It’s hot. While our top suggestion would be to head back to the hotel when the sun is at its highest and come back to the parks in the evening, some would rather stick it out in the parks. If you’re the type of guest to go from rope drop to kiss goodnight, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite spots to get out of the sun and enjoy some air conditioning in the parks. While there are a lot of places where you can find air conditioning, we’re going to give you our top 3 favorite spots in each park.

Magic Kingdom

With the longest hours of any park most days this summer, it’ll be important to get some rest and relaxation midday before you tackle the afternoon and evening.

1. Hall of Presidents – Not only is the 23 minute show completely under A/C, but the waiting area is too. It’s for this reason that we love the Hall of Presidents as a mid-day stop to cool off and enjoy a wonderful attraction.
2. Columbia Harbor House – It’s important to hit this at the right time. Any site worth their SEO in Mickey Bars would suggest taking lunch at a non-traditional time such as 2-3pm. Most guests will be having lunch as close to noon as possible, but our suggestion of Columbia Harbor House is only good if you hit it at a non-peak time. For maximum relaxation, make your way to the second floor and pick a window seat to watch all of the sweating guests standing in line for Haunted Mansion as you enjoy a nice meal and A/C.
3. Carousel of Progress – Just like Hall of Presidents, you’ll find yourself seated in a dark room with A/C for 20+ minutes. The only downside to the Carousel of Progress is that the queue is outdoors and largely uncovered. Thankfully the wait is almost always quick and the A/C is worth it.

Honorable Mention:

• Philharmagic – Another great indoor queue, seated-show combo. Give it a watch if you have children that won’t be entertained by Carosuel of Progress.

Epcot

Walking around the world will take its toll on you. A/C is a must if you’re going to make it to Illuminations. Here are our favorite spots.

1. Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Often overlooked due to its nearly hidden location in Future World, Ellen’s Energy Adventure is another attraction like Hall of Presidents that allows you to wait indoors and with a runtime of 45 minutes, you’ll definitely leave refreshed.
2. Innoventions West D-Zone – This is a bit of a write-in. We often find ourselves popping in to Club Cool (Inca Kola!) and then taking a seat in the D-Zone (Disney speak for rest area). Some days of the week you might even find us getting some work done in-between FastPasses as there are tables and even some outlets.
3. The American Adventure – Just like Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Hall of Presidents, you get to wait in the A/C for the show to start. What sets this apart is that you can enjoy the Voices of Liberty, an a cappella group, while you wait.

Honorable Mention:

• Pixar Short Stories – Located in the Magic Eye Theater in the Imagination Pavilion, the queue is indoors and the shorts are definitely worth a watch if you’ve never seen them.

Hollywood Studios

More of a half-day park than it’s ever been, Hollywood Studios may not have enough to do to get you to nighttime entertainment. Take a break and enjoy some A/C at our favorite spots.

1. Great Movie Ride – Sticking to the theme of long, indoor rides, we have the Great Movie Ride at the end of Hollywood Blvd. An enjoyable trip through the movies on a slow-moving tram allows for 22 minutes of A/C on top of an already mostly indoors queue.
2. Star Wars Launch Bay – A newer addition to Hollywood Studios, the Star Wars Launch Bay is an indoor walking experience where you can see replica props from the movies and even meet Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. There is no set time for the walking tour, so you can go at your own pace and enjoy as much A/C and Star Wars as you’d like.
3. One Man’s Dream – Another self-paced walking tour, One Man’s Dream showcases everything Walt Disney and his parks. At the end you either get to see a wonderful film on his life or a trailer for one of Disney’s latest movies. Unfortunately, it’s been more of the latter lately, but the walking tour is still worth some of your relaxation time.

Honorable Mention:

• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration – An entertaining 30-minute show where you get to hear the story of Frozen told by Arendelle historians (comedians) as well as sing along versions of your favorite songs from the movie with Anna, Elsa, and more! I would swap this out with One Man’s Dream if you think your children won’t enjoy a museum-type walking tour.

 

Animal Kingdom

By far the hottest park on property, Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a lot of A/C areas. Here are our favorites to get you through the day.

1. Restaurantosaurus – Located in DinoLand, near Dinosaur, Restaurantosaurus is a fun quick service restaurant where there is a fair amount of seating under A/C. One of the reasons I chose this location was for the amount of theming to look at while relaxing. As with Columbia Harbor House, it’s important to avoid peak times.
2. Finding Nemo The Musical – Animal Kingdom is kind of scarce on A/C so while the queue is outdoors, it’s important to show up just slightly before showtime to ensure a minimal amount of waiting under the sun.
3. Festival of the Lion King – Just like Finding Nemo, an outdoor queue gives way to a wonderful show completely under A/C. Enjoy the Cirque du Soleil style show while getting out of the hot summer sun.

Honorable mention:

• Rafaki’s Planet Watch – A nice breeze on the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch combined with enough educational info to keep you busy for an hour, makes this worth your while if you’ve done one of the shows we’ve listed.

Do you have a favorite spot to grab some air conditioning that we missed? Leave a comment below or let us know on social media!