Epcot car park opening time?

Twiggy1953 · 10 Jul 21, 05:35 PM

Anyone happen to know what time they open Epcot for parking now that the park doesn’t open until 11. Basically I have a reservation at Topolinos for 9.40am and wanted to park at Epcot and then use the sky liner to get to Riviera. But I guess the car park would need to be open by about 9.

loldis · 10 Jul 21, 05:47 PM

It's been quite late recently, usually not until an hour before opening based on reports. And they've been turning cars away from all lots who arrive too early.

ETA: Also you'd need the park to be open to get the Skyliner since it's at International Gateway where parking is at the main entrance. So you'd have no way of getting through.

MilliesFairy · 10 Jul 21, 05:49 PM

Sorry I don’t know the answer to your question but have you checked the operating hours of the skyliner as it might not be running that early.

loldis · 10 Jul 21, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by MilliesFairy

Sorry I don’t know the answer to your question but have you checked the operating hours of the skyliner as it might not be running that early.

It should be running to get the Rivieria and Boardwalk area guests down to CBR to connect to the HS line. Although I don't believe they currently allow anyone to travel back up towards Epcot until about an hour before opening.

Twiggy1953 · 10 Jul 21, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by loldis

It's been quite late recently, usually not until an hour before opening based on reports. And they've been turning cars away from all lots who arrive too early.

ETA: Also you'd need the park to be open to get the Skyliner since it's at International Gateway where parking is at the main entrance. So you'd have no way of getting through.

I don’t suppose they let you park at Caribbean Beach either unless you’ve got a reservation, to try it that way. We could park at Riviera but I doubt we’d be able to leave the car there while we’re at Epcot.

loldis · 10 Jul 21, 06:08 PM

You could potentially park at HS since it opens early, then use the Skyliner to Riviera - I've seen multiple reports of CMs letting you on the Epcot line if you have an ADR, but it's also walkable from CBR if not. I can't find a quick answer on whether you'd need a HS park reservation to be let into the car park though which could be a sticking point.

The downside of this is you're then relying on the Skyliner to get back to the car. It won't run during lightning and in September (based on your countdown) there's a good chance it'll go down in the afternoon if a storm comes through. And Epcot is typically open later than HS so if you're planning to stay to close, you may have issues getting back.

I'd Uber and save the hassle.

Depending how far offsite you're staying, it probably won't be much more than a day's parking fee anyway.

ETA: Another alternative is to valet park at Riviera. It always used to be the case that if you used the valet service, it didn't matter how long you stayed since you were charged for a day's parking anyway. May want to try and find some recent experiences though, not sure if the rules have changed for non-guests.

10 Jul 21, 05:47 PM	#2
	10 Jul 21, 05:47 PM loldis Imagineer
loldis Imagineer Join Date: May 17 Location: Sussex	It's been quite late recently, usually not until an hour before opening based on reports. And they've been turning cars away from all lots who arrive too early. ETA: Also you'd need the park to be open to get the Skyliner since it's at International Gateway where parking is at the main entrance. So you'd have no way of getting through. Edited at 05:49 PM.

10 Jul 21, 06:08 PM	#6
	10 Jul 21, 06:08 PM loldis Imagineer
loldis Imagineer Join Date: May 17 Location: Sussex	You could potentially park at HS since it opens early, then use the Skyliner to Riviera - I've seen multiple reports of CMs letting you on the Epcot line if you have an ADR, but it's also walkable from CBR if not. I can't find a quick answer on whether you'd need a HS park reservation to be let into the car park though which could be a sticking point. The downside of this is you're then relying on the Skyliner to get back to the car. It won't run during lightning and in September (based on your countdown) there's a good chance it'll go down in the afternoon if a storm comes through. And Epcot is typically open later than HS so if you're planning to stay to close, you may have issues getting back. I'd Uber and save the hassle. Depending how far offsite you're staying, it probably won't be much more than a day's parking fee anyway. ETA: Another alternative is to valet park at Riviera. It always used to be the case that if you used the valet service, it didn't matter how long you stayed since you were charged for a day's parking anyway. May want to try and find some recent experiences though, not sure if the rules have changed for non-guests. Edited at 06:42 PM.