Latest / Mom Street USA / 117. Catch a Kid Approved Vibe at Disney World

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117. Catch a Kid Approved Vibe at Disney World · Mom Street USA

0:05
Welcome everybody to Mom St. USA.
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My name is Jackie AKA Wishes Mama.
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And on today's episode we are going to be taking another
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suggestion from our lovely Mom St. community and this one came
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from our good friend Sarah, who you actually are going to see on
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our next episode. More about that in a little bit,
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but this one was kind of a hybrid episode that she
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suggested a little bit and there were a couple other things with
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it that I wanted to include. So we are talking about catching
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a kid approved vibe at Disney today.
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So we're going to talk about the Disney play areas, kid friendly
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spaces and chill spots in the parks where you can go if you
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need some quiet and want to want to get away from the craziness.
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So that is on the list for today.
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Now, I did mention last episode, I'll talk about it again this
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episode, that these last two episodes actually have come from
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our Patreon account. So I put a list or I put a post
1:03
up there of asking people in our community for suggestions.
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And these were two that they suggested.
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So I love that I have been able to grab some some ideas from
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over there to start off our 2026 here.
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So I'm super excited to talk about this.
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Again, we kind of got 3 topics here.
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So let's jump into the first part, which is going to be the
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Disney play areas. So this topic I think is super
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fun and kind of something that doesn't always get talked about
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when it comes to the Disney parks.
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You know, we talk about height requirements on rides and we
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talk about what areas are best for what age groups and what
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parks and all that kind of stuff.
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But we don't really talk about like play areas and they're
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actually are more than you think.
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So I, I am excited to kind of spread some knowledge when it
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comes to the play areas at Disney.
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So we're going to start off in Epcot.
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Epcot has the most play areas out of all of the Disney World
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parks. So I'm going to kind of describe
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to you where each of them are and give just like a little bit
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about what you can find there. So starting off kind of in the
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front of the park, there is a little what I would call a like
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technology forward play area at the exit of Spaceship Earth.
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So this is called projects tomorrow.
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And there's lots of little like interactive screens and buttons
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and things that you can push in that space.
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So that is a super fun one if you've got kiddos that are into
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some kind of futuristic type exploration, if you will, moving
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our way through the park, going towards the creations area,
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there is always a playground right to the one side exit of
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creation. So if you're in that building,
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there's like an exit at on either end of the long kind of
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room that is creations. But the side exit, the one that
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kind of leads you towards test track, that is going to be where
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you're going to find this play area.
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They do kind of re theme it a little bit for each of the
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festivals that going at Epcot, but there is always a play area
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right there next to creations and it is more of a traditional
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play like climbing area. Now you're not going to find
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swings and things like that, but you are going to find lots of
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like ropes and other things that the kiddos can climb on.
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So definitely a fun space to stop.
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My kiddos love that one. So they always ask if we can
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stop for a quick play break. It is in the sun, so be warned
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about that for that. So heading next towards the
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World Discovery part of of the front part of Epcot, there is
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another play area at the exit of Mission Space.
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This one is super helpful if you've got multiple ages of
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kiddos that you're going to Epcot with because you may have
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some older kids that want to ride Mission Space, but you may
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have some younger kids that are either not tall enough or just
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like not ready right to ride mission space.
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Like I've got kiddos that are tall enough, they're not ready,
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we're not there yet. So this one is really, really
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nice to have because the ride puts you out right in this play
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space. And it is more of like a
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traditional indoor play area where there's like climbing
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structures and things like that that you can explore while
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you're waiting for the rest of your party.
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Or you can always just head in the exit.
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And I should mention that about the one at Spaceship Earth as
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well, that you can just go in the exit if you don't want to
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ride the attraction to get there.
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Because all of these that I talked about that are at the
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exits of attractions are all primarily accessed by riding the
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ride right and getting on the attraction and getting off.
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But you can also just go in the exit to access these as well.
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So even if you just need a little bit of time to get some
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energy out or do something indoors for a little while, you
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can just go right in the exit for that as well.
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So that is a really fun one that you can go and run around and
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explore. Also on that side of the park,
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there is a little splash pad area which our good friend Zach
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in the chat is reminding us of as well here on our live stream.
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There is a splash pad over there as well.
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So if you are, if you are, if you are prepared for a splash
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pad on your day at Epcot, that is a super fun one to interact
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with as well. Now kind of heading over to the
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other side of the park, we're going to go towards the World
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Nature side, and there you will find my favorite area at Epcot,
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which is the aquarium. So this is Inside the Seas with
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Nemo and Friends building. Again, you can access it by
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either riding the attraction, which is so cute.
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I love it. It's got one of my favorite
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songs in all Disney World, Big Blue World in there.
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Or you can go around the building on the left hand side
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as you're looking at it and get in through the exit there as
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well. This is inside of this building.
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They have not only aquarium things that you can look at
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different exhibits and things, but there is also like a Bruce
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the Shark from Finding Nemo themed play area where littles
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can run around and climb and explore.
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So I really like this one as well just because it is again
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inside. There's lots of space to explore
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in here and lots of things to see.
