I tried working remotely from every park in Disney World. Here's what each was like and which I'd definitely sign on from again.
Jenna Clark
- Disney World has Wi-Fi and indoor and outdoor locations where I was able to work.
- My annual pass costs about $1,200 a year but allowed me to hit every park when I wanted.
I usually work from my Orlando apartment, but I wanted to switch things up.
After moving to Orlando and setting up my office space, I grew increasingly curious about what it would be like to work from the Disney theme parks.
I'd been to Disney World countless times to play and enjoy its attractions, but I'd never sat down to do my remote work there.
I'm fortunate that my job is flexible and I'm able to work from home or from wherever has strong Wi-Fi and enough room for a laptop. Luckily, Disney parks have both.
I was able to have flexibility while visiting the parks without paying extra because of my Disney Incredi-Pass.
With my annual pass, I am able to access all four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom) and park hop every day of the year.
My pass costs me about $1,200 a year plus tax, with the added Photopass services.
The Incredi-Pass with Photopass usually costs about $200 more than that, but I get a discount because I've been an annual passholder since 2017.
I typically take a rideshare to get to Disney World since it's cheap and quick.
Since I don't drive and live about 10 minutes from Disney's Transportation and Ticket Center, I typically take a rideshare service. It tends to be the cheapest option, around $7 to $9 a ride, depending on the day and time.
Then, I use Disney transportation to make my way to the theme parks.
Although I'm spending money on transportation, I'm saving on electricity since I'm not using any utilities at my apartment while I work from the parks.
I started my workday at Hollywood Studios and had lunch at ABC Commissary.
Because it was already lunchtime by the time I arrived at the park at around 1 p.m., I headed to ABC Commissary to grab some lunch.
I ordered the buffalo-chicken grilled cheese for $11.59. Unfortunately, an annual passholder discount was not available for my meal. I also asked for a cup of water so I didn't have to purchase a drink.
The restaurant wasn't very noisy despite the few families eating inside. I stayed for a while to schedule a couple of emails in an air-conditioned environment. It felt nice because it was about 75-degrees Fahrenheit outside.
Hollywood Studios had limited indoor options, so I ended up in an exhibit.
I was surprised by how few indoor working spaces I could find aside from quick-service dining locations.
One of the only indoor locations I found to work from was a bench inside of the interactive gallery exhibit Walt Disney Presents, which is located in the Animation Courtyard area of the park.
Because this is a self-guided-tour exhibit, everyone was quietly observing posters and artifacts around me. I was able to focus on what I was doing without too many distractions.
Since I find that I work more efficiently in quieter locations, this was the perfect spot for me to get some work done.
After spending some time working, I rewarded myself by going to see a couple of characters.
Meeting the characters is probably my favorite thing to do at the Disney theme parks.
I decided to take a quick break and go see Fancy Nancy, since the Disney Junior characters are some of my favorites and usually don't have long meet-and-greet lines.
Since I was near Sunset Boulevard, I found a bench where I could brainstorm for upcoming projects.
Although a bit noisier than I usually prefer, I liked that I was able to people-watch and listen to the sounds of the area, as I find that sometimes my greatest ideas come when I least expect them.
I was also glad I remembered to apply sunscreen that morning — the rays felt quite strong during the time I was sitting on the uncovered bench.
After getting too hot, I took my work over to the covered tables near The Brown Derby Lounge.
This area outside of the Brown Derby was a bit quieter and provided me with the shade I needed to cool off and finish the task I started.
All of the brainstorming I'd done made me hungry, so I headed to Backlot Express for a treat.
I had heard nothing but great things about Backlot Express' Wookiee Cookie so I ordered it.
This oatmeal-cookie cream sandwich was delicious and provided me with just the right amount of sugar I needed to make it through the rest of my day.
At one point, a cavalcade of characters passed by while I worked.
After my snack break, I wanted to knock out the remainder of my to-do list.
I saw a family staring me down waiting for my table, so I moved over to one of the chairs a little bit further away from the restaurant.
I was glad I did because I got to see the Pixar cavalcade, which was a lot of fun and a great way to end my day.
I decided to work from Epcot next.
I was most excited to work remotely from Epcot since that's the park where I worked during my Disney College Program back in 2018.
Before I started working, I fueled up at one of the Epcot festival booths.
One of my favorite parts about Epcot are the festivals that make their way through the park each year.
Since the Food & Wine festival was happening when I visited, I grabbed food from a booth instead of the quick-service restaurant Sunshine Seasons I normally go to.
I tried the Cowboy mac and cheese from the Mac & Eats booth near Test Track. For $6.25, the portion was large enough to satisfy me and give me the energy I needed to make it through the rest of the day. I especially loved the smoked pork belly on top of the macaroni.
I headed to America, one of my favorite pavilions at Epcot, first.
Since the humidity was pretty intense, I wanted to sit in some air-conditioning.
I found a couple of tables just inside the entrance of The American Adventure, the host pavilion. I'd never noticed these tables before, but thought the cushioned chairs were very comfortable (even more so than the chair I have at home).
I enjoyed hearing the a capella group Voices of Liberty sing every couple of minutes. It added a magical touch to my day.
I wasn't expecting to see any characters in America, but I saw a few walking around.
Later, I took my work outside and was surprised to see Honest John, Baloo, and Tigger walking around, since official character meets don't typically happen in this pavilion.
