DVCEPCOTPlay

Membership Magic Beyond Perk: Meet Judy & Nick in ImaginAtrium

Joshua
Written by Joshua Posted
Membership Magic Beyond Perk: Meet Judy & Nick in ImaginAtrium

Membership Magic Beyond, Disney Vacation Club’s $99 member benefit package, debuted earlier this year. Perks include preferred access to DVC’s member lounges, discounts on park tickets, and the ability to buy Annual Passes using points. None of those things really moved the needle for me. In fact, I had resigned myself to not springing for the upgrade. But I changed my mind last Friday night when a Cast Member told me Zootopia’s Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were taking photos in the ImaginAtrium.

We don’t go out of our way to interact with Disney characters (unless I see Mando and Grogu on Star Wars Day). But since Judy and Nick aren’t regular characters at Disney World, I thought it’d be fun to go upstairs in the Imagination! pavilion to check them out. My wife allowed it (she’s not a big character person since a very awkward meet-and-greet with Sadness a decade ago). So I did the transaction on my phone, checked in with the CM, and we climbed the stairs.

Looking up at the inside of the Imagination! pavilion pyramid's roof
A nighttime Spaceship Earth as seen from inside the Imagination! pavilion pyramid's roof

ImaginAtrium was empty. And it looked fantastic! We had never visited after sunset; nobody had since it had been transformed into a DVC lounge. But Membership Magic Beyond folks can now enjoy the space for an extra three hours each night. Freestyle Cokes and a lit-up Spaceship Earth? I was already happy with our purchase.

As I said, the place was deserted. A Cast Member immediately brought us over to Judy and Nick. During busier times, CMs will assign you a return time to visit with the Zootopia duo. There’s no standing in line in the ImaginAtrium. The return time code is included in the Membership Magic Passport, which also includes Judy and Nick’s pre-written autographs.

Judy Hopps' and Nick Wilde's autographs
A Disney photographer and a CM hang out with Nick and Judy in EPCOT
Nick and Judy posing for pics in EPCOT's DVC lounge
Nick and Judy talking to one another
Zootopia's Nick and Judy in the Imaginatrium

I asked Judy if she remembered me from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Of course she did. The two posed for pics before the staff photographer took over, taking beautiful photos of my crew with her Nikon and my Sony. It never felt awkward. Maybe we’re getting better at this stuff.

I was soon enjoying my Barq’s Vanilla Cream from the comfort of the Imaniatrium’s ultra-modern chairs. Judy and Nick smiled and waved every time we glanced over. We were only there for 15 minutes before the place closed for the night. And it was worth every penny.

The ImaginAtrium lounge is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM for DVC members. It reopens from 5:30 to 8:30 PM for Membership Magic Beyond guests.

Read more: Disney Vacation Club Introduces “Membership Magic Beyond”