shopping after closing?

[momof3+twins]

I was thinking that it might be a good idea to shop after closing at MK to avoid the rush. Does anyone know if the stores stay open after the park closing time? If so, have you ever tried this?

[BrerGnat]

Yes, they do! Usually they are open for an hour after park closing. However, you will not be the only one who had this idea so expect the shops to be crowded.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Yes, you will be able to shop after park closing. Be prepared, this is when the shops seem to be the busiest. Seems like EVERYONE has the same idea as you!

[Melanie]

I thought Disney had started to discourage this, for some crazy reason. Maybe I'm the crazy one. :secret:

[VacationDisney]

I thought the same thing Melanie. You are not the only crazy one:blush:

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I'd thought I'd heard the same thing ... that Disney was trying to cut back on this, but I can't remember the details.

But, I can agree with others that when we have tried to shop on "our way out" it was CRAZY busy. The quiest time (at least for us) has been in the morning, when everyone is rushing to get to a ride. :)

[Melanie]

Yay! I'm not all that crazy. :D

This was a few years ago when I recall them actually closing the shops at closing time to encourage folks to the exit.

And yes, I've found that best time to shop/browse is early morning. This is especially convenient if you are staying on property and can have your purchases shipped back to your resort.

[VWL Mom]

Add me to the crazies, they even changed the last bus departure to one hour after closing to discourage people from hanging back.

[Katzateer]

I know the Studios close right away and Epcot. But MK seems to always have the shops open for awhile.

[Kairi_7378]

We shop during Wishes. Crowds in the stores are light and the CMs are very helpful.

[buzznwoodysmom]

You are correct Melanie! Now that you say this I do recall that they were attempting to discourage this a few years back. However, in all my visits since I don't recall noticing the stores closing earlier. Perhaps I didn't try to shop for anything after closing on those trips since.

[Speedy1998]

You are correct Melanie! Now that you say this I do recall that they were attempting to discourage this a few years back. However, in all my visits since I don't recall noticing the stores closing earlier. Perhaps I didn't try to shop for anything after closing on those trips since.

As someone who shopped after closing for years I have noticed changes. It used to be that all the shops stayed open after park closing, now it seems to only be the shops near the exit that stay open.

[BrerGnat]

Not all the shops stay open, just the main ones near the park entrances. Almost all of Main street stays open although the food places close. There is a shop at the entrance to Epcot that stays open until 10pm.

[pixiesmimi]

In the past, we have found that the Epcot shops close when Illuminations is over. But last year we were in Epcot for EMH that night and inquired at one of the restaurants if they knew if the stores stayed open late that night for EMH. They checked with management and we were told yes. So we put off some of our purchases until after Illuminations so we didn't have to carry our purchases around since this was our last night and we couldn't have sent to our room. To our dismay, we went to the shops right after Illuminations and they were closed even though EMH went on until 11:00 I believe. Very disappointed! We missed out on some of our purchases. They should make an uniform decision and stick to it. We were told that the shops in Epcot belong to the different countries and they do what they want to do.