Walt Disney World has introduced again the “secret” lounge for the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition! This spot is a superb visitor hideaway for escaping the warmth and crowds, stress-free & recharging with free drinks in addition to actions and VIP live performance seating. This publish takes a glance inside and tips on how to entry the particular venue in World Showcase. (Up to date September 20, 2024.)
This marks the fourth consecutive yr that there’s been a free lounge in EPCOT in the course of the Meals & Wine Competition. Through the first yr, it was actually a hidden gem. Even after writing a publish to hype it up, we seldom noticed greater than a dozen individuals in the complete area. That was regardless of the lounge very a lot “hiding” in plain sight, proper subsequent to the Frozen Ever After queue.
Final yr, the lounge needed to relocate from Norway, as its former dwelling within the medieval citadel was being reclaimed by Akershus Royal Banquet Corridor. It moved to a true secret spot, hidden gem, gap within the wall, under-the-radar escape, and so forth–actually in essentially the most tucked away location in all of World Showcase at EPCOT.
In so doing, the Florida Blue Lounge–now situated within the Restaurant Marrakesh–turned rather more widespread. We’d count on that to be true as soon as once more in the course of the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition. Phrase has positively gotten out since that first yr, so now you may count on to come across a waitlist to enter on busier dates and weekends.
In the event you’re unfamiliar with the situation of the Florida Blue Lounge, it’s deep within the Morocco pavilion down a dead-end hall–this space is just dwelling to Restaurant Marrakesh. Pre-closure, Restaurant Marrakesh was not notably widespread. This was doubtless partially because of its extra unique delicacies, however location performed an even bigger position. As a consequence of that, there was routinely a Solid Member within the entrance courtyard of Morocco beaconing visitors again, exhibiting menus and touting the (underrated) restaurant.
When EPCOT reopened, Restaurant Marrakesh didn’t. Even after the third celebration working participant exited the Morocco pavilion and turned over operations to Disney, the restaurant nonetheless stayed closed.
Once more, unsurprising. Pent-up demand for eating has fizzled out, to the purpose that even widespread eating places have grow to be comparatively simple ADRs. And Restaurant Marrakesh was by no means in the slightest degree widespread earlier than. Our expectation is that finally this turns into an Aladdin character meal, however the way forward for Restaurant Agrabah is a unique story for a unique day!
With that stated, let’s have a look across the Florida Blue Lounge.
The Morocco pavilion was based mostly on designs discovered within the cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Marrakesh. (We’ll guess you may’t guess which metropolis impressed this specific restaurant.) Like many Moroccan cities, the pavilion is split into new and outdated cities, demarcated by the Bab Bou Jeloud (“Blue”) Gate.
Restaurant Marrakesh lies past the Blue Gate, and largely maintains its opening day look with ornate design and beautiful particulars. Morocco is a rustic of “timeless wonders” with historical mosques, synagogues, souks, church buildings, and kasbahs the place the artwork and structure have been designed and refined over centuries.
That is evident inside Restaurant Marrakesh/Florida Blue Lounge. The setting is really transportive, feeling worlds away from a recent theme park in Florida. From tile work to the tea dispensers to the ceilings and (particularly) the sunshine fixtures, Restaurant Marrakesh is an opulent exemplar of outdated world Morocco–and old-fashioned Imagineering aesthetic sensibilities.
Clearly, you don’t get the complete expertise from visiting the Florida Blue Lounge. Throughout an precise meal at Restaurant Marrakesh, you’d take pleasure in music from a two-piece combo performing conventional songs and a stomach dancer exhibiting off her skills and beckoning children to affix her on the dance flooring.
Then there’s the delicacies. Restaurant Marrakesh served up a wide range of advanced however approachable dishes, with all kinds of spices and herbs producing genuine Moroccan dishes with nuance, however not essentially intense taste or spice. On the contrary, considered one of my favourite dishes right here was the roasted lamb shank, which was fall off the bone tender. Even Signature Eating places couldn’t compete with this.
Oh, and Restaurant Marrakesh was considerably cheaper than different eating places. As a consequence of its lack of recognition, the situation regularly provided lunch specials or massive samplers that had been a cut price by Walt Disney World requirements.
Now let’s cowl the highlights of the free Florida Blue Lounge within the Morocco pavilion.
For the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition, the lounge ought to have stations with self-service water, Moroccan mint tea, and chilly brew espresso. Sadly, there was no snack cart on any of our visits to the lounge, so we’re guessing that’s a factor of the previous. There additionally weren’t any bottled drinks out there upon request. However the chilly brew and mint tea are unbelievable–I’d take this free chilly brew over many of the espresso bought at EPCOT!
On a constructive observe, there are extra free actions. Prior to now, these have modified all through the day or over the course of the occasion, and there have been issues like watercolor portray and free Henna tattoos.
