Typhoon Lagoon Review: Free Water Park Entry on Disney Check-In Day

In this post I’m sharing my visit to Typhoon Lagoon, the Walt Disney World water park in Orlando. I’ve written a separate guide introducing Typhoon Lagoon and covering each attraction in detail, so check out the link below.

🔗 Typhoon Lagoon complete guide

Starting in 2025, you can get free water park admission on your check-in day. On the day we moved hotels from Coronado Springs to the Grand Floridian, I used the time before check-in to enjoy Typhoon Lagoon for free. Check-in starts at 4 p.m., but you can play at the water park while you wait, which is really great! Now, on to the visit.

Visit date: October 3, 2025 Weather: Cloudy (rain in the morning)

10:50 Coronado Springs: Using Bell Services

It rained heavily in the morning, so we rested until checkout time and came down already wearing our rash guards so we could head straight to the water park. We left all our suitcases with Bell Services and completed checkout in the app. When you’re moving between Disney hotels, asking Bell Services to transfer your luggage is so convenient! No need to haul suitcases around; just go straight to the water park!

11:00 Shuttle to Typhoon Lagoon

To get to Typhoon Lagoon, you have to go via Disney Springs. Take the shuttle bus from your resort to Disney Springs, go through the bag check, and then take another shuttle bus to Typhoon Lagoon.

11:40 Arriving at Typhoon Lagoon

Because we had to transfer at Disney Springs, it took a bit longer than getting to the other parks, but we arrived safely. There are lockers near the entrance, but they cost extra. The vibe is so much like a resort that I didn’t really worry about leaving a few small belongings under our towels. I even left my phone there while I went on the slides (and luckily, it was perfectly fine the whole time we were in the park!).

Typhoon Lagoon is especially famous for its wave pool! As soon as we arrived, we dipped our feet in.

12:00 Claiming Loungers and Setting Up

There are plenty of loungers and umbrellas around the wave pool, so it was easy to find a spot. During the day, the shade falls to the left, so if you use the lounger area on the left side of the wave pool, you can rest in the shade.

12:10 #1 Wave Pool

This is Typhoon Lagoon’s signature wave pool. At set times, you hear a whistle and a warning signal, and then the waves start. Further in, there are deep areas where your feet won’t touch the bottom, so if you’re a strong swimmer, head all the way to the back!

12:30 #2 Body Slide: Humunga Kowabunga

We rode the slide on the far right first. You have to climb a few stairs to reach it, and there were only about five people waiting, so the wait wasn’t long. However, I was wearing a thick Arena rash guard over my bikini, and I was told it needed a material check, so I had to wait separately. Another lifeguard came over to check and said my rash guard posed a scratch risk, so it was not allowed, and in the end I took it off to ride. People wearing thin rash guards were allowed to ride with them on.

And… I strongly recommend wearing a rash guard on the body slides. The slides are old, so the surface is rough and you can even feel the joints between sections. My body was a bit sore after riding. Still, there’s a sudden steep drop at the start, so the thrill is definitely there!

Cute characters are painted around the park, which makes it fun to look around!

13:00 #3 Body Slide: Storm Slides

This slide has three different chutes. I asked a lifeguard and went down the middle one, the most thrilling course. It’s longer than the first slide and has more winding, twisting turns than drops. Again, the joints in the chute gave me a bit of a scraping feeling… But there are only two body slides, so that was it for those, haha!

13:10 #4 Lazy River

Tubes are stacked at the lazy river entrance, or you can just grab a tube floating in the water and hop on. It’s great for relaxing as you drift slowly with the current. It’s also really convenient to use to get to other slides without walking.

13:30 Lunch

All that swimming made us hungry fast, so we got takeout from a restaurant in the park and had lunch.

From Surf Doggies, we got:

• Churro
• Foot-long All-Beef Hot Dog with potato chips
• 1 bottle of Coke

• Chicken and Shrimp Rice Bowl
• Barbecue Chicken Flatbread
• Coke

A country that takes its sauces seriously… the restaurant had lots of different sauces.

14:20 #5 Tube Slide: Miss Adventure Falls

This is the only slide at Typhoon Lagoon with a conveyor that carries your tube up automatically.

You ride a multi-person tube up the conveyor, then come down alternating between open-air sections and dark tunnels. There are no drops, but the winding course was a lot of fun.

14:40 #6 Tube Slide: Crush ‘n’ Gusher

A tube slide for two riders.

You have to carry the two-person tube up the stairs, which is a bit tiring… but there are about two small drops along the way, and it was so much fun!

This was my favorite slide in the whole park that day. I even went back for one more ride at the end!

15:00 #7 Tube Slide: Keelhaul Falls

A single-rider tube slide. It’s not especially fast and doesn’t have big drops, but the smooth, flowing course means even beginners can ride it without worry.

15:15 #8 Tube Slide: Mayday Falls

A single-rider tube slide. The slide is bumpy, which gives it a fun, jolting charm. It’s not fast, but the little ledges make you bounce around, and there’s a lot of splashing.

15:30 #9 Tube Slide: Gangplank Falls

A multi-person tube that families can ride together. To ride, you have to roll the big tube up to the stairs… Go, dads! 🤣 It’s a slow ride down, but the chute is wide, so the tube spins around like a jungle boat, and there’s a section where water pours down like a waterfall. Perfect for families.

A Hidden Mickey at Typhoon Lagoon~

15:40 #6 Tube Slide: Crush ‘n’ Gusher (again)

After riding every slide, we relaxed for a while watching the wave pool, then went back for one more ride on Crush ‘n’ Gusher, our favorite. Totally satisfying! After that, we headed back to our umbrella where our things were.

16:00 Ice Cream and Snack Time

• DOLE Whip Bathtub Sundae
• Mickey-shaped Pretzel with Cheese

For a snack, we got a Mickey pretzel and ice cream. I took the bathtub-shaped ice cream bowl home as a souvenir, and now it’s a holder for my headphones, haha.

16:30 Shopping on the Way Out

The Typhoon Lagoon shop had Typhoon Lagoon pins, plus towels and swimsuits for the water park.

✅ Extra info There are showers near the exit, but I didn’t use them. According to other reviews, there’s shampoo and body wash mounted on the wall, but the quality isn’t great, so people recommend bringing your own. I just dried off roughly and walked out wearing a robe I’d brought along. The Disney shuttle bus seats are plastic, so it was easy to sit on them even while still damp.

Overall, the slides are low on thrills, so they weren’t super exciting, but it was a great way to pass the time pleasantly before check-in. It wasn’t crowded either, so waiting wasn’t a hassle. I recommend it to families looking for a relaxed way to spend a few hours!

I hope my blog helps make your trip just a little more magical 💫 If you have any questions or want to know more, feel free to reach out through the contact page. Thanks for reading ❤