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So it is one that if you have kiddos that love aquariums or
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like zoos and that kind of thing, this space is really,
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really good for that because there is so much to see.
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There are sharks, there are manatees, there are Stingrays,
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there are sea urchins, there are all sorts of other things.
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So that is a super fun one as well.
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So after you have exited that you're going to go kind of
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towards World Showcase. The next one that you will find
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is again at the exit of an attraction and that is inside of
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the Imagination Pavilion where you will find Figment.
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So again, this one is the exit of the journey into the
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imagination with Figment attraction over there.
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And it is called Imageworks. And it is again, more like a
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interactive, technologically themed play area.
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But they've got like Simon Says games, they've got matching
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games, they've got games where you conduct the music with
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Figment. So lots of really fun
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interactive little stops in there.
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And again, you can access that by going in the exit or riding
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the the ride over at Figment. Kind of continuing our way out
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towards World Showcase, we will find another one that is a
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little bit seasonal. So if you take the side path
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between Figment and the World Showcase, like port of entry,
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that's the word I was looking for.
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So if you take that side walkway between the Imagination Pavilion
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and Figment and Port of Entry at the beginning of World Showcase,
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there are always like two or three food booths over there.
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They've also put a playground over there in recent years,
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which I love. I think it's phenomenal.
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And again, it's more of like a ropes climbing kind of play
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area, but it's really nice to be able to, you know, stand there,
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enjoy your festival food, let your littles run around in this
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this little space that they have created for them to get some
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energy out while you're enjoying your snack.
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So I love that that has become more of a permanent play place
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over at Epcot. It's not open every day because
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it depends on what's going on with the festivals.
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But I did notice the last trip that I was on that even when it
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was between festivals, it was still there.
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So that was really, really great to see.
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And then the other one that is a little bit seasonal is kind of
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backtracking a little bit back to commuter core Hall.
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So this is kind of back over. It's in world Discovery.
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No, it's closer to the world nature side of things, kind of
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in world celebration in that center section of the front part
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of Epcot inside of Communicore Hall.
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So during Cool Kids Summer last summer, this was what was it?
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Goofy, goofy Goofy core hall or something.
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They renamed it some cutesy name and it had a bunch of like
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interactive different games and things in there that you could
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play. There were cast members in there
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to like lead the activities with your little kiddos.
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And again, inside in the ACA fun place for kiddos to go to get
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some energy out, especially if they're kiddos who are prone to
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riding in the stroller a lot, they may need to get some energy
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out as you go through your day. So that one again does depend on
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the festival because like for festival of the holidays, it's
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not a play area. They have that, they've had the
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gingerbread spaceship. Earth had been in there, you
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know, so different things can happen inside of that space.
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It's kind of a multi use area. But definitely look and see when
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you are on your trip if there's going to be any sorts of
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activities or anything going on in there when you're at Epcot.
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So that is kind of the rundown of the list in Epcot.
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There's not a lot out in World Showcase, but I will talk a
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little bit about that here in a moment when we talk more about
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like the kid friendly zones at each park.
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But those are kind of all of the what I would call play areas
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inside of Epcot. All right, so let's move on to
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Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios unfortunately
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doesn't have a lot to offer. Previously when I've looked at
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play areas at the Disney Parks, I would have considered the
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animation courtyard area a great kind of interactive area for
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kids. However, as I am recording this
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early February of 2026, that entire courtyard is under
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construction. So currently there is nothing
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there for kiddos as far as traditional play areas go.
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Now, coming soon, I believe, opening either spring or summer
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of this year. They are creating new things in
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that animation courtyard area. They are bringing back the
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drawing class over there. We're getting a new Mickey Mouse
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show over in the Disney Junior area and there was going to be
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an Alice in Wonderland themed play area.
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Now, we don't have a ton of information about what exactly
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this is going to look like. However, we do know that it's
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coming. We do know that it is supposed
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to be Alice in Wonderland, so we'll have to kind of wait and
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see with that. But keep your eyes open for the
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opening date for that because I believe it's supposed to be
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pretty soon. So definitely something to look
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into when you're visiting Hollywood Studios.
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Other than that, no traditional additional play areas, but we
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will talk a little bit more about some other kid friendly
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stuff at that park here in just a moment.
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Moving on to Animal Kingdom, this is kind of the same spiel
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as what I just talked about with Hollywood Studios.
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So currently as the park sits, there are no specific play areas
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that are available. The big one that was over there
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was the Boneyard and that unfortunately closed in the fall
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to make room for all of the new construction as we're recording
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this dinosaur. And that whole area just closed
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less than a week ago. So lots of new things coming to
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that Tropical Americas area. I don't know whether or not
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there will be any sorts of play areas in that space.
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So we will see what they add with the Tropical Americas area.
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I don't know for sure whether or not there's going to be a
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designated play area there We can help because I think that
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would be a much needed area for Animal Kingdom.
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The last park here for our Disney play areas is Magic
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Kingdom. There are just a few spaces in
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Magic Kingdom, surprisingly. Some of them unfortunately have
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closed recently. I would have considered all of
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Tom Sawyer Islands to be a great play place for kids, but sadly
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RIP it is gone now to make room for the new cars attraction
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coming to Magic Kingdom. So what we do have over at MK is
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all kind of focused back in the storybook circus area.
