With so much to see at Epcot, I’m hoping to try and make our one full day there a little more relaxing. I originally scheduled a 4 hour break going back to POFQ, but now I’m wondering if there is a better option.
I’ve heard people say that the Ellen ride is great for a nice break, but I also noticed the proximity of the Beach Club and other nearby resorts. Is there somewhere at the resorts to actually take a nice long rest without being guests there?
I want to make sure we have the break we need (this will be our 2nd to last of an 8 day trip, so I know we will be tired), but I also want to be able to spend as much time seeing the world showcase as we can without feeling as rushed.
Any other thoughts and suggestions would be great!
If you are staying on-resort anywhere, you can use the pools, gyms, facilities of other resorts. Also the friendship boat is a ferry system that goes from world showcase past the boardwalk area and over to HS and back again. That could be a nice trip to take to see some scenery, sit down awhile stop at another resort. I hear Beaches & Cream has good food, ADR recommended if you want to have a meal, they also have ice cream snacks on the DDP and you can eat at any of the other resort hotels. There is a lot of dining in Epcot so a sit-down ADR or even snacking at several QS with sit-down locations provide breaks. Have fun!
This is absolutely true. Many, if not all, resorts have gates around the pools and you have to use your magic band for entry. Perhaps one can use other facilities, but definitely not the pools.
After seeing a couple videos on YouTube now I’m wondering if it’s a good idea to take our break on the beach chairs at the Beach Club, and bring umbrellas to shade ourselves. Anyone ever try that?
Few clarifications from my experience
1 - Pool Hopping NOT ALLOWED - it is allowed at Universal for future reference though
2 - The Friendship launches do go to the Epcot area resorts - but you need to get the one OUTSIDE of epcot at the international gateway
However to that. Going to the Boardwalk or Yacht club can be a nice break. Additionally Ellen’s energy adventure is a great place for a quick nap / pick me up. I actually defy to to go on after a long day and NOT fall asleep. Also riding Spaceship Earth is a nice break - I LOVE the ride - but it is cool and relaxing and is a nice break as well as is Living with the Land (or as my family refers to it Land of the Living - they don’t care for it - HA
Also just hang out for a drink in any of the countries. The Patisserie is France is a great place to just take a nice break. Find a bench, sit down and people watch for a bit. There are really a lot of little places out of the way that you can just take a break.
However going back to the resort and getting a full nap is always fun as well especially if you are going ALL DAY
Agreed. The less you bring - the better. People pack like they are going on Safari - we have a small backpack that has waters and a camera (and sometimes ponchos) that is it. You don’t need to bring anything else
It probably depends on a lot on if you’re travelling with kids and how young. We never do afternoon breaks but we don’t travel with small children. We do nap on Ellen, however, even a 40 min dark ride may not be enough for some kids. World Showcase is big and even spending 2 days there we often feel like we’ve missed a bunch of it. It’s our favorite place to just hang out. The Epcot resorts are nice but unless you want to sit in the lobby for an hour or more i’m not sure how relaxing it will be. Boardwalk is all outside so you’ll be subject to the weather. I would say either schedule a nice long ADR in the air conditioning if adults and/or older children or if you have kids that really need some down time just go ahead and take your afternoon break.
Full steam ahead is our motto! I find a mid day sit down lunch that I can linger over is enough for us, and sometimes followed by a few minutes here and there on park benches to enjoy a snack.
No kids, so that’s a plus since it gives us more options. Your sentiments about WS are mine exactly. I really want to be able to enjoy our time there. I think I will try for an ADR like you suggested. You’ve responded to several of my questions, and I appreciate the feedback! First time there, and even after weeks of research I still feel unsure about a lot.
I’ve been going for years and still get lost in doing research lol. Without kids it’ll be so much easier. Try getting an ADR someplace fun, dark, and cool. I can suggest Biergarten as it’s designed to look like a German city outdoor plaza at night. It’s hard to describe lol. But it’s fun and relaxing. The Oompa band gets up on the stage every so often and the kids get to come down and dance with them. They also serve beer in actual pints.
If you enjoy partaking in adult beverages there are also lots of great little lounges that you can stop in and have a drink while you cool off and rest up a bit before heading to the next country. Italy has a great little wine place, Mexico has La Cava which is a top spot for a margarita. We love wandering through the little alley’s in Morocco. Plus Canada, France, and China have movies where you can catch some pretty scenery and some free Air Conditioning. The American Adventure is nearly 40 minutes long also so it can also be used for a quick catnap lol.
You could also go to the Land and just relax in the QS area or how about Living Seas, just relax with the fish? There aren’t too many places to sit in there, mind you. I do like the idea of Beaches and Cream for a break, though.
Good to know. When we were at WL last year, we were told one can pool hoop by a representative. Perhaps things have changed, or it was related to the deluxe resorts, or we were misinformed. Thanks for the tip on getting the boat from intl gateway to travel outwards, that is how we plan to sightsee and/or relax if we’d like.
DVC members can pool hop but even then there are blackout dates and certain pools are excluded (bay lake, storm along bay at beach club, akl and poly).
Since well is a DVC resort maybe the cm assumed you could.
No, no, NO. You cannot use the facilities at any resort other than the one that is “yours”. You can eat at the food locations, hang out in the lobbies or any other “public” areas, but not any of the recreational facilities.
In FW, The land, The Seas, and SE all have large pavilion spaces that are nicely air conditioned. Although I can’t recommend it for the food, Electric Umbrella is relatively quiet and always seems to have seating available (I wonder why). As Innoventions has been stripped of almost all of it’s attractions, I have to assume there is a lot of places to chill out there. Mexico is mostly indoors and is a good place to cool off (and get a margarita at La Cava). The main floor lobby of AA is also pleasant, and even if you don’t plan on seeing the show (which you REALLY should see), the Voices of Liberty perform there. My personal favorite is to hang out in some of the bars to cool off and add “refreshment”.
In the Boardwalk area, the ESPN Zone and the newly refurbished Abracadabar at he Boardwalk (haven’t been there myself, but the pictures and videos look awesome) would both be options. All of the lobbies at BW/BC/YC, as well as the Swan and Dolphin, have chairs in which you could take a rest. Thre may be other options at the Swan/Dolphin, but I am not especially familiar with either of those.
