7th Time's a Charm - November 2021 - Day 6 Disney Springs & Epcot Extended Evening Hours

Rebecca_ · 22 Nov 21, 04:06 AM

Index is here

We decided to have a lie in and a lazy morning today because we would be in Epcot til midnight for extended evening hours. Luckily the Swan and Dolphin are included in this along with the deluxe Disney resorts. We purposefully booked our stay at the Dolphin after our 5 nights at All Star Movies so that we would be more used to the time difference and be able to stay up late easier. We booked with BA and got a great price, so it's definitely worth considering as an alternative to on-site since you get all of the benefits.

Since we'd be having a late one we decided to head to Disney Springs first to have a look around some shops before our 3pm Homecomin' reservation. We arrived at around 12:30pm after getting the bus from the dolphin. The walk from where the bus drops you off to where you're allowed to enter Disney Springs took forever! Next time we will definitely just walk over to the Boardwalk and catch the bus from there. We were both hungry and didn't think we'd last until 3 so went to Everglazed to grab a donut. These were huge, the picture doesn't really show just how big they were.

We definitely could have shared one but we couldn't agree on a flavour so got one each. They were very good but very filling. We didn't want to spoil our meal so just ate half and put half away for later. We had a wander round until it was time for our reservation. Both of us ordered the fried chicken and it was amazing - the best fried chicken I think I've ever had and huge portions. Our server was great and very attentive. We'll definitely be back here. Including tip our bill was $90.

After lunch we did some shopping - we'd not actually bought any merch yet. I got some new ears, a jumper and a Minnie Mouse cardigan which I'd have never spent $70 on at home... But i'm on holiday 🤷🏻 J wanted a Mandalorian helmet we had seen in the parks the other day but it wasn't in any of the Disney Springs shops. We remembered seeing it in Hollywood studios so decided to pop in there quickly to grab it. We walked to Saratoga Springs to catch the bus from there straight to Hollywood Studios - thinking we could just walk back to the hotel after the this. Unfortunately it wasn't there either, we asked a cast member and she'd said that they had sold out of them here.

J was desperate for this helmet so we decided to take another detour to Magic Kingdom. We literally just went straight to the Emporium and luckily it was in stock there... J claims all this running around was worth it 😅 we got the Boardwalk bus and were back in our hotel for 7. We relaxed in the room for almost 2 hours then strolled over to Epcot. The plan was to watch Harmonious and then hit the attractions afterwards during extra hours.

We probably should have arrived earlier to get a good spot for the fireworks because by the time we got there it was very busy. We wanted to watch from the front for the first time to get a good view of everything. We struggled but eventually found an okay spot about 4 rows from the front. I thought we'd have a decent view but then the show started and everybody in front decided to get their phones out and film the entire thing. Which I don't have a problem with at all - I like to take photos and videos during the fireworks too. But I try to be considerate and keep my phone around face height so people behind aren't having to stare at my phone. Unfortunately everyone in front of us had their arms fully extended so this was my view for the show... The fireworks were great but I was barely able to see the projections at all because of all the arms!

The show was due to start at 9:45pm and park close/the start of extended evening hours was 10pm. I thought the fireworks were really good and enjoyed the show. Hopefully we will get a chace to watch again during this trip. Next time though I don't even think I'll bother trying to find a good spot for the projections and just enjoy the fireworks from somewhere else around World Showcase. After the show we waited 10 minutes or so for the crowd to disperse and then went to our first ride at around 10:15 pm - The Seas With Nemo & Friends. We walked straight on this with zero queue. To get in line a CM scans your magic band to check you're staying at a qualifying hotel. After we got off the ride we had a quick look around the aquarium.

We then headed to Spaceship Earth. We would have walked straight on this too but the family in front of us were having issues with their magic bands and wouldn't let us past. After this we went around to Test Track which had the longest wait of the night. We weren't waiting long though, maybe 10 minutes to get to where we design our car. After this we did Mission Space. I hate this one but J loves it so I went on with him. We did Soarin' the other night so decided not to bother with that, and went over to Norway to ride Frozen. This was practically a walk on. We got off this ride at 11:50pm.

So in around 90 minutes we managed to do 5 attractions which I think is pretty good - we could probably have squeezed another one or two in if we got moving straight after the fireworks instead of waiting 10 minutes for the crowd to die down. We walked to International Gateway and from here got the boat over to The Dolphin. Really enjoyed this night and looking forward to the extended hours at Magic Kingdom in a few days.

Tinkerbell · 22 Nov 21, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Rebecca_

We decided to have a lie in and a lazy morning today because we would be in Epcot til midnight for extended evening hours. Luckily the Swan and Dolphin are included in this along with the deluxe Disney resorts. We purposefully booked our stay at the Dolphin after our 5 nights at All Star Movies so that we would be more used to the time difference and be able to stay up late easier. We booked with BA and got a great price, so it's definitely worth considering as an alternative to on-site since you get all of the benefits.