Although it became a bit more difficult to focus when the characters were nearby, it was a rare experience that I'm grateful for.
Since I knew the Morocco pavilion would be fairly quiet, I headed over there to answer some emails.
Although this area has a fairly large seating space, I was lucky that not too many people were around and I could really focus.
Morocco pavilion was definitely a hidden-gem area that I would visit again if I ever needed to answer some urgent emails or get started on a piece while in the parks. The music in the area is relaxing, too.
I enjoyed the amount of outdoor working space at Epcot, but I wasn't surprised by it.
Many visit Epcot to enjoy the food and beverages in the around-the-world showcase so there tends to be a lot of seating areas there.
This worked out great for me because I was able to get work done at tables while pavilion hopping.
After I'd had enough of the world showcase, I headed back to the front of the park to conclude my day.
Although I knew The Land pavilion would be a bit noisier since it is home to the attraction Soarin', I wanted to go there to finish my day with a change of scenery.
I was inspired by the hot-air balloons and ribbons that hung above and was able to churn out the last couple of emails I had to send.
Magic Kingdom was the busiest park I worked from, but I was able to squeeze in some quality productive time.
I wish I'd remembered to eat lunch before heading to the park because, in my opinion, Magic Kingdom's quick-service locations are subpar compared to the other theme parks' options.
But I was hungry and didn't feel like leaving the park to go back to my apartment to eat something, so I ordered the chicken-strips meal from Columbia Harbour House for $10.49.
It at least provided me with some kind of boost before starting my work.
The second floor of Columbia Harbour House is typically pretty empty, and I spent a lot of time there.
In my experience, there's not a lot of foot traffic in the upstairs area of Columbia Harbour House. This worked in my favor in terms of getting work done.
I had almost an entire quiet room to myself so I was able to focus. Plus, I loved looking at the wall decor while I worked.
I found some hidden outlets near the "Tangled"-themed restrooms across the way.
I've been to this area several times but never noticed the hidden outlets in the tree stumps.
I thought these were pretty cool and useful if my computer needed to be charged.
I drafted some emails while listening to the ambient music in the area.
Although this area was more crowded, I enjoyed working while listening to the area music from "Tangled," one of my favorite Disney films.
I decided that I needed a character break and went to Town Square to visit Snow White.
When I noticed myself starting to become a bit restless and in need of hugs from a Disney friend, I went to the Town Square area to visit Snow White.
It was definitely what I needed to motivate myself to get through the rest of my workday.
I'd only ever enjoyed ice cream on the hub grass, so I pulled out my laptop to try working from there.
Sitting in the hub grass near Cinderella Castle was definitely beautiful. I would highly recommend working on the here for an aesthetically pleasing backdrop.
Although the hub grass was a fun place to work, I eventually became overstimulated and wanted to retreat to somewhere quieter.
The area near Storybook Circus was pretty quiet and filled with empty tables.
This spot was just what I needed to conclude my workday. Although it was a bit far to walk to from the hub grass, it was worth it for the comfy seat and sturdy table.
The last park I logged on from was Disney's Animal Kingdom, and I started by working outside of Pizzafari.
I had a lot to do that day, so I quickly planted myself in the first seat I saw, which happened to be outside Pizzafari.
I liked this area because it was covered and shaded, which was nice because I think Animal Kingdom tends to feel like the warmest park.
The butterfly chairs were my favorite part of working here.
After about an hour, I decided to treat myself to a snack at Flame Tree Barbecue.
Flame Tree Barbecue is one of my favorite quick-service dining locations at Animal Kingdom.
I decided to order a delicious-looking Scar cupcake fo $5.99.
The red-velvet cupcake was really tasty and it gave me all of the sugar I needed (and then some) to make it through the rest of the day.
After eating, I discovered a seating area behind the restaurant with a breathtaking view of Expedition Everest.
Even after visiting Animal Kingdom many times, there are always new things I discover each visit. I think this area behind Flame Tree Barbecue may be one of the largest outdoor seating areas at a Disney theme park.
There were only a couple other families sitting nearby, which was nice because it was quiet and I could really focus.
Plus, I loved watching the guests on Expedition Everest make their way down the mountain every couple of minutes.
The outdoor seating areas at Animal Kingdom were very scenic.
I particularly liked this cozy area I found between the Africa and Asia sections of the park and thought it provided a wonderful view of the Tree of Life.
When I was in need of some fun, I went to visit Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Adventure Outpost.
I always love seeing characters when visiting the theme parks, so I used my lunch break to go see Mickey and Minnie.
It was a lot of fun, and I especially liked their themed outfits.
To finish my day, I headed over to Restaurantosaurus to send the last couple of emails.
Although this restaurant was a bit darker, I was still able to work efficiently. I also appreciated that the restaurant had the air conditioner pumping, which I definitely needed on that hot day.
I enjoyed working remotely from all four theme parks, but Epcot was my favorite.
I'd definitely sign on again from Epcot
I found that I was able to get the most amount of writing work done when at this park because of the plethora of quieter seating areas. Since I work better in quiet environments, Epcot provided that in addition to areas where I could escape and have some fun on my breaks.
It's also one of the easier parks to get to from the Transportation and Ticket Center where I'm usually dropped off.
As for the rest of the theme parks, I would definitely work from them again, but only when I need to do more creative tasks, like brainstorming.
If I had to rank them from my favorite to least-favorite parks to work remotely from, it'd go like this: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement