FREE Refreshment Lounge Returning to EPCOT
Last year’s free refreshment lounge is returning to the 2022 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. This “secret spot” is going to be a great spot for Walt Disney World guests to relax and recharge with free refreshments and air-conditioning. This post takes a look inside, food & drinks, how to access the temporary venue in World Showcase, plus some history.
In an attempt to avoid being overly dramatic or hyperbolic, we stopped short of calling the new lounge a hidden gem last year. This was despite low attendance–we never saw more than a dozen people in the entire space, even after our post about it. That was in part because last year’s lounge was very much “hiding” in plain sight, right next to the Frozen Ever After queue.
There will be no such restraint this year. Even though the temporary lounge isn’t yet open, we’re going to proclaim it secret spot, hidden gem, hole in the wall, under-the-radar escape, etc. This is due to the aforementioned lack of popularity last year and because this go-round, it’s literally in the most tucked away location in all of World Showcase at EPCOT.
The Florida Blue Lounge is located in the Restaurant Marrakesh. If you’re unfamiliar with this restaurant, it’s deep in the Morocco pavilion down a dead-end corridor that is only home to Restaurant Marrakesh.
Pre-closure, Restaurant Marrakesh was not particularly popular. This was likely in part due to its more exotic cuisine, but location played a bigger role. Due to that, there was routinely a Cast Member in the front courtyard of Morocco beaconing guests back, showing menus and touting the (underrated) restaurant.
When EPCOT reopened, Restaurant Marrakesh remained closed. This was hardly surprising–it previously ranked up there with Planet Hollywood as being among the easiest ADRs at Walt Disney World. (Unlike Planet Hollywood, Restaurant Marrakesh served edible food–a key distinction.)
Even after the third party operating participant exited the Morocco pavilion and turned over operations to Disney, the restaurant remained closed. Again, unsurprising. There’s probably enough demand to justify opening Restaurant Marrakesh at this point, but now with staffing shortages, it’s hardly a priority.
Thankfully, the International Programs are on the precipice of returning. That’ll be a big help…and could also explain why the Florida Blue Lounge has moved from Akershus in Norway to Morocco. Not to fire up the rumor/speculation mill, but there’s probably a reason why Walt Disney World relocated this lounge.
In our estimation, the likelihood of Akershus Royal Banquet Hall reopening and Disney Princess Storybook Dining returning by November 2022 just skyrocketed. Place your bets now before the Vegas oddsmakers adjust the payouts!
With that said, let’s take a look around Restaurant Marrakesh Florida Blue Lounge.
The Morocco pavilion was based on designs found in the cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Marrakesh. (We’ll bet you can’t guess which city inspired this particular restaurant.) Like many Moroccan cities, the pavilion is divided into new and old cities, demarcated by the Bab Bou Jeloud (“Blue”) Gate.
Restaurant Marrakesh lies beyond the Blue Gate, and largely maintains its opening day appearance with ornate design and stunning details. Morocco is a country of “timeless wonders” with ancient mosques, synagogues, souks, churches, and kasbahs where the art and architecture have been designed and refined over centuries.
This is evident inside Restaurant Marrakesh/Florida Blue Lounge. The setting is truly transportive, feeling worlds away from a theme park in Florida in 2022. From tile work to the tea dispensers to the ceilings and (especially) the light fixtures, Restaurant Marrakesh is an opulent exemplar of old world Morocco–and old school Imagineering aesthetic sensibilities.
Unfortunately, you don’t get the full experience from visiting the Florida Blue Lounge. During an actual meal at Restaurant Marrakesh, you’d enjoy music from a two-piece combo performing traditional songs and a belly dancer showing off her talents and beckoning kids to join her on the dance floor.
Then there’s the cuisine. Restaurant Marrakesh served up a variety of complex but approachable dishes, with a wide variety of spices and herbs producing authentic Moroccan dishes with nuance, but not necessarily intense flavor or spice. To the contrary, one of my favorite dishes here was the roasted lamb shank, which was fall off the bone tender. Even Signature Restaurants couldn’t compete with this.
Oh, and Restaurant Marrakesh was significantly cheaper than other restaurants. Due to its lack of popularity, the location frequently offered lunch specials or large samplers that were a bargain by Walt Disney World standards.
Now, if you’re wondering why I’m blathering on about Restaurant Marrakesh in a post about the Florida Blue Lounge that coincidentally inhabits the venue, the answer is simple: opportunism. You are something of a captive audience and I’m a big fan of Restaurant Marrakesh.