Each time we’ve visited the Florida Blue lounge in the course of the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition, this space has been a create your individual decoration station. You get to decide on glass and beads and insert them into sand-colored ornaments. Appears cute.
For us, although, the spotlight is the reserved seating for the Eat to the Beat live performance collection. (See our Information to the Eat to the Beat Live performance Collection.) They used to supply extra official-looking playing cards, however our expertise in 2024 has been these makeshift wristbands. Maybe that’ll change.
With the intention to make the most of this, we’d extremely suggest going to the Florida Blue lounge sooner relatively than later. There have been a few days the place I’ve gone throughout the first two hours the lounge was open and there have been only a few individuals inside (as you may see in these photographs!), however availability was already restricted for the wristbands above.
From what we’ve seen, the Eat to the Beat live shows are rather more widespread in 2024 than prior to now–doubtless because of a collection of musicians interesting to elder millennials versus child boomers, as the previous is more and more changing into Walt Disney World’s target market. Since we’re averse to buying eating packages, this was a unbelievable method to see widespread performers with out ready in lengthy traces. Extremely advisable!
This yr, the Florida Blue Lounge is now open for the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Meals & Wine Competition. It’ll be open by means of November 23, 2024 from 12 pm till 6 pm every day.
Eligibility is at all times a tough matter in relation to the Florida Blue Lounge. Formally, in line with each Walt Disney World and the insurance coverage firm, this lounge is open to “Florida Blue Members and their Visitors.” Does that imply it’s a must to be accompanied by a Florida Blue Member, or are visitors permitted on their very own? No person actually is aware of.
In earlier years, anybody has been admitted to the Florida Blue Lounge who registers for the Visitor Move. You are able to do that at this hyperlink. As you may see from the screenshot above, nowhere does it ask you to enter information about your medical health insurance firm.
Beneath is the Visitor Move itself, which additionally says nothing about being required to indicate your Florida Blue insurance coverage card or something except for the Visitor Move. Once more, you may acquire that with out being a Florida Blue Member.
Over the course of the final a number of years, we now have visited the Florida Blue Lounge dozens and dozens of instances. Not as soon as have we needed to present something aside from the Visitor Move, which is per what the Visitor Move itself says.
Nonetheless, we’ve had a number of commenters in each of the final two years who had been denied entry to the Florida Blue Lounge. I assume we’ve been very luck–or some readers have been very unfortunate (or possibly a little bit of each).
There’s additionally a 3rd chance, which is that they’re not assured or ask questions on having the ability to enter, which results in confusion amongst Solid Members and visitors, inflicting denials? I don’t have the slightest concept–it simply strikes me as odd that we’ve most likely entered this lounge 30+ instances with out as soon as having the problems reported by others.
Regardless, we wish to warning that this can be a YMMV factor in the event you’re not a Florida Blue Member, and dependent upon whoever is standing guard on the lounge entrance. And, maybe, your individual confidence degree–so act such as you belong and don’t ask questions!
Hopefully Walt Disney World and/or Florida Blue get on the identical web page this yr, and it’s clear whether or not entry is for these with Florida Blue insurance coverage or visitors as properly. I don’t understand how this stays so ambiguous after three years, however it’s what it’s.
Suffice to say, don’t ebook a visit to Walt Disney World solely since you wish to get some free chilly brew. The lounge would possibly change insurance policies, deny you entry, and so forth. Listed below are just a few extra photographs of the attractive Florida Blue lounge:
That final photograph reveals the restrooms on the finish of the hallway. Whereas these don’t make our esteemed listing of the High Bathrooms at Walt Disney World, they’re completely value testing. If we had awards for lavatory doorways, these can be close to the highest of that listing. (Hmmm…possibly we must always?!)
In the end, we’re wanting ahead to profiting from the Florida Blue Lounge at Walt Disney World but once more…assuming we don’t get shut out by having totally different medical health insurance…and needed to present you an early heads up about its return.
Past the free refreshments and actions, what we actually love concerning the Florida Blue Lounge is the setting. It’s an exemplar of old-fashioned EPCOT Middle and Imagineering on the peak of its recreation–a criminally underrated World Showcase restaurant that even many diehard Walt Disney World followers have by no means seen. It actually is a superb spot to relaxation, recharge, and loosen up. Plus, it’s not daily that you simply get one thing actually free at Walt Disney World!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Lodges Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you must know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever taken benefit of the Florida Blue Lounge in EPCOT? Have any points gaining entrance into the situation with the Visitor Move? Will you be visiting this free short-term refreshment spot on an upcoming go to to Walt Disney World in 2024? Excited concerning the alternative to expertise the design and particulars of Restaurant Marrakesh? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