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So the first one is one of the best play areas that I think
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they've put in in the recent years.
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And that is actually inside of the queue of Dumbo the flying
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elephant. So this is a space that when it
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functions to its full intent, it's almost like a wait for your
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reservation play space because they will give you little
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buzzers that you can use to go and sit and let your kiddo play.
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And when it's your time to ride, you get buzzed and you go back
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up and get in line. It's an amazing, amazing idea.
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And I wish Disney would do more with it because this one has
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existed inside of Dumbo for years.
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So I don't know, maybe Dumbo wasn't a good choice for them to
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put that in, or maybe it didn't really need it and maybe Disney
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kind of gave up on the idea of doing that.
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But I so wish that they would put more play areas inside of
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queues or just more interactive queues in general, Right?
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So inside of the queue for Dumbo is a really great kind of
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climbing play area with netting, good for little kids to run
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around and play in there. And then right outside of the
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Dumbo attraction, kind of between Dumbo and Barnstormer in
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that space is another really great splash pad.
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So inside the Storybook circus area, this is all themed to the
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train cars that are bringing all the animals to the circus and
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they've got little splash pads and fountains and things in that
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area as well. So again, if you are OK with
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splash pads and you are prepared for splash pads on your trip,
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that's definitely something that I would take advantage of, but
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make sure that you're prepared for it.
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You don't want your kiddo to be walking around in wet clothes or
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wet socks and shoes for the rest of the day while you're visiting
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the park. So those are kind of the main
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play areas inside of the Disney parks.
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Now we are going to jump to talk about kid friendly spaces inside
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of the park. So that may sound a little silly
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given that these theme parks were made partly for kids.
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However, there are some spaces inside of these parks that are
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more kid friendly than others, right?
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So I want to just mention a few kind of kid friendly spaces and
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activities that you can do with your kids that a lot of these we
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have mentioned before on Mom Street.
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But it's nice again, to kind of have them all in one place,
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especially if you're someone who is planning on just like, again,
15:55
chill vibes, relaxing day in the parks.
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These are fun activities you can do without running around,
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without having to wait in super long lines for any of the
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attractions. So again, starting at Epcot, a
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couple different things to just point out to the first is
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actually an attraction. So I kind of I'm going against
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what I just said, but the first one is the journey of water
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attraction. This one is so much fun.
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Now you will get a little wet. You can avoid getting like
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drenched or you can get drenched if you stand in the way of all
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of these interactive water features.
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But this is a perfect place for kiddos to be able to play.
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They have tons of interactive little water fountains and
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things that you can control by moving your arms up and down.
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And it also teaches you about the water cycle, which again,
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that edutainment factor that Epcot is known for can really be
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seen inside of this attraction. So that is a really, really fun
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one. That is one that once my kids
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found it, they're like, can we go back?
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Can we go back, can we go back, can we go back?
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They love it so much. It is one of their favorite
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things inside, inside of Epcot now.
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So definitely a super kid friendly space inside of the
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park. The other one is just to mention
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because we talked a lot about at Epcot, the front of the park,
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right in the play areas and things like that.
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But out in World Showcase, I mentioned there's not a ton of
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play areas. But what World Showcase does
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have is kid Cot. And inside of every pavilion out
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in World Showcase, there is a kid cot station and there are
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different activities and things that the kids can do.
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And they collect little stamps or stickers and their little
17:36
passport book to show that they've kind of gone all around.
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They were on little postcards, I think last that I saw people
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doing kid caught. But it's a super fun interactive
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way to just enjoy the sights and sounds of World Showcase.
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Take your time wandering through and not be, you know, running to
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Frozen ever after or trying to get on Remy's back in France.
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So a super fun thing that you can do at Epcot.
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Again, we've talked about Kid Cot before, but I did just want
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to mention it here as we're talking about these kid friendly
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zones inside of the Disney parks.
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So let's hop to Hollywood Studios now inside of Hollywood
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Studios, a couple different places to note.
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Again, this park is really geared towards older kiddos,
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teens that kind of age range. So not a ton for play spaces and
18:29
like really super little kid friendly areas.
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But I will just mention that the Plaza in front of the Chinese
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Theater now is home to a ton of character meet and greets.
18:39
So when they closed the animation courtyard over off to
18:44
the side of the kind of main Plaza area, they put a lot of
18:48
fun characters out in that Plaza.
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We don't know if they're going to stay.
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We don't know what the plan is for that.
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But for now, as I'm recording this in in January, it's not
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January anymore in February of 2026, there are lots of fun
19:02
characters there. So definitely check that out.
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And if you want more on characters, last episode I just
19:09
went over all of the character meet and greet locations and who
19:11
you can find where. So that episode is for you if
19:14
you want more on characters for your kiddos.
19:17
And then again, the other space that I will mention is that
19:20
animation Courtyard. It is currently under
19:22
construction. Parts of it are set to reopen in
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the summer, I believe for that one.
19:28
So there's going to be a new Disney Junior Mickey Mouse show
19:31
over there and then the new Alice in Wonderlands play area
19:36
that we talked about South. Both of those are going to be
19:39
really good for kiddos here in the future.
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We just got to hang on for a few months before those become
19:45
available. Moving now to Animal Kingdom.
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Again, no specific areas for like little, little kids.
19:53
They have tons of walking trails and different things like that,
19:56
which we'll get to here in our next category, which are our
20:01
chill spots that we're going to talk about in the parks but
20:04
inside of Animal Kingdom. Just a few things that I will
20:06
mention for your kiddos. The first is if you are visiting
20:09
Pandora and you are going on either of the Avatar rides,
20:13
there are there's a little section right outside of the
20:16
entrance to Navi River Journey that has a bunch of like drums
20:20
and things like that. That is a super fun area that
20:22
the kids can kind of run around and play in.
20:25
So that is a really fun kind of kid friendly space inside of
20:29
Pandora. The other thing that I will
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mention is that inside of Animal Kingdom, similar to we were just
20:35
talking about the kid caught stations at Epcot, similar to
20:38
that at Animal Kingdom, they also have the Wilderness
20:42
Explorer adventure that you can go on.
20:45
So they have lots of different little stations for that all
20:48
across the park that could be at the front by the Tree of life.
20:52
You can find them in Africa and Asia all across the park on like
20:55
The Walking trails, all sorts of places.
20:57
So that is something that is super, super fun, super kid
21:01
friendly. It's very easy to do without,
21:03
again, having to run around. You will cover a lot of ground
21:07
if you do it because you're going to be all over the park to
21:09
get all of those badges completed inside your book.
21:13
But those are definitely something you can do without
21:16
having to wait in a super long line at any attraction.
21:19
Now I will mention with both Kid Cot and with the Wilderness
21:23
Explorer adventure little pamphlet or booklets that you
21:26
can do. Bring a zip lock bag to throw
21:29
them in because we got unexpectedly caught in the rain
21:33
at Animal Kingdom and while we were prepared with like ponchos
21:37
and things, our kiddos wilderness explorer books got
21:40
completely soaked and they were really bummed about that.
21:44
We went back and got new ones and and made it.
21:47
Made it right, but just I would store them in a Ziploc if I were
21:50
you. So that's my my tip for that and
21:54
same thing with kid caught because if you get caught in the
21:56
rain, those little postcards and papers are not necessarily going
22:00
to make it through that, especially Florida, Florida rain
22:03
right. But those are kind of your two
22:05
little kid friendly spaces inside of animal Kingdom.
22:09
The last park is magic Kingdom. This park again, the whole park
22:15
is is kid friendly, right? But just a couple little
22:18
highlights over in Tomorrowland at various times throughout the
22:22
day. Check your times guy, because
22:23
it's not all day long on the stage.
22:26
They have like a cool little dance party.
22:28
Sometimes they have characters that come out.
22:30
Sometimes it's just like a DJ playing music.
22:33
It just really depends on what's going on in the park at the time
22:36
and they did it a lot for cool kids summer.
22:38
This is also something that they do at every special ticketed
22:41
event at Magic Kingdom. So the Halloween party, the
22:44
Christmas already, those types of things, they will have like a
22:46
special DJ and a bunch of characters over there, but they
22:49
also have music that's get that gets played over there just
22:53
day-to-day as well, usually in the afternoon times, if I'm
22:56
remembering correctly. But again, check your times
22:59
guide for information on that. But that's a super fun place
23:03
that you could get some wiggles out if you need to.
23:05
And then the other thing is over on the other side of the park,
23:10
they have the Pirates adventure scavenger hunt over kind of
23:14
across from Pirates of the Caribbean is where you start
23:17
that. And it's just kind of in that
23:19
little Plaza space around where Pirates is.
23:22
And it kind of sends you on a little scavenger hunt with your
23:26
magic bands. And you can there's some little
23:29
interactive parts to it and you can kind of it, it leads you on
23:33
a little adventure to make a discovery of some kind over
23:36
there. So that is another super fun
23:39
thing that you can do as far as spaces in the parks that are
23:43
like super kid friendly to make sure that you have a way to do
23:48
something that the kiddos are going to like they're going to
23:49
get some energy out and you don't have to wait in line
23:51
forever to do it. So hopefully that little list
23:54
was helpful of just a couple little things to remember to
23:57
maybe add to your plans if you're doing a more laid back,
24:01
not ride focused day at the parks.
24:04
So our last section of this episode that we're going to talk
24:07
about are some of these chill spots in the parks.
24:11
So the approach that I kind of had to this is these are some
24:16
spaces in the parks that you are able to get away from the noise
24:22
and have a little bit more of a relaxing atmosphere.
24:25
If you are someone that needs it.
24:27
Or if you've got a kiddo that needs to get out of the
24:30
simulation for a little while, maybe you've got a little little
24:33
one that's napping in the stroller that you want a space
24:36
that you can go that's not quite so loud.
24:37
So that is where we're headed next.
24:40
So let's talk about the chill spots in every park here at
24:45
Disney. Now, the first thing that I do
24:48
want to mention is that you are always going to be able to find
24:51
a somewhat quiet space in the first aid centers in the baby
24:57
care centers. Now, some of the baby care
25:00
centers you'll also find like Disney movies being played for
25:03
the little bit older kids. But those spots are good if you
25:07
are like in a pinch and you need to be able to get away and you
25:12
are close by to any of those locations.
