Where do you catch your Breath in the Parks

We have a quick three day trip to the parks coming up soon. Since it will be so quick we are planning to be in the parks from dawn to dusk each day. In order to save the trip back to the hotel to re-charge the batteries, where do you suggest we pull up for a half hour and catch our breath? Food places don't count as there is still the rush to get the food and I don't relax too well when a family of 5 is watching me eat, waiting for us to get up so they can take the table.

We watched the show in front of the castle from some benches near crystal palace. It was out of the way, the kids had something to watch so they did not move and we were ready to get up and ride rides some more after 20-30 minutes. Same with the fountain in Epcot.

Any other ideas?

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Ed

Hi,

At Hollywolld Studios, The Magic of Disney Animation was a nice place to cool off. Also, you can do your own drawing there. There was a fair amount to see there with a relaxing atmosphere, I thought.

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What about the Great Movie Ride? Or the TTC at MK?

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"We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. "
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" And that's the way it is" Walter Cronkite

Barb

My Disney Countdown

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If you want breaks while riding the attractions, then TGMR at DHS, Disney Animation at DHS or TTA at MK are very good ideas. Also, the CoP at MK as well as Living with the Land and UoE at Epcot are great choices for long and relaxing attractions within air conditioning

But, if you're looking to 'people watch' and relax a bit, I would recommend the little seating area in front of the Treehouse at Magic Kingdom. Not a lot of traffic there to push you out of your chairs (usually) and you'll be able to listen to some Adventureland background music, IIRC.

At Epcot, we usually like to catch our breath on some of the benches between UoE and TT. Although, there's not much shade at all, so you might want to look for coverage in one of our hidden gems.....the exit area of UoE! Great spot to check wait out a rain storm or catch a break before proceeding.

For Disney's Hollywood Studios, we suggest catching some breaths in the space between Sounds Dangerous and SciFi Dine In. You know, where the ABC Commissary is? That's the row that I'm talking about. Nice tree coverage for plenty of shade and you can watch as our families are dragged to and fro

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, I like to catch one of those couple of benches on the side of Primeval Whirl. There's a "road" that leads towards a castmember only area. It's between Primeval Whirl and the restrooms and gift shop there after leaving Dinosaur. There's usually some shade and you can watch all of the folks that walk that "road" and then realize they are going nowhere.

By the way, if you have any babies in the group I would recommend that you go to the baby care center at each of the parks. These are absolutely wonderful and have everything you need for the children.

Hope this helps!

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In MK, head into the Town Square Exposition Hall, enjoy the cool air and check out the exhibits in back, or sit down in the small theater and watch old Mickey Mouse cartoons. Or, if the getting out of the sun is not an issue, the Main Street Railroad Station has an outdoor section with small cafe tables and chairs overlooking Main Street, sit and watch the world go by. Take a seat on a bench in the Plaza Rose Garden, escape the world, gaze upon Cinderella Castle, and get off your feet for a while.

In Epcot, there are so many places to just grab a bench and relax. I like to relax while catching a performance by Off Kilter, or take a break on a bench in the garden nestled in the UK pavilion. You can usually find a quiet bench right off the lagoon near the UK pavilion (near the Rose and Crown), as long as it's not roped off for an event, or not too late in the day when people are crowding in for Illuminations.

In DHS, I have found that ABC Commisary does not get too crowded, and I can usually comandeer a table for quite a while to just sit around and cool off. Or find a bench in the shade (if possible) on Sunset Blvd, it's a great place to just people watch, and you'll have a prime spot when the Streetmosphere players show up to put on a show.

In AK, the Flame Tree BBQ seating by the water is usually pretty empty. I don't hink many people know it's there, so you can relax with a great view of Expedition Everest, and take a break without worry that someone will be looking to take your table. Also, there are lots of picnic spots in the park, just grab a table and relax, with so many places to do so, it is doubtful anyone will bother you about just sitting there and not having a meal.

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Mary

My Disney Countdown

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In MK, Carousel of Progress, TTA and The Hall of Presidents. Nice and cool....short lines if at all and you can get a good 10-15 minutes of shut eye.

In Epcot, Ellen's Energy ride, the garden pavillion right next to it has a theater where they have a loop video on how they change the gardens overnight. You can hang out there for a long time. The aquarium is also a good place to chill, and finally that little building that is on the left side as you enter the world showcase. It is where you can do the coca cola taste testing. Very cool and hardly ever noticed so it is not crowded. I also like Honey I Shrunk the Audience for the same reason. A good amount of sitting time in a cool dark place.

