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- The Importance Of Staying Hydrated On A Disney World Vacation
- How To Stay Hydrated at Walt Disney World
- Can I Bring Water Bottles To Walt Disney World?
- Best Water Bottles For A Walt Disney World Vacation
- Tips For Carrying Your Water Bottles At Walt Disney World
- Locations Of Refillable Water Bottle Stations At Walt Disney World Theme Parks
- Other Resources For Finding Water Bottle Refill Stations At Walt Disney World
- Final Thoughts
The Importance Of Staying Hydrated On A Disney World Vacation
Let’s not kid ourselves. A Walt Disney World vacation is no walk in the park. I mean, it literally is a walk in a theme park; but it’s far from easy. And one of the biggest issues making you more miserable at the parks is the heat and dehydration sneaking up on you.
The last thing you need is dehydration adding problems on top of how tired you normally are after a day at the parks. Remember, dehydration can cause with major headaches, swollen feet, and even more fatigue and tiredness than you would have otherwise. Guests end up at the First Aid station with heat stroke and dehydration symptoms all the time.
Many guests who are not used to the heat underestimate it. And others who are used to the Florida heat, overestimate themselves. I have to admit, I was one of the people overestimating how much heat I could take without drinking enough water. I’ve been going to Walt Disney World multiple times a year for most of my life, and I’ve never been intentional about taking my own water bottle to the parks until this past week. First off, I’ve never liked drinking water, and I don’t like paying a premium for water bottles at the park. If I am going to spend money, I rather it be for something else I can’t get for free.
My husband, on the other hand, drinks a lot of water. It was getting to the point he was asking the wait staff at table-service restaurants to just bring him the whole pitcher of water instead of filling up his glass during our lunch breaks. The waiters thought he was kidding, so they’d jokingly bring him a pitcher. He would drink the entire thing immediately. That’s how hot it is.
On our trip last week, we weren’t planning on eating at any table-service restaurants. So, we decided to try out brining our own water bottles. Specifically, one very large water jug which we used as a reservoir to later fill up our smaller water bottles and Stanley cups.
The result? After staying properly hydrated for the first time ever while on a Disney vacation, there’s no going back for me.
Not only are refillable water bottles eco-friendly, but they also provide guests with a free and convenient way to stay refreshed throughout the day. So where do you fill them up? There’s actually a few ways you could go about it!
How To Stay Hydrated at Walt Disney World
Here are all of the ways you can stay hydrated at Walt Disney World.
- Good, Old-Fashioned Water Fountains: There are multiple water fountains throughout the theme parks. Some of them are near restrooms, and others are right in the middle of a land, adding to the themeing. These are good for a quick drink and in a pinch you can also use them to refill your water bottle (but the water pressure might not be great so it might take a while and you might have to hold your water bottle at weird angles).
- Buy Water Bottles: Disney sells water bottles at multiple snack and drinks carts throughout their theme parks, as well as at quick-service restaurants. As of September 2024, Walt Disney World sells Dasani ($3.75) at most locations offering bottles beverages and Smart Water ($5.50) at only some locations offering bottles beverages. Some locations not run by Disney (like the countries in World Showcase at EPCOT or certain Disney Springs restaurants) have their own different water bottle brands and different pricing.
- Ask for Cups Of Water At Quick-Service Restaurants: You can ask the cast members at the food pickup windows of any quick-service restaurant for a cup of ice water. You can ask for as many cups of water you want at one time (we asked for 10 at once when we needed to fill up our water bottles and we were far from water bottle refill stations). Just remember, this only applies to quick-service restaurants, not snack carts or stands.
- Use Water Bottle Refill Stations: This is by far my favorite way of staying hydrated. In recent years, Walt Disney World has added water bottle refill stations to its theme parks and across its resort. These refill stations make it easy to fill up your water bottle so you’re good to go for a few hours. Some of them are located on or near the regular water fountains, and others are standalone refill stations. It may be a bit difficult to find them, but I’ve got you covered in my list below!
Can I Bring Water Bottles To Walt Disney World?
Yes! You can bring water bottles into Walt Disney World as long as they’re not glass (baby food jars are the only glass containers allowed).
Best Water Bottles For A Walt Disney World Vacation
Here are some of the best water bottles for your Walt Disney World vacation.
- Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottles: They’re all the rage right now and for good reason. We’re talking about Stanley’s and other cups like that. I was holding out on jumping on the Stanley bandwagon for years, but I finally got one (it was gifted to me) and I can see why people are obsessed. My drinks stays cold for over 24 hours even under the hot Florida sun!
