Make Epcot "Hoppable" after 5PM

Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have seen some folks mention allowing Epcot to be open for free or at least a hop option after a day at another park. We know they want to be able to limit guests so making it totally free doesn't make sense but I can't see why if you have a dining reservation they couldn't consider opening it up to hopping after a certain hour. They could even cut off actual ride operations at a certain hour to save on operation costs and manpower and limit those that want to come to Epcot to just people that want to dine. Just an idea.
Post Edit:
Ideally open Future World etc and Rides in the Showcase at 9AM run till 5PM. The restaurants and shops in showcase could continue to run and be available to hoppers with reservations(or not maybe if there is just room) till 9PM
 
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UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Club Cooloholic said:
I have seen some folks mention allowing Epcot to be open for free or at least a hop option after a day at another park. We know they want to be able to limit guests so making it totally free doesn't make sense but I can't see why if you have a dining reservation they couldn't consider opening it up to hopping after a certain hour. They could even cut off actual ride operations at a certain hour to save on operation costs and manpower and limit those that want to come to Epcot to just people that want to dine. Just an idea.
Post Edit:
Ideally open Future World etc and Rides in the Showcase at 9AM run till 5PM. The restaurants and shops in showcase could continue to run and be available to hoppers with reservations(or not maybe if there is just room) till 9PM
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I think the problem would be the staffing required to keep people out of Future World/away from the construction areas. You can rope stuff off, but they'd still need to have cast in place everywhere because the majority of guests would be coming in through the main entrance and have to pass through the remnants of Future World to get to the Showcase.
 
D

Dave B

Well-Known Member
Epcot is already too crowded with the new mandates, so probably not going to happen, also I don't think Park Hoppers will be back until mid to end of next year at the earliest
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
The response to COVID has been to ultimately limit our interaction with other people.

This would result in more mingling of people who were at different parks from one another during the day. It would increase the amount of time people are utilizing the Disney buses.

It just feels contrary to the excellent safety precautions Disney has appeared to put in place.
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wendy Pleakley said:
The response to COVID has been to ultimately limit our interaction with other people.

This would result in more mingling of people who were at different parks from one another during the day. It would increase the amount of time people are utilizing the Disney buses.

It just feels contrary to the excellent safety precautions Disney has appeared to put in place.
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Which is why I said you should need a Dining Reservation. This is not to go there and ride a bunch of rides. You close them at 5. How is this different from Disney Springs?
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
Club Cooloholic said:
Which is why I said you should need a Dining Reservation. This is not to go there and ride a bunch of rides. You close them at 5. How is this different from Disney Springs?
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True, it could basically be a Disney Springs alternative for dining.

It likely also comes down to need. Why keep Epcot open and buses running for non-existent customers? Is there a significant number of guests desperate for evening dining options they can't find elsewhere?
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wendy Pleakley said:
True, it could basically be a Disney Springs alternative for dining.

It likely also comes down to need. Why keep Epcot open and buses running for non-existent customers? Is there a significant number of guests desperate for evening dining options they can't find elsewhere?
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There might be. It would also allow APs to go. I am just thinking the countries themselves might like the ability to make revenue with the stores and restaurants.
 
NelleBelle

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
I thought part of the problem with Epcot was that they paused the CP and CMs from host countries returned, leaving Epcot with staffing issues? Besides, if I had booked Epcot as my "park of the day" and was having access to future world closed early just so people could "hop" over for dining reservations, I'd be rather peeved (and yes, I realize it's a moot point as Epcot starts closing early next week).
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
NelleBelle said:
I thought part of the problem with Epcot was that they paused the CP and CMs from host countries returned, leaving Epcot with staffing issues? Besides, if I had booked Epcot as my "park of the day" and was having access to future world closed early just so people could "hop" over for dining reservations, I'd be rather peeved (and yes, I realize it's a moot point as Epcot starts closing early next week).
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That's kind of my point. It closes early anyway. Maybe open future world a few hours early, the. Close it 5 or 6 and allow the world showcase to remain open to 9 or 10, with people with other park tickets allowed in after 5 or 6, if they have a reservation for a restaurant.
BTW closing the park early to accommodate people has never been a problem for Disney, I for one am shedding no tears for the cancelation of the "parties"
 