Hollywood studios...The Indiana Jones show is actually a good place to sit and rest because it is a long show and it is in the shade. Ariel's show is good too because it is dark, cool and they hit you with a nice cool mist. Beauty and The Beast is a good place to rest too. Not as much indoor stuff to rest in at HS.

AK...I'm not good with that one.

As a final thought, depending on the time of day, we have had good luck riding in the monorail for a while to cool off and get some rest believe it or not. Get one of the back cars (everyone tends to run to the front) and you can have it to yourself for a long time. I have also taken the monorail to the Contemporary and chilled out there for a few. Depends on how much time you want to take.

DHS has some "in front of the hat" shows now and again.

You could also do the Animation Academy in DHS--that would be a good respite.

At AK, there are the Tree of Life trails--a few of these wind down underground (otters and fish, etc.), which offer a nice, undercover place to sit, chill out, and watch the animals.

Another great place that I go to rest is the "Living Seas" (Seas with Nemo and Friends). You can sit and watch those aquariums for hours--plus there are fun interactive games for the kids.

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Ak..the back door area of Rainforest Cafe there are tables with tree cover.

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Angela

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I second the cartoons at the Exhibition Hall in the MK - there are usually not a lot of people around, and it's dark and cool in there. There's also an expanse of carpeting right in front of the screen so the kids can flop down and take a nap if they want to.

Impressions de France in EPCOT is a great 15-20 minute break with nice music and again, it's dark and cool. You can't stay indefinitely, but it's a refreshing break from the heat and the brightness and the crowds - and you can get a slushie afterwards!

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Anywhere where there is shade & not alot of noise

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"We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. "
William Faulkner

" And that's the way it is" Walter Cronkite

Barb

My Disney Countdown

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183 days 13 hours 13 minutes

Hop on the Walt Disney World Railroad and ride it around the park several times without deboarding. Or take a few loops on the monorail. Try the resort line, the express, then hop off at the TTC and head to Epcot or Magic Kingdom, depending on where you are that day. No one will force you to get out until you decide you've had enough. You can also check out the resorts and relax in one of the many lounges throughout the World.

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Todd

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There have been a lot of great suggestions -- here's 2 more

-- Watching the trains at Germany
-- Riding the monorail, ferry, and friendship

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Kathie

Wishes happen in the most unexpected ways!!! -- Jiminy Cricket in Wishes

That's what I usually do. So relaxing.

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When I want to relax at MK, I usually head to TTA, CoP, and IASW. For Epcot, I usually go to UoE and Circle of Life. DHS is mostly MuppetVision. As for DAK, well....there is really no shaded area there to relax, except for the gift shops and restaurants.

I love going to Aunt Polly's on Tom Sawyer Island (okay...it's kinda a food place, but it's ice cream and empty, and they have AMAZING apple pie sundaes). But there are these great rocking chairs there, and it's so relaxing to just sit and rock and watch people. It's shaded and quiet and rather blissful, if you ask me.

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Definitely the Tree of Life trails at AK - there is a bench near a waterfall as you come out of its tough to be a bug.

There are also some nice places to sit and relax in the Jungle Trek.

At MK head to Liberty Square and pull up one of the rocking chairs.

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I guess I have a "Special place" in every park, for me the best places to down a chill pill are...

The Enchanted Tiki Room or TTA- Magic Kingdom

Watching the dolphins at The Seas w/ Nemo- Epcot

GMR- Hollywood Studios

And, outside Yak and the Yeti (Counter Service) in the shade with a lemon ice- Animal Kingdom

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Colleen

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All wonderful ideas and suggestions! I personally enjoy the train, Tiki Room, and any little corner I can find with shade and out of the way.

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In the Animal Kingdom, there is a little shady courtyard with tables and chairs across the street from the Dawa Bar. The entrance is sandwiched between the rest rooms and the place where you can get smoothies. There's another entrance around the corner on the way to Asia; sometimes they hold character meets in this vicinity, and there is also one of those misting fans for cooling off.

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To get back to this, we ended up taking our break in the Magic Kingdom at the columbia harbor house. We went upstairs, which was empty except for one family, and sat at the window that overlooked the Haunted Mansion entrance. As we at it began to pour. So as we watched the people swimming down the walkways, we slowed down our meal and went into ahhhhhhhhh mode. We were there for about 45 minutes and just watched the people and recharged. At Epcot it was Mexico. We went in the pavilion during the hot day and stayed about an hour. Walked around, did the ride then sat down near the fountain, in the dark and recharged.

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Ed