25:14
So those are always good locations to kind of scope out
25:17
and know where they are anyway, right?
25:20
Whether you need them for a kind of quiet inside space or you
25:24
need them for like actual first aid band aids or you know,
25:28
whatever it is that you might need from them.
25:30
So those are always good places to keep in mind.
25:33
So starting again at Epcot, some spaces that are a little bit
25:38
more quiet, you're never going to find anywhere that's
25:43
completely quiet and isolated at the Disney parks.
25:45
It's just not possible, right? There are hundreds of thousands
25:48
of people visiting these parks everyday.
25:50
So just keep that in mind. But a couple locations that I
25:54
have found that are a little bit less travelled, the area's kind
26:00
of off to the side surrounding the Imagination Pavilion.
26:04
So if you're looking at the Figment ride over to the right
26:07
hand side kind of past the entrance, there's like a whole
26:11
little Plaza area and then there's bathrooms around the
26:13
corner. That spot is really good.
26:16
If you need to like pace, like let's say you've got a sleeping
26:18
kiddo in a stroller and you want to be able to kind of pace, you
26:21
can do that over in that space. So that would be a good one that
26:24
I would suggest. There's a little bit of a
26:27
walkway between the seas and the coral reef restaurant that is
26:31
not super travelled. So that space can kind of be a
26:34
good back out of the main walkway area and just the seas
26:38
in general. I know I talked about the
26:42
aquarium space over there being like a good play area, but it
26:46
also is kind of like a relaxing area.
26:49
There's some spots where you can sit and watch.
26:51
There's some places so you can just kind of meander and take
26:54
your time. So I like that for that reason
26:57
as well. On the other side of the park,
27:00
the Plaza between Mission Space and Test Track, kind of the the
27:05
Plaza outside of Mission space as you're walking towards test
27:08
Track can be a little bit less traversed.
27:11
People don't always come from that direction to go to and
27:13
from. However, do keep in mind that
27:15
over there you are going to be hearing the sounds of test
27:18
track. So test track, if you remember
27:20
the end of the attraction has that outdoor loop that it makes
27:24
and it could be a little bit loud when it comes back around.
27:28
So it's definitely less people you over there.
27:30
But sound wise, you do still get test track over in that space as
27:33
well. Out in the World Showcase area.
27:38
A couple locations that I like, the first one is the UK Pavilion
27:45
Garden Courtyard. So I've talked about this one
27:47
before when it comes to the, we just talked about it last
27:53
episode with the Pooh Bear meet and greet.
27:56
So that is where you can find Winnie the Pooh back in that
28:00
courtyard area. So I love that space back there
28:03
as a nice quiet getaway. However, there is a band that
28:08
plays in that little pavilion gazebo back there.
28:12
So you want to make sure you're not back there when the band is
28:15
playing because obviously that is going to be an entirely
28:18
different experience for you. But that is something that to
28:22
keep in mind for that area. But I love that area back there.
28:27
Super, super nice to kind of go back and relax in that space.
28:33
There's also some curbs and benches and things back there as
28:35
well and a little hedge maze for the kids to to play in as well
28:40
that we didn't really talk about, but that is a good
28:42
another little good kid friendly space as well.
28:47
All of the Morocco Pavilion I think is lovely for kind of
28:50
getting away and getting, getting off the beaten path of
28:53
World Showcase. Lots of little shops to wander
28:57
through and some different pathways with little benches and
29:00
things that are fun to kind of explore as well.
29:04
If you go back towards the back, they have lots of like little
29:06
stone on benches kind of along the walkways back there.
29:09
I actually sat back there and did some editing and some work
29:13
on my phone the last trip that I was at Epcot 'cause I had some
29:16
stuff I had to get posted. So I was able to do that back in
29:19
that space and it was really nice and quiet and kind of
29:23
secluded and in the shade. When I was there, I wouldn't be
29:26
in the shade all day long, but it was when I was there kind of
29:29
in the late morning for that area.
29:35
Another location in World Showcase that's got some really
29:37
nice quiet space is in the Japan Pavilion off to the side of the
29:42
pathway. There's some garden spaces and
29:44
like the koi fish ponds and things like that.
29:46
Those are all really nice spaces.
29:48
A lot of those have like picnic table seating too, that isn't
29:52
used as frequently. Now, if you go during the
29:55
busiest times of the year, there are going to be people over
29:58
there, but most of the time that space is not overly utilized.
30:03
So it's going to be a little bit quieter over there, a little bit
30:06
more serene with the the views and the gardens and the fish and
30:10
all that kind of stuff. So that is a really good one
30:12
that you can stop by if you need a break and you're over in that
30:16
area. And then the last one is in the
30:19
Germany Pavilion and there is a little garden area in Germany
30:24
kind of near the waterfront part of the park that I would
30:31
consider to be a fun little area that you can kind of get away
30:38
from the main crowds. They also have the trains over
30:41
there as well. The trains can be a really nice
30:45
relaxing area, but it does get kind of busy through there,
30:49
especially in the afternoons and evenings.
30:51
But like during the morning, World Showcase is a great place
30:53
to kind of catch some vibes and not be in the middle of the
30:58
crowds too much over there. So those are kind of my
31:01
suggestions for Epcot now. Is that all of them?
31:04
No, There's lots of other places hidden away in World Showcase.
31:08
There's lots of other little seating areas and things that
31:12
you can kind of find if you're looking hard enough, but you
31:15
just got to kind of be aware of like, Nope, that is the busy
31:18
area. I'm going to go the opposite
31:19
direction and kind of look around and see what I can find
31:22
over there. So that's my suggestion for
31:25
Epcot. Let's talk about Hollywood
31:29
Studios. So at Hollywood Studios, a
31:32
couple locations that I have found to be a little bit more
31:36
quiet at that park, the area around Echo Lake.
31:40
So Echo Lake is where you find Gertie the Dinosaur over on that
31:43
side of the park, but those walkways over there tend to be
31:46
not quite so busy as some of the main walkways and some of the
31:51
walkways in like Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge.
31:55
So I like to kind of meander over on that side of the park if
31:58
I need a break. Again, there are times where
32:02
it's not quite so quiet. If the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
32:06
Spectacular is going off, you may get residual sound from that
32:10
show happening. Some, you know, explosions and
32:13
things. But generally speaking, that
32:16
location and those walkways over there are generally pretty
32:20
quiet. Same thing goes for the area
32:23
kind of between Back Lot Express and Star Tours.
32:29
There's like a little Plaza area where they used to do the Jedi
32:32
Training Academy. That area is usually pretty
32:35
quiet. So that kind of space over
32:37
there. And there is some like planters
32:40
on the opposite side where there's like a little, you know,
32:43
brim that you can sit on as like a bench over on that space kind
32:47
of near the stroller parking for Star Tours in that kind of
32:51
general area as well. Kind of over in a similar space
32:57
is the area that is Commissary Lane.
33:00
So this is the walkway that goes right by ABC Commissary.
33:04
So if you are at the Chinese Theatre, looking at the Chinese
33:08
Theatre kind of down to the left is that walkway that one tends
33:12
to be pretty quiet as well. And there are tables and chairs
33:16
out there for ABC commissary. So that is a good place that if
33:20
you need to sit during, especially during non peak
33:22
hours, right? We don't want you sitting in
33:25
restaurants during peak hours when you aren't actually eating
33:28
there. But during non peak hours, if
33:31
you just need to sit and take a breather, that is a good place
33:35
to do it kind of over there. And again, that walkway goes
33:38
from the Chinese Theater past ABC Commissary kind of towards
33:42
Star Tours and the what will be Monstropolis in the future over
33:48
on that side of the park. The other location that is a
33:53
quieter area in Hollywood Studios is actually between two
33:58
of the busiest areas in Hollywood Studios.
34:01
And that is the pathway that goes between the back entrance
34:05
of Toy Story Land, which is by Alien Swirling Saucers and
34:08
Galaxy's Edge. Now, I will mention there is a
34:12
new seating area that they put over there that I have not seen
34:16
for myself yet. So I don't know if that has made
34:20
that walkway busier, but that walkway tends to be almost empty
34:25
even during busy parts of the day.
34:28
People just kind of pass through.
34:30
There's not a lot of reason for people to be stopping and
34:34
hanging out there. Occasionally there's a Photo
34:36
Pass photographer over there that does some like magic shots
34:39
against the One Rockwall in that space.
34:42
But overall, that space is a really good area.
34:45
Again, if it's like you need to pace because you've got a kiddo
34:48
sleeping in a stroller or you just need some space to move
34:52
around without being surrounded by a ton of people, that is a
34:54
good location to go over at Hollywood Studios.
34:59
So that kind of those three are my best suggestions over there.
35:03
Now let's go to Animal Kingdom. If as we continue on our quiet
35:09
chill spots over at the parks. So Animal Kingdom, there are
35:13
quite a few because a lot of these are the The Walking
35:17
trails, right? So there are a couple main
35:21
walking trail areas inside of Animal Kingdom that are often
35:25
not as busy as the main walkways.
35:30
So the main walkways at Animal Kingdom are what get you from
35:33
ride to ride or restaurant to ride to attraction to show those
35:36
types of things. But these other walkways are
35:39
actually really, really good for just kind of getting off of that
35:43
main busy path. I'm so Discovery Island, which
35:46
is where the Tree of life is, has several walking trails that
35:49
you can find and a lot of these you can find on the map, but
35:53
it's also fun to just kind of wander and explore and go down
35:57
pathways and see what you might find.
36:00
That is one of my favorite things to do at Epcot.
36:03
And some of these trails will actually lead you like really
36:06
close to the tree of life, which is really fun to kind of be able
36:09
to look up and see, you know, all of the the carvings and the
36:13
animals and things like that inside of the, you know, on the
36:15
side of the tree. So that is a good one.
36:18
On the other two walking trails are the Gorilla Falls
36:21
Exploration Trail, and that is near the safari.
