All Disney World parks are magical and iconic, though magical and iconic does not equate to popularity! Magic Kingdom, like OG Park, receives millions more visitors each year than EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
But, let’s not forget the others Disney World Parks! We’re talking about Blizzard Beach, one of Disney World’s two water parks (and the only one currently open until January 2). So we’d say it’s time to shed some light on this water park by discovering some fun facts you didn’t know!
Opened in 1995, Blizzard Beach is by far Disney World’s most unknown park, which is understandable given its focus as a specific water park. And let’s make it happen: water parks are not everyone’s cup of tea.
Given your lower visit, we would venture to guess that there are many things you never knew about Blizzard Beach. Let’s unpack it!
Winter inspiration
When Blizzard Beach first appeared in 1995, a few years before Animal Kingdom, it came with a very specific origin story.
Unlike other parks, Blizzard Beach has a whole themed history behind it. Disney World describes it as ski resort that opened in Orlando during a strange winter storm, and when the snow started to melt, they used all the excess water to make … a water park!
That’s why they look like slides the snow melts on a mountain, and why Summit Plummet is based on a ski jump.
The water is not very snowy
Although all the water here is supposed to be melted snow, luckily it doesn’t feel like melted snow.
No, all the water in the park is heated comfortable 80 degrees, perfect for swimming and splashing without freezing. The lazy river would probably feel quite tortuous otherwise.
Two words: Ice Gator
Disney World was able to make beautiful mice. They were even able to make beautiful rats! But alligators? This is a long order.
When Blizzard Beach opened, his pet was a creature called Ice Gator, which sounds like a frozen nightmare.
He was a blue alligator (?!), and he wore skis, although he never looked very good. It basically looks like a crocodile Peter Pan, but with hypothermia. It is probably best that most evidence of the existence of Ice Gator has been removed from the park.
Your body goes as fast as a car
About the Plummet Summit we mentioned. It’s intense.
The Marquis is walking around, is a 120-foot-high water slide it looks like an Olympic-style ski jump, and as you glide downhill, you can get there speeds of up to 60 mph.
By context, this is faster than Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, which reaches up to 57 mph. And it’s only 5 mph slower than Disney World’s fastest test track. The 48-inch height restriction for this is valid.
One Mighty Lazy River
If you feel lazy, you’ve come to the right place Blizzard Beach has one of the longest lazy rivers in the United States
Cross Country Creek is a The 3,000-foot-long lazy river which is slowly zigzagging through the false tundra, under bridges and passing grottoes.
It is so long that it may take longer 30 minutes to float everything in an inner tube!
Blizzard Beach is home to Florida’s first chairlift
Generally speaking, chairlifts are common places of interest in ski towns with Aspen or Park City. Orlando? Not so much.
The exception is chairlift built for Mount Gushmore, a slow-paced scenic walk that takes guests through the park to access attractions such as Teamboat Springs and Summit Plummet.
Even though it doesn’t take you skiing, it does have the distinction of being the first chairlift built in Florida.
The food is amazing
Especially compared to other parks, Blizzard Beach is not exactly a foodie paradise. With an emphasis on typical theme park snacks such as hot dogs and pretzels, this is not EPCOT.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few food surprises here! As at Lottawatta Lodge, which has an amazing amount of vegetarian options, including a herbal bratwurst sandwich and a bowl of toasted tofu rice.
Meanwhile, Warming Hut leans heavily toward comforting food with excellent menu items such as a Louie and Loaded Mountain prawn lettuce wrap All full of beef chili, cheese sauce, bacon chunks and sour cream. They are basically Totchos in the pool.
Mini donuts are also something here! Unique among Disney World donuts, these cute guys are bite-sized donuts that are sold at Joffrey’s Coffee for half a dozen or a full dozen, along with raspberry sauce, chocolate, or white chocolate.
You can also find some fun frozen and whipped cocktails with alcohol at Blizzard Beach, such as Piña CoLAVA and Salty Caramel Bourbon Milk Smoothies.
Clearly, Blizzard Beach has a lot of funky history and a unique background story. So the next time you feel especially suffocated at Disney World, consider a visit to this underrated park!
What is your favorite Blizzard Beach thing? Let us know in the comments!
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