Grand Floridian lobby

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the most upscale Disney resort in Orlando. While you may not want to pay the nightly rate to stay here, you can still hang out as much as you want. All you need to do is jump on the resort monorail and stop here. You’ll exit the monorail on the second floor of the hotel and walk down the stairs to the lobby.

Here, you’ll discover one of the most peaceful places at Walt Disney World. Disney’s styled this lobby to be elegant yet relaxing. Ample seating is available, and you’ll get a free musical performance as part of the festivities. A live jazz orchestra plays many of your favorite Disney songs throughout the day. It’s one of the most magical experiences on the Disney campus.

Plus, if you get hungry, Grand Floridian Café usually has seats available and serves delicious cuisine at reasonable prices. And everyone can find this place due to the convenience of the monorail drop-off.

The Land Pavilion

Image: DisneyPicking an excellent hangout spot at Epcot isn't easy. The World Showcase has plenty of great options, but it's at the back end of the park. Your friends may not want to walk more than a mile to reach a destination. If they do, I strongly recommend America Gardens Theatre as a meeting spot, but that's not my actual suggestion here.

The Land Pavilion is simple to find due to its location just off the main walking path of Future World. It sits on the top of an incline, and the signage makes it impossible to miss. Since the area really has only two attractions, one of which (sadly) isn’t that popular, it’s rarely crowded, making it a wonderful place to spend time with friends.

You’ll enter the Land Pavilion on the second floor. My recommendation is to take the escalator down to the bottom and use the seating at Sunshine Seasons as your congregation point. The fresh food here is an added bonus for this location.

Main Street Plaza Gardens/Casey’s Corner

Image: DisneyPicking the perfect meeting location at Magic Kingdom isn’t easy. One of the worst rookie mistakes that you can make is to choose Cinderella Castle as your destination. Everyone will be fresh out of curse words by the time they find one another. This spot is overly crowded, extremely chaotic, and potentially mood-altering (in a bad way).

Right across the way from this locale is a better choice. Casey’s Corner is a restaurant that you can’t help but notice due to its prime location on Main Street, U.S.A. On light park days, it’s a fantastic place for everyone to meet. On more crowded days, however, the limited seating here is problematic.

On such occasions, I recommend that you take your party to Main Street Plaza Gardens, which is just past the restaurant. Cast members do a lovely job in maintaining these grounds, allowing you just to sit down and relish the view of Cinderella Castle. You're close enough to the action to appreciate it but far enough away that you're safe from the frustration caused by castle traffic.

Splitsville

Image: DisneyHoo boy! Disney Springs is where you may have the most problem meeting people. Frequent visitors here sometimes forget the scale of the place, something I must confess I’ve done. I once booked a table at The BOATHOUSE for my in-laws, only to watch them need to take a break from walking on the way to be seated.

Similarly, the food trucks seem like an ideal hangout spot, and they can be for those who know Disney Springs well. To others, this area is a nightmare to find due to the circuitous nature of the entertainment complex.

I can even describe the worst place where I’ve ever hung out with friends. It’s at one of my favorite Disney restaurants, T-REX. Every 20 minutes, this place recreates the meteor strike that ended the dinosaur race. It’s loud enough to make the walls shake. Your friends will have to shout over the noises, and you still won’t be able to hear them.

Image: DisneyDear Edwin: I’m really sorry about that evening. I’m sure that everything you said that evening was insightful, even though I have no idea what it was.

A decidedly great place to meet and hang out at Disney Springs is Splitsville. After all, bowling is a time-honored method to spend an afternoon/evening with friends. Since Splitsville is such a massive building, you’ll find plenty of places to sit, and there are televisions everywhere, too. It’s a terrific group activity that gets overlooked since there’s so much to do at Walt Disney World.