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DVCakaCarlF

Well-Known Member
Club Cooloholic said:
That's kind of my point. It closes early anyway. Maybe open future world a few hours early, the. Close it 5 or 6 and allow the world showcase to remain open to 9 or 10, with people with other park tickets allowed in after 5 or 6, if they have a reservation for a restaurant.
BTW closing the park early to accommodate people has never been a problem for Disney, I for one am shedding no tears for the cancelation of the "parties"
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Agree about the parties...I prefer the signature events like Harambe Nights.
 
Wendy Pleakley

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
DVCakaCarlF said:
Is MGMT thinking about what implications the vaccine will have in the next 30-60 days?
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No, because there will not be widespread vaccinations in the next 30-60 days.

If effective vaccinations follow the typical testing and safety procedures they may start to roll out next year. It will still take time for widespread vaccinations to result in a general immunity.

There is a possibility vaccines with positive results will be fast tracked for use this year, but that is still up for debate (many doctors oppose such a move), and I'm guessing any emergency vaccinations would be used primarily for front line health care workers, again it will take some time for widespread use even if there is fast tracking.

I'm no expert, but based on what I've read it will be well into 2021 before we have enough vaccinations and herd immunity for things to return to normal. I would not be surprised for the current rules at WDW to remain in place until at least next summer.
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Club Cooloholic said:
I have seen some folks mention allowing Epcot to be open for free or at least a hop option after a day at another park. We know they want to be able to limit guests so making it totally free doesn't make sense but I can't see why if you have a dining reservation they couldn't consider opening it up to hopping after a certain hour. They could even cut off actual ride operations at a certain hour to save on operation costs and manpower and limit those that want to come to Epcot to just people that want to dine. Just an idea.
Post Edit:
Ideally open Future World etc and Rides in the Showcase at 9AM run till 5PM. The restaurants and shops in showcase could continue to run and be available to hoppers with reservations(or not maybe if there is just room) till 9PM
Click to expand...
For a couple of hours?

Not worth it.
DVCakaCarlF said:
They should just allow park hopping all day at Epcot...it already opens late.
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Except that goes against their current covid models...more below
Dave Ber said:
Epcot is already too crowded with the new mandates, so probably not going to happen, also I don't think Park Hoppers will be back until mid to end of next year at the earliest
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I think that is the reason for the AP freeze. Can’t sell them without park hop and they won’t price adjust without it.

So it seems obvious...and for some reason just occurred to me? 🤔
 
NelleBelle

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
Wendy Pleakley said:
No, because there will not be widespread vaccinations in the next 30-60 days.

If effective vaccinations follow the typical testing and safety procedures they may start to roll out next year. It will still take time for widespread vaccinations to result in a general immunity.

There is a possibility vaccines with positive results will be fast tracked for use this year, but that is still up for debate (many doctors oppose such a move), and I'm guessing any emergency vaccinations would be used primarily for front line health care workers, again it will take some time for widespread use even if there is fast tracking.

I'm no expert, but based on what I've read it will be well into 2021 before we have enough vaccinations and herd immunity for things to return to normal. I would not be surprised for the current rules at WDW to remain in place until at least next summer.
Click to expand...
Except polls have shown 2/3 of the U.S. population will not get the initial round of the vaccine, preferring to see how it goes. And if they plan to rush it in the next 30-60 days, I personally know many healthcare workers who don't feel comfortable taking the vaccine at that point either.

https://bgr.com/2020/09/05/coronavirus-vaccine-update-poll-resistance/

So I can't imagine Disney is going to lift their precautions anytime soon until infection rates have drastically decreased.
 

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