- Collapsable Water Bottles: These water bottles have the advantage of collapsing down to a very small size for easy storage on the way back to your car or hotel. They’re usually made out of silicone and don’t have great insulation so they won’t keep your water as cold as the insulated Stainless Steel ones will.
- Built-In Filter Water Bottles: Some water bottles have built-in filters to add an extra layer of protection and peace of mind when you’re drinking tap water.
Tips For Carrying Your Water Bottles At Walt Disney World
Carrying your water bottles at Walt Disney World can seem like it would be difficult, especially if you don’t plan ahead. So, here are some tips for easily carrying your water bottles at the theme parks.
- Buy A Water Bottle That Comes With A Strap, Lanyard, or Handle: Some water bottles already come with straps or lanyards that attach either to the water bottle itself or to a sleeve/carrier that you can place the bottle inside of.
- Buy A Water Bottle Bag: There are tons of water bottle bags you can buy with a variety of features. Many of them have straps that makes them look like slings or crossbody bags. Some have a drawstring closure for when you’re not using it to hold water bottles. Some have pockets to hold additional small items. They come in a variety of colors and some are even Disney themed! Just make sure to check if your particular water bottle will fit inside the bag you want (my 40 oz. Stanley cup usually doesn’t fit in a lot of bags because of the handle).
- Use A Large Stroller Clip To Hold Water Bottles: I can’t recommend this enough for anything you need to carry in a pinch. As long as it has a handle, you can use a stroller clip to hold your water bottle and clip it on to anything you’d like. This works great for holding multiple water bottles at once by hand or clipping them on your stroller or backpack (just make sure they’re not going to swing back and forth and hit you or someone else).
Locations Of Refillable Water Bottle Stations At Walt Disney World Theme Parks
Now, let’s explore where you can find refillable water bottle stations in the four main Walt Disney World theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. These stations are conveniently located, but some may be tucked away in places you might not expect, so having a guide can be a game-changer for your day in the parks.
Magic Kingdom Water Bottle Refill Stations
While Magic Kingdom is the oldest and most iconic of Disney’s parks, it has also been slower to adopt refillable water bottle stations compared to others. However, there are a few key locations where you can fill up your bottle and stay refreshed throughout the day.
- Pinocchio Village Haus (Fantasyland): Located near the iconic It’s a Small World attraction, the Pinocchio Village Haus quick-service restaurant has a refillable water bottle station inside the dining area, perfect for a quick hydration stop.
- Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café (Tomorrowland): One of the most popular quick-service restaurants in the park, Cosmic Ray’s is located near the Teacups and Tomorrowland Speedway. You’ll find a water refill station between Bays 2 and 3 where you order food.
- Outside The Restrooms Near Tron / Lightcycle Run (Tomorrowland): The only water bottle refill station at Magic Kingdom that is not inside of a restaurant is the one outside the Tron ride restrooms.
EPCOT Water Bottle Refill Stations
A lot of people tell me they think the hottest place in all of Disney World is EPCOT’s World Showcase. Thankfully, EPCOT offers multiple water bottle refill stations that are spaced rather nicely in different sections of the park so you can fill up as you go along without having to double back when you run out. It’s actually the park with the second most water bottle refill stations at 8 in total.
- Outside Guest Relations (World Celebration): When you come into the park from the front entrance and pass under Space Earth, this refill station will be on the left side outside the Guest Relations building.
- Inside Connections Cafe Near The Restrooms (World Celebration): Connections Cafe is where the Starbucks is located at EPCOT near the front of the park and Spaceship Earth. There’s a water bottle refill station inside near the bathrooms.
- Outside Journey Of Water Inspired By Moana (World Nature): It’s fitting that the Journey Of Water Inspired By Moana would have a water bottle refill station nearby seeing as the attraction teaches guests all about the water cycle.
- CommuniCore Hall (World Discovery): There is a water bottle refill station inside CommuniCore Hall which opened up as a brand new building in 2024.
- Outside The World Nature Restrooms (World Nature): This refill station is right outside the bathrooms that are located behind the building that houses Communicore Hall and the Mickey and Friends character meet and greet spot.
- Outside The Rose Walk Restrooms (Between Imagination Pavilion and the World Showcase): These restrooms are located on the walkway between the Imagination Pavilion (where the Figment ride is) and the World Showcase entrance closest to the Canada pavilion.
- The Odyssey (On The Lake Between Test Track and the World Showcase): The Odyssey used to be a restaurant back in the day, and is now used as a food booth during some EPCOT festivals. When it is open, you can find a refillable water bottle station inside.
