Disney World Park Now Turning Away Non Resort Guests

We were worried that this would happen, and we were correct. Now, ticketed guests and passholders are turned away due to heavy crowds. Do you think Disney is to blame for this inconvenience?

New Disney Resort Perk

Staying at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts offers a few perks. New for 2025 packages: Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel can enjoy admission to one of the water parks on check-in day! This is included with your stay.

Typically, Blizzard Beach offers operational hours from 10 AM until 5 PM daily. There is a new change for operational hours affected by heavier spring break crowds.

For March 12 through March 29, 2025, Blizzard Beach will remain open until 6 PM. This will allow guests an additional one hour to enjoy this great, free Walt Disney World resort Park.

Blizzard Beach Closed

With extended hours for Blizzard Beach, the crowds would be high for this new resort Park. However, we did not realize that the park would be closed to certain guests this weekend.

Early this morning, the Blizzard Beach parking lot was at capacity. At first, guests were directed to park at Coronado Springs and then later to Disney’s Animal Kingdom parking lots. Blizzard Beach guests would then take a bus from there.

This afternoon, we heard new reports that a LED sign at Blizzard Beach alerted guests that the park is now open to “Resort Guests Only”. This is highly disappointing for guests who had pre-purchased water park tickets and for those hoping to enjoy the waterpark with their annual pass (this is an additional fee to have a water park option added to the pass at the time of purchase.)

Water Park Resort Perk

We understand that crowds are higher at this time due to spring break, but this has us worried about how the water park feature will remain operational when the big summer crowds hit. At this time, Disney World plans to close Blizzard Beach at the end of April and reopen Typhoon Lagoon in May.

Blizzard Beach alerted guests that the park is now open to “Resort Guests Only”.

When adding the Water Park and Sports option to a Walt Disney World Annual Pass, there is a small clause that says, “On certain dates, a waterpark may only be open for special events or to limited groups.” It is unclear if this is how Disney could explain closing the park for only Walt Disney World resort guests.

However, this does not explain how they can justify this restriction for guests who have pre-purchased waterpark tickets for use on this day. We hope these guests receive a full refund for the price of their waterpark ticket.

Do you think Disney needs to keep both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon open for the summer months? What would you do in this situation? Share your thoughts and share this news with your Disney pals.