Typhoon Lagoon
Typhoon Lagoon is a water park located in Walt Disney World
Park Back Story
In order to fully understand and enjoy Typhoon Lagoon, it is important that guests know the parks backstory. According to the story:
"A furious storm once roared 'cross the sea
Catching ships in its path, helpless to flee
Instead of a certain and watery doom
The winds swept them here to Typhoon Lagoon."
Because of the storm that hit the area, everything in Typhoon Lagoon changed. Fish were swept into an inland bay, which guests can now snorkel in. All around, visitors will see beached ships and surfboards which were thrown around when the storm him. The formally quiet town that resided in Typhoon Lagoon was severely damaged, and many of the people and businesses either closed or left all together. The parks icon "Miss Tilly", is a former fishing boat which was beached atop Mount Mayday.
Park History
The origin of Typhoon Lagoon began in 1986. Due to the popularity of their water park River Country, and also the popularity of the Wet and Wild park located in Orlando, Disney decided it was time for a new water park in Walt Disney World. Michael Eisner the CEO of Disney said that he wanted Typhoon Lagoon to, "Do for water parks what Walt Disney did for amusement parks when he built Disneyland 31 years ago". The location of the park was chosen, due to the fact that it was near the soon to open, Disney's MGM Studios and Pleasure Island.
Unlike River Country which relied on the nostalgia of an old fashioned swimming hole, Typhoon Lagoon was built as a modern theme park. The park was themed to look as if a large storm had hit the area, beaching all kinds of ships and even fish. The town the resided where Typhoon Lagoon sits, was damaged badly in the storm. Because of this backstory, the facades guests see when walking around the park are usually themed to look like damaged buildings or beached ships.
As opposed to other water parks which featured water slides as there primary attractions, Typhoon Lagoon's main attraction is a 126,000 square foot wave pool known as the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool. The wave pool alternates between 90 minutes of surf height waves (6 feet) and 30 minutes of smaller, calmer waves. At the time of it's construction the Surf Pool was the largest wave pool in the country. Before the park opened CEO Michael Eisner called the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool, "The best surf East of Hawaii".
The wave pool sits at the foot of a 95 foot, man-made mountain, Mount Mayday, which erupts a 50 foot geyser every 30 minute. Atop Mount Mayday the parks icon, Miss Tilly was built. The image of Miss Tilly sitting a top Mount Mayday was used as the parks "icon".
The other unique attraction that Imagineers built in Typhoon Lagoon was the snorkeling pool called Shark Reef. Due to the high demand by guests to snorkel with the fish in EPCOT's The Living Seas, it was decided that Typhoon Lagoon would feature a large, full time snorkeling pool. The pool was constructed as such, that guests would swim freely with many different kinds of fish, however large dangerous fish would be kept in separate tanks. This was done so that while snorkeling, it would appear to guests that they were actually in the same area as large fish, giving them an adrenaline rush while also removing any real danger. When Typhoon Lagoon opened the estimated cost was 20 million dollars, with many on Wall Street believing the actually cost could have been as high as 50 million.
Opening Day
Typhoon Lagoon opened June 1, 1989 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Although the park was not heavily advertised, guests flocked to see the newest Disney water park. Grand Opening festivities were held for the park on June 6th when the park was officially dedicated. When Typhoon Lagoon opened it consisted of: a 2,100 foot lazy river known as Castaway Creek, the Shark Reef, the Surf Pool, an area for kids called Ketchakiddee Creek, and seven water slides. The water slides were made up of three body slides (the Rudder Buster, the Stern Buster, and the Jib Jabber), three tube slide (Mayday Falls, Keelhaul Falls, and Gangplank Falls) and the popular speed slide, Humunga Kowabunga.
