Enchantment After-Party Arrival Time

[goof13]

Hi everyone...I was looking into booking the Enchantment after-party...I noticed that it says that the arrival time is 7pm. Assuming the fireworks is at 8pm, do you really need to arrive an hour early for this? I get the idea of needing to claim a good spot, but isn't there a specific roped-off spot for party guests so everyone has a "good spot" so to speak? Is there any advantage to getting there at the stroke of 7, or is it ok to arrive a bit later? I have younger kids who associate waiting anything more than 15 minutes to be "hours" haha...just trying to understand the absolute latest I should arrive. I imagine that we check in near the Tomorrowland Terrace so I'd probably have to bank in about 5 mins of walking to the spot once we check in, but anything else that I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I have only done the HEA after party in late 2019, but I imagine the process is similar. I arrived 40 minutes early to check-in and still had a great spot. We were at the front, there was a light pole in front of us which would obstruct "perfect" pictures but since we were there to watch and not get pictures, it didn't matter to us! There will always be room for you even if you arrive on the later side, but you won't have your pick of the "best" spots. It's still a million times better than the hub but there's still a chance someone tall could stand in front of you and you'd have to move around a bit. The nice thing is you can sit down until it starts, vs. having to stand in the hub. I'm sure someone who has gone recently will be more helpful but hopefully this helps. Definitely leave some time for the check-in itself, there is usually a line.

 

[goof13]

Thanks for sharing your experience, that's helpful. Interestingly enough I just tried to book Be Our Guest for dinner for that day when the time opened at the stroke of 6am and all that was available was 3:55 and 5:55. I tried to book 5 but nothing was there so i took the 5:55.

Would that be enough time to enjoy Be Our Guest and still check in at a reasonable time for the after party even if we get there after 7?

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

I tried to book 5 but nothing was there so i took the 5:55.

Would that be enough time to enjoy Be Our Guest and still check in at a reasonable time for the after party even if we get there after 7?

That'd be cutting it close. From experience, I've always been seated 20-30 minutes after our actual reservation time at Be Our Guest.

 

[goof13]

That'd be cutting it close. From experience, I've always been seated 20-30 minutes after our actual reservation time at Be Our Guest.

Thanks for the heads up. Are most restaurants like that, or just Be Our Guest? Luckily I managed to call (3 hour wait!) and was able to change it to 5:15. I'd imagine that should be much better, though I'm still a bit concerned about that extra 30 minutes to sit. Does the meal take about an hour once you're seated or less?

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Are most restaurants like that, or just Be Our Guest?

Be Our Guest is the only table service restaurant we've had this issue at. We approach the check-in podium, and are told to wait until our name is called. Both times, we sat there for about 20 minutes before being called to enter. It always seems like "organized chaos" getting inside this place.

Does the meal take about an hour once you're seated or less?

My wife and I eat fairly quickly, and an hour is usually enough time for an appetizer, dinner, and dessert. I'd arrive at the podium at 5:00 PM. You should be fine.

 

[goof13]

Be Our Guest is the only table service restaurant we've had this issue at. We approach the check-in podium, and are told to wait until our name is called. Both times, we sat there for about 20 minutes before being called to enter. It always seems like "organized chaos" getting inside this place.



My wife and I eat fairly quickly, and an hour is usually enough time for an appetizer, dinner, and entree. I'd arrive at the podium at 5:00 PM. You should be fine.

Sounds great, thanks for the advice!