Herb LeibacherDisney World is a massive place. It’s hard enough keeping your party together as you meander through the four theme parks, two water parks, two entertainment centers, dozens of hotels, and hundreds of restaurants.
If you decide to split up or worse meet someone, it can be difficult to decide on a location to meet up where you can actually find each other.
One time, I was meeting a friend at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. We were on the phone giving each other coordinates, and we still couldn’t find each other!
Today I thought we’d talk about some of the best places to meet up with friends, family, colleagues, or whomever you may be meeting up with for the day! All of these locations are free (though some require park admission), are easy to find, and are generally not very crowded.
Magic Kingdom
1 – Main Street Plaza Gardens
The gardens at the Main Street USA Castle Hub is a perfect place to meet to avoid the crowds closer to the castle, but the area gets very busy at night before the fireworks.
Main Street USA is often very crowded, and it would be difficult to find anyone in the sea of people, but there are some places on Main Street that are perfect for meeting up like the Main Street Plaza Gardens. There’s a great view of Cinderella Castle without the crowds, and once you get there, you can go anywhere in the park!
2 – Casey’s Corner
The seating outside of Casey’s Corner is a great place to meet, but you’ll want to avoid the area at night before the fireworks.
Casey’s Corner is one of the coolest quick-service restaurants in Magic Kingdom. The food seems like pretty standard theme park fare, but you have to try the corndog nuggets. Casey’s Corner also has a great toppings bar. If you’re meeting someone, consider meeting them here. There are tables outside, and you might even get to hear an old-time pianist! I don’t suggest making this a meeting spot at night though because the tables fill up and the whole area gets crowded very quickly ahead of the fireworks show.
Epcot
3 – The Land
The Land is a great place to meet in Epcot!
Epcot is about to undergo some major renovations. Much of the existing park especially in Future World will be closed and renovated or replaced completely. Fortunately, there are still some locations that will remain open.
The Land is one of them. It’s an ideal meeting spot because it is close to the park’s entrance and sits on top of a hill, so it’s really easy to find. Epcot also has excellent signage making everything in the park even easier to find.
Inside The Land are two attractions including Living with the Land and Soarin’, which is one of the most popular rides in all of Disney World. There are also a couple of really good restaurants one of which being Sunshine Seasons, which gets much of its fresh produce from what is grown in Living with the Land.
You can meet outside the building, inside on the second level, which is where you will enter, or in the Sunshine Seasons Restaurant.
4 – America Gardens Theatre
The American Adventure Theatre is a great place to meet. You might even get to see a performance!
If you or the rest of your party is entering through the International Gateway or you want to explore World Showcase, consider meeting in one of the country pavilions. The American Adventure is a great choice. Set your meeting location in front of the America Gardens Theatre. There are hardly any crowds here as long as there’s not an event like the Candlelight Processional going on, and it’s a centrally located in World Showcase.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
5 – Backlot Express
There is plenty of seating in Backlot Express!
Backlot Express is a quick-service restaurant located in Echo Lake at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This dining location has delicious food and plenty of seating (with even more added recently) so it’s a great place to meet up, grab some grub, and get back to the parks.
Nearby attractions include Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Adventure, Jedi Training Academy, and Star Tours. There’s plenty to do just outside of the restaurant, and once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, there will be even more to do!
6 – Dinosaur Gertie
Dinosaur Gertie Ice Cream of Extinction is a great place to meet up in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Also in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Dinosaur Gertie at Dinosaur Gertie’s Ice Cream of Distinction. Gertie is very large, and you can’t miss her, so she makes for a great meeting spot! When you meet your party, explain to them that Gertie is based on a 1914 animated short film by Windsor McCay. The film was groundbreaking for its time and served as an inspiration to many animators including Walt Disney. Don’t forget to get some ice cream while you’re there too!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
7 – Dinosaur
If you’re in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, consider meeting at the Iguanodon Aladar at Dinosaur.
Gertie isn’t the only dinosaur in Disney World, though. There’s another much larger dinosaur in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in front of the ride “Dinosaur”, which looks like a real-life archeology institute. The ride is one of the bumpiest in Disney World, but it is fun to ride! The dinosaur in front of the attraction is a great meeting spot because it’s very large an easy to spot. It’s also an easy walk from the park entrance. Disney’s Animal Kingdom can be a bit confusing (by design) though, so be sure that everyone has directions to get here!
8 – Tree of Life
If you meet in front of Tree of Life, you might have to navigate through the crowds.
Also in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the park’s icon, The Tree of Life. There are often lots of crowds in this area, so it’s not ideal, but it is very easy to find and is a central location. These reasons make it a great meeting spot!
9 – Pandora Drums
If you’re meeting someone in Pandora – The World of Avatar, the drums in front of Na’vi River Journey would be a great choice. They’re fun to play, and they are a central part of the land. They’re also really close to the park entrance, so you don’t have to walk through the whole park or deal with lots of crowds to get to your meeting location.
Disney Resort Hotels
10 – Hotel Lobbies
Even if you aren’t staying at a resort, you can still meet up and explore the lobbies!
While this isn’t technically one location, all of the hotel lobbies are easy to find. If you’re staying at any of the Disney resort hotels, meet your friends, family, colleagues or whomever at the hotel lobby. Another great perk of the lobby is you don’t have to have park tickets, and you don’t have to be staying at the resort to visit!
Disney Resort Hotels are fun to explore. Value Resort Hotels have cartoonish theming, and they’re great for families. Moderate Resort Hotels and Deluxe Resort Hotels have more elaborate theming. Some of the nicest resort lobbies include Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. These hotels have awesome restaurants and lots of really cool things to experience.
11 – Hotel Pools
The Disney Resort Hotel Pools are a great place to meet up!
Like the lobbies, Disney’s hotel pools are also centrally located. This might not be an appropriate meeting location for colleagues, but if you’re meeting up with friends or family, the pool can be a perfect spot. All of the pools at every hotel level have bars and counter-service dining at the pool or very close by too! Just relax and enjoy some R&R! It is a vacation after all!
Disney Springs
12 – World of Disney
If you’re meeting at World of Disney, Stitch might spit on you!
The World of Disney store is the largest Disney store in the entire world, and it’s a really great place to meet up in Disney Springs. It’s located in the Disney Springs Marketplace area, and while there are a few different entrance points, the best meeting spot is the spitting Stitch because it’s specific and easy to distinguish from the others! Watch out, Stitch might get you wet, though!
13 – Morimoto Asia
If you meet at Morimoto Asia, be sure to go in and get some food!
Morimoto Asia is a Signature Dining table-service restaurant that feels luxurious in all ways, but it isn’t pretentious. It’s great for any kind of meeting whether it’s a colleague, friends, and even families. The restaurant is centrally located, and again, very easy to find! If you just want to meet and get going, consider stopping by Morimoto Street Food. It’s the quick-service section of the table-service restaurant. The menu isn’t extensive, but there’s enough variety with snacks, sushi, and noodles, and the patio is really nice.
Where is your favorite meeting spot in Disney World?