Cooling Off at Walt Disney World
“When the weather is hot, keep a cool mind. When the weather is cold, keep a warm heart.”
Ajahn Brahm
We went to Disney World in mid August, the hot weather was not a surprise but was new to us. 🥵 (We usually try to avoid the warmer months.) The mask added on to the heat but the lighter crowds did make our visit pleasant.
For our next visit I decided to find all the places I could take a break in the air conditioning without needing a reservation.
Each park has 2-3 relaxation stations. These are areas that have a cast member monitoring the capacity, a hand sanitizer dispenser on the way in, and have tables/markings on the floor to promote social distancing. You can take your mask off once you are at the table or marking.
This is the relaxation station at Star Wars Launch Bay in Hollywood Studios.
Each park has a relaxation station in the air conditioning. ️
At Magic Kingdom Pete’s Silly Slide Show in Storybook Circus, which is normally a character meet, is the indoor relaxation station. You can also grab a snack or meal at Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland, Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland and Pecos Bills in Frontierland.
At Epcot the indoor relaxation station is in Norway at Akershus, a table service restaurant that is currently closed. You can grab a snack or meal to cool off in a few quick service restaurants around the park. The quick services are in Future World at the Land Pavilion and in the World Showcase in France, Japan and American Adventure.
At Hollywood Studios the indoor relaxation station is at Star Wars Launch Bay. Order a snack or meal at Backlot Express, PizzeRizzo or Docking Bay 7 for indoor seating.
At Animal Kingdom the indoor relaxation station is at Pizzafari, a quick service restaurant that is currently closed. You can also take a break in the AC by ordering a snack or a meal at Satuli Canteen in Pandora or Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland.
All the quick service restaurants are strongly encouraging mobile order. There are cast members at the door reminding guest to mobile order and asking your party to wait outside until the app notifies you your order is ready. We purchased a drink at Pongu Pongu and when we asked if we could take a seat in the outdoor area at Satuli they did specifically say we could sit at a table outside. So I do think you’ll need to order something at the restaurants to be able to enter. They all have fun drinks and deserts you could share, you don’t need to get a full meal and not everyone needs to order something.
There are other relaxation stations in each park that are in shaded areas but not indoors. Those are in the following areas:
Magic Kingdom
- Tomorrowland Terrace
- Frontierland at Golden Oak Outpost, close to the entrance to Adventureland
Epcot
- Future world close to Test Track
- UK at the seating for the Yorkshire County Fish Shoppe, this quick service restaurant is currently closed.
Hollywood Studios
- Galaxy’s Edge near Rise is the Resistance
Animal Kingdom
- Asia at the UpCountry Landing close to the entrance to the show Up! – A great bird adventure
While you’re walking around Disney does require the mask to be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking. They also require you to be stationary while eating or drinking. While we were there we only saw a few people breaking the rules, we also witnessed cast members quickly enforcing the rules. Please remember to stay hydrated, plan breaks and remember to step to the side to drink some water.
We brought neck fans for the first time and they were great! We will be bringing cooling towels as well for our next trip.
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