2020
Explorer's Harbor at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Spring 2020
After the annual winter refurbishments to the Disney Water Parks, and the continued success of Volcano Bat at Universal Orlando Resort, Disney has decided to upgrade the water parks in response, adding new attractions to both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach (in a later project). In 2017, Disney opened a new attraction at Typhoon Lagoon called Miss Adventure Falls, a family raft style attraction which involves the Society of Explorers and Adventurers character, Mary Oceaneer. S.E.A. for short, is a continued overarching story throughout many of the Disney parks both domestic and abroad, and having the story continue in the water park was a very unique and fun choice for the imagineers.
While the attraction is...alright, the storyline left much to be expanded upon, as Mary Oceaneer and the rest of S.E.A. are explorers and one would think this group of explorers would happen upon a famous typhoon wrecked location while they are studying their cartography. As it so happens, Mary Oceaneer decided to explore more of the coast around Mt. Mayday.
As she explored the wrecked tropical paradise, she noticed a large cargo ship beached in a harbor, almost as if it had been tied down and swayed in the wind (though more fortunate than the ship that currently resides on the top of Mt. Mayday)
The foliage had overgrown around the ship - essentially turning it into a tree house of exploration! Roots and branches overgrown around the ship led to walkways and paths up and around the ship's interior and exterior, and as she traveled along, she noticed an early emblem of S.E.A. and the ship name,
Mobili, quickly deducing that this must have been one of the first generation S.E.A. members who, maybe, is still on the island? She dubbed it Explorer's Harbor and wrote to Jason Chandler, the founding member of S.E.A., about its discovery.
In 2016, Shark Reef closed to the public after being one of the most unique attractions in the parkhaving the chance to swim along with many exotic sea dwelling animals. Long story short, the high costs of operation eventually led to its closure, and dormant occupancy...until now!
Explorer's Harbor will expand out from Miss Adventure Falls, furthering the S.E.A. presence in the park, adding more capacity, and multiple new attractions.
New Typhoon Lagoon Map
Explorer's Harbor will be located in the same place as Shark Reef used to be in, using the area as an expansion pad of sorts to add the new attractions in and around the wrecked S.E.A vessel.
Anchors Away
3 Body Tube drop slides are perched 60 feet above the ground on the top deck of the tilted ship. Off the port side, guests will plunge down the former anchor shaft and into multiple hairpin turns and into a splashdown below. Each slide has different drops, twists, and turns so you'll have multiple new options to choose from. Typhoon Lagoon, and all of Disney Water Parks, don't have a body tube slide so this would be a unique offering in the water park, and would rival Universal's Volcano Bay.
Starboard Falls
Another water park attraction that Disney doesn't have is a water town and exploratory playground. On the ship's upright starboard side and near the barnacle ridden bottom of the ship, water is still flowing out from the interior, and dumps gallons of water on awaiting guests below. Around the water tower is an interactive play area that uses water guns, mazes, and other adventures.
The Chandler Club
The Chandler Club is an exclusive dining option at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon that fortunately for guests has not been damaged too badly by the wrecked ship. It was built by the S.E.A. explorers who settled on the island before the storm hit. Inside is a beautiful mahogany room with large (broken) windows peering out onto the rest of the water park. In addition there are easter eggs to other S.E.A. attractions around the world, such as the Hightower Hotel, Mystic Manor, and Big Thunder Mountain. The now open air dining facility is a quick service option and can be accessed near the wrecked Mobili.
Ultimately this expansion will not only bring more capacity to Typhoon Lagoon, but three experiences on par with newer classes of water parks and bringing something to guests visiting Typhoon Lagoon that they haven't seen before.
Thanks for reading - hope you enjoyed and tune in tomorrow as we head from one S.E.A. attraction to another, heading for the wildest ride in the wilderness!
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P.S. - had to share, here's a really cool photo of Mt. Mayday being constructed in the late 80s, and Epcot Center in the background!
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