The spring break season is here, and from sold-out Lightning Lane Premier Passes to parks hitting capacity and chaos at Orlando International Airport, it’s clear that the Sunshine State is a prime destination for travelers. While the Walt Disney World Resort may be magical for most, frustrations escalated over the weekend as the park unusually shut down to select guests, banning them from entry.
It was predicted weeks ago that Orlando would be busy for the spring break period, and with multiple theme parks on offer–four traditional parks and a water park–it would seem the sprawling 25,000+ acre site would be able to handle these seasonal crowds. Think again.
From Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT, Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the iconic World of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there’s plenty for guests to enjoy–even with the significant disruption happening resort-wide.
Disney World is currently amid a transformational year, with closures and refurbishments left and right. Magic Kingdom will soon be underway with its evolution of Frontierland, while work has already begun in Animal Kingdom’s former DinoLand U.S.A. area. With upcoming closures coming to Hollywood Studios to make way for Monstropolis, guests can expect a turbulent year for openings, closures, and permanent shutdowns (so long, It’s Tough to be a Bug!).
Aside from the four classic theme parks, Disney World also offers two water parks, with only one open at any time. Thanks to the pandemic closures in 2020, Disney World now operates a rotating calendar for its two water parks, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Presently, only Blizard Beach is open, with Typhoon Lagoon resurfacing on May 1, 2025.
The opening of Typhoon Lagoon will come after Blizzard Beach celebrates its 30th anniversary in the month of April; it will close indefinitely once again at the end of the month. While this process seemingly works for Disney, considering they have adopted the measure for half a decade now, it seems guests are noticing the crunch in operations.
Ahead of the spring break crowds, Disney World extended the opening of Blizzard Beach an extra hour, with operating hours now 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. instead of its usual 5 p.m. closure. However, that doesn’t seem to have been enough.
According to reports and social media posts, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park was turning away non-resort guests this past weekend due to the park being at capacity. In addition to this measure, guests attending the Disney park had to park their vehicle in other locations such as the Coronado Springs and Animal Kingdom parking lots.
More information and criticism came to light on social media, with @JamesIaniro writing on X (formerly Twitter):
Wow… @DisneyParks @WaltDisneyWorld really needs to have both waterworks open right now…. Right now Blizzard beach is only open for resort guests. Non resort guest? They are turning you away.
Wow… @DisneyParks @WaltDisneyWorld really needs to have both waterworks open right now…. Right now Blizzard beach is only open for resort guests. Non resort guest? They are turning you away. pic.twitter.com/WiV2vurD07
— rundisney tableguy (@JamesIaniro) March 15, 2025
@ChrisCJRobinson echoed the above sentiments, writing:
@DisneyParks @WaltDisneyWorld
Let me get this straight.
Blizzard Beach closed and denied entry to people who paid to go but allowed entry to people who got to visit for free?
If only both water parks were open so that everyone who wanted to visit a water park, could.
Let me get this straight.
Blizzard Beach closed and denied entry to people who paid to go but allowed entry to people who got to visit for free?
If only both water parks were open so that everyone who wanted to visit a water park, could.
— Chris Robinson (@ChrisCJRobinson) March 15, 2025
Another post from @TheLeisureProf called out one perk that may have made the water park extremely busy:
So that free water park ticket on the day of resort check in is WAY more popular than I ever expected.. havent seen the water parks this busy in YEARS.
The upside is we should see improved food/beverage items and availability because the food spots were SLAMMED
So that free water park ticket on the day of resort check in is WAY more popular than I ever expected.. havent seen the water parks this busy in YEARS.
The upside is we should see improved food/beverage items and availability because the food spots were SLAMMED
— Professor Leisure
(@TheLeisureProf) March 17, 2025
Last February, Disney Parks Blog revealed that a new perk would be making its wait to the Walt Disney World Resort in 2025–and one that directly impacts the water park offer.
“Disney Resort hotel guests arriving in 2025 can enjoy admission to one of our water parks, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park or Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, on their check-in day – included in their stay,” the post read.
“The fun can start on day one at a Disney water park when you stay in the Disney Resorts Collection! And, yes, to all the Disney Vacation Club Members, Annual Passholders, and cast members, you can enjoy this benefit on check-in day for your Disney Resort hotel stay, too!” the blog post explained.
So, this offer, tied with spring break crowds and the fact only one water park is open at Disney World, is the perfect storm of problems that caused the non-resort guest ban at Blizzard Beach this past weekend. The question is, will Disney face a similar issue in the future? And will they learn from the issues that came about?
How do you feel about Disney World turning non-resort guests away because they only have one open water park? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
The post Disney World Guests Issue Demand After Park Unprecedentedly Bans People From Entry appeared first on Inside the Magic.
