Walt Disney World is home to four theme parks, two water parks and a seemingly endless number of activities and experiences. Today we’re going to talk about Typhoon Lagoon, one of Disney’s water parks, and whether or not you should dedicate time out of your vacation to visit this tropical paradise.
Before diving into Typhoon Lagoon specifics, let’s talk about whether a trip to a Disney water park makes sense for your trip.
If you’re headed to the “Most Magical Place on Earth” during the summer, visiting a water park might make a lot of sense. We think it’s one of the 15 best ways to beat the heat at Walt Disney World. But, if your trip is only a few short days, we wouldn’t recommend using up valuable and precious time at a water park. The four main theme parks pack enough fun to fill an entire week, so we’d only advise going to a water park if you’re a repeat visitor or planning a lengthy stay.
So, what did we think of Typhoon Lagoon?
Arrival & Initial Impressions
We visited the park during a steamy July day that promised to deliver lots of sun and lots of people. The plan was to arrive early, visit some of the most popular attractions before the lines grew too long and then relax into the afternoon in the wave pool and lazy river.
Our bus arrived about 30 minutes before the park opened, giving us enough time to grab our tickets and join the ever-growing crowd waiting to get in. Cast members eventually allowed the expanding crown past the main entrance before holding everyone up on the various pathways that went deeper into the park. This gave us plenty of time to look around and take in the overall theming.
It’s immediately obvious that Typhoon Lagoon isn’t your local water park. There is a ton of lush landscaping that really sells the tropical paradise theme. The slow reveal of Mount Mayday and the shipwrecked Miss Tilly creates a beautiful photo opportunity.
Seating & Lockers
Once the park officially opens, it’s a bit of a mad rush to secure that valuable shaded seating. It can feel a bit overwhelming if you’re not prepared.
We quickly learned that seats in the shade are relatively few in number and are in high demand. The same can be said for the lockers that are located next to the main entrance.
We recommend heading directly to the back of the park in your hunt for shade. There’s also a secondary locker location in the back of Typhoon Lagoon that’s far less crowded than the area near the main entrance. We’ve highlighted the secondary locker location with a red box on the map below.
We set up camp in a seating area relatively close to the box on the map above, securing a spot that enjoyed some natural shade.
Slides & Attractions
We started our day by going to the Crush ‘N’ Gusher. We recommend heading straight for the Crush ‘N’ Gusher as soon as you can after the park opens. The three water coasters that make up the Crush ‘N’ Gusher are extremely popular and can see some very long lines as the day progresses. These three slides are a blast and were one of the stars of our visit.
We then made our way to Miss Adventure Falls, the newest attraction at Typhoon Lagoon. This family raft ride was a lot of fun, but be warned that you might experience this entire attraction backwards depending on the water park gods.
Finally, we wrapped up the slide portion of our visit with a few raft slides that unfortunately had some decent waits. These were a ton of fun too, but we wouldn’t recommend waiting more than five or 10 minutes for either one. You’ll note that we didn’t experience Humunga Kowabunga during this trip, which was partially due to the wait and partially due to us looking for more of a relaxing day than a thrilling day.
The lazy river at Typhoon Lagoon is fantastic. Grab an inner tube as it floats by, if you can find one, and enjoy a lengthy trip around the entire park. The lazy river is surrounded by theming including shipwrecks, plants, rocks and even a quick trip through a cave. The laziness of your river experience will depend on the crowds – something we quickly learned. As fun as it was, one voyage around was enough as things got crowded and congested in a hurry.
The Wave Pool
The wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon is deserving of its own section in this review. The wave pool is enormous, amazing and kind of terrifying. Seriously. This gigantic wave pool is one of the largest in the world and produces waves so massive that surfing lessons are offered in the morning before the park opens.
Do not take this wave pool lightly. While other water parks have a wave pool that offers a relaxing experience, the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon is a battle for survival. It’s seriously intense, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just be prepared to fight off some huge waves (and sometimes people) as they crash into you.
Food
You’re going to build up quite the appetite after enjoying the slides and surviving the wave pool. Thankfully, Typhoon Lagoon has plenty of quick-service offerings that should appeal to any palette.
We opted for quesadillas, a turkey wrap and a margarita. A tropical paradise feels more complete with a cold drink. Everything tasted fresh and met our expectations, so no complaints here.
Summarized, none of the food at Typhoon Lagoon will blow you away. Though we didn’t select any of the most adventurous menu items, you’re not going to find any exquisite cuisine for lunch at a water park. What you will find are enough options to create a mostly solid lunch.
Overall Thoughts
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Typhoon Lagoon! Though we were only there from opening until the early afternoon, we experienced everything we hoped to experience and avoided most of the longest lines. It was a great start to a day that eventually ended in Epcot.
Typhoon Lagoon’s atmosphere is a relaxing tropical paradise that utilizes immersive Disney theming. The slides are fun and unique, though none of them are overly thrilling. Some might even consider Typhoon Lagoon a fairly tame water park compared to others in the Orlando area. That doesn’t take away from what’s an incredibly enjoyable water park that does a lot of things very well.
Would we go back? Absolutely. Would we make a point to visit if we didn’t take frequent Walt Disney World trips? Probably not. Typhoon Lagoon is a perfect distraction from the heat and is a top destination for water park fans, but we wouldn’t prioritize it if our time in the main theme parks was limited.
