Evening w/out kids - spend in MK or Epcot?

[ewasilau]

hi all,

We are headed to Disney with our 3 little kids (all under 5) the last week of January. We have plans to spend one night out w/out the little ones. On that particular night, the latest the parks are open are 8:00 for MK and and 9:00 for Epcot (World Showcase). Our preference is for rides (ones we can't do with the kids - we know about baby swap and fastpass but don't want to spend all our time with the kids shuffling them around!) by ourselves, with maybe a decent dinner thrown in too. How would you plan this? Can you still do the "good" rides at Epcot til 9? Or are they closed already (we've never been, so don't know how it works)? Or is MK the better choice, maybe doing rides from 6-8 pm by ourselves, then having a nice dinner at 8:30/9 pm at a resort (like Jiko at AKL where we are staying, or somewhere at a resort near MK)?

Or, should we change nights and do EMH at AK from 5-8 pm one night by ourselves, then dinner at Jiko? (We had heard that AK was so good for the little kids though . . . .)

We had 6 pm ADRs at Brown Derby and had planned to do rides at HS, but Disney changed the hours from 9:00 closing to 7:00 pm . . . .

Thanks for any advice!

[pamickeys]

epcot,epcot,epcot, the dw and I love to just walk around at night everything is just wonderful there at night.dinning is still going on, rides are good, but we just grab a cocktail and walk around and soak it in. if you're not done you can always walk to boardwalk and keep the fun going. skip MK

[DryCreek]

you can do both!

Nothing like getting your rides taken care of at MK, and then settling in for a quiet and romantic ride in the front of the monorail to EPCOT after dark. The view from the front at night is something you wouldn't want to miss. Been there, done that - more than once!

Due to the curve of the glass, I couldn't get any pictures that didn't look "wavy" though.

[ewasilau]

Good idea! We do have park hopper passes, so that is something to consider. When the park hours say that Epcot closes at 9, does it clear out at that time or are people still milling about? Can you still be eating in a restaurant after 9?

[MOJoe]

You can still be eating at an Epcot restaurant after 9, but be careful with your time. The buses stop running around 1 hour after a park closes, so if you linger too long you may have to get a cab back to your resort.

If rides are truely your focus, then MK is the best choice. But there is something to be said for a romantic stroll - without kids - around world showcase as Epcot clears out in the evening.

[CzepielCrew]

I would go to Epcot! You have rides and romance in the different countries. Of course you have better restaurants for the 2 of you to go to also. Personally, I would feel guilty going to Magic Kingdom once I saw all of the kids there with their families.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I would choose Epcot and stick around for Illuminations...I would try getting a reservation for LeCellier or hop the monorail and go to California Grill so you can watch Wishes after dinner

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

Can you still do the "good" rides at Epcot til 9? Or are they closed already (we've never been, so don't know how it works)?


I believe that Test Track and the other "big" rides remain open later than things like Spaceship Earth and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, etc. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!)

Date night at Epcot is just so terribly romantic!!! Plus lots of great dining options that you may not choose to do with the kids.

[13tink13]

I agree with the Epcot choice!

We have nothing but good things to say about this park! Although we have not been able to go
just the 2 of us...it is a plan for our June trip to make it our date night out!! There is so much to take in that sometimes the little ones just don't appreciate.


EPCOT is the way to go :number1:!

[Disney_Barbie]

When the park hours say that Epcot closes at 9, does it clear out at that time or are people still milling about? Can you still be eating in a restaurant after 9?

I don't know the exact rules, but it seems to me as though people get in line for rides up until the DOT of closing time. (I'm unaware however as to how this works, if there's a 2 hr wait, would they really keep the ride open that late???) I'm basing this on exiperence only. Maybe a CM will come along with better info.

But our first example is DH & I did a quick stop in @ HS in order to ride Toy Story Mania last summer. I was under the impression that the park closed @ 10, but @ about 8:50 we were deep into the depths of the LONG TSM line and looking at one of those papers w/ the hours, & I realized I was wrong and the park was going to close in just 10 mins! We felt bad for the CMs and stuff, but we were probably like 75% of the way thru the line already, so we stayed. When our ride ended there was still many guests waiting to board, and by this point it was like, Oh probably like 9:30 or something! Granted, the front doors to the ride were closed or chained off or something (I don't recall) so it's not like you could get in line after closing.
Our second example was just a few days later, @ a MK EMH (which was 1am - 3am!) We were exiting Space Mt at about 3:01 when a group of like 15 teenage boys ran thru tomorrowlandand booked it into the SM buiding just SECONDS before the CM put the robe up. She let them get inline (even though the wait was prob still like 20-30 mins) But I felt so bad for the poor CMs, after all it was 3am!

But anyway, my point being : No, the parks to NOT clear out at the dot of closing time.

[kathiep]

I would say Epcot. We love walking around World Showcase at night; it's very romantic. Depending on what time you can get there, you can still do Test Track and Soarin'.

[mouseketeer mom]

Oh Epcot. I love, love, love Epcot at night, and would choose that anytime over MK at night without the kids. Its magical and romantic. EPCOT!!

[pixiesmimi]

DH and I enjoyed having dinner and doing MK at night with EMH but enjoyed dinner and walking around Epcot very much also at night, although Epcot can be quite dark at night when they start shutting down and the gift shops close early. We stayed one night for EMH and were going to leisurely walk back to the rides after Illuminations and see some shops. But the shops were all closed already and it was quite dark. But we did enjoy the leisurely walk out instead of being in the middle of the big rush to get out at closing.

[Disney Yankee]

I am going to have to agree with the Epcot votes. It is very romantic, and there are nice restaurants for couples. The rides like "Soarin" and Test Track stay open until closing, but make sure you have a fast pass for at least one of them or you'll spend your whole night on stand by!!!
And if by chance you want to spend your time at both parks (first MK and then Epcot), you could always go out the back exit of Epcot and have a late dinner at the YM steak house at BC. The food is excellent. After that, you could take a cab back to your hotel and not worry about the end of the night transportation.
Whatever you do, have fun. Disney with the kids is wonderful, but having a few hours to yourselves is PRICELESS!!! :cloud9:

[kemps@wdw]

[QUOTE=pamickeys;1812549]epcot,epcot,epcot, the dw and I love to just walk around at night everything is just wonderful there at night.dinning is still going on, rides are good, but we just grab a cocktail and walk around and soak it in.

:ditto: If you like live music, be sure to catch "Off Kilter" in Canada, or "The British Invasion" in UK.

[ewasilau]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I think we've decided on Epcot for our evening out, with a possible stop at MK along the way. Epcot clearly got the most votes and it's open the latest that night, so it seems that it's the place to go!

[GhostHost999]

wow...tough call.

Epcot has so many great spots where you can meander and take your time without kiddies around...BUT...think of the fun of being able to be a kid again yourself and romp around the Magic Kingdom. I guess it depends on your mood but I'd throw my hat in with the Magic Kingdom.