Friendship Boat - getting back to park after they have closed?

[ckcook72]

I will be leaving HS to go to dinner at Epcot one evening in December. I would like to book this maybe around 7:30 or so, in order to see Illuminations at 9:30. Here's my problem . . . . I was planning on taking the Friendship Boat and leaving my car at HS. But HS closes at 8pm this night. So my question is . . . will the boat take me back to HS well after the park has closed? They will be running from Epcot to the resorts. Just not sure if they will have eliminated this extra stop at HS this late at night. Thanks for your help!!!

 

[luvmy2babies]

An hour and a half after closing is probably too late for a boat. I'd be prepared to walk that path or better yet, park at Epcot from the beginning.

 

[suffieldhockeymom]

You can exit EPCOT through the international gateway and walk through the boardwalk to DHS to get your car.

 

[ckcook72]

We are planning on eating breakfast at Hollywood and Vine as close to 8am as possible - park opens at 9am. Thinking this means we will have to park at Hollywood Studios. But maybe we should just move the car to Epcot mid-day. But thanks for the suggestion - if not for the breakfast ressie it would have been a good idea.

 

[figment_jii]

I've heard that the last boat leaves the DHS dock one-hour after the park closes (that was the announcement on the boat). After that, the boats drop the DHS portion from the route (Epcot -> BW/BWV -> YC/BC -> S/D -> YC/BC -> BW/BWV -> Epcot). So if you aren't going to be getting back to the friendship dock at International Gateway within an hour of DHS' closing time, you'll have to walk to DHS (about one mile) or take the bus from the front of Epcot to DHS (assuming it's still running - not as sure about that one).

I would probably opt to move the car mid-day. It might take a bit longer than taking the boat to Epcot, but it'll save time at the end of the day.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Ride the boat to Swan & Dolphin and walk from there. Sure beats just walking the entire way, and no bus from Epcot will be running then. Just guessing, but probably less walking than the walk from world showcase to the parking lot.

 

[figment_jii]

It's about 1.1 miles from International Gateway to DHS' main entrance or 1.0 miles from the Swan/Dolphin boat dock to DHS' main entrance. I think they're ultimately pretty similar because from the S/D dock, you have to backtrack towards the BW a bit to get to the path that leads to DHS. From the American Pavilion to the parking lot tranm stop at the front of Epcot, it's about 0.9 miles. The distance to you car from the tram stop might be considerable (>0.3 miles). In the end, the distances are all pretty similar, so it's a matter of which works better for you and your family.

 

[joelkfla]

Boats probably will not be running all the way to DHS, but buses will. Walk to the bus area outside the main exit and tell one of the Transportation cm's who are directing guests where you are going. They will tell you where to catch the bus to DHS.

 

[ckcook72]

Thanks for all the info everyone!!!

 

[PanamaMike]

The effort & time spent to walk from WS to the bus station at the Epcot entrance to get a bus back to DHS would probably be equal to if not greater than the 20-25 mins it would take the average person to walk from International Gateway to the DHS parking lot.

 

[joelkfla]

The effort & time spent to walk from WS to the bus station at the Epcot entrance to get a bus back to DHS would probably be equal to if not greater than the 20-25 mins it would take the average person to walk from International Gateway to the DHS parking lot.

Walking distance from the bridge between UK & France to the Epcot bus area is 0.7 mi. Walking distance to DHS is 1.2 mi. + the walk out to the car. Granted, the walking speed to the main entrance will be slower due to crowds, and the total elapsed time including the bus ride will probably be longer. But the distance walked would be significantly less.

 

[leebee]

If I am remembering correctly, the Epcot resorts are served by boat only from DHS; no bus service. I believe that the boats from DHS will run for at least an hour after Fantasmic ends, and Fantasmic runs 25 minutes, so my guess is that the boats will run to the Epcot resorts for 90 minutes after posted DHS park closing… but that's a guess.

If you want to leave your car at DHS, even if the boats don't run back there when Epcot closes, you can take a Friendship to the Boardwalk Inn and walk from there. I don't walk- I stroll- and it took us about 20 minutes. The pathway is lit.

 

[ParrotBill]

Boats probably will not be running all the way to DHS, but buses will. Walk to the bus area outside the main exit and tell one of the Transportation cm's who are directing guests where you are going. They will tell you where to catch the bus to DHS.

This will work but may take a while for then to get a bus allocated to take you there. They won't strand you and will always get a bus for you. As noted by others the walk is quite long, shortest from Boardwalk, then Swan, then Dolphin, then International Gateway in that order.

Best to move the car mid day.

 

[ckcook72]

I agree. That's exactly what we're going to do. Will move the car mid day. Thanks again for all the valuable information.

 

[philharmagic fan]

It's about 1.1 miles from International Gateway to DHS' main entrance or 1.0 miles from the Swan/Dolphin boat dock to DHS' main entrance. I think they're ultimately pretty similar because from the S/D dock, you have to backtrack towards the BW a bit to get to the path that leads to DHS. From the American Pavilion to the parking lot tranm stop at the front of Epcot, it's about 0.9 miles. The distance to you car from the tram stop might be considerable (>0.3 miles). In the end, the distances are all pretty similar, so it's a matter of which works better for you and your family.

Check Mapquest or similar site - Yes, you backtrack a bit from Swan/Dolphin dock to get onto the pathway to DHS near Boardwalk, but you save much more than 0.1 miles by taking the boat. If it's 1.1 miles from International gateway to DHS, the distance from Swan/Dolphin is probably ~0.7 miles. We walk the path from EPCOT to DHS all the time; it's a really nice stroll (about 30 minutes for the whole length) and the pathway is well lit.