Epcot Entrance

[DisneyNut77]

Hi everyone! I'm really sorry if this has been asked. We are going to Disney World tomorrow with family. Does anyone know if the Epcot entrance would be closer if you take the bus or park in the parking lot? We have family that is older coming with us and we'd hate to choose the longest route. Thank you!

 

[beesly]

I haven’t parked at Epcot before so I can’t answer your question directly, but I would think the difference would be negligible compared to the amount of walking one will do once inside the park. Will your older family members be renting wheelchairs once you reach the entrance? If not, and if the walk in will really make that much of a difference, I encourage you to manage their expectations about how much walking is involved.

I took my grandmother to WDW for the first time a few years ago and one evening she insisted on leaving her wheelchair back at the room and just using her cane. She had trouble getting from the DHS bus stops to the entrance and then was even more miserable once we got into the park so we went only to our dinner reservation at 50s Prime Time (barely into the park) and then she was ready to leave.

I hope someone else is able to give you the comparison you’re looking for, and hope you all have a great time tomorrow!

 

[bryanb]

Hi @DisneyNut77, @Robo has some pretty useful maps. If you look at the one below, you'll see that Disney buses are split between two different zones near the top of the map (labeled Disney Buses-2 and Disney-Buses 1). If you're coming on a bus from an off-site hotel, you'll be parking a bit further away in the Disney Buses-2 section. Near the center top of the map, you'll see the drop off area for the Parking Lot Trams, which is a bit less of a walk to the main entrance.

I'd agree with @beesly about the difference being negligible when accounting for how huge Epcot is and the amount of walking involved inside the park.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

There's a lot of construction now around the front of the EPCOT entrance. If you park, pay for preferred parking. If you don't want to pay for preferred parking, the bus would be the closest option.

The construction has effected the parking lot the most making it a long walk around to get to the entrance. The tram won't even help. The tram drops off right where you would have to make the long walk around and doesn't go up to the entrance.

 

[HopperFan]

Also depends on which hotel bus .... I know at end of day getting back to the farthest bus stops is SO painful for me. But if you drive and get parked at the further end of a row the walk to the tram can be just as long. Then you walk again.

Also note that much of what is in map north of monorail station is fenced off for the entry construction. If you park and walk in you have to enter the sidewalks to the right through the grass area. It was fine for us a few weeks ago as we were in the H/A lot but the others that had walked from further out then had to go the indirect route.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just wanted to x2 on the prior two PPs. We were there this past weekend - the front entrance construction is well underway and lots of things going on in that area.

The parking lot entrance fun we all had the last year or so at DHS....well, it’s now at Epcot.

 

[dachsie]

They have courtesy wheelchairs to get you to and from the bus area. I highly recommend renting a scooter or wheelchair for them when you get in the park

 

[DisneyNut77]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the replies. They don't need a wheelchair, I didn't want to poop them out before getting in the park. We will be staying at Wilderness Lodge and heard that there is construction at the Epcot entrance. Sounds like maybe the buses might be better unless we get the preferred parking. Does anyone know how much that would be?

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the replies. They don't need a wheelchair, I didn't want to poop them out before getting in the park. We will be staying at Wilderness Lodge and heard that there is construction at the Epcot entrance. Sounds like maybe the buses might be better unless we get the preferred parking. Does anyone know how much that would be?

Wilderness Lodge drop off isn’t bad. I would just bus. Not worth the added cost in my opinion especially when you’d have about the same walk anyways.

 

[DisneyNut77]

Wilderness Lodge drop off isn’t bad. I would just bus. Not worth the added cost in my opinion especially when you’d have about the same walk anyways.

Thank you for your help, I really appreciated it.

 

[winthropf]

Wilderness Lodge drop off isn’t bad. I would just bus. Not worth the added cost in my opinion especially when you’d have about the same walk anyways.

Buses do not always drop off at the stop to return to the same hotel. Even if your hotel pickup is in the closest bus loop, you may still get dropped off at one of the stops on the outer bus loop.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Buses do not always drop off at the stop to return to the same hotel. Even if your hotel pickup is in the closest bus loop, you may still get dropped off at one of the stops on the outer bus loop.

Any bus stop is still closer than parking right now though.

 

[FastPasser.]

Buses do not always drop off at the stop to return to the same hotel. Even if your hotel pickup is in the closest bus loop, you may still get dropped off at one of the stops on the outer bus loop.

Unless it's occupied, buses drop off at the resort's load zone that they're going to next so it could be in either loop. It's unlikely that it's the resort they're coming from because buses seldom repeat a run. I would bus it.