Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the second water park to open at the resort, preceded by Disney's River Country which closed in November 2001.
The park, which opened on June 1, 1989, is home to one of the world's largest outdoor wave pools where it is even possible to bodysurf. The theme of the park is the "Disney legend" of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear, and surfboards are strewn about where the storm flung them. Its centerpiece is "Miss Tilly", a shrimp boat impaled upon a mountain named "Mount Mayday" that erupts a 50-foot (15 m) geyser of water every half hour, right before the bells of the watch sound on it. Its mascot is "Lagoona Gator".
Typhoon reclaimed the title of most popular water park in the world in 2022, admitting 1.92 million guests, by beating Chimelong's (China) 1.62M, Volcano Bay's (Florida) 1.85M, Thermas Dos Laranjas' (Brazil) 1.7M, and Therme Erding's (Germany) 1.7M. Before COVID-19, Chimelong and Typhoon had taken the top 2 spots for years, annually averaging 2.66M and 2.25M, respectively. It operates year-round, with an annual maintenance closure during either the fall or winter. During the closure, its sister park, Blizzard Beach, will remain open. Since COVID-19, Disney has only operated one water park at a time, Typhoon accounting for <30 days (2020), 0 days (2021), 314 days (2022), and 231 days (2023), not counting weather-related closures.
Of the major parks at Disney World, it is the only one that lies within the city limits of Lake Buena Vista. Blizzard Beach and the four theme parks are within the adjacent city of Bay Lake. However, Lake Buena Vista is the mailing address for the entire Walt Disney World Resort.
The water park, along with all the other Walt Disney World parks, closed in March 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The park remained closed whilst the four theme parks reopened July 11–15, 2020. Disney's Typhoon Lagoon reopened at the Walt Disney World Resort on January 2, 2022, after being closed almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the last portion of the resort to reopen after COVID-19 related interruptions.
Mount Mayday, located behind the surf pool, features "Miss Tilly" as well as many of the waterfalls and slides. It is a man-made mountain which not only provides launching areas for the water slides but also conceals the pipework.
The main engineering works performed in 1988 and 1989 featured studies, design, and tests on water wave generation and propagation. As the Typhoon Lagoon was one of the first wave-makers applied to a theme park, one of its prime objectives was to produce surfable waves. Waves are generated by a 12-cell prestressed concrete tank in the background of the lagoon covered with the shipwreck scene. Computer modeling techniques were used at the time to study fluid-structure interaction, stress concentrations, and fatigue to ensure integrity and safety. Prior to its opening, the Typhoon Lagoon was tested to determine wave shape, surf-board ride duration, and the extent to which the waves give a natural feeling as they propagate and break on the artificial beach downstream.
Hideaway Bay, formerly "Out of the Way Cay", is a sandy beach area located behind the dressing rooms.
The largest section of the park houses the feature attraction as well as many shaded, white sandy beaches to relax and recuperate.
Considered one of the most unique attractions at any Disney park, Typhoon Lagoon's Shark Reef provided guests a 5–15 minute snorkel across a manmade lagoon brimming with rays, small sharks, and tropical fish. The artificial reef consisted of a 362,000-gallon dual tank habitat separated by an overturned "sunken tanker"—a disguised underwater viewing tunnel. Without official statements from Disney Parks, analysts point to its uniquely high operating costs (animals and their care takers, water temperature regulation, water filtration, life guards, et al.) as reason for its permanent closure on October 3, 2016. Since closure, the sunken tanker has been walled off and the tank closest to the pathways has been filled in, covered with sand, and converted into a seating/lounge area. The entrance building to the attraction has been converted into a quick service bar and eatery.
Continuous flowing, 2,100-foot (640 m) "lazy river" that slowly circles the entire park, passing through gentle waterfalls, lush rainforests, mist screens, and Mount Mayday itself. Riders can float on their own or in the inner tubes provided.
There are 2 designated picnic areas located in the park. However, there are no restrictions as to where to have a picnic.
Coolers are allowed in the park. The only restricted items are glass and alcohol.
Incidents at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon