney PhotoPass Lenses in the My Disney Experience app as soon as they enter the park. Select Disney PhotoPass Lenses are accessible only within designated areas of Walt Disney World Resort. Other Disney PhotoPass Lenses will remain accessible in the My Disney Experience app until 5:59 a.m. on the 45th day after the day on which the Disney Genie+ service was used; certain states and localities are excluded. Many Disney PhotoPass Lenses use technology that detects the coordinates of key points on a guest’s face and/or hands and may be used only by guests 18 years of age and older who have consented to use of this technology. Therefore, guests unable to provide such consent, as well as guests under 18 years of age, will have fewer lenses available to use. To access Disney PhotoPass Lenses, an eligible mobile device with the My Disney Experience app with access to the device’s camera and location is required. A purchase of Disney Genie+ service at Walt Disney World Resort does not include downloads of a guest’s Disney PhotoPass photos or videos that were captured by photographers and onboard attractions. Use of Disney PhotoPass Lenses is subject to the Terms and Conditions. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.
Disney fans of all kinds, from the most casual park-goer to the dedicated Annual Pass holders, enjoy the After Hours events introduced at Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort. In fact, some of the most popular and most attended holiday celebrations include Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party/Oogie Boogie Bash and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
However, Disney Parks also offers unique limited-time events for specific themes, such as Villains Nite, Grad Nite Reunion, the all-new Princess Nite, and Star Wars Nite. Each theme park after-hours event typically includes exclusive entertainment, dining, and character interaction experiences at a private party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
In addition, Guests gain access to Disneyland Park three hours before the event begins, allowing for maximum opportunity to ride some of the best attractions outside of Disney California Adventure! Additionally, attendees receive unlimited digital downloads for Disney PhotoPass locations with special backdrops and effects, along with keepsakes to remember their trip such as an event map and souvenir credential.
Each year, the Disneyland After Dark series presents multiple after-hours events with one-of-a-kind themes, though many Guests hope that some of the more popular categories will return. For example, Disneyland will host its biggest Star Wars Nite ever, spanning four days on May 2, 4, 8, and 11, 2023.
Of course, the event will feature the pyrotechnic spectacular Star Wars: Celebrate the Nite, a Lightsaber Instructional demonstration, close encounters with Jawas and Tusken raiders, galactic churros, and Tomorrowland’s March of the First Order featuring Captain Phasma and her Stormtroopers. Will you be the Resistance spy?
Moreover, Disney Parks announced a second Southern California event, the brand-new Throwback Nite, on April 18 and 20, 2023, an evening of “flashback fashions” from the “debonair days of the ‘50s and ‘60s.” Fans of the Dapper Day Expo will enjoy this soiree that celebrates the classic past of Disneyland Park during its opening decade, along with retro characters and Mickey Mouse and friends.
Plus, Guests can enjoy vintage-style music and entertainment at dance parties around the Disney Park, along with attraction poster backdrops for classic rides like Autopia and the Skyway. Guests can also snack on specialty treats from the Park’s early days while watching Fantasy in the Sky, a nighttime show inspired by Disneyland’s first fireworks in 1957. Even so, many fans are disappointed the throwback event is not a return of the previously popular ’80s and ’90s Nites.
Magic Key Holders gain access to the ticket pre-sale at 9 a.m. PT on February 21, 2023, with general public sales beginning on February 23 at the same time. Tickets are subject to availability but have the added benefit of not requiring a same-day theme park reservation. Click here for more information.