- International Gateway Entrance Restrooms/Lockers: If you’re entering or leaving EPCOT through its “back entrance” there’s a water bottle refill station located next to the bathrooms and lockers outside of the security check for this entrance.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Water Bottle Refill Stations
Hollywood Studios has gone through several new expansions in the past few years from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to Toy Story Land. And with those new lands, Hollywood Studios has also added more refillable water bottle stations to keep guests refreshed. So much so, that Hollywood Studios is now the theme park with the most water bottle refill stations in Walt Disney World with 9 of them in total.
- Outside The Bus Loop Restrooms: If you’re coming into Hollywood Studios on a Walt Disney World Resort bus, the bathrooms closest to the bus loops have 2 water bottle refill stations right outside (one outside the women’s restroom and one outside the men’s restroom). These bathrooms are located right before you get to the Skyliner station.
- Just Before Security: There is another water bottle refill station outside of Hollywood Studios right before you head through the security check.
- Outside Of Guest Relations: When you walk into Hollywood Studios, you’ll find a water bottle refill station on your right in front of Guest Relations.
- On Sunset Boulevard: There is a water refill station right past the Hollywood Brown Derby if you’re walking up Sunset Boulevard toward the Tower of Terror. It will be on the left side of the road between the Sunshine Day Bar and the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) “garage”.
- ABC Commissary (Near Echo Lake): The ABC Commissary is a quick-service restaurant right next door to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater on Commissary Lane audit has a refillable water bottle station inside the dining area.
- Outside The Grand Ave Station Bathrooms (in front of Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater and the Star Tours ride): This one is also really close to the ABC Commissary so if you don’t want to stop inside, you can use these outside the nearby bathrooms.
- Outside Of Black Spire Market Restrooms (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge): Disney spared no detail when designing this immersive land. You’ll find a water bottle refill station near the restrooms close to the market where you can find a bunch of Star Wars shops and souvenirs.
- Next To The Milk Stand (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge): The second refill stations in Galaxy’s Edge is next to the Milk Stand (where you can get blue and green milk).
- In The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Ride Queue (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge): Once you’re done riding the popular Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, you can refill your water bottle as you exit at the refill station there.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Water Bottle Refill Stations
Animal Kingdom is Disney’s celebration of wildlife and nature, which means the park is a bit more spread out and exposed to the elements. Refillable water bottle stations here are essential, especially on long walks between different lands.
- Near Flame Tree Barbecue (Discovery Island): this refill station is near Flame Tree Barbecue which is a great quick-service barbecue restaurant located near the front of the park.
- Near Mombasa Marketplace (Africa): This refill station is near the Mombasa Marketplace gift shop that sells African crafts, safari-theme gifts & sundries. This gift shop is also connected to the Ziwani Traders shop.
- Satu’li Canteen (Pandora – The World of Avatar): Satu’li Canteen is a popular quick-service restaurant in Pandora is a great spot to grab a bite and refill your water bottle before leaving the land.
- Inside The Na’vi River Journey Queue (Pandora – The World of Avatar): While you wait in line for Na’Vi River Journey, there is a refill station as well as water fountains in the outdoor portion of the Standby queue (not the Lightning Lane queue). That area of the queue has no walls, but it does have a shady roof. You must be in line for the ride to use this water station.
- Inside The Flight Of Passage Queue (Pandora – The World of Avatar): While you wait in line for Flight Of Passage, there is a refill station as well as water fountains in the indoor portion of the Standby queue (not the Lightning Lane queue). You must be in line for the ride to use this water station.
Other Resources For Finding Water Bottle Refill Stations At Walt Disney World
Disney continues to add water bottle refill stations throughout its theme parks as they expand and reimagine different lands.
To see an up-to-date map of the current water bottle refill stations at Walt Disney World you can check out their online map or use your My Disney Experience app and type “water bottle refill stations” into the search bar.
Final Thoughts
With all the excitement of a Walt Disney World vacation, it’s easy to overlook one of the most essential needs: staying hydrated. Florida’s heat, combined with hours of walking, can leave you feeling drained, which is why knowing where to find refillable water bottle stations in the parks is crucial for a healthy and comfortable visit. Make sure to save this list while you’re planning your next Walt Disney World vacation and you’ll even be able to pull it up while in the parks to find your next refill station.
And let’s not forget that with Disney’s commitment to reducing single-use plastics, bringing your reusable water bottle is a small way you can contribute to keeping the parks environmentally friendly (and you won’t need to use those paper straws).
And if you forget to bring your own reusable water bottle, many shops within Disney’s parks and resorts sell them in a variety of styles, often with cute Disney characters on them.
I hope you enjoy your Walt Disney World vacation and stay hydrated!
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