Walt Disney World has two new lounges coming to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT in 2025, with the latter being a bar called GEO-82 inside Spaceship Earth. This shares dates & details, concept art, access & age restrictions, and everything we know–plus comprehensive commentary about more bars at WDW and whether we think these are potentially good or bad additions for the park.
Prior to revealing the new GEO-82 name, Walt Disney World previously announced that the lounge inside Spaceship Earth will pay tribute to the most beautiful EPCOT icon. Everyone’s favorite geodesic sphere will be home to a whole new experience when GEO-82 opens in late Spring 2025, welcoming an elevated lounge to the list of things that make it absolutely stunning! This elegant lounge, honoring the intertwined history of Spaceship Earth and EPCOT itself, is set to celebrate the legacy of the icon’s past while admiring its future.
Walt Disney World chefs have created delicious culinary creations to complement the elegance of this extraordinary, intimate setting. While taking in breathtaking views of the park from an entirely new angle, you can be inspired by the stories and legacy of this iconic structure. With sweeping views of World Celebration Gardens and a unique perspective of the nightly fireworks, this secluded retreat invites you to raise a toast to the enduring spirit of EPCOT.
The latest news from Walt Disney World is that when GEO-82 opens this year (no mention of the previous “late Spring 2025” timeline), the location will offer reservations for guests 21 and older. The GEO-82 lounge inside Spaceship Earth will be the ultimate spot to toast to a trip around EPCOT with innovative cocktails and globally influenced small plates while you take in spectacular park views.
With this new GEO-82 lounge, you’ll feel like you’re discovering an all-new part of Spaceship Earth. GEO-82 will surround guests with iconic shapes and intricate structures inspired by the park’s instantly-recognizable icon. You’ll sit amid rich textures and warm, metallic tones that echo Spaceship Earth in an elegant and intimate setting.
The name GEO-82 is a nostalgic nod to Spaceship Earth—which opened in 1982 and is a GEOdesic sphere. At GEO-82, you’ll be immersed in the storied history and enduring legacy of this timeless EPCOT icon. According to Walt Disney World, advance reservations are required at GEO-82, as space is extremely limited. Check back later this spring to learn more about reservations and the menu at GEO-82.
Obviously, the big news here is that GEO-82 is an adults-only lounge, which is a first for any of the Walt Disney World theme parks. Even the Club 33 lounges allow guests of all ages. While there are a couple of restaurants that ‘gently discourage’ families with small children (Takumi-Tei and Monsieur Paul), even those don’t require guests be age 21 or older. So this is pretty notable!
It’s also bound to be controversial. Not just because everything Walt Disney World does is mired in controversy if you look for it hard enough. But because EPCOT being too alcohol-centric is already a common complaint among fans, and frankly, one that has some degree of validity. This will only add fuel to that fire.
There was a time when we avoided EPCOT on weekends. This is even still mentioned in some of our resources, especially when it comes to fall dates when Food & Wine Festival is happening and universities in Florida have away football games. After recently riding Cosmic Rewind over a dozen times during college spring break, I was reminded of this once again. (More on that soon…)
However, I very much disagree with the sentiment that this is worsening. That is, specifically, a complaint we regularly hear–that EPCOT is (in a state of) becoming more focused on alcohol and drinking culture. While overconsumption absolutely still happens–there’s no denying that–our view is that it peaked around ~2015 to 2017.
I still remember one infamous weekend during Food & Wine when we saw college students passed out in the lawn and other unsavory activities. While you’ll still spot bachelor/bachelorette parties, team drinking shirts, etc., it’s far less common than it once was. I assume younger people being priced out of APs and the rising cost of alcohol–as opposed to proactive policies on the part of Walt Disney World–have been the driving factor.
GEO-82 is unlikely to move the needle on overconsumption one way or the other. I’d liken this to table service restaurants serving alcohol at Magic Kingdom, which has similarly been a non-factor.
As a practical reality, GEO-82 is going to be an incredibly competitive Advance Dining Reservation. Easily one of the top 5 most difficult ADRs at Walt Disney World, potentially surpassing the Space 220 Lounge. It’s highly unlikely that adults are going to get up at the crack of dawn 60+ days in advance, fist-pump upon scoring an ADR, and shout their enthusiasm: “now I have somewhere to get blackout drunk at EPCOT!”
