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Like a surfside playground left behind by a "great
storm" for modern-day Swiss Family Robinsons, Typhoon
Lagoon -- with its breaking waves, saltwater snorkeling pool
and gushing water surges -- ushers in a new generation of
water adventures for Walt Disney World guests.
Located near Downtown Disney West Side, the 61-acre Typhoon
Lagoon includes several major features:
the first-ever water coaster thrill ride attraction in
Central Florida, Crush 'n' Gusher; a man-made watershed
mountain with eight twisting-and-turning water slides and
roaring streams; and a two-and-one-half acre wave-making
lagoon with surfing-size waves.
In a Typhoon Lagoon exclusive, guests come face-to-face
with all the colorful creatures of the Caribbean when they
snorkel in Shark Reef, a saltwater pool presented by NAUI
(National Association of Underwater Instructors). The park
also features a water playground for children, sunny beaches
and lazy streams surrounding a 95-foot mountain. The
water-entertainment area takes its theme from a legend of
romance and danger evident with Miss Tilly, the wrecked
shrimp boat storm-stranded on the mountain peak.
"Upon entering Typhoon Lagoon, guests find themselves
in a ramshackle, tin-roofed island village landscaped with
cargo, surfboards and other marine wreckage left by the great
storm," said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of
Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Towering behind the lagoon is Mt. Mayday,
"landscaped" with a number of thrill-and-spill water
slides. Topping the mountain is a shipwrecked shrimp boat (Miss
Tilly out of Safen Sound, Fla.), left dangling crazily 95
feet in the air by the force of the legendary typhoon.
Mt. Mayday's water attractions include:
- Humunga Kowabunga's three water slides which drop guests
down the mountain and through rocky caverns at speeds up
to 30 mph.
- Storm Slides, consisting of three curving body slides
called Rudder Buster, Stern Burner and Jib Jammer, take
guests past assorted nautical flotsam before depositing
them into a pool at the bottom of the mountain.
- Three rafting adventures -- Mayday Falls provides guests
with a white-water experience; Keelhaul Falls boasts a
triple vortex that literally adds new "twists"
to riding the rapids; Gangplank Falls enables families to
ride together on three- to five-passenger rafts.
In addition to the mountain, with its water-smoothed rock
flumes and other rideable waterways, the mythical cataclysm
left behind the surfing lagoon -- twice the size of a football
field and large enough to encompass an ocean liner. The lagoon
also boasts one of the world's largest artificially created
waves for body surfing.
Circling the lagoon is Castaway Creek, a meandering,
2,100-foot stream. Guests of all ages hop onto inner tubes for
a relaxing tour that takes them through a misty rain forest
and a hidden grotto, providing a spectacular view of Typhoon
Lagoon and its many activities.
Just on the opposite side of the surfing lagoon is Crush
'n' Gusher, a water coaster thrill ride weaving among the
washed-out remains (so the story goes) of a dilapidated fruit
packing plant. Three out-of-control wash spill ways with
torrents of gushing water propel the most daring of raft
riders on an extreme gravity defying adventure up and down
twisting caverns that lead to the tranquil waters of Hideaway
Bay.
Ketchakiddee Creek is a water playground adjacent to Mt.
Mayday. Geysers, fountains, bubblers, slides, three
interactive water boats and a pint-sized white-water rafting
adventure cater to young children and families.
The aquatic world of the Caribbean comes alive in Shark
Reef, a 362,000-gallon saltwater pool where snorkelers swim
fin-to-fin with exotic marine life including butterfly fish,
French angels, tangs, groupers and even nurse sharks. Other
guests have the opportunity to watch snorkelers through the
underwater portholes of a wrecked ship in the center of the
reef.
Nearby, Hammerhead Fred's Dive Shop provides necessary
underwater equipment for Shark Reef, including wet suits,
masks and snorkels. Changing areas, lockers, showers and a
picnic area are nearby.
Two restaurants, Typhoon Tilly's and Leaning Palms, serve
up everything from specialty sandwiches and salads to cookies
and ice cream in waffle cones.
Typhoon Lagoon is open daily. Hours vary, with extended
hours during summer months.
WATER
WONDERLAND - Coral and rainbow of tropical fish greet
snorkelers at Shark Reef, a tropical spectacle at Typhoon
Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney guest
can don snorkel gear (included in the cost of admission to
Typhoon Lagoon) and browse beside a colorful sunken ship.
