Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon H2O Glow Party | Worth the money?

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon has brought back their After Hours event, Disney H20 Glow. This 3 hour event cost $70 for Passholders, $42.50 for kids 3-9 years old and $85 for standard tickets for all 10 years old and older. This event does cost more money than just buying a standard ticket for visit Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. So, is this event worth the money? Yes, for some people. Let me explain.

We were invited out by Disney to review this event at Typhoon Lagoon. They provided free tickets and some free food samples to let us see what this After Hours event was all about. We wanted to answer an important question. Why spend more money to visit a water park with less sun and less hours at the park? There are a few answers to that question. The Disney After Hours events, whether it be at the parks or the water parks, offer some advantages:

• Short or No Waits for Rides
• Free and Unlimited Snacks
• Speciality Items for Purchase
• Exclusive Disney Character Moments

Short waits and speciality Disney Characters

If you love visiting Walt Disney World but you don’t always enjoy being around all the other people who love visiting, this event may be for you. The longest we waited to go on a slide for the entire event was eight minutes and most of that was grabbing the tube and walking up. Disney’s promise for short waits was proven true.

For those who love meeting Disney characters, this event offered some Pixar fan favorites and an exclusive character. Bullseye is a rare sight to see at Walt Disney World, but at Disney H2O Glow he came out regularly for all to visit him. In the center of the park was a beachside DJ dance party where Buzz Lightyear and Jessie appeared throughout the night to dance and hype up the crowd. The DJ music itself was pumped all throughout the park allowing you to enjoy the party, even in the lazy river.

Unlimited Disney snacks and speciality foodie items

A Disney Park visit is incomplete without the snacks. Popcorn, the iconic Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and Frozen Fruit Bars, all unlimited and handed out at numerous snack stations around the park. There are also food and drink items exclusive to the event for sale (the photos above are sample sizes given to media, the portions are larger for actual purchases):

• $11.49 Loaded Baked Potato
• $11.49 Chicken and Mickey-Shaped Waffle Sliders (my favorite)
• $12.99 DOLE Whip Pineapple Hard Cider Float

I really wish the Chicken and Mickey-Shaped Waffle Sliders weren’t exclusive to the event, because they were fantastic. Just sweet enough, just savory enough and balanced with the prosciutto and soft waffles. It was a surprise hit and something I would certainly purchase on a return visit. But, if you don’t want to spend extra money, you don’t have to. The popcorn, ice cream and bottled drinks would be more than enough for your time allotment in the park.

The feeling of being a VIP at Disney H2O Glow

The best part of this Disney H2O Glow event was the VIP treatment. The Disney Parks are already known for great customer service, but this felt different. You could just walk up and grab a Mickey themed ice cream. It can be just your group in the lazy river. You could stroll onto rides with zero minute waits. Disney characters were waiting around the corner to say, “hello,” to you.

We grabbed a spot near the back of the park, choosing to pick our “home base” near restrooms and quick access to the lazy river. We were the only people using the seats and loungers within 500 feet. Now, near the DJ dance party it was busier and I won’t say the park was entirely empty. But, compared to a normal visit, it felt like VIP access. No waits, no stress, and not a lot of people.

I also really enjoyed the addition of specialty themed Pixar pool floats that were added into the lazy river just for the event. During our search we found tubes themed to Sulley, Dory, Nemo, WALL•E, Kevin and a Unicorn, plus there were glittery tubes floating around. It was a smaller, unadvertised detail, but kids were ecstatic to find their favorite characters floating by.

Is the Typhoon Lagoon After Hours Event worth the money?

There isn’t a clear yes or no answer to this question, as it will come down to a few questions you need to answer for yourself. Are you a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder? Are you only able to visit a water park one single time this trip? What’s more important to you, the water park or a water park day in the sun?

If you are a Walt Disney World Passholder you can experience this event for $70 before tax. But, for $99, you can add on both Walt Disney World Water Parks for the entire year to your pass. With that small of a gap, this event might not be worth it to you. The discount is nice, but if you want to visit again and again you may be better off spending your money on a full year’s worth of visits.

For those who only get one day to visit Disney’s Water Parks, this event is a lot more intriguing. Yes, it does cost more money to go for the 3 hour event (with an extra 2 hour early entry), than it does for a full day’s ticket. But, this event has more than just park access. The short waits, plentiful snacks and memorable character moments make up the difference in cost pretty quickly. And, this is purely based on opinion, but I think it is so cool to be able to ride on waterslides during a Florida sunset.

Do you prefer the slides or the sunshine?

The last question to answer is, are you visiting for a water park or for a water park kind of day? This Disney H2O Glow event has minimal sunshine, so tanning isn’t really possible during this experience. If you want to lounge out, you can do it in the lazy river or on one of the many empty seats, but it is less cost effective that way. If you are someone who wants a higher energy experience, filled with slide after slide, dancing with characters and munching away on popcorn, this event is meant for you.

What are the hidden costs of this experience?

This is a pretty easy question to answer. There are basically no extra costs. The snacks are included. The towels to dry off are included. The parking is free. There are some upcharges if you want one of the specialty food items or if adults want alcohol. But the experiences themselves are all included. No extra fees for rides, no hidden paywall to meet Woody.

If you want to purchase some themed merchandise while you are there Disney will happily sell you some. But you don’t need to do that. The price you pay is the price you pay.

While this event might not work out for every vacationer, I do think it is the right choice for the right family. When combined with the FREE water park admission for those staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, this event can give you a fantastic finale to your time. As this event is based at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, you could begin a trip by checking in to your Disney hotel and visiting Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park (for free). Then, spend the week visiting the Disney theme parks. This Disney H2O Glow After Hours event could be the firework finish with a VIP style visit to the last park on the Disney list.

I am going to start sounding like a major ad here, but trust me, this is of my own free will. No money or Mickey Bars were handed over for this next bit. 2025 is the best year to purchase a Walt Disney World annual pass since the 2020 closures. Disney classics are closing, discounts are more plentiful and new offerings are beginning to arrive. We are in a prime time to snag a pass if you have been thinking about it.