Summer is just around the corner in Disney World, and you know what that means…
That Florida sunshine ain’t no joke
That means we’ve got to talk about the weather. Because here’s the thing. Not only do we have to deal with hurricane season at Disney World in the summer, but we also have to deal with some SERIOUS heat and humidity. We do our best to tell you how to beat the heat at Disney World, but now we’re going to tell you where to go IN Disney World to get a break from the heat.
Okay, so getting on an indoor ride is always a nice way to get out of the Florida heat and humidity because AIR CONDITIONING. But here’s the thing — not all indoor rides are equally as chill (we mean that in the literal sense). Some rides have queues that are downright FREEZING, and those are the ones we want to tell you about.
These are the rides where the air is cranked up so high, you might think that Elsa is in charge of the AC. But that’s EXACTLY what you want on a hot day, right?
Magic Kingdom
Pirates of the Caribbean
In Magic Kingdom, you can stand in a nice chilly cave-like setting in the Pirates of the Caribbean line that might make you wish you’d brought your favorite pirate coat, even in the middle of summer. All the while, you can listen to what could be one of the best ride theme songs in Disney World (don’t @ us) while surrounded by all kinds of pirate loot.
Time to relax and go on a pirates cruise
So hop in line, enjoy the storytelling details, and live your best cool and relaxed pirate life. The ride also gives you a nice 8-minute break from the heat.
Dumbo
Yes, Dumbo is an outdoor ride, but hear us out. The queue takes you into a tent — and y’all, that tent is air-conditioned. If you’re going to do an outdoor ride at Disney World, at least pick one with a queue that lets you cool off a little bit!
Trust us — you’ll want to get into that tent
If you’ve got kids, this one is going to be a priority (because, well, KIDS love Dumbo), so might as well enjoy what little bit of air conditioning you can get. Sure, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin is practically the same ride, but unless you get spit on by the camel there, you’re not going to get much relief from the heat.
Honorable Mention: Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid
EPCOT
Frozen Ever After
Speaking of Elsa, we have to start with Frozen Ever After because Elsa really is in charge of the ride queue here. This one is nice and chilly and if you’re in the standby line, you can just hang out there for a while (because lines for this ride do tend to be on the long-ish side).
We’ll just hang out here with Oaken
The cold doesn’t bother her anyway, and we’re grateful for it. Waiting 45 minutes in what feels like Norway when it’s hot outside? Yes, please! The queue is also full of Frozen details to take in. We will warn you that when the line DOES get long, it can go out the door in the sun, though.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Okay, here’s the thing — there is rarely a line for The Seas with Nemo and Friends, but you’ll get to do a lot of walking indoors in air conditioning to get to the ride. By then, you might just want to get a quick 4-minute air-conditioned power doze (yes, we’ll admit we’ve done it) before you exit into the aquarium where you can spend ALL THE TIME YOU WANT in air conditioning.
This pavilion is SO cool — literally
The aquarium also has a lot of cool things for kids (they’ll love seeing all the sea creatures, including manatees) PLUS you can sit inside Turtle Talk with Crush for a little more indoor a/c.
Honorable Mentions: Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet at Royal Sommerhaus, Living With The Land, Soarin’
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Mania
If you’ve ever visited Toy Story Land, you might be wondering about the lack of shade there. Like doesn’t Andy’s backyard have a single tree?!?!?! (Yes, we question it ALL the time). There’s really only ONE way to get some decent shade and get indoors here (unless you have a reservation at Roundup Rodeo BBQ) and that’s to ride Toy Story Mania.
Toy Story Mania is indoors and has air conditioning in line. Need we say more?
Air-conditioned queue? CHECK. Long lines to spend time in an air-conditioned queue? Let everyone else sweat it out standing in line for Slinky Dog Dash — we’ve got much more CHILL things to do.
Star Tours
The only problem with the Star Tours queue is that there’s hardly ever a long wait for this attraction meaning that you won’t be INSIDE the queue for very long. But it IS air-conditioned. And the line is pretty much ALL indoors, unlike many lines at Hollywood Studios.
Star Tours queue
Hey, if you want to take your time walking through it (and you aren’t blocking the people behind you), you could just hang around a little bit and check out all the fun Star Wars details.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Almost everything at Animal Kingdom is outside, and although this is the ONE Disney World park that actually has a lot of shade, you’ll still want to get out of the heat at some point. That’s where Dinosaur comes in. The queue AND ride are indoors and the air-conditioning is nice and cold.
It’s nice and cool inside the Dino Institute
Trust us — you’ll want to go get that Dino over and over on a hot day at Animal Kingdom. So spend all the time you want inside the Dino Institute.
So the next time you find yourself in Disney World and you just need a long COLD break, be sure to check out these rides so you can spend some time in a nice, air-conditioned queue — and, in summer, a LONG indoor line is a GOOD thing in Disney World.
Stay tuned to DFB for more!
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The post There’s Only One Good Reason to Go On This Ride in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.