Epcot Extremely Crowded

[Feralpeg]

My daughter and I attempted to go to Epcot this afternoon. We drove over around noon. It took us over 30 minutes from where you take the off ramp on Epcot Center Drive to approach the gates. It was solid cars in every lane. There was a CM standing in the road periodically stopping traffic coming off Epcot Center Drive to allow traffic to approach from the other entrance.

We quickly checked the wait times in the park. It was like Christmas. Extremely long waits. We decided to bail and head to Disney Spring instead. I've lived in the area 14 years. Other than Christmas, I can't remember it ever being this busy. Wow!

 

[Dave006]

Food & Wine Weekends at Epcot are often like this in Oct.

Dave

 

[Feralpeg]

Food & Wine Weekends at Epcot are often like this in Oct.

Dave

I've been to tons of Food & Wine Weekends. This is the most crowded I've ever seen it.

 

[mster425]

FWIW my friend tried to go to Busch (in VA) today and said it was an hour just to get in. Their area is mostly without power still- maybe these are guests from GA and FL who are trying to make the best of it?

 

[1lilspark]

Plus it was the first moderately cooler day in a long time ... 66 degrees this AM for my run

 

[Frances999]

We’ve been here a week. The crowds are insane everywhere. We normally visit in the summer; this is our first October trip and we will never come in October again! We are done with these crowds and wait times!

 

[winthropf]

Also start of the Gartner Symposium. Largest conference at Disney in the year. In the past there have been tents almost filling the parking lots at YC/BC and Swan/Dolphin for exhibition and food service space. Probably very few open hotel rooms on property.

 

[Nancyg56]

We’ve been here a week. The crowds are insane everywhere. We normally visit in the summer; this is our first October trip and we will never come in October again! We are done with these crowds and wait times!

We went a few years ago in October and it was crazy in MK and Epcot. I had remembered fondly the low crowds in October and was honestly blindsided with the Epcot shoulder to shoulder crawl through WS on he weekend. I am not going in October for a good long time either.

 

[jerseygal]

We went beginning of October 2 years ago. Didn’t go to Epcot Friday through Sunday though, even the weekdays later in the day, evenings were fairly crowded so we started our days right when the booths opened. Seems like there just isn’t a “light” crowd time anymore.

 

[Nancyg56]

We went beginning of October 2 years ago. Didn’t go to Epcot Friday through Sunday though, even the weekdays later in the day, evenings were fairly crowded so we started our days right when the booths opened. Seems like there just isn’t a “light” crowd time anymore.

That was what I thought. It was more a matter of "lighter than weekends," rather than light. I was okay on the days we got there early and then got out earlier, however I was not a fan of traversing the "road" while being carried along by my new best friends.

 

[randumb0]

Food & Wine Weekends at Epcot are often like this in Oct.

Dave

It depends on the week and Saturdays are usually more busy. For example 2 Sundays ago Epcot was dead while last weekend it was fairly busy.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Also start of the Gartner Symposium. Largest conference at Disney in the year. In the past there have been tents almost filling the parking lots at YC/BC and Swan/Dolphin for exhibition and food service space. Probably very few open hotel rooms on property.

We went a few years ago in October and it was crazy in MK and Epcot. I had remembered fondly the low crowds in October and was honestly blindsided with the Epcot shoulder to shoulder crawl through WS on he weekend. I am not going in October for a good long time either.

I said the same thing last October. Every year has gotten worse and last year was the straw that broke the came's back for me. I did aug this year. Doing 2 nights precruise in dec coming up, then DD19 starts DCP in Jan, so I will be making a few trips over spring and summer. Guess by the end of this next 12 months I will have a really go idea of when I like to travel best.

 

[JennyDrake]

Food & Wine Weekends at Epcot are often like this in Oct.

Dave

Yup.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

We were there last October, the 21st I believe. It was insane! I had never seen so many people there, just shoulder to shoulder throughout all of WS. We had a FP for Soarin' and noticed the line for LWTL was 90 minutes!! The line was winding through Sunshine Seasons. Absolute madness. We decided to head out after we ate lunch and a CM at the entrance was just watching droves of people walk in, her chin practically on the ground. She says as we walk by "I have never seen this many people here in my life!". Yeah, F&W on a Saturday, nuts.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I find World Showcase to be insufferable no matter what day or month it is. On 9/6 this year it was packed while Future World had walk on rides and way less people milling around. I'm not the type to complain about crowds, but the people jammed into WS just irk me. Granted we always seem to be there when a "festival" is going on.

We almost took Epcot off our list for March, but we decided to keep our Garden Grill PPO and enjoy FW for a few hours before hopping out.

I just need a break from World Showcase for a while.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Isn't this a free dining time? I know there were specials except the week I'm going (of course). My aunt always joked that I was the only person she knew who could go to a Moonlight Madness sale and buy something that wasn't on sale.

 

[randumb0]

Like last Sunday, this Sunday was pretty crowded. From what I hear Saturdays have been worse.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We had a few pretty crowded Epcot nights both this past September and September 2017. F&W and free dining are a perfect combo for crowds. It seems that the free dining months are more crowded than other times. I guess Disney is getting what it wants. Busy year round.

 

[bosox32]

Can confirm it was crowded. All parks have been crowded.

 

[Happiest.Haunt_999]

We’ve been here a week. The crowds are insane everywhere. We normally visit in the summer; this is our first October trip and we will never come in October again! We are done with these crowds and wait times!

Sadly, it was the same for us in Mid September. We have come in Sept before and it was never that miserably crowded. (and I'm talking about weekdays here).