Walt Disney World is one of the most magical destinations on Earth! With magic and excitement around every corner, it is easy to crave some down time, rest and shade as little ones nap, or parents recuperate a few minutes. At all theme parks, don’t forget to utilize the Baby Care Centers. These air conditioned rooms have a lot of amenities catered to young children, including diapers, medicine, baby food and more. Check your My Disney Experience app for detailed locations at each park.
Magic Kingdom
I personally love to relax in the shade near the Tomorrowland Terrace. It is normally pretty empty (except when dessert parties are going on), shaded and yet near a lot of the action. Enter through the Tomorrowland area though, not Main Street. This is stroller friendly, but is not air conditioned.
Not AS popular of course but never a bad idea in a pinch… some of the longer air conditioned shows are good for catching a cat nap (likely better for older kids)… my family favorites include Hall of presidents, American Experience and Carousel of Progress.
Another great spot is inside the Mickey’s Town Square Meet and Greet area. The meet and greet is in an air conditioned building and a lot of space is just open. I try to find a cozy corner or wall to hang out on to rest a bit or allow a sleeping baby to stay cool.
Epcot
So I will give up my super (probably not so) secret spot… in the same building as Mickey’s character meet and greet there is kinda an empty space on the other side of where you enter for the Line. There is a bathroom in there and a cast member location that they come in and out of a lot. There are no chairs, just an empty space… but there are also outlets in there. We sat in that room for a good amount of time one trip. It was air-conditioned and pretty quiet.
Check the Odyssey Center to see if they are open. It is air conditioned and of course shaded. Also there is a balcony on the Japan pavilion that you can go up on, I would imagine that would be pretty quiet but I don’t know if it’s shaded all the time. Also, if you walk a little farther down the hall behind the Character Spot in EPCOT there are couches with charging ports in them.
Animal Kingdom
I also sat in the area behind where you get Drunken dole whips in Animal Kingdom (Tamu Tamu Courtyard). Our last trip, a child slept there for over an hour and it rained but we still stayed dry.
It’s hard find it on a map, but in this general area at Animal Kingdom there is a small path that goes close to the water and has a couple of small tables & chairs and is hidden from the main drag w/trees. It’s quiet and decently shady. See below right photo for reference.
Hollywood Studios
With all of the refurbishments/enhancements scheduled for Hollywood Studios, this list may not be up to date, but here are my best tips.
Hollywood Studios offers lots of shows which are all in shaded areas. Grab a seat in the shade and enjoy the entertainment of Beauty & the Beast, Disney Junior Live on Stage, Frozen Sing Along, or Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular (though this does use explosives, so it won’t be a quiet shaded seat).
I do love the walkway to Tower of Terror. It has nice vegetation, and occasional shade!