36:24
So most people end up on that trail because the exit of the
36:28
safari kind of leads you there. But it is a really good one to
36:33
kind of find little spaces to get away from the crowd.
36:38
People don't tend to linger there very much.
36:41
So it's nice to kind of just take your time, walk through.
36:45
You don't have to feel like you're being jostled around by
36:49
the crowds and the other people walking on the walkways.
36:52
It's fairly chill back there. And then the other one is the
36:55
Maharaja jungle trek and that is over in the Asia section.
36:59
You get to that past Cali River Rapids.
37:02
So you take that pathway, go past the entrance to Cali River
37:05
and keep going to find that trek.
37:08
And that is where you will find the, the, the tigers.
37:12
So we've heard about Boxo, the baby, not so baby tiger anymore.
37:18
He lives out there. But other than that, that
37:21
pathway is pretty chill. And again, you don't, you don't
37:24
have to feel like you are being hurried through.
37:27
You can take it at your own pace and just kind of relax and get
37:30
away from the craziness as you wander back in that space.
37:35
Two more places that I want to mention here at Animal Kingdom.
37:40
The first being the seating area behind Flametree BBQ.
37:45
So if you know where Flametree BBQ is, there is a seating area
37:47
kind of down behind there that is not as frequented.
37:52
It's not. It looks a little bit kind of
37:57
off the path and a lot of people don't realize that it's there,
38:00
but there are tables and chairs and things like that.
38:03
You're kind of by the water. You do have to be aware of
38:06
birds. So I don't frequent this one
38:08
'cause I am not a fan of birds. But that place is a really good
38:11
one if you are looking for a quiet place to kind of sit.
38:15
And they do have some like awnings to get out of the sun
38:17
back there as well. And then the other one is
38:20
actually one of my favorite paths to take at Animal Kingdom
38:23
when I am feeling overwhelmed or like I need a moment to kind of
38:29
slow down. And that is the walkway bridge
38:32
between Festival of The Lion King in Africa and the back
38:37
entrance to Pandora. So this is like a boardwalk
38:41
style walkway that goes right along the river there.
38:45
So you can access it by going past the bathrooms that are
38:49
right down from Festival of Lion King Theater and it will take
38:54
you in the back entrance of of Pandora.
38:57
You'll come out kind of near it's a pathway that will lead
39:02
you kind of near Cetuli Canteen. You're kind of right across from
39:05
the entrance to flight of Passage.
39:07
But there's like some trees and stuff that are there, but that
39:10
will lead you to that location. I love this pathway.
39:15
This one is a really good hidden one that kind of not a lot of
39:20
people know it's there, not a lot of people use it.
39:23
And I love this pathway so much. So it is a really, really good
39:27
one to be able to take. And it is fairly long.
39:30
So again, if you are someone that needs to pace or you've got
39:32
a little that like needs to do some little little sprints back
39:36
and forth, this one is a really good location for that because
39:40
it's a really wide pathway and it's not frequented by guests
39:43
very often. So those are my suggestions at
39:46
Animal Kingdom. Now, if we go over to Magic
39:51
Kingdom, we'll talk about quite a few places over there as well
39:56
for your chill spots where you can get away from the craziness
40:01
of the parks. Let's start over at Tomorrowland
40:05
Terrace. So as you are going down Main
40:08
Street, on the right hand side there is.
40:11
A restaurant called Tomorrowland Terrace.
40:13
This used to be a full quick service restaurant, but I don't
40:16
think it's been open as a quick service restaurant in probably
40:21
seven years or more. But there is still a ton of
40:26
seating in that location now. This is good for during the day
40:32
because at night this is where they host the dessert parties
40:36
for the fireworks. So at night time they will close
40:39
it off and you won't be able to get into the seating areas over
40:42
there. But anytime pretty much before
40:43
dinner, this location is a really good spot.
40:47
It's in the shade, there are seating and tables all of that
40:50
up in that space. Kind of continuing over into
40:54
Tomorrowland, a couple other places over there.
40:58
The area over near Carousel of Progress is generally pretty
41:01
quiet unless the Stitch meet and greet is going a little crazy,
41:06
then you may get some some residual hangover from that.
41:11
But overall speaking that area is generally pretty quiet.
41:17
And then also kind of in that same area, there's a hidden
41:23
pathway that is between Tron and Storybook Circus.
41:28
This is similar to that pathway. I was just talking about an
41:30
animal Kingdom that I love. This back kind of out of the way
41:35
pathway. It's not used very often.
41:37
It's a little hidden because if you try to go that direction
41:40
from Barnstormer, it looks like you're going somewhere you're
41:44
not supposed to go, like because it goes so close to the railroad
41:47
over there that it looks like it wouldn't go through.
41:51
But it is a phenomenal pathway to take.
41:54
If you need just a moment of a little bit of quiet.
41:58
The train does go by there. You will get some of Tron going
42:02
by there, but generally speaking, it's not super loud
42:04
and it's definitely not traveled very often by guests.
42:08
But I really like that pathway for that reason.
42:12
Back in Storybook Circus, as we kind of, we'll just continue our
42:15
way around the park here, the Pete's Silly Sideshow area back
42:19
in the back of Storybook Circus is a really good location now.