HANG
ON TIGHT -- Walt Disney World guests are propelled to speeds
reaching 30 feet per second on Crush 'n' Gusher, a new water
coaster thrill ride at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Lake Buena
Vista, Fla. Three distinct water-coaster ride systems will
send guests up and down twisting slopes and turns of chutes
filled with gushing water. The attraction is themed to be the
towering remains of a washed-out fruit exporting plant.
COOL
CREEK FLOATERS -- Swimmers enjoy a slower-paced life on
Castaway Creek at Typhoon Lagoon in the Walt Disney World
Resort. Though the 53-acre water park has speed slides, body
slides and the world's largest man-made wave lagoon, many
visitors prefer the relaxation and enjoyment of a tube ride
around the water park.
HANG
ON TIGHT -- Walt Disney World guests are propelled to speeds
reaching 30 feet per second on Crush 'n' Gusher, a new water
coaster thrill ride at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Lake Buena
Vista, Fla. Three distinct water-coaster ride systems will
send guests up and down twisting slopes and turns of chutes
filled with gushing water. The attraction is themed to be the
towering remains of a washed-out fruit exporting plant.
SPLASHDANCE
- The Surf Pool at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park provides
the prefect refresher for kids, families and guests of all
ages at Walt Disney World Resort.
"Flash flooding" takes on a whole new meaning for
Walt Disney World guests when they experience Crush 'n'
Gusher, a new white-knuckle "water coaster" thrill
ride at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park.
Walt Disney World guests find themselves immersed in a
dense tropical jungle amid the towering remains -- rusted-out
and dilapidated -- of a fruit exporting plant. The
once-landlocked packing plant known as Tropical Amity now sits
on the shores of Hideaway Bay, a body of water left in the
wake of a torrential storm.
The wobbly remains of the wash facility -- what used to be
a controlled environment with fruit flowing gently down to the
packing plant -- is now a turbulent series of gushing water
flumes. It is these flumes, spiraling out of control through
twisted and crumbling wash spillways with crushing force, that
redefine "flash flooding" for Typhoon Lagoon guests.
While riding Crush 'n' Gusher, guests are whisked away on
inflatable rafts and immediately begin to experience the
up-and-down sensations of a roller coaster, made possible by
utilizing some of today's latest water ride innovations.
Powerful water jets propel guests through cavernous twists and
turns, eventually spitting them out into the tranquil waters
of Hideaway Bay.
"We were so excited about offering this
state-of-the-art water ride technology to our guests, that we
created three separate ride systems for them to
experience," said Patrick Brennan, lead creative designer
for Walt Disney Imagineering. "In addition to being the
only water coaster thrill ride of its kind in Central Florida,
Crush 'n' Gusher is the first-ever water coaster attraction in
North America to offer guests three different ride experiences
at one location."
"Crush 'n' Gusher is a great addition to Disney's
Typhoon Lagoon," said Reggie Williams, vice president of
Disney's Wide World of Sports and Water Parks. "With the
thrills and excitement that this water coaster ride offers,
Crush 'n' Gusher is like having our very own E-Ticket
attraction."
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, itself the result of a calamity of
nature (so the legend goes), continues to make the best of a
bad situation -- in this case the uncovered structural remains
of Tropical Amity. With the newly discovered water coaster
thrill ride of Crush 'n' Gusher in the backyard jungle of
Typhoon Lagoon, guests have one more reason to enjoy this
tropical paradise.
Fast Facts:
- Crush 'n' Gusher is the only water roller coaster in
North America that has three unique and separate rides off
of one tower.
- Each Crush 'n' Gusher water jet nozzle puts out 1350
gallons per minute.
- The average length of each slide is over 400 feet.
- One slide from Crush 'n' Gusher can fill a standard
home-size pool in about one minute.
- Crush 'n' Gusher can fill up Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
wave pool (2.7 million gallons) in about 3 hours.
- If you were to connect the average fire hose to a single
Crush 'n' Gusher jet nozzle, it could shoot water over The
Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror
attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
- Ride height requirement is 48 inches.
Whether bound for a Disney water park or theme park, a new
and innovative Walt Disney World ticket pricing system known
as “Magic Your Way” offers the chance for guests to
customize their vacations. The Water Park Fun & More
option includes entrance to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and
Blizzard Beach water parks. For Florida residents, ticket
discounts have been introduced to allow them to maximize their
Disney theme park fun. |
