In 2016 Epcot unveiled a new lounge just for Disney Vacation Club members (and their guests) that includes free drinks, comfy couches, and a host of other amenities.
While this is certainly one of the more accessible lounges at Epcot, it is far from the only one. In fact, you probably didn’t know that there are more than half a dozen exclusive corporate lounges around the park that allow sponsors to entertain guests at their attraction. Though almost half of these lounges have been closed or repurposed over the years, let’s explore some of the most exclusive places around Epcot that you’ve (probably) never been to!
1. GM Test Track corporate lounge
Image: Disney
This large lounge is available for specific GM employees and corporate VIPs to kick back and enjoy ample seating, meeting space and complimentary drinks. Inside the lounge, guests will also find great views of Future World as well as Spaceship Earth from high up within the building. Guests can also check out a terrific view of Test Track cars inside the attraction going through the brake testing area. If guests at this lounge decide that they want to take a spin on this high-octane attraction, they can also make their way over to a VIP attraction boarding area where they can hop on the ride with no wait.
2. Siemens Spaceship Earth lounge
Image: Siemens
When you depart Spaceship Earth into the Project Tomorrow exhibit space, you’ll pass by a simple grey door with a small sign that says Siemens on it. The door blends in perfectly with its surroundings, and you’ve probably walked past it several times without realizing it. However, behind this door is the Seimens Spaceship Earth lounge, which is an expansive lounge with plenty of comfy couches, individual meeting rooms, complementary drinks, and touchscreens that display park information and also have unique apps installed to entertain guests. The large windows in this lounge provide breathtaking views of Future World, and the nightly Illuminations fireworks.
3. The Living Seas lounge
Image: Disney
Back when The Living Seas was sponsored by United Technologies, a lounge was built for employees of this company to kick back, relax, and enjoy stunning floor to ceiling views into this attraction’s giant aquarium. However, when this space lost United Technologies as its sponsor, it didn’t just close up this lounge, as guests can now rent this amazing space out for wedding receptions or other special events.
4. The American Adventure lounge
This is another lounge that has gone through a reinvention in recent years, as it used to be available for American Express employees and cardholders back when this credit card company sponsored The American Adventure. However, in recent years this lounge has been repurposed as a quiet, seasonal retreat for Chase cardholders during the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival. During other times of the year, this space can also be rented out for special events, weddings, etc. Though this is one of the smaller lounges on property, it still features plenty of seating, free drinks, and during the Epcot Food and Wine festival there are even video game stations set up for little ones.
5. Living with the Land lounge
While the lounges at the American Adventure and The Living Seas were repurposed after their original sponsorships were lost, the Living With the Land lounge briefly served as an annual passholder lounge that featured complimentary drinks, kids’ activities, and even character meet and greets (see video above). However, in the early 2000s, the annual passholder lounge was closed indefinitely and this space sat vacant for several years. While this space sat abandoned, several guests risked legal action by trespassing to see what exactly remained of this former lounge (you can see a video of one such individual here). Though the majority of this lounge still sits empty, some cast members who work in The Land pavilion have said that a few of the rooms are used for storage and one corner is occasionally used for a break room. While this lounge may one day be repurposed into a special event space or something different, for now its just sitting there.
6. HP Mission: Space lounge
On the left of Mission: Space’s entrance is a small unobtrusive HP plaque that leads to an elevator to HP’s Mission: Space lounge. Inside this lounge guests will find a kitchen stocked free drinks, plenty of seating, computers, and a number of screens with exclusives games and content. The lounge itself features views of the gravity wheel part of the queue, as well as the Advanced Training Labs. Those who want to experience this attraction can also take a hallway that leads to the end of the queue where guests can board Mission: Space without waiting.
7. Universe of Energy lounge
Here’s yet another lounge that has been lost due to a lost sponsorship. Back when Exxon sponsored the Universe of Energy (up until the mid-1990s), employees of Exxon were able to enter through an exterior door, to the right of the building and enjoy a lounge area with complimentary drinks, a monitor showing the pre-show for the attraction, and an upstairs area where guests could view the primeval world scene. In the years since this lounge has been closed, Disney has converted this former lounge into office space, and it is unlikely that this area will ever be turned back into a guest area.
8. Wonders retreat
Image: Disney
Back when MetLife sponsored the Wonders of Life attraction, this lounge was available for employees to kick back, relax, and enjoy a private bar as well as a theater. However, since the Wonders of Life pavilion lost its sponsorship (and was subsequently turned into the Festival Center), this former lounge has been converted into the “Wonders Retreat” which can be rented out for special events or meeting space.
Have you ever been inside one of these ultra-exclusive Epcot lounges? What was your experience like? Share your stories with us in the comments below!