You might’ve noticed that I use “subtle” efforts to convince you to see Country Bear Jamboree by spreading the gospel according to Big Al in otherwise irrelevant posts. That’s a bit selfish, as every full theater goes a little further in ensuring its longevity. (It’s also just good fun and high art that’ll make you more cultured, so you’re welcome!)
Same idea here. I’m encouraging you to dine at Restaurant Marrakesh if/when it reopens. This is because I want the restaurant to thrive in the future and not close for 2+ years again. I also want you to enjoy a great meal in a nice setting, I guess.
Now let’s cover the expected highlights of the free Florida Blue Lounge in the Morocco pavilion.
Let’s start with what was offered last year. There were stations set up with self-service tap water and fruit-infused spa water. After grabbing cups of water (or wandering around taking photos of the architecture, as the case may be) and grabbing a seat, a snack cart came around to your table.
This cart offered a variety of snacks: pre-packaged carrots & celery, apple slices, Oikos Greek Yogurt, Sabra Snackers hummus & pretzels, Babybel cheese, and whole oranges or apples. There was also AHA flavored sparkling water.
When we first reported on the Florida Blue Lounge last year, you were allowed to select two snacks and a drink. Around October, this changed to one snack. Cutbacks strike Walt Disney World again! 😉
This year, the Florida Blue Lounge will be open for the 2022 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival starting September 3, 2022 and continuing through November 19, 2022 from noon until 6 pm daily.
No word yet on eligibility, but it’s expected that anyone will be able to enter, just like last year. It was not reserved for executives, employees, or even members. All you needed to do is show the Disney Guest Pass, which was a PDF on the Florida Blue website (that page has since been removed). The reason we are not expecting that to change is because the lounge was already incredibly underutilized last year when open to all.
UPDATE: Several commenters have indicated that they were denied access to the Florida Blue Lounge last year, starting as early as September. We never had any issues, through at least late October or early November. We’re not denying that others did–just pointing this out up here since it seems access was very YMMV last year. Hopefully Walt Disney World and/or Florida Blue get on the same page this year, and it’s clear whether access is for those with Florida Blue insurance or guests as well.
Last year, the Florida Blue Lounge originally intended upon requiring reservations in October when EPCOT got busier for the start of the 50th Anniversary. Neither of those things ever happened, but the circumstances could be different this year. Once the lounge actually opens and official policies are published, we’ll update this or share a report with our experience.
Suffice to say, don’t book a trip to Walt Disney World solely because you want to get some free snacks–they might stop being offered, the lounge might change policies, etc.
This year, the free Florida Blue Lounge will offer even more.
In addition to light refreshments, there will be “selected entertainment like complimentary henna tattoos and more.”
Florida Blue Lounge guests will also enjoy VIP seating for Eat to the Beat.
As covered in our Guide to the 2022 Eat to the Beat Concert Series, buying the dining package for reserved seating is not really necessary–these concerts are not nearly as popular as Candlelight Processional. With that said, it will get you a better view closer to the stage. So that’s a plus.
Ultimately, we’re really excited about the return of the Florida Blue Lounge to Walt Disney World and wanted to give you an early heads up about its return, even though full details aren’t yet known.
Last year, there was a lot of confusion about this location that led to its “hiding in plain sight” status, even though literally anyone in EPCOT could have utilized it for free snacks, drinks, and a place to cool off and escape the crowds–all in the second-busiest World Showcase pavilion.
We’re personally really looking forward to this for a few of reasons. First, because we might’ve used the Florida Blue Lounge more than any other guests last year, and hope to break our own record this year. We really cannot overstate just how great of a guest benefit this lounge was for those who knew about it. Literally better than the DVC Lounge in EPCOT!
Second, because it exposes more of you to a criminally underrated World Showcase restaurant and perhaps piques your curiosity about returning for a proper meal. Whenever we share our favorite “hidden gem” restaurant locations, some other fans of those spots express disdain, not wanting the word to get out. Our view is that it’s much better than the alternative, which is closing or being reworked into something more popular and crowd-pleasing. (Part of me worries that this will come back as Aladdin character dining.)
Finally, because there’s gotta be a reason why Disney had the lounge relocated from Norway to Morocco, and hopefully this means Disney Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is reopening in the next few months–we know that would make many of you very happy!
