Disney World will have one of its water parks available again on March 7, 2021, when Blizzard Beach welcomes guests back after nearly a year in hibernation. 

The winter-themed water park was put into deep freeze on March 16, 2021, when Disney World shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike rivals Universal and SeaWorld, Disney did not bring back either of its water parks when theme parks reopened in Central Florida this past summer. 

“Like the other areas of Walt Disney World Resort, we will welcome back guests and cast members to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park in a responsible way, with a plan focused on health and well-being,” Disney said on its website. “We will provide more details on our Water Parks’ reopening plan at a later time.”

Water parks across the country were allowed to reopen during the pandemic, even in states that didn’t allow theme parks to operate, such as Illinois and Michigan. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of recreational waters” and proper water park maintenance should inactivate the virus in the water. The CDC also advises against wearing face masks in the water. However, guests may be required to wear face coverings elsewhere in the water park when not actively going to or returning from the water. 

Disney had previously announced that it would reopen one of its water parks in March 2021, without specifying which of the two would be selected. 

Blizzard Beach had gone through a refurbishment that was completed January 2020. Typhoon Lagoon then closed for its own maintenance cycle and had not reopened by the time of the COVID-19 shutdown. Disney’s announcement did not offer a reopening date or timetable for Typhoon Lagoon.

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