Since we'd be having a late one we decided to head to Disney Springs first to have a look around some shops before our 3pm Homecomin' reservation. We arrived at around 12:30pm after getting the bus from the dolphin. The walk from where the bus drops you off to where you're allowed to enter Disney Springs took forever! Next time we will definitely just walk over to the Boardwalk and catch the bus from there. We were both hungry and didn't think we'd last until 3 so went to Everglazed to grab a donut. These were huge, the picture doesn't really show just how big they were.

We definitely could have shared one but we couldn't agree on a flavour so got one each. They were very good but very filling. We didn't want to spoil our meal so just ate half and put half away for later. We had a wander round until it was time for our reservation. Both of us ordered the fried chicken and it was amazing - the best fried chicken I think I've ever had and huge portions. Our server was great and very attentive. We'll definitely be back here. Including tip our bill was $90.

After lunch we did some shopping - we'd not actually bought any merch yet. I got some new ears, a jumper and a Minnie Mouse cardigan which I'd have never spent $70 on at home... But i'm on holiday 🤷🏻 J wanted a Mandalorian helmet we had seen in the parks the other day but it wasn't in any of the Disney Springs shops. We remembered seeing it in Hollywood studios so decided to pop in there quickly to grab it. We walked to Saratoga Springs to catch the bus from there straight to Hollywood Studios - thinking we could just walk back to the hotel after the this. Unfortunately it wasn't there either, we asked a cast member and she'd said that they had sold out of them here.

J was desperate for this helmet so we decided to take another detour to Magic Kingdom. We literally just went straight to the Emporium and luckily it was in stock there... J claims all this running around was worth it 😅 we got the Boardwalk bus and were back in our hotel for 7. We relaxed in the room for almost 2 hours then strolled over to Epcot. The plan was to watch Harmonious and then hit the attractions afterwards during extra hours.

We probably should have arrived earlier to get a good spot for the fireworks because by the time we got there it was very busy. We wanted to watch from the front for the first time to get a good view of everything. We struggled but eventually found an okay spot about 4 rows from the front. I thought we'd have a decent view but then the show started and everybody in front decided to get their phones out and film the entire thing. Which I don't have a problem with at all - I like to take photos and videos during the fireworks too. But I try to be considerate and keep my phone around face height so people behind aren't having to stare at my phone. Unfortunately everyone in front of us had their arms fully extended so this was my view for the show... The fireworks were great but I was barely able to see the projections at all because of all the arms!

The show was due to start at 9:45pm and park close/the start of extended evening hours was 10pm. I thought the fireworks were really good and enjoyed the show. Hopefully we will get a chace to watch again during this trip. Next time though I don't even think I'll bother trying to find a good spot for the projections and just enjoy the fireworks from somewhere else around World Showcase. After the show we waited 10 minutes or so for the crowd to disperse and then went to our first ride at around 10:15 pm - The Seas With Nemo & Friends. We walked straight on this with zero queue. To get in line a CM scans your magic band to check you're staying at a qualifying hotel. After we got off the ride we had a quick look around the aquarium.

We then headed to Spaceship Earth. We would have walked straight on this too but the family in front of us were having issues with their magic bands and wouldn't let us past. After this we went around to Test Track which had the longest wait of the night. We weren't waiting long though, maybe 10 minutes to get to where we design our car. After this we did Mission Space. I hate this one but J loves it so I went on with him. We did Soarin' the other night so decided not to bother with that, and went over to Norway to ride Frozen. This was practically a walk on. We got off this ride at 11:50pm.

So in around 90 minutes we managed to do 5 attractions which I think is pretty good - we could probably have squeezed another one or two in if we got moving straight after the fireworks instead of waiting 10 minutes for the crowd to die down. We walked to International Gateway and from here got the boat over to The Dolphin. Really enjoyed this night and looking forward to the extended hours at Magic Kingdom in a few days.

Were these extended hours a paid event..I didn't think there were any more extra evening hours..

Rebecca_ · 22 Nov 21, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Tinkerbell

Were these extended hours a paid event..I didn't think there were any more extra evening hours..

They're for guests staying at deluxe resorts - at the moment it's only offered at Epcot on Mondays and Magic Kingdom on Wednesdays

Tinkerbell · 22 Nov 21, 04:15 PM

Thanks. Enjoying trip report makes things on here feet normal

**Goldia** · 24 Nov 21, 07:57 PM

A successful shopping trip in the end and you managed to go back to the emporium for the one that got away!

What a shame about the view of the fireworks at Epcot. At least you got on a good number of rides afterward.

Cha cha · 25 Nov 21, 10:50 AM

The donuts at Everglades look yummy. Can�t wait to try them.
I�ve got a few photos of the fireworks like yours - like you say it�s such a shame people don�t hold their phones in front of their faces.
Sounds like a fab night though 😊