Over the course of a Walt Disney World vacation, there’s plenty of walking, running, hurrying, standing in line and jumping out of one attraction and into the next.

I know I’m not the only one that equates Disney vacations with blisters and the need for a second vacation for recovery purposes. Which is why some of my favorite Disney moments have come when I was sitting on my butt.

My name is Bill and I’m a benchaholic.

For anyone who has traveled with me, this will come as no surprise. I love walking the World Showcase at Epcot, but I also love parking it for a while and letting the day go by.

On one trip years ago, Amy and I sat on the benches near the fountains between Futureworld and the World Showcase at Epcot. We watched a few toddlers playing in the water and we wondered aloud if we’d ever be sitting in that exact spot someday, watching our own kid play in the water. Fast-forward a few years and there we were: Amy and I sitting on that same bench, watching our own daughter splash around. Sometimes the time between Disney vacations seems to completely fall away when you return. This was one of those moments. One moment we were there alone, watching someone else’s children laugh and play, and the next we were watching our own daughter run around in the unpredictable fountains, laughing.

But let’s be honest – most of the time my love for benches doesn’t run quite that deep. It’s also a place to get off my feet. But given a few minutes to do just that, and one of my favorite Walt Disney World pastimes will begin to occur: People-watching. In fact, put a cool drink in my hand and I could while away an afternoon while kicking back.

All this has led to a strange “favorite” at Walt Disney World. I actually have a favorite bench.

There should be a FastPass for this bench.

It’s located just outside the watch shop on Main Street USA. There are two, actually – small, white and tucked just under the shop window. It’s in the little alley near the second-floor window that advertises piano lessons. Sit there long enough and you’ll hear those piano lessons, a little tap dancing and maybe some singing.

I’ve parked it on this bench with family members and friends.

I’ve escaped an insane rain storm by ducking under the overhang and sitting around while it eventually passed by.

I’ve called my credit card company in a panic from that bench after learning that someone had stolen my identity and was charging expensive audio/visual equipment. (It was solved rather quickly – something I attribute to the magical properties of that bench.)

I’ve admired many an ill-advised purchase of yet another new watch on that bench.

I’ve sat quietly while the Keys to the Kingdom Tour comes by to point out that the window above my head is the one dedicated to Walt Disney’s father, Elias.
And I’ve pondered my advancing age (although I’m not THAT old) as I enjoy a needed rest there.

But it’s not the only one. Benches that make it to the ‘favorite’ list have to have a few key elements about them. One is relative comfort. And that’s not what I expected at all when I planted my butt on a stone bench just to the side of Aladdin’s Flying Carpets.

I have been known to become intensely philosophical from choice benches. It could also be that I'm delirious from walking so much. Either way, looks like my kid buys into whatever I'm blathering about.

They’re situated right next to a shop in a small walkway that leads to some restrooms. The backs are just high enough where I can spread my arms out across them and listen to the music floating my way from Adventureland. They’re curved, almost like a pub booth, and smooth.

And yet there are new, more excellent benches being created by the skilled minds of Disney’s Imagineers every day. Take, for example, the new bench outside the caramel shop in the Germany pavilion.

Das gut sitten.

Try it out – you’ve got an amazing view of Spaceship Earth, a great place to watch guests walking by, and a perfect spot to listen to the great German music pumping through the area. But best of all is that smell. Caramel. All around you. How do you say “get me some of that, I’ll be right here” in German? All I know is I’m going to have to commit that phrase to memory.

Yet another sits just under a stand of trees at Animal Kingdom. Solid and perfectly placed, it allows for some of the finest people-watching in the park – within sight of the Tree of Life, yet shaded by the lush greenery that embraces the rough-hewn paths.

Plus, there's a dragon on this bench.

And that’s one of the key elements to some of the greatest benches in all of Walt Disney World… Here’s a quiz. I’m going to show you two similar benches in Epcot. See if you can choose which is the more desirable.

Would you choose this fine looking bench?

Or would you put your butt here?

Yeah, it’s the one in the shade.

A shaded place to plant it can be the perfect spot when you’ve spent a long day trudging around a theme park – and make no mistake, that’s exactly what I do: I trudge. I don’t skip or jaunt lightly. I’m kind of a big guy, so I either lope or trudge. I do it happily and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but I’m not exactly graceful in my travels through the World. So when my legs are screaming at me to stop, my practiced eye darts around the clusters of guests to seek out a bench – one in the shade, and one that affords a nice view of everything that’s going on around us.

I can offer one warning, however. I have a particular fondness for Raglan Road at Downtown Disney. Outside of Raglan Road is a great statue of Patrick Kavanaugh – the author of “On Raglan Road” – sitting on a bench.

“What’s this?” you say. “A bench located right outside your favorite restaurant? Surely this is heaven.”

Pretty, yes. But danger lurks just below.

Ah, no. It’s an artistic beauty, but it’s got these little jagged edges that’ll wreck your night if you catch one. Still, it is the most picturesque bench in the World

So do not underestimate the regenerative powers of sitting on your butt for a while. Besides, when you slow down and take the time to catch all the tiny details around you, Walt Disney World really starts to come to life.

Besides, sometimes it’s just good to park your butt.

Got any favorite places to get off your feet and watch the magic go by?