News Walt Disney World Adds Water Park Perk for 2025 Resort Guests

[fgmnt]

It’s definitely a low conversion rate but i think the ideal target for this are people who come in from just outside the bounds of being a local. Family in Miami takes the day off to travel, can park right in the parking lot of Blizzard Beach, grab a lunch there and hit some slides until the room is ready and the kids are tired.

I think they don’t want to do more than this for a lot of reasons but I wish it manifested as a throw-in as a day ticket you can use during any length of stay longer than 3 days/2 nights.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Or you stay at Universal first and transfer to WDW at 6am, hit Kona then head over to the water......

Conceptually that doesn’t work for me. If I’m at that stage I’d rather just pay for Volcano Bay.

 

[Miss Bella]

It’s not they think we are dumb, they think we will take anything they offer us and beg for more.

I have enough Marriott point to stay at the swan and dolphin for a week. I started looking at ticket prices and was blown away. Tickets used to the most affordable part of Disney vacation, but not anymore....and then add in food costs and genie plus yikes! It makes me sad because I'd like to go back, but when I add up the cost and then think of other more unique places I could go with the money I can't justify it.

I know for a lot of people WDW is a once in a lifetime experience. We've been fortunate it's never been that for us, but now it's being eliminated so we can afford the primary vacation to more exotic places.

A free day at a water park isn't going to do much to change my mind.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Yeah but as Len pointed out with the data…almost no one is going to do this…so what’s the game?

The management corps can’t be this BAD they think this offsets ticket increase announcements?

Or the hefty price tag on the pre-booked fastpass dropping in 5…4…3…2…

They can only afford to keep one water park open at a time. And, they’ve basically given away water park annual passes for the cost of a day pass all year. And now they’re still offering to give free access to their water park for arriving guests.

Maybe it’s a realy underitilized asset?

 

[Miss Bella]

Coming from the NJ/MD I almost always got on property from 11am to 1pm. That's driving and flying.

Well you come from the same time zone and take an early flight. There are several other times zones that are left out of that. The earliest I can arrive in MCO with a non-stop flight is around 4pm and that's getting on a 9am flight.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Well you come from the same time zone and take an early flight. There are several other times zones that are left out of that. The earliest I can arrive in MCO with a non-stop flight is around 4pm and that's getting on a 9am flight.

But the claim was never made that  everyone can arrive early enough to use this perk, only that there are people who can. The post that post responded to was asking who could possibly arrive early enough to use the perk as if it's just not possible. The answer is that plenty of people can because there are flights in the Eastern time zone that arrive in the morning. There's been a lot of "I can't use this perk, therefore it's worthless for everyone" in this thread. It's like complaining that Target has a sale on a product you don't need or there's not a Target close enough to you for you to buy the sale item - that doesn't mean nobody else can benefit from the sale.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

You still have to get to your resort, then bus to AK, then bus to that day’s water park.

Not if you pay for a Minnievan.

It is also possible to wear some swimsuits under a cover-up dress or baggy pants. LOTS of folks figure out a workaround when they go to the beach and want to eat in restaurants.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I wonder if long term this ‘perk’ becomes more of a hindrance with people complaining to front desk about not getting the opportunity to take up this awesome ‘perk’

This was my thought too, especially if the water parks reach capacity or the park is closed due to weather.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Maybe the resorts just got tired of people camping out in the lobby all day on check in day, asking every 20 minutes if their room is ready yet. Give them something to do.

MDE shows when your room is ready, plus you get periodic text messages that start shortly before your announced arrival time if you do online check-in.

 

[Willmark]

It is a decent desperate perk...if not for the dumb check in day rule. So odd.

It’s not odd; it’s a feature not a bug.

If people could use it anytime people might just do that. Disney doesn’t want that.

Busy water parks aren’t (likely) the same generators of additional spend the other parks when people aren’t on rides (Disney doesn’t want them on rides either.)

Disney wants the appearance of caring about the customers while doing the bare minimum possible.

Hence this “perk” and its limited window to use it.

 

[nickys]

MDE shows when your room is ready, plus you get periodic text messages that start shortly before your announced arrival time if you do online check-in.

Some do. But it isn’t completely intuitive, or wasn’t for us.

We didn’t get a pop-up message saying our room was ready.
When we opened the app and signed in and then looked at our reservation, we saw there was a room number. But we had to keep checking.
We didn’t get any texts.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Not if you pay for a Minnievan.

It is also possible to wear some swimsuits under a cover-up dress or baggy pants. LOTS of folks figure out a workaround when they go to the beach and want to eat in restaurants.

Swimsuits are no big deal, throw them in your carry-on bag. We've done it for 2 decades. But using the Minnie Van's? You're now adding an expense to your "free water park ticket". Currently it's $40 for a ride from WL to Blizzard Beach. No thanks.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Some do. But it isn’t completely intuitive, or wasn’t for us.

We didn’t get a pop-up message saying our room was ready.
When we opened the app and signed in and then looked at our reservation, we saw there was a room number. But we had to keep checking.
We didn’t get any texts.

We also had a very odd room number experience. Wife got a text that the room was ready, but the room wasn't showing in MDE. Then, hours later, the room number would show for some in the room but not others. Very frustrating. One MagicBand from our party didn't work initially because "you didn't check in at the front desk".

 

[John park hopper]

I would love to see the data on how many guests take advantage of this "perk" IMO it will not be many due to late arrival times--weather closure--breakdowns.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

We also had a very odd room number experience. Wife got a text that the room was ready, but the room wasn't showing in MDE. Then, hours later, the room number would show for some in the room but not others. Very frustrating. One MagicBand from our party didn't work initially because "you didn't check in at the front desk".

I had an experience at Grand Floridian where it was after 4:00 and we still hadn't received our "Your room is ready" text and MDE hadn't updated with the room number. It turns out that the room was ready but whoever was supposed to go check to verify that it had been cleaned properly never went to check. So we only got to go to our room after going to speak with a CM to ask why it wasn't ready yet. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken?

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I have enough Marriott point to stay at the swan and dolphin for a week

I miss the old SPG program.

 

[celluloid]

Or you stay at Universal first and transfer to WDW at 6am, hit Kona then head over to the water......

If Disney is counting on that being close to common with this idea, than they show how they have already lost too far for promo to be valuable.

Besides, Universal gives you the perks on check out day too.

 

[Mark48]

I have a better perk idea . Instead of a useless PR perk such as the water park how about bringing back the street performers as well as improving the state of cleanliness in all the parks??? Sounds like a decent long range perk too me.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I have a better perk idea . Instead of a useless PR perk such as the water park how about bringing back the street performers as well as improving the state of cleanliness in all the parks??? Sounds like a decent long range perk too me.

Bringing back the World Showcase Players would be a nice gesture and would score some points.

But the “cherry on top” would be reviving a really, really, big Adventurers Club and letting people hang out there until their room was ready.

I’d bet you’d see people tipping large to ensure their room wouldn’t be available until 9 or 10pm.

*oh noes. I’ve turned this into a tipping thread.

 

[JoeCamel]

I have a better perk idea . Instead of a useless PR perk such as the water park how about bringing back the street performers as well as improving the state of cleanliness in all the parks??? Sounds like a decent long range perk too me.

Bringing back the World Showcase Players would be a nice gesture and would score some points.

But the “cherry on top” would be reviving a really, really, big Adventurers Club and letting people hang out there until their room was ready.

I’d bet you’d see people tipping large to ensure their room wouldn’t be available until 9 or 10pm.

*oh noes. I’ve turned this into a tipping thread.

But those cost real money and the water park perk? Not so much