Call me naive, but I don’t think the hardcore day-drinking crew has that degree of dedication or level of premeditation. More likely, the target demo of this lounge is going to be dorks (non-derogatory) looking for old school EPCOT Center easter eggs, diehards wanting to drink or dine inside the geodesic sphere, and other Childless Disney Millennials. I would hazard a guess that on any given visit to GEO-82, you’re going to see far more Loungefly bags, Spirit Jerseys, and Figment paraphernalia than visibly drunk guests.
Anyone who wants to get wasted at EPCOT will be doing that at the countless walk-up bars and kiosks throughout the parks. There’s no shortage of opportunities for that all around World Showcase (and beyond), and it’s hard to imagine GEO-82 changes the equation on that. A new lounge, even one that’s 21 and up, with a significant barrier to entry will not increase alcohol overconsumption in EPCOT by any meaningful amount.
To be clear, none of this is to say that EPCOT doesn’t still have a problem with drinking culture. I’m far from a prude (or so I’d like to think), and I think Disney could be more diligent about reducing consumption. There’s no incentive to do so and it would be a nightmare for frontline Cast Members to enforce, but they should figure out something.
Regardless, the trajectory is for this to get better as opposed to worse–and GEO-82 won’t alter that one way or the other. I assume visible overconsumption will continue to decrease as prices continue going up and the demographics most inclined to overdrink are least likely to be able to afford admission and alcohol. Basically, it’ll continue self-correcting.
GEO-82 will also be controversial from another perspective, which is this common complaint: “Walt Disney World only builds bars! They need to focus on more family-friendly stuff!”
That’s no longer a fair criticism, and hasn’t been for a while. Sure, when Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, The Edison, and a handful of other locations that were very clearly aimed at adults–and only adults–it was true. Especially during the peak years of the Downtown Disney reimagining into Disney Springs. There was also validity to the grousing when more bar kiosks were popping up or a greater emphasis was placed on alcohol on restaurant menus.
That hasn’t been the trend of the last several years, though. Instead, Walt Disney World has added a slew of family-friendly lounges that are more food-forward. These are more fairly categorized as restaurants than bars (or at least “and grills”), and are oozing inviting atmosphere and have robust food menus that arguably surpass some of the regular restaurants at their respective resorts. This is true with the new Wailulu Bar & Grill at the Poly’s Island Tower, and will likely be the case with the Pirates Tavern at Magic Kingdom.
There are also countless other examples of Walt Disney World building attractions and experiences for all ages. Still, GEO-82 with its adults-only rule will be one glaring instance of Walt Disney World opening something aimed only at adults, and it’s sure to draw scrutiny from those who believe Walt Disney only wanted things where parents and children could spend time together. Not really any way around that one.
As a retired Childless Disney Millennial and current Disney Dad, I have some thoughts about GEO-82 being adults-only.
Having been a member of both groups, the former for over a decade and the latter for the last couple of years, I’d like to think that I have unique perspective. First and foremost, I’m a little bummed out that we won’t be able to take Megatron here. From a purely selfish perspective–and let’s be honest, that’s the most important one to each of us–that kinda stinks!
Being more objective, I think this is great for Childless Disney Millennials and other generations of Disney Adults. My general perspective is–and always has been–that kids should be welcome just about everywhere in society. For instance, grown adults who get upset about crying babies on airplanes are the real crybabies in that example.
At the same time, it is nice for adults to have spaces to themselves. These should be discretionary places that aren’t essential to any core experience, and have a reason–sophistication, atmosphere, etc–for being adults-only. This is true at Walt Disney World and beyond.
This is probably going to make me unpopular with my fellow parents, but I think there are several existing spots at Walt Disney World that should be more restrictive. There’s no reason I need to take my daughter to Citricos, Toledo, or a handful of bars and a few select Signature Restaurants. Having some upscale options for families is a good thing, but parents with small children don’t need all of them.
Those are already more adult and sophisticated places, and allowing kids introduces too much of a wildcard. We’ve had a few expensive date nights at refined restaurants where, only a table or two away, were kids bouncing off the walls…or subdued by an iPad without headphones. We didn’t get upset–after all, that’s the nature of the beast at Walt Disney World. But we did wonder what they were doing there, and vowed to learn from that experience and never do the same with our kids before they were ready for refined restaurants.
