Getting out fast after Illuminations

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Hi DIS folks,

I'm going to WDW next week, and we're thinking about spending our arrival evening at Epcot and watching Illuminations. But we want to get up early for rope drop the next day, so getting out early is a priority!

We will be driving, so - any tips as to where to park, where to stand to watch the fireworks, etc.??

Thanks!

 

[marksor]

Don't know about parking since I've never had to do it but if you are parking in the Epcot lot you'll want to get a spot for Illuminations that is at the tip of the World Showcase- where it meets Future World so that you can rush right towards the exit to the parking lot as soon as it is over.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Getting out fast over getting out at a regular pace will save you around 15-20 minutes. Not a ton of extra sleep there.

But if you want to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible, go late and park close. Watch Illuminations on the Future World end of the lagoon and then run to the car. If you can't do that, you can't. But it will save you maybe 5-10 minutes of waiting for and riding the tram and walking to the car (the trams come pretty quickly at closing.)

I always schedule my "sleep in" mornings for the mornings after Illuminations and Wishes, but that's me.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Thanks everyone - I'm wondering if maybe we should just stay in at the hotel that night, but I know we'll be itching to get to a park, and Illuminations is my favorite...

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Illuminations is one of our favorites too. We live close enough to drive to Epcot in about an hour. But we go early in the a.m., getting there before the park opens, and even so on a busy day, we aren't parked near the front of the lot. And no matter how you look at it, with 10,000 or more people leaving Epcot at the same time, you're going to have lots of people, lots of cars, and no fast way out.
The only quick way would be if you're staying at Boardwalk or something like that and could leave by the International Gateway and go right to your hotel.
The crowd moves steadily, but once you get to the parking lot, you're waiting again!
When we stayed on site, we didn't mind the wait for the bus to take us back to the resort, and that was easier than driving by a long shot. Good luck.