american adventure reception?

[eeyorechic]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, but have been engaged since May. My fiance and I are considering having a reception at the american adventure rotunda, but since it's in the park does anyone know if there is times when we can not have the reception there? Does it have to be before or after the park closes?

Thanks
Samantha

 

[webray]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, but have been engaged since May. My fiance and I are considering having a reception at the american adventure rotunda, but since it's in the park does anyone know if there is times when we can not have the reception there? Does it have to be before or after the park closes?

Thanks
Samantha

Don't know about that..but, there is a beautiful room above the rotunda, you may be able to rent that. You go up by elevator.

 

[icgymnast]

i believe we were told that it had to be after 7pm? with a minimum of 100 people. I know more people will be able to help you out with this, but thats all i know! good luck!

 

[hmgolden]

ead79 had her reception there, she'll be able to give you all the details. But yes, there is a 100 person minimum for that location. I'm not sure what time the reception has to start but I believe it is after 7PM. There is a room upstairs, the AAVIP room, that I believe can be used for daytime receptions and can accomodate a smaller group.

 

[Moonbeams]

I had my first DFTW reception in the AA rotunda back in December 2002. It was awesome for dining, dancing, and the whole works! They claimed a min. of 100 guests back then too, but I had 70 in the rotunda and it fit very well. They layed the room out so that it looked full, but yet we had plenty of room to dance and move about. The guests loved being able to walk in and out the doors for fresh air, to use the restrooms (just around the corner) and to look out over the lagoon at the Epcot ball. They kept the park outline lit up into the wee hours until all our guests left, so it was awesome!

As for timing, I believe it was evening only. You are renting out the entire attraction for your event, even if you only use the rotunda. You want to do evening there anyway, because they do Illuminations at 9 PM and your guests can go outside and watch from the sidewalk in front of the AA! If you say you are going to do that, then you will likely get charged a viewing fee, but if it just happens that people go outside en masse for air at 9 PM, then ...

That or, you could do what I did, and reserve the Italy Isola viewing platform for an Illuminations viewing and pre-reception appetizers and beverage deal. It's another site fee and minimum, but if you've got the budget room, it is AWESOME! Plus you can take amazing pics and video out there during Illuminations, including the famous "money shot" of the two of you kissing while the big fireworks go off above you with the Epcot ball in the distance.

Just remember that when you do a reception inside of Epcot, you have to hire the bus(es) to transport your guests in, since they all have to travel backstage to get there. That means hiring the Disney approved limo so they can travel backstage too. Also remember that there are no walk-in guests for receptions there (and it's too far of a walk back there anyway all dressed up!).

I highly recommend the AA for any evening reception! It is unforgettable!

Berry

 

[ead79]

We had our reception there in December 2003. It is such a beautiful venue, and we are so glad that’s what we chose!

We didn’t have the 100 people minimum (it was 75 back when we booked), but from what I understand Disney is now sticking to that pretty firmly. Of course, you can always ask your Sales Manager to see what he/she says about the minimum number of guests.

You can only use the rotunda in the evenings. Our reception didn’t begin until 9:30, but I think it can begin as early as 7 or 7:30 pm.

One of the best things about the rotunda is that it really doesn’t require much, if any, decoration. It’s such a beautiful room on its own. Since we were married in December, there were even Christmas trees, garland, and wreaths already in there.

If you’re considering having an Illuminations party as a pre-reception or as a dessert party, then the Italy Isola is located very close to the AAR. It’s a wonderful location to view Illuminations from.

The AAR does have a site fee of $1500, which counts toward your overall minimum. The only other things to keep in mind are that you must provide transportation to your guests since they will enter via a backstage entrance. We used chartered busses. One Disney host or hostess is also required for every 50 people to escort your wedding guests into the AAR. I believe when we did this each host/hostess was $90, but it may have gone up a bit since.

I’m happy to answer any other questions you might have.

 

[eeyorechic]

Thanks for the info. I have about 2 years before our wedding, so I'll be asking for a lot of help . So any info or ideas you could share would be great (I'm not the most creative person).

Samantha