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, enjoyable & recharging with free drinks in addition to actions and VIP live performance seating. This put up 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 12 months that there’s been a free lounge in EPCOT through the Meals & Wine Competition. Through the first 12 months, it was actually a hidden gem. Even after writing a put up to hype it up, we seldom noticed greater than a dozen folks in your complete area. That was regardless of the lounge very a lot “hiding” in plain sight, proper subsequent to the Frozen Ever After queue.
Final 12 months, the lounge needed to relocate from Norway, as its former residence within the medieval fort 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 on–actually in essentially the most tucked away location in all of World Showcase at EPCOT.
In so doing, the Florida Blue Lounge–now positioned within the Restaurant Marrakesh–turned way more widespread. We’d anticipate that to be true as soon as once more through the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition. Phrase has undoubtedly gotten out since that first 12 months, so now you’ll be able to anticipate to come across a waitlist to enter on busier dates and weekends.
If you happen to’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 residence to Restaurant Marrakesh. Pre-closure, Restaurant Marrakesh was not notably widespread. This was doubtless partially resulting from its extra unique delicacies, however location performed a much bigger function. On account of that, there was routinely a Solid Member within the entrance courtyard of Morocco beaconing friends again, exhibiting menus and touting the (underrated) restaurant.
When EPCOT reopened, Restaurant Marrakesh didn’t. Even after the third get together 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 turn into comparatively simple ADRs. And Restaurant Marrakesh was by no means in the least widespread earlier than. Our expectation is that finally this turns into an Aladdin character meal, however the way forward for Restaurant Agrabah is a distinct story for a distinct day!
With that stated, let’s have a look across the Florida Blue Lounge.
The Morocco pavilion was primarily based on designs discovered within the cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Marrakesh. (We’ll wager you’ll be able to’t guess which metropolis impressed this specific restaurant.) Like many Moroccan cities, the pavilion is split into new and previous 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 up to date 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 previous world Morocco–and old style Imagineering aesthetic sensibilities.
Clearly, you don’t get the total 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 abilities and beckoning youngsters to affix her on the dance ground.
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, one among 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. On account of its lack of recognition, the situation regularly supplied lunch specials or massive samplers that have 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 obtainable upon request. However the chilly brew and mint tea are unbelievable–I’d take this free chilly brew over a lot of the espresso offered at EPCOT!
On a constructive word, there are further free actions. Previously, 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 through the 2024 EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition, this space has been a create your personal decoration station. You get to decide on glass and beads and insert them into sand-colored ornaments. Seems 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 Sequence.) They used to supply extra official-looking playing cards, however our expertise in 2024 has been these makeshift wristbands. Maybe that’ll change.
So as to make the most of this, we’d extremely advocate going to the Florida Blue lounge sooner relatively than later. There have been a few days the place I’ve gone inside the first two hours the lounge was open and there have been only a few folks inside (as you’ll be able to see in these photographs!), however availability was already restricted for the wristbands above.
From what we’ve seen, the Eat to the Beat concert events are way more widespread in 2024 than prior to now–doubtless resulting from a choice of musicians interesting to elder millennials versus child boomers, as the previous is more and more turning into Walt Disney World’s target market. Since we’re averse to buying eating packages, this was a unbelievable approach to see widespread performers with out ready in lengthy traces. Extremely really useful!
This 12 months, 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 all the time a difficult matter relating 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 Friends.” Does that imply you must be accompanied by a Florida Blue Member, or are friends 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 Cross. You are able to do that at this hyperlink. As you’ll be able to see from the screenshot above, nowhere does it ask you to enter information about your medical insurance firm.
Under is the Visitor Cross itself, which additionally says nothing about being required to indicate your Florida Blue insurance coverage card or something other than the Visitor Cross. Once more, you’ll be able to get hold of that with out being a Florida Blue Member.
Over the course of the final a number of years, we’ve visited the Florida Blue Lounge dozens and dozens of occasions. Not as soon as have we needed to present something aside from the Visitor Cross, which is in line with what the Visitor Cross itself says.
Nonetheless, we’ve had a number of commenters in each of the final two years who have 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 friends, inflicting denials? I don’t have the slightest thought–it simply strikes me as odd that we’ve most likely entered this lounge 30+ occasions with out as soon as having the problems reported by others.
Regardless, we need to warning that this can be a YMMV factor in case you’re not a Florida Blue Member, and dependent upon whoever is standing guard on the lounge entrance. And, maybe, your personal 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 12 months, and it’s clear whether or not entry is for these with Florida Blue insurance coverage or friends as nicely. 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 need to get some free chilly brew. The lounge would possibly change insurance policies, deny you entry, and so on. Listed below are a couple of extra photographs of the attractive Florida Blue lounge:
That final picture reveals the restrooms on the finish of the hallway. Whereas these don’t make our esteemed record of the High Bathrooms at Walt Disney World, they’re completely price trying out. If we had awards for toilet doorways, these can be close to the highest of that record. (Hmmm…possibly we should always?!)
In the end, we’re trying ahead to benefiting from the Florida Blue Lounge at Walt Disney World but once more…assuming we don’t get shut out by having totally different medical insurance…and wished 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 style EPCOT Middle and Imagineering on the peak of its sport–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 chill out. Plus, it’s not on daily basis that you just get one thing actually free at Walt Disney World!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study accommodations on our Walt Disney World Inns Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part you want to 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 Cross? 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 can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
