I attended After Hours at Epcot on its first night, 6/1/23
OVERALL- After Hours for Epcot is NOT worth it.
CONS: 1) Rides not running at full capacity made some wait times longer than during the regular day. Cosmic Rewind was never below an hour wait. 2) Ride breakdowns also caused major issues. During a full day, this isn’t as big a deal, but when an event is only three hours long, 10pm-1am, a ride breakdown can eat away 1/3 of your night. 3) The distance from one attraction to the next in Epcot, made worse by World Showcase being closed off from China to Morocco and the construction walls in World Celebration, means traveling is going to take up a huge part of your night. 4) The event seemed over-booked. While there were some spots that were very empty (Mexico, Nemo, etc.), there was no feeling of exclusivity. Don’t expect to take pictures anywhere that don’t include dozens of other people. Norway, France, and World Discovery were crowded the entire night.
PROS: 1) We were able to ride everything that we wanted. There were many rides that were walk-ons: Nemo, Living with the Land, Gran Fiesta, Spaceship Earth, etc. But we actually rode those before the event officially started because those were walk-ons during the normal day. 2) Ice cream, popcorn, and drinks being included were nice and were served quickly and efficiently. 3) The mariachi band performed and a DJ playing music on the park’s PA system gave the night a party feel.
How Disney could make the event worth it: 1) RUN POPULAR RIDES AT FULL CAPACITY. I was shocked that Cosmic Rewind, the most popular ride in the park, had an hour wait because it was only running one track. 2) Add “party” exclusives like character meets with Remy & Emile, Figment, Anna & Elsa, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Three Caballeros, etc. 3) Add a few food alternatives such as churros, coffee, and pretzels. 4) Improve transportation between pavilions.
Here is what I accomplished:
6:45 Queued for entry at Epcot’s main entrance. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Disney did not begin admitting After Hours guests until 7:00pm. Cast member devices were not working properly to scan barcodes. Magic bands and QR codes seemed to work. Those with tickets that were barcodes (like those on the Disney app) were filtered to team leaders. Entry was slow and crowded.
7:15 Entered Epcot. Rode Spaceship Earth as a near walk-on.
7:30 Rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends as a walk-on.
7:45 Rode Soarin’ Around the World with a 10-minute wait.
8:15 Rode Living With the Land with a 5-minute wait.
9:00 Watched Epcot Forever fireworks. The fireworks were entertaining but this show is nowhere as good as Harmonious or Illuminations.
9:30 Rode Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with a 10-minute wait. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, we could not walk through World Showcase. Morocco to China were blocked off.
9:45 Ate at Yorkshire County Fish Shop. No wait to order.
10:30 Rode Frozen Ever After with a 10-minute wait.
10:45 Rode Gran Fiesta Tour as a walk-on. It was really cool to see the inside of Mexico completely empty!
11:45 Rode Test Track with a 45-minute wait. This included a long period where the ride was broken down.
12:45 Rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind with a 60-minute wait. This was the biggest disappointment of the night. Disney was only running the ride at half-capacity with one track not operating. I entered with the expectation that we would be able to ride this several times during the night but this was not the case.
OVERALL- After Hours for Epcot is NOT worth it.
CONS: 1) Rides not running at full capacity made some wait times longer than during the regular day. Cosmic Rewind was never below an hour wait. 2) Ride breakdowns also caused major issues. During a full day, this isn’t as big a deal, but when an event is only three hours long, 10pm-1am, a ride breakdown can eat away 1/3 of your night. 3) The distance from one attraction to the next in Epcot, made worse by World Showcase being closed off from China to Morocco and the construction walls in World Celebration, means traveling is going to take up a huge part of your night. 4) The event seemed over-booked. While there were some spots that were very empty (Mexico, Nemo, etc.), there was no feeling of exclusivity. Don’t expect to take pictures anywhere that don’t include dozens of other people. Norway, France, and World Discovery were crowded the entire night.
PROS: 1) We were able to ride everything that we wanted. There were many rides that were walk-ons: Nemo, Living with the Land, Gran Fiesta, Spaceship Earth, etc. But we actually rode those before the event officially started because those were walk-ons during the normal day. 2) Ice cream, popcorn, and drinks being included were nice and were served quickly and efficiently. 3) The mariachi band performed and a DJ playing music on the park’s PA system gave the night a party feel.
How Disney could make the event worth it: 1) RUN POPULAR RIDES AT FULL CAPACITY. I was shocked that Cosmic Rewind, the most popular ride in the park, had an hour wait because it was only running one track. 2) Add “party” exclusives like character meets with Remy & Emile, Figment, Anna & Elsa, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Three Caballeros, etc. 3) Add a few food alternatives such as churros, coffee, and pretzels. 4) Improve transportation between pavilions.
Here is what I accomplished:
6:45 Queued for entry at Epcot’s main entrance. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Disney did not begin admitting After Hours guests until 7:00pm. Cast member devices were not working properly to scan barcodes. Magic bands and QR codes seemed to work. Those with tickets that were barcodes (like those on the Disney app) were filtered to team leaders. Entry was slow and crowded.
7:15 Entered Epcot. Rode Spaceship Earth as a near walk-on.
7:30 Rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends as a walk-on.
7:45 Rode Soarin’ Around the World with a 10-minute wait.
8:15 Rode Living With the Land with a 5-minute wait.
9:00 Watched Epcot Forever fireworks. The fireworks were entertaining but this show is nowhere as good as Harmonious or Illuminations.
9:30 Rode Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with a 10-minute wait. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, we could not walk through World Showcase. Morocco to China were blocked off.
9:45 Ate at Yorkshire County Fish Shop. No wait to order.
10:30 Rode Frozen Ever After with a 10-minute wait.
10:45 Rode Gran Fiesta Tour as a walk-on. It was really cool to see the inside of Mexico completely empty!
11:45 Rode Test Track with a 45-minute wait. This included a long period where the ride was broken down.
12:45 Rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind with a 60-minute wait. This was the biggest disappointment of the night. Disney was only running the ride at half-capacity with one track not operating. I entered with the expectation that we would be able to ride this several times during the night but this was not the case.
