Summer season has arrived in full power at Walt Disney World, with temperatures within the mid-90s this week together with triple-digit “looks like” readings. This covers information of a few latest strikes made to seemingly supply friends escapes from the excessive warmth, humidity, and blazing solar. Plus, our ideas on summers in Central Florida and why extra reprieves from the climate are want–probably even a wholly indoor pageant at EPCOT!
Let’s begin with the principle information to share, which is that Walt Disney World has revealed that the Odyssey Pianist will debut right this moment (June 9, 2025) and carry out by August 10, 2025. Throughout this time, the Rose & Crown Pub musician will probably be acting at this huge indoor venue, providing friends an air-conditioned surroundings and dwell piano performances all through the day.
This provides friends a change to take a break from the summer season warmth and revel in dwell music contained in the Odyssey pavilion at EPCOT, which is positioned between Check Observe and the Mexico pavilion. The Odyssey was once a correct restaurant, however has since served as a pageant middle and extra just lately as crowd-pleasing meals cubicles. Its run because the Citrus Blossom throughout Flower & Backyard simply ended, and it’ll be transformed into the Brew-Wing Lab previous to the beginning of the 2025 EPCOT Worldwide Meals & Wine Competition over Labor Day weekend (therefore this ending August 10).
The Odyssey Pianist will carry out seven units each day:
- 11:30 am
- 12:30 pm
- 1:30 pm
- 2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm
- 4:30 pm
- 5:30 pm
Whereas the Odyssey Pianist doesn’t characterize a brand new leisure providing at EPCOT, because the performer would usually carry out on the Rose & Crown Pub in World Showcase, it’s however a savvy and welcome transfer. At the very least, from our perspective as dad and mom–maybe we might’ve felt in another way about this information ~15 years in the past.
This follows Walt Disney World opening the Corridor of Presidents foyer—however not the attraction itself–presumably for the same place for friends to assemble and escape the warmth. The intentions there aren’t actually clear since nothing is being communicated to friends.
As for the EPCOT change, it makes way more sense and the aim of the change is apparent. Rose & Crown is often slammed. It’s uncomfortably crowded, very a lot harking back to a pub we used to frequent in faculty. So I assume that half is genuine (though our “tradition” was Indiana versus the UK). We wander into Rose & Crown in all probability about as soon as per yr at this level, and often proper again out. I assume we’ve simply gotten outdated, however that’s now not our scene.
Rose & Crown Pub goes to be busy with or with out the pianist. And it’s a fairly small house, so it’s not as if a ton of individuals can benefit from the music within the first place. Against this, I’d hazard a guess that the Odyssey has virtually ten instances the capability, and will probably be a lot better as a chilled reprieve from the crowds, chaos, warmth and humidity.
In an ideal world, Walt Disney World would add a pianist quite than relocating one from Rose & Crown. The ‘Forces of Nature’ acrobatics present in World Celebration simply held its ultimate efficiency (after lasting means longer than I ever anticipated), and it’d be good if a few of that leisure price range had been reallocated to one thing inside.
Whereas the information is the automobile for this publish, the principle motivation is that we wish to see Walt Disney World do extra of this.
After a brutal summer season journey final yr for the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, we dominated out the months of June by August for future household holidays. We should always’ve adopted our personal recommendation, questioning whether or not it’s “value it” to go to throughout the hottest months of the yr in alternate for decrease crowds.
Admittedly, we virtually made the identical mistake once more. We had a gap day Epic Universe journey deliberate, however cancelled that. And after the Starlight Night time Parade opening date was introduced, I would’ve pushed for all three of us to make the journey out to Walt Disney World so we might see the new-nostalgia gas for the primary time as a household. Cooler heads (learn: Sarah’s) prevailed, however I’d’ve repeated the identical mistake if left to my very own gadgets.
Not that I yearn for the times of the phased reopening, however one of many issues Walt Disney World did then that we appreciated was Leisure Stations. These had been launched as a much-needed respite from masking within the Florida warmth, and largely put unutilized areas to make use of.
A few of these as soon as once more have everlasting functions, however others might serve as soon as once more as summer season lounges. I’m undecided of the present standing of both Tortuga Tavern or Tomorrowland Terrace, for instance, however I do know I’ve seen each of those seating areas utterly closed throughout latest visits. (I get that they should clear Tomorrowland Terrace forward of fireworks, however there’s no cause to chase folks out at 1 pm.)