The bottom line is that we wanted to give you a heads up about this great location as early as possible so more of you could actually take advantage of it this year. You shouldn’t sleep on this overlooked lounge (again). Not only is it a great spot for free refreshments, but it’s a rare chance to see inside an exemplar of Imagineering’s old school World Showcase design work. Plus, it’s not every day that you get something truly free at Walt Disney World!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Did you take advantage of the Florida Blue Lounge in EPCOT last year? Will you be visiting this free temporary refreshment spot on an upcoming visit to Walt Disney World in 2022? Excited about the opportunity to experience the design and details of Restaurant Marrakesh? Hopeful that this means Disney Princess Storybook Dining will be returning to Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in late 2022? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We tried to use the Florida Blue Lounge last year. It was the first week of November. The representative said they were no longer accepting the voucher I printed online. We were very disappointed, especially since it was pouring rain.
We’re also stopped and not permitted to enter the Blue lounge. It was approximately last September when you first wrote about it. We were at the park when I was reading your review and immediately walked over. A man waiting by the door wanted to see our Blue insurance cards. When we told him that we were from out of town he denied us access. We never went back even though we’ve visited the park since then. (I appreciate your hard work and details in your writings!)
We dined at Restaurant Marrakesh years ago. We didn’t like the food, so we never went back. We much prefer Spice Table. I would like to see this space utilized again. It’s such a waste to leave it empty.
Dined at Marrakesh about 20 years ago. I was entertained by the nice belly dancer for considerably long time. I may have blushed. I had the inspiration to tell my wife, “She only danced for me because she assumed any man with a wife as beautiful as you must be important!” It didn’t work as well as I hoped.
We love restaurant Marrakech. The food is pretty good (I also grew up near a Moroccan restaurant, from CA so more diversity of food to begin with, and it was always a family birthday or special event place to go with musicians, dancers, etc. so it also has a hint of nostalgia). It was always medium quiet, super great air conditioning and you really felt like you left the chaos of WDW behind. The Morocco pavilion is one of my favorites anyway because of the design making it sometimes feel secluded and quiet. So I hope they reopen it!
Just fyi we went to the Florida Blue Lounge last year (after reading your blog) with a guest pass and we were denied access they said they stopped doing that and only members were allowed in. We have an adult daughter with special needs and the gentleman at the door was very nice and even went and double checked for us, but we were not allowed in. Obviously, this didn’t ruin our trip but just fyi for others.
When (approximately) was this? Weekend or weekday?
We accessed the lounge exclusively with the guest pass through at least late October. I’m trying to recall whether we also used it in November, but am not 100% sure.
(I don’t doubt what you’re saying at all–just trying to figure it when the policy changed, or if it was only the case during certain times.)
I looked back at photos we were there 10/13/21 and 10/20/21 and probably a couple times the last week of October, but if I remember correctly we probably attempted to enter on the 13th because we were part of a larger group of adults with special needs coming the next week who had plans to use the lounge as well and I let the group Leader know we were unable to get in. I was specifically told the guest passes were not being taken anymore.
It was also under utilized because cast members were confused what it was for. I saw several people told it was for “Florida Blue Members” which wasn’t exactly the case. Either way we really enjoyed it. Good spot to break if you have kids and to score an actual TABLE.
I was really disappointed to see this restaurant still closed this summer. My husband is a huge fan of Biergarten, but I had finally convinced him that we should revisit Marrakesh this summer. The architecture and ambiance of the entire Morocco pavilion is underrated, in my opinion, and this restaurant remained a true reflection of how well the World Showcase can transport you. The food was delicious, and really not THAT exotic. (If you like pasta, you can enjoy couscous. If you like steak, you can enjoy a beef kebab…) I’m glad to have the chance of a complimentary snack in the space, but I do hope the restaurant returns, with its original entertainment!
Yay!!! This spot was open last year as a place just to sit and relax/eat during food and wine. It was such a glorious respite from the heat. It was also almost completely empty except for one other family. There are bathrooms in there too. I felt like I had found a magical secret club.
You said you have to show a guest pass to get in; does that mean you have to be staying on Disney property to access this location?
This is what I wanna know.
“All you needed to do is show the Disney Guest Pass, which was a PDF on the Florida Blue website (that page has since been removed).”
The Pass was available to anyone, free of charge, regardlessof where they were staying. You didn’t have to be a FL resident or FL Blue Medicare member. Everyone was eligible.
The lounge was a great place to chill during the hot afternoon. Snacks were good, beverages were cold and the A/C was fabulous. Only wish it was going to be available in Dec. Oh well, maybe next year.
we went to the “free” refreshment place next to frozen……….we couldnt get in because we didnt have Florida Blue insurance………That might be a big reason they didnt have many people go there
When we were there in February, this alley in Morocco was full of drunk people partying. I regret taking my kids back there. EPCOT is pretty raunchy these days.
its mostly what I see all day, people walking around with alcoholic drinks.
