Crowds at Epcot's IG entrance with Skyliner now operating

[ThunderRebel]

Just curious - for those who have used the International Gateway into Epcot, how bad is it compared to what it was before the skyliner? I understand bag check/entry point areas have expanded, but wondered how crowded it was. We always enjoyed entering Epcot that way and why we loved staying at Boardwalk/Beach Club. Is the magic over for the IG? Anyone have any photos of it lately? Thanks.

 

[larryz]

Have a look at this post and the ones just after it...

Here now for F&W: staying at YC. I almost booked Coral Reef after not having been in forever. Glad I didn't.

My overwhelming observation:

This is our first trip to F&W since the skyline opened. IG is now a total cluster compared to what it was.

 

[Chi84]

We took the Skyliner to Epcot twice during our late October trip. No lines at all to get in either time. The setup is much better now. The security guard checks your bag as you are going through the metal detector and you get it on the other side. We were pleasantly surprised by not having to wait - much better and faster than the main entrance.
We did avoid the weekend, and also took the Skyliner to IG one evening to go to Flying Fish. Didn’t notice any lines that evening either.

 

[bUU]

Last I saw, that area is still under construction, with new pavement going down and loads of "construction bushes" creating narrow paths to keep the entry still open. As with anything under construction, there will be compromises. Once the construction is complete, though, things will be much better than they would have been without the construction.

 

[OneofThree]

We were pleasantly surprised by not having to wait - much better and faster than the main entrance.

The comparison isn't a front gate versus back gate one. Granted this is just based on this one trip, this week, but the difference at IG now vs before skyliner is tremendous. I will add that where I thought they would be a sort of eye-sore in regard to sight lines and such, this was not the case at all, IMO.

 

[Chi84]

The comparison isn't a front gate versus back gate one. Granted this is just based on this one trip, this week, but the difference at IG now vs before skyliner is tremendous. I will add that where I thought they would be a sort of eye-sore in regard to sight lines and such, this was not the case at all, IMO.

I posted that comparison because it was part of my experience and I thought someone reading this thread might find it helpful, even though it was not in direct answer to the question. I didn't realize that people on this board restricted themselves so strictly to answering just the exact question asked

We had three encounters with IG, two when going to Epcot and one while on our way to Flying Fish. Yes, there are many more security posts than the handful that existed before the Skyliner and the entrance has a different, busier look. The IG is no longer the small gate used primarily by people staying at the Epcot resorts. I carry a bag, and my experience with getting through the new security set-up at IG was quicker and more efficient than any other park entrance. In direct answer to the OP's question, we did not wait in line at all the two times we entered Epcot using that gate. The Skyliner acts to spread people out so it's not like the chaos that occurs when a tram pulls up or a ferry lands.

Although one of our Epcot visits was in the evening, it was not on a weekend, which can be very crowded during Food and Wine. Maybe the IG is crowded then. It may be that the people who stay at the Epcot resorts will be unhappy about losing an "exclusive" entrance regardless of how well the new one operates.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

See what happens when you let the riff-raff in through the backdoor? This is why we can't have nice things...



Seriously though, I'll be there in exactly one week and using the IG entrance heavily. I'll keep you posted.