Each of those shuttered eating places might, on the very least, be put again on the map as lounges. As a result of even when these areas are at the moment accessible, friends need to know that within the first place–it must be conveyed by way of signage, in-app data, or one thing beckoning them inside. Stage an out of doors merchandising cart or no matter at their entrance, and welcome friends inside to take pleasure in shaded seating in a soothing setting. This is able to be a win-win, capturing simple meals & beverage gross sales whereas additionally providing a respite from the climate.
There aren’t any scarcity of underutilized or flat-out unused areas like this throughout Walt Disney World. Over at EPCOT, the Odyssey is only one instance. There are additionally two enormous indoor venues–World ShowPlace and the Wonders pavilion–which are sitting principally unused. Wonders may be off the desk because it was beforehand slated to turn into the Play Pavilion, a mission that was paused indefinitely. I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree stunned if it’s now an deserted development website. That’s not the case with World ShowPlace, although.
For individuals who are unfamiliar with the World ShowPlace, it was the Millennium Village, the first dwelling of Walt Disney World’s Millennium Celebration from 1999 to 2001. The venue housed over 50 international locations that didn’t have a everlasting presence in World Showcase. Amongst these nations had been Brazil, Chile, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Namibia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and Switzerland.
World ShowPlace gives over 40,000 sq. toes of versatile operate house and has capability for roughly 2,000 friends. That’s greater than the hourly throughput of most rides in EPCOT! Disney Conferences promotes World ShowPlace as “the world’s largest indoor group facility positioned inside a theme park.” Suffice to say, it’s huge.
I point out World ShowPlace particularly as a result of it was used throughout the ‘Style of’ EPCOT occasions throughout the phased reopening as pageant middle, housing a handful of various meals cubicles and leisure. It was wonderful.
And that was solely at a fraction of its full potential. On condition that this was beforehand the Millennium Village, it’s protected to say that this house might home an total pageant if correctly staged. It could possibly be dwelling to a half-dozen or extra meals cubicles plus tables plus leisure. There may be company in-fighting over this proposal, as Disney Conferences & Fairytale Weddings each use it, however these after hours occasions might coexist with a pageant. And I can not think about there are various conventions utilizing World ShowPlace between June and August, anyway.
I’m mentioning World ShowPlace as a result of it could possibly be the important thing to lastly fulfilling my dream of a summer season pageant at EPCOT. It’s my understanding that one rationalization for each the shorter festivals and the dearth of a summer season pageant is excessive warmth. That prime numbers of friends and Solid Members move out every summer season, which is attributable to the festivals. Within the case of the Solid Members, it’s due to the situations contained in the kiosks. (Years in the past, that is the reason we heard for the dearth of a summer season occasion–however we assumed it was flawed when Walt Disney World began extending Meals & Wine into summer season.)
Mainly, the playbook already exists for what Walt Disney World ought to be doing with indoor rest areas. It comes from the Leisure Stations, Style of EPCOT occasions, and extra. Along with World ShowPlace, there’s additionally the potential to make use of attraction house as a flex choice. I’m burying this right here as a result of it’s controversial with diehard followers, however turning the American Journey rotunda or Canada Far & Extensive into dynamic areas can be a win–proceed to play the movies on loop, and permit open entry with meals & drinks.
There’s a cause why summer season is now not peak season at Walt Disney World, and hasn’t been for some time. It is a actuality that’s lastly being acknowledged, and mirrored in aggressive discounting and extra. However offers can solely accomplish that a lot if the visitor expertise is depressing attributable to excessive warmth and humidity coupled with the perplexing design choice to have few indoor respites from the climate. Walt Disney World can reverse this pattern by opening shuttered areas and actively welcoming friends inside. The Odyssey Pianist is a small step in the suitable path–hopefully we see way more like this within the summers to return!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider EPCOT including the Odyssey Pianist? Is that this a step in the suitable path for giving friends a straightforward escape from the summer season warmth? Want Walt Disney World would do extra with ‘Leisure Stations’ or different shaded seating areas? What a few fully-fledged indoor summer season pageant in World ShowPlace at EPCOT? Did you attend the ‘Style of’ occasions that utilized this house? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