I feel better that you’re reading this as a sign that the actual restaurant could make a triumphant return. When I first saw the news, I assumed that meant they were just using the space until they decide what else to put in there. We just went on vacation to the real Morocco last month (absolutely stunning; highly recommend), and it’d be great to have access to somewhat authentic cuisine again. I have some trepidation that having seen the real deal might ruin some of the immersion, but ultimately I think we’d just be happy to to get a little taste of it, especially since we’ve always enjoyed Restaurant Marrakech in the past. Maybe Disney/FL Blue will incorporate mint tea into the lounge offerings, and fingers crossed the full restaurant will be up and running soon. As a side note, I also saw that the band and belly dancer will be performing in the pavilion again soon. That might also draw more people back into what’s otherwise kind of a dead space right now.
We loved Restaurant Marrakesh! I admit, I was leery of trying the food the first time, but wound up really enjoying it. I always thought it was a true hidden gem and it’s to bad it hasn’t reopened. I agree about the lamb shank. I am not even a fan of lamb, but last time one of our party ordered it and she being tiny and the shank being huge we all got to try it, it was incredible! The atmosphere inside was relaxing and the music was surprisingly relaxing. The wait staff was always friendly and seemed really glad that you were there to sample their culture in a small way. We haven’t been to Disney for a number of years now, for a variety of reasons, but Restaurant Merrakesh is one of the things we really miss.
So glad this lounge is returning! My son will be 8 months when we go and I know we’re going to need some go-to air conditioned spots for breaks and this one just made the list. Bonus that we can get snacks and waters here. I love that it’ll be inside Restuarant Marrakesh. We first went there after visiting Morocco and walked in and said “this looks exactly like that restaurant we ate at…” I’m not sure any other pavilion re-creates a country more successfully and authentically than Morocco.
I definitely used the lounge last year with my then 1-year old toddler. First time she had Baby Bel cheeses and became an addict for them!!! She is now 2 and we will be there the last week of September for our annual Food and Wine trip. I can’t wait to go back to Marrakesh. I loved that restaurant and my 2 year would have loved it!!! Hopefully she will at least appreciate the air conditioned break this year. My hubby and I love the idea of this location much better than Akerhaus because we have used the front reception area as a secret cool off spot while our toddler has napped in the stroller. We usually picked up a snack to enjoy back there from either the La Isla Fresca booth or Tangierine Cafe festival offerings. Took advantage of this area during both Festival of Art and Flower and Garden. Mainly because both festival booths had food we really enjoyed and were our favorites 🙂
Restaurant Marrakesh was always our first choice in Epcot. My husband is GF and they by far had the most and most delicious GF offerings. We also liked it because we never had to make a reservation we could always eat as a walk in. My favorites were the beef brewat rolls and chicken bastilla, those along with the salad sampler I could make a whole meal. We definitely miss it.
Used the lounge last year and it was a nice respite from the heat. Also had anice selection of healthy snacks. Looking forward to it again this year.
Foiled. I am leaving for home before that date.
Will be wonderful to see the interior of this beautiful place once again. Most guests who’ve never stepped inside also won’t appreciate how delishly cool it is on a hot humid Orlando day. That alone is worth the trek into the pavilion. Also don’t miss the framed letter between George Washington and Mohamed III of Morocco in the foyer. History buffs love this stuff.
I really miss the restaurant. The lamb shank entree was also my fav. So much better than the standard lamb shank served throughout WDW. One waiter explained to me how the marinade was made and the care taken in the prep. The hot mint tea – has to be hot not cold – was a fun add-on especially when poured from height by your server. Marrakesh’s last menu change also tried hard to make it more appealing to guests. They had a new beignet and sweet cream dessert that was better than any baklava I’ve had. I fear a character dining experience is in the works. If the food is good and it’s on par with Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge then it may not be all bad. Better than letting the place be moth-balled for years.
“I fear a character dining experience is in the works. If the food is good and it’s on par with Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge then it may not be all bad. Better than letting the place be moth-balled for years.”
Sadly, I agree with this assessment.
I want to revisit the Restaurant Marrakesh of old, but realize that may not be viable. If Walt Disney World opts to introduce Aladdin and friends while retaining the old menu (more or less), that’s a net positive. Not for me personally, but for the guest experience as a whole–it would certainly spike the location’s popularity.
I only fear what kind of price increase that would entail, as Marrakesh was a downright deal for lunch before!