Avoiding crowds after Illuminations

[disnut8]

Trying to come up with a strategy to leave Epcot after Illuminations that will avoid the herding crowds and long lines for buses, while not getting us back too-too late to CBR.

Here's what I've been thinking: We're planning to watch the show @UK/France. What if we leave via IG exit and take boat (if we can get the first one there) or walk to HS (either option, I understand, will take about 25-30 minutes)? HS has Fantasmic at 8pm that night; I'm thinking by the time we get to the HS bus stops, (@10pm), all the HS crowds will be gone & we'll be able to hop on a last bus with minimal to no wait.

While walking out to Epcot's bus stops may be half the distance, with the crowds I figure it will take about the same amount of time as getting to HS; and at Epcot we'd be looking at long lines for buses, thus making it a later and more patience-consuming return to the CBR.

Am I crazy, or missing some important consideration here? We shouldn't be too fatigued by then, as we'll have had a rest at the resort, ADR at Cape May for dinner, then short stroll from there through IG to watch Illuminations. Mostly want to avoid the crowds, although crowd level that day is predicted to be a 1.

Any thoughts or insight are so appreciated! TIA!

I love Illuminations. It's the only nighttime show I will watch. And I never watched it unless we were parked so we didn't have to deal with buses back to the resort. Until..... one night I wasn't feeling the best so my husband and my son and his family stayed for Illuminations and I went back early to Pop Century. They were back before 10:30. Since then, I have enjoyed Illuminations just like what they did on their visit.

First, we like to view from Germany which means its at the back of the park. It also has bathrooms and drinking stations and some food as well for before the show starts. We watch the show, then slowly walk our way around to the front, stopping in Norway for a bathroom break (women's room may have two or three other people in there). Then we just, again, slowly walk our way to the front and out for the bus. The longest we have had to wait for a bus was 10 minutes. And we sat the entire way back.