One Lil Spark
EPCOT Center Defender
BEST picture! :sohappy: 
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Low key New Years at Epcot?
- Thread starter BSikor
- Start date
Figment1986
Well-Known Member
BEST picture! :sohappy:
Yea, I love the Guys hat too :lookaroun :ROFLOL:
CBOMB
Active Member
Would you simply prefer they keep what they've been told to themselves, and make this a news only forum?:shrug:
Like last year after the first Illuminations, they opened the gates between China and Norway and the gates in Mexico and were leading guests backstage to get to FutureWorld.
Also, they opened he backstage gate at American Adventure for a special bathroom trailer. It was the nicest porta-potty I've ever seen.
Also, they opened he backstage gate at American Adventure for a special bathroom trailer. It was the nicest porta-potty I've ever seen.
Mr.EPCOT
Active Member
Yeah, those were swank! Those are actually set up the entire holiday season. I don't know if those are the same temporary restrooms as in previous years, as I don't think I've ever gone in them until last night. They do have something back there every year, though.
They also had a restroom trailer set up on the walkway that goes behind Imagination to World Showcase, I think those were new this year.
The Rose path ones were new. The trailers seemed nicer but that may just be me.
hpyhnt 1000
Well-Known Member
Hooray for a color changing SEE! :sohappy: Now is there a reason why that can't be the new permanent lighting scheme, because it looked pretty cool!
Thanks for the pics! :wave: Must have been some day at Epcot.
Thanks for the pics! :wave: Must have been some day at Epcot.
culturenthrills
Well-Known Member
Let me tell you I was glad we got to park in the right side of the Epcot lot when we arrived around 9:30 cause we got out fairly quick when we left the park around 1:45 in the morning. Those on the other side of the lot I really felt sorry for. Other than that got there around 9:30, no traffic, parked pretty close. Walked in did Spaceship Earth, we tried out that new Waste Management area in Innoventions(cute game esp if you have kids), found a spot for the fireworks between Mexico and Norway, first time seeing the Epcot New Years Eve and thought it was really cool. We hung out on a bench and waited for most the crowd to clear, got in line for test track right before closing, picked up a 40% off tshirt and went to our hotel room to crash. Fun night and the kids had a blast. Kudos to the Epcot Cast Members for doing a great job with crowd control(firm but with a smile) and especially the CM on Spaceship Earth who made sure everyone was smiling as they got on the ride. Glad we decided to avoid the MK cause I heard it was nuts there.
The cat
Member
I can't believe what one or two have posted on here about the parking lot situation at EPCOT NYE. We got to our car in Imagine at 12.20ish am and were stuck there for nearly two hours. It was gridlocked mayhem. Cars coming from al lanes in Amaze and Imagine as well as lots nearer the exits caused a major jam. There were no CMs taking charge of the situation and security just sat around and took no notice of the chaos. Very undisneylike. This was our fifth NYE at WDW; it did not end happily. We'll be contacting customer relations about their lack of foresight. Surely experience tells them that the majority of park guests will be leaving between 12 midnight and 1am on NYE. Where was the contingency plan for orderly traffic disbursement? Who was taking responsibility? The last time we spent NYE at EPCOT there were clearly marked coned lanes and CMs with torches managing the traffic flow. Are they no longer bothered with guests when they've spent their money and want to get home?
culturenthrills
Well-Known Member
Yeah it really seemed like total chaos on that side of the parking lot. There were a couple of people directing traffic on our side of the lot.
It just seems like the luck of the spot. My friend parked on the west side lot and was out in less than 10 minutes. My wife and I parked in the very back of the east lot and were out quick. I guess if you were close to the gates on the east lot, you were stuck. That happened to us last year. It took over an hour to get out.
donsullivan
Premium Member
Realistically I think one of the biggest variables in how quickly and easily you got out of the lot was less about where you were parked and more about how quickly you got to the car. I don't know the names of the lot sections but I was in the outer loop of lots (past the drainage canal), in the third section across, right in the middle of that section.
Having been caught in past years with rough departures from the lot with the shear volume of traffic, I made sure I moved to the car as rapidly as I possible could. When I got to my car there were very few cars even moving around in that section of the lot yet so I was able to back out of the space and head to the end of the row without any delay and be on my way. The longer it took you to get to the car, the more people were already there and moving and the congestion just keeps getting worse with the shear volume of cars trying to move at once.
The other key is getting out of there before the traffic from the Magic Kingdom starts coming across Epcot Center drive. In past years they were carefully routing traffic from each park off the property on a specific path to manage the merge points. They didn't seem to be doing that this year but I couldn't tell for sure.
Having been caught in past years with rough departures from the lot with the shear volume of traffic, I made sure I moved to the car as rapidly as I possible could. When I got to my car there were very few cars even moving around in that section of the lot yet so I was able to back out of the space and head to the end of the row without any delay and be on my way. The longer it took you to get to the car, the more people were already there and moving and the congestion just keeps getting worse with the shear volume of cars trying to move at once.
The other key is getting out of there before the traffic from the Magic Kingdom starts coming across Epcot Center drive. In past years they were carefully routing traffic from each park off the property on a specific path to manage the merge points. They didn't seem to be doing that this year but I couldn't tell for sure.
Yea leaving the lot was pretty bad. The only CM's directing traffic were at the end of the lot. And people breaking the line and going up to the front and push in sucked too. If everyone had just been Disney-like we would have gotten out in a timely manner. Oh well. Here are a few pics of the wait times:
