Where are the benches?

[KateInCharleston]

Does anyone know if there is a map showing where the benches are?. I have developed hip problems, but think if I could sit a bit between walking, that would help.

Thanking you in advance

PS Especially Epcot - if anyone knows where to catch a sit down.

 

[dunbarfamily]

Does anyone know if there is a map showing where the benches are?. I have developed hip problems, but think if I could sit a bit between walking, that would help.

Thanking you in advance

PS Especially Epcot - if anyone knows where to catch a sit down.

I bet someone here will know of a map. There are lots of places to rest. My grandma travels with us quite a bit and she has one knee replacement and her other knee is sore, plus, I'm usually pregnant on our trips, and I'm always nurisng a baby, so we hit the benches quite a bit. We don't have problems finding frequent resting spots, but we do have problems finding non-smoking benches. It seems like lots of bench areas are smoking areas. Am I just noticing them more than non-smoking areas, or are there truly more smoking area benches than non-smoking benches?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

There are no benches shown on maps. However, there are a lot of benches all over; you just have to look for them.

But if you are having hip problems, I would strongly suggest using a wheelchair or ECV. Most people tend to walk 8-12 miles poer day at WDW. Oncew around the World Showcase Lagoon Promenade is almost 1½ miles, and that is without going into any of the pavilions.

I had hip problems and my wife said the day I rented an ECV was the best day she had in WDW in a couple of years because I was not slowing us down.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't know of any map that has benches listed, but you will find them scattered around the parks. Some areas used to have more, but some of the benches were removed (so it may take a little looking to find the benches).
As the other poster mentioned, in some areas, the most visible ones will be in the designated smoking area.

 

[RaySharpton]

I respectfully have to disagree about there being lots of benches to sit on to rest between walking and having to rest.

I am just speaking personally of my problem walking more than 100 feet before I start to fall.

I really have to plan everything from the distance between being able to sit down whether there is a bench or restaurant chair or wall, etc.sit down.

This is especially true at Magic Kingdom Park, which is my favorite park.

I am speaking just from my personal experience from over the several years since finally having to use a mobility scooter and now owning one.

I used to walk using a cane and would walk a little and sit on a bench to rest and people watch.

At Magic Kingdom park I used to be able to sit on benches as I passed through the railway tunnel, but they removed all of the benches surrounding the center circle in front of Main Street and many of the benches along Main Street.

There are rocking chairs if you walk up to the Italian restaurant or photo building, but the benches were also removed from the front of building along with the Goofy statue sitting on a bench.

I guess that I could have sat next to Walt statue on his bench in the center circle, but there is always someone waiting in line to take a photo.

Walking down Mainstreet there used to be several benches outside many of the stores and they are almost all gone now except down the side street.

At the end of Main Street there are chairs at the Casey's and the Ice Cream restaurant but even walking accross the bridge all of the benches were removed from outside and inside the center circle in front of the castle.

Remember that stone wall with the built in stone seating that used to be around the center circle in front of the castle before the renovation.

If you go down to the different sections of the park you will see very limited number of benches.

I just saw more and more benches disappear every year as they updated the parks.

I realize it helps create more space for more people to walk.

But I just needed to sit and I felt that I couldn't walk all of the way down Main Street without sitting down.

And a lot of other people had the same idea, because what benches were available were usually already being used.

At least this was my experience.

And that is one of the major reasons that I own a scooter now.

I wish that I could easily sit on the curb or sit on the ground and get up and then it wouldn't be an issue for me.

Again, I am just speaking personally of my problem walking more than 100 feet before I start to wobble with my cane and grab a wall or even fall down.

I used to decide not to go to the park because of this because I was too stubborn to rent a scooter.

Thank you for letting me vent.

This has always bothered me prior to renting a park ECV and the repeated removal of sitting opportunities that I depended on and the succeeding years seeing these places disappear.

I guess that I was particularly tuned in to this issue as I visited WDW every year.

Doesn't anyone else notice this like I do?

I am so glad that I own my own scooter now and I am always so happy that WDW provides all of the bus and boat and monorail transportation for my mobility scooter to use to go from resort to park or DTD.

I almost deleted this post, but I think that I wll go ahead.

 

[SueM in MN]

Ray, I'm glad you left your post.
The 'missing benches' you mention are what I meant when I said there used to be more benches and that benches are scattered.
There are some places with quite a few benches, but others are very far between.

 

[Bete]

The best would probably be to use a scooter-ECV. You will have to pay for one, but you will probably get at least 40% more out of your day at the parks using one. There are places you can rent one for $150/week.

If that's a no go then think about resting in counter service restaurants, as well as, bench areas. There aren't too many CS places that I believe would refuse you to sit down without food. There are enough of these restaurants throughout the parks. When you can catch a bench, then you don't need to go that extra mile. Take in some shows where you can sit and relax for a while. Mix the shows up with the rides; so, you can have a rest, here and there.

Rollator walkers are getting more popular at the parks. These walkers allow you to sit when you need to do it anywhere. I would say they run about $100, but then you have it with you anywhere you need to go.

 

[dunbarfamily]

I too am glad you left your post Ray. This is something that people need to know about. I guess I haven't personally noticed the benches were disappearing. I am so glad that Disney makes it easy for our brothers and sisters in scooters to get around.