A Visit to the Chase Lounge at Epcot’s American Adventure
Since Chase started sponsoring the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival a few years ago, it has operated a special lounge that guests who are Chase cardholders can visit. Last year, the lounge was in the Festival Center (the former Wonders of Life Pavilion), but this year it moved to the American Adventure Parlor.
The lounge can be found on the right hand side when you are looking straight at the Pavilion. You will most likely find a line of other guests waiting to head inside. (Capacity limits the number of guests allowed up at a time.)
Once you reach the front of the line and show your Chase card (any Chase card will work), you and up to nine guests may proceed using either the elevator or the stairs.
Once you reach your final destination, you can choose to go left or right. If you choose to head to the right, you will be greeted with tables, as well as two Coke Freestyle machines, where you can drink as much as you want. In addition, coffee is available. Select beer and wine options are also being sold, if you would like to imbibe.
If you head left, you will make your way to the larger of the two rooms. Here, guests can enjoy a sports game on TV, play board games, charge their phones, and nap. (I saw many people napping in the sweet, cool air conditioning after a long morning in the park!)
There are a ton of interesting items scattered all around the lounge. I also enjoyed looking out the front window and seeing all the people who were enjoying the festival strolling by with Spaceship Earth in the distance.
One nice perk is that all Chase card members can get preferred viewing of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, as long as wristbands (which are distributed on a first come, first served basis) are still available. In addition, preferred seating for the Eat to the Beat concerts is being offered, but that is only for Disney Chase card holders.
The lounge is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays until the Food & Wine Festival concludes on November 11, 2013.
For those of us who are uber nerds, getting the opportunity to head up into this private space is a thrill. It’s always neat to see areas that are usually off limits to the average guest! (For me, that’s four lounges down…a bunch more to go!)
So sorry we missed this! We saw the line and headed in the other direction. If we had known what was available, I think we would have waited. Where are the wristbands distributed? This is the first I have heard of the preferred viewing area. I would have saved our Fastpass plus.