42:24
It is currently under construction.
42:26
So the character meet and greet that is normally inside of
42:29
Pete's Silly Sideshow is currently going under a refurb.
42:32
So some of the characters are out more back there.
42:35
So it's a little busier than normal, but there's a whole tent
42:39
back there that is just like seating.
42:42
As long as there's nothing else going on back there, that's a
42:44
really good location, Especially if you've got a kiddo that's
42:47
maybe playing in the splash pad and one parent is keeping an eye
42:51
on them and the other parent is taking your little little baby
42:54
back, you know, in the stroller again to sit and relax for a
42:57
little while. That is a really good location
42:59
to do that. As long as they don't have like
43:02
the characters and things like that out in that location.
43:05
I don't know the time frame on Pete's Silly Sideshows refurb,
43:10
but hopefully that'll be done here before summer happens for
43:14
2026. Back in the Fantasyland area,
43:23
there is a pathway that leads from Cinderella Castle towards
43:26
the Fairy Tale Garden area, which is where Mirabelle meets.
43:30
This is the pathway that the Wishing Well is on.
43:32
This pathway is not taken very often by most people.
43:36
Most people are going out and around Fantasyland and not going
43:40
by the castle to cut down through I'm so that is a really
43:43
good location. If you are someone that again,
43:47
needs to walk or needs a little bit of space, that is a good
43:50
location to find that there. Continuing around kind of back
43:56
toward the Hub and Liberty Square, if you know where the
44:01
Christmas shop is, the old Christmas shop, there is a whole
44:05
little Plaza area back behind there that is not utilized very
44:10
often. Santa Claus doesn't meet and
44:12
greet there during Christmas time, so it's a little busier
44:14
during that time. But other than that, that space
44:18
behind there, if you go around the building, generally very,
44:21
very quiet. It's shaded, it's by trees and
44:25
you can see some of the water. You can eat a little bit of
44:27
Castle View from there. But generally speaking, it is a
44:30
very quiet location back behind the old Christmas shop.
44:36
The last one that I will mention is a smaller little space, but I
44:41
do just want to mention it that these the the walkways between
44:47
the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and like the Beignet
44:52
stand over by Tiana's. That area can be a little bit
44:57
quieter as well. There are some little corridors
45:00
like the one leads back to the bathroom and some other little
45:04
spaces over there that can be a little bit quieter.
45:08
If you are over in that side of the park, that's probably your
45:11
best option. If you are too far away to get
45:15
back towards like the Christmas Shop Plaza that we were just
45:18
talking about, that is the location that I would consider
45:22
for kind of a little bit of an escape.
45:25
That one's not very great, but there's not a ton of spaces over
45:28
on that side of the park that are truly quiet chill zones over
45:33
there. So something to consider as
45:36
well. So I think that wraps up our
45:38
little list here of chill spots. Now, again, that's not
45:42
all-encompassing. There are lots of other places
45:44
that you can catch a vibe. I like the hub grass for that.
45:48
I like sitting on the benches on Sunset Blvd. at Hollywood
45:51
Studios for that. But those places are a little
45:54
bit busier than some of the locations that we talked about
45:57
today. So the goal of that list was to
45:59
give you some places that were off the beaten path away from
46:03
the hustle and bustle to kind of give you a place with your kiddo
46:06
to relax a little bit and make sure that you were able to kind
46:12
of find a little bit of quiet in the craziness of the theme park.
46:17
So I hope that these lists were helpful for you.
46:20
Again, I encourage that if you're taking a trip to the
46:23
parks, find some time to just catch, catch a vibe, right?
46:27
Just catch a vibe when you're there, do something fun that is
46:31
not always go, go, go, go, go. Those memories can be so much
46:35
fun for your family to have as well.
46:38
You know, even if it's just running around on a playground
46:42
or going through the journey of water with Moana or any of the
46:46
other locations that we talked about can be a really, really
46:49
fun, special way to create different kinds of memories in
46:52
the theme parks that aren't simply just meeting a character,
46:56
seeing a show or going on a ride as fun as all of those things
46:59
are. So with all of that being
47:02
covered, that wraps up our Catching a kid approved vibe at
47:06
Disney episode coming up next on Mom St.
47:09
We have a really fun episode with our good friends of the
47:14
podcast. Sarah and Ty will be making
47:16
their debut appearance on Mom St. here.
47:20
They have got some photo skills that they are going to share
47:24
with us. How to take better photos at
47:28
Disney. So if you are someone that
47:30
enjoys photos or wants to capture the perfect family photo
47:33
that is coming up on our next episode and after that to be
47:39
determined, we'll have to wait and see.
47:40
If you've got an idea for a future episode of Mom St.
47:43
USA, please reach out to us. You can find us.
47:46
You can send us an e-mail at Mom St. usa@gmail.com.
47:49
You can always comment on our Patreon account, which is at Mom
47:55
St. I've got a post up there still
47:56
that is asking for suggestions for future episodes.
47:59
So you can always put something there or you can always send us
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good places. So thank you guys so much for
48:10
joining me for this episode of Mom St.
48:12
USA and I will catch you on the next one.
48:15
Bye everyone.