Want to Party Like It's the '90s? Head to One of Disney's Water Parks This Summer
Growing up in Florida in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there was nothing cooler than spending a day at a Disney water park.
I remember zipping down slides at Disney's original water park, Disney's River Country (where the new nature-themed Disney Vacation Club resort Disney Lakeshore Lodge is currently being built), and spending sunny summer afternoons at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. My affinity for Disney water parks continued through college, when I worked as a lifeguard at Disney's Blizzard Beach while attending school in Orlando.
Now as a parent, Disney's water parks remain one of my favorite escapes with my family. And with summertime deals like complimentary admission on arrival day for Disney Resort hotel guests and the return of fun-filled evening events like Disney H2O Glow After Hours at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, there's never been a better time to visit.
From neon-lit dance parties to relaxing hours spent drifting along a lazy river, here's why a trip to a Disney water park still feels like the ultimate throwback summer vacation.
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Free Water Park Admission Turns Arrival Day into Its Own Vacation
This summer, guests staying at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel receive free admission to either Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or Disney's Blizzard Beach on their check-in day. A popular offer that debuted in 2025, this year's deal is valid from May 26 to September 8, 2026, and includes admission for every guest listed on the hotel reservation. Disney Resort hotel guests also receive complimentary towel rentals.
Especially for families and multigenerational groups, this perk is a great value. Disney water park admission is currently $74 for adults and $68 for children ages 3 to 9 (kids under 3 are free), plus tax, making the offer an especially valuable addition to a summer vacation.
But beyond the savings, there's something wonderfully nostalgic about starting a Disney trip at a water park. In the '90s, water park admission was often bundled into multi-day Walt Disney World vacation packages, and spending your first day splashing around before heading into the theme parks felt like a rite of passage.
Water park visits also make for unforgettable arrival days. When the promotion launched last year, we checked in early to The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and hopped on a Disney bus to Blizzard Beach. We had so much fun that we spent the whole day there, then headed to dinner at Disney Springs. It was one of the most memorable days of our trip.
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Disney H2O Glow After Hours Feels Like a Summer Party from Another Era
Glow parties were all the rage in the ‘90s and early 2000s, and when the sun goes down at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, the party heats up.
Held on select nights from June 2 through September 5, Disney H2O Glow After Hours is the ultimate chance to dance under the stars at a Disney water park. This separately ticketed event transforms the water park into a neon-themed nighttime beach party complete with DJs, complimentary snacks (including Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars) and shorter attraction wait times, since capacity is limited.
This year's event features dazzling lights and illuminated displays, as well as an expanded lineup of rare and iconic Disney characters interacting with guests throughout the night, including Powerline Max from the ‘90s Disney classic A Goofy Movie, Donald and Daisy Duck, Chip ‘n' Dale dressed as the Rescue Rangers, Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack.
It's the ultimate night of nostalgia and water park fun; just make sure to buy tickets early, as dates often sell out. The event runs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., though guests can enter as early as 6 p.m. Tickets start at $85 for adults, plus tax; children ages 3-9 save $20 (under three are free). Annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members save 20 percent.
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It's A Chance to Go Phone-Free and Live in the Moment
As both a journalist and a mom, I'm usually documenting every moment of our family vacations. But one of the things I love most about water parks is that to fully experience things like water slides, wave pools and lazy rivers, you need to be phone-free-just like we all were in the ‘90s.
Both Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach offer spacious lockers for rent, and I've grown to enjoy the ritual of locking my phone away and setting off with my kids. And the irony is that while I have fewer photos of our Disney water parks adventures, I remember every moment clearly; perhaps because I'm really living each experience, instead of focusing on capturing it.
At a time when many families are seeking screen-free ways to connect, Disney's water parks offer a wonderful kind of summer nostalgia: long sun-kissed days, swaying palm trees and nothing on the agenda except the next water slide.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 4:10 AM.