In a perfect world, parents would be able to use their discretion, determining whether their kids are mature enough for Signature Restaurants and other more sophisticated spaces at Walt Disney World. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Many people don’t make judgment calls with self-awareness; they do so with selfishness.
Our view is that Walt Disney World needs to do more to cater to families with small children, as it risks losing its foundational generational fans if it doesn’t reach kids during their formative years. But this mostly revolves around promotions and pricing, not the substance of the experiences. In that regard, Walt Disney World is undeniably a family-friendly place, first and foremost.
At the same time, there’s no denying overarching demographic trends. It’s savvy for Disney to add adult-centric attractions & entertainment, and otherwise chase the convention-goer and childless millennial demographics. Adults without children are making up an ever-increasing slice of the pie for Walt Disney World, and they’re freer spending.
Given all of that, and since some of these spaces are enhanced by being adults-only and because parents cannot be counted on to use their discretion to determine whether their kids are sufficiently mature for a sophisticated setting, age restrictions can make sense. The question is nevertheless whether it makes sense here, at GEO-82.
GEO-82 is obviously a discretionary space. It previously existed as a corporate sponsor lounge, so it hasn’t been accessible to 99.99% of EPCOT theme park guests for the last few decades, anyway.
No family’s trip will be “ruined” by being denied entry into GEO-82. Most probably won’t know about it and will go about their day as always. If anything, they’ll instead visit dining options that are more family-friendly and better suited to kids. I am 100% certain that our Megatron will enjoy Space 220, Coral Reef, Biergarten, Garden Grill, and several other EPCOT eateries more than GEO-82.
That still leaves the unanswered question of whether there’s good reason for GEO-82 being an adults-only lounge. Will it be sophisticated? Have a more adult atmosphere? Be a quiet place to decompress away from the hustle and bustle of the park?
Frankly, I’m skeptical about any of this. The decor looks fairly basic (a style masquerading as classy and elegant, but not so much in terms of fit and finishings), and the presence of all those Loungefly bags and Figment things suggests it’s probably not going to be all that refined, in actuality.
I really hope I’m wrong about that, and that Imagineering gets the budget necessary to make this something special, and that the culinary teams have a chance to show off their creativity in making ambitious and adult menus. This is a space that could be relatively simple, but emerge as a Walt Disney World dining heavyweight by nailing all of the little things. Kinda like Takumi-Tei, but with a great view.
If that happens, we will still come out ahead as Disney Parents, because we will win when Walt Disney World executes projects on a high level. On a more selfish level, there will be a compelling “excuse” to bring along the grandparents and have GEO-82 be the first stop in a multi-phase date night at EPCOT, followed by a fancy dinner in Japan or France. (We’ll probably never actually do this, if I’m being honest with myself, but I can dare to dream!)
Regardless of the adults-only age restriction, my prediction is still that Advance Dining Reservations for the Spaceship Earth lounge instantly become the #1 most difficult ADR in all of Walt Disney World, dethroning the Space 220 Lounge in the process. Even though this should have slightly higher capacity and less in the way of themed design, the view and novelty of being inside Spaceship Earth will be like catnip to childless Disney Adults–and there are a lot of them!
This is actually yet another reason to make GEO-82 adults-only. Demand will be sky-high regardless, and kids cannot consume alcohol (legally), so they’re utilizing capacity in a space not aimed at them. This dynamic reminds me a little of when the Frozen meet & greet just debuted and was super popular, and parents were (rightfully!) annoyed by a bunch of childless bloggers clogging up the lines.
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see how things continue to unfold with GEO-82. Here I was thinking that the lounge inside Spaceship Earth would be fairly uninteresting, with fans uniting behind the notion of something that was once exclusive being opened up to the park-going public. Walt Disney World essentially said, “hold my beer” in response to that thought, and this is probably going to be pretty polarizing as a result.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on GEO-82 being an adults-only bar? Are you excited for the Spaceship Earth lounge at EPCOT? Or are you disappointed that Disney is adding more bars and lounges to the parks? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
