Epcot parking lot closed due to reaching capacity

DisneyGentlemanV2.0Oct 24, 2016

Sounds like it was right out of Goonies... ... was Chunk on the monorail too??

RSoxNo1Oct 23, 2016

Yeah if you can avoid weekends during Food and Wine, you'll be better off.

ford91exploderOct 23, 2016

Just imagine the epic arrest record OCSD could rack up if they were ALLOWED to set up a sobriety checkpoint ...

brifrazOct 23, 2016

This is spot on. We have done NYE twice at Epcot and have been amazed at how many people were NOT having a good time. We have had a blast. Plan the day out - do the attractions in the morning, hang out somewhere in WS and relax for the afternoon. One time we took up residence in Rose and Crown from about 2pm-6pm. Lots of fun. Can't wait to do it again (this year, we will be there for 4th of July).

Tony the TiggerOct 23, 2016

Straight out of the "Stand By Me" pie eating contest scene.

MissMOct 23, 2016

THIS!! I was there yesterday. We got in around 2:30 because of a huge bumper-to-bumper crawl on I-4. The lot was already really full but they were directing us all the way to the end and fill in the spaced. We wound up 4 rows from the front in Imagine so it was excellent for an easy walk to the front of the park. Bag check on that side was a walkthrough but the lines extended halfway across the plaza at the turnstyle. It just got worse from there. The sheer number of booths, lines for booths, stands and other clutter made the walkways narrow and highly crowded. Add in people stopping in the middle of the path in clumps and groups and it was a struggle to make any progress. We had 3:20 Via Napoli reservations and by the time we got in and got walking towards WS, it was 3pm. Took us 25 minutes at a dedicated pace to make it to Italy to check in for our lunch. (They were reservation only and were turning walk-ups away.) We were there for Toad the Wet Sprocket. Seating was near full but it was relatively easy to walk up 30 minutes before, find a seat and hang out. We wound up watching all three sets (approx 20 minutes each) so we'd watch, have to leave the theater, wander off for 10 or 15 minutes and then come back. We had fun but jeez. It was definitely hard to get anywhere due to the cramped walkways and the sheer amount of STUFF everywhere! This reminded me why I typically avoid Food & Wine. It's just not worth dealing with that many drunk people in such large numbers and such close quarters.

SonconatoOct 23, 2016

Can confirm. They blocked off a few monorail cars around 5:00 PM yesterday.

PiebaldOct 23, 2016

Went yesterday and going today (attending with two groups of friends). Was busy as hell but really not that bad. Japan was quiet so we had access to beer easily and lines looked horrendously but moved very fast. Saw many older folks puking at the end of the night (I say older as in my friends and I are all early 30s and can still hang, the pukers were 45-60 years old)

donsullivanOct 23, 2016

NYE is certainly the busiest day of the year at Epcot but it can also be the most fun day if you let it. The key to enjoying it is not going in with the mindset that if you don't get on a lot of attractions you're day is ruined, because you will not get on a lot of attractions; that's just the way it is. Take a break whenever you can since it will be a long day and just grab a drink and people watch. Pace yourself and enjoy the food of World Showcase. Grab some ADR's for both lunch and dinner because counter service locations will have epic lines all day. After the 6PM IllumiNations the party begins and despite the crowds it can be a whole lot of fun if you let it be. I've gone every year for the last 10+ and not once have I not had an amazing time. And the NYE show is without a doubt the very best fireworks show performed at WDW each and every year. Outside of a bad weather situation (I can't remember the last one) you are in total control of how much you enjoy it. If you are complaining about crowds all day, and complaining about lines all day you'll be miserable. If you accept it for what it is and ride it out throughout, it is one of the most amazing places on the planet to experience NYE.

MuteSuperstarOct 23, 2016

They rarely do, these days.

The Empress LillyOct 23, 2016

WS has some of the widest pathways of any theme park. The basic design is rock-solid. (Classic EPCOT remains the greatest park ever build) The problem is the endless clutter. This is exacerbated at the Food & Swine festival, when the very booze booths that make navigation impossible draw shoulder to shoulder crowds. Mediocre management, dwarfs, with an eye only for extracting every penny out of the paradise they inherited.

DisorbustOct 23, 2016

So are all of you saying I'm going to be miserable NYE?

Bob HarlemOct 23, 2016

Yesterday evening was about a 9 on the drunkytown scale, not the worst I've seen it but right up there.

IMFearlessOct 23, 2016

I think the difficulty with Epcot specifically is that the park has always operated as two half parks with guests tending to verge more heavily to one area in the morning and another in the evening and afternoon. Food and Wine merely intensifies this phenomenon and so while the park may not reach capacity in terms of turnstile clicks, World Showcase can end up extremely crowded while Future World is still manageable. In some ways it would make sense if they could make the whole of World Showcase a one way system after 5pm. Literally, make Mexico exit only. Direct guests to enter on the Canada side only. Obviously this would bring it's own problems and so wouldn't really work. Personally, I find the constant counter flow of foot traffic is what makes it feel uncomfortable, because my attention is permanently on collision avoidance rather than anything else, which is much less relaxing than when the park is less busy and you can take in the environment.