How to get to International Gateway for EE

[allimaree]

Hi! We're staying at the Animal Kingdom lodge but would like to use the International Gateway for Early Entry on our Epcot morning. Whats the best way to get there? This is our first time to WDW and the transportation makes me nervous.

 

[Goofy4]

Had the same thought a couple weeks ago. I decided to drive to the Epcot main gate and not try the IG.

However,

• you could pay the guest parking fee at Swan/D/R and ride the boats.
• You could hope that a friendly guard would let you park at Boardwalk or Beach Club if you had a "reason" (during a slow season). Not a pro, but I would not recommend this.
• If DVC you could try parking at the Riviera.
• Or... Go to a park and ride transportation back to one of those hotels (or other Gondola resort).
• Or... Get a Minnie Van and drop off at one of those resorts. I've heard that the Disney Hotels don't always let them in to the lobby drop off (and then your fall-back would be to drop at S/D/R).

 

[allimaree]

Had the same thought a couple weeks ago. I decided to drive to the Epcot main gate and not try the IG.

However,

• you could pay the guest parking fee at Swan/D/R and ride the boats.
• You could hope that a friendly guard would let you park at Boardwalk or Beach Club if you had a "reason" (during a slow season). Not a pro, but I would not recommend this.
• If DVC you could try parking at the Riviera.
• Or... Go to a park and ride transportation back to one of those hotels (or other Gondola resort).
• Or... Get a Minnie Van and drop off at one of those resorts. I've heard that the Disney Hotels don't always let them in to the lobby drop off (and then your fall-back would be to drop at S/D/R).

Thanks! I should have specified that we will not have a car. So we are dependent on WDW transportation or paying for something else. Tell me more about the Minnie Van, please! And is park transportation running early enough to ride to a different park and then back to the hotels?

 

[Skippyboo]

Take the bus to HS and just use the walkway by the boardwalk to go over to Epcot resort area and IG. HS normally opens before Epcot. You can see bus times in the MDE on my resort page. They will also be on screens at resort bus stop.

 

[musicguy856]

I know Uber/Lyft frequently get turned away without dining reservations but not sure about Minnie Vans.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Minnie Vans can pick up and drop off at any resort/theme park the guest wants, no questions asked.

 

[Goofy4]

Thanks! I should have specified that we will not have a car. So we are dependent on WDW transportation or paying for something else. Tell me more about the Minnie Van, please! And is park transportation running early enough to ride to a different park and then back to the hotels?

I realized only after much typing that with the size of your party you would probably not be driving.

While my feet would not like the walk from HS, it would otherwise be my preferred solution. On the other hand, if not taking a boat, you would be waking a ways regardless.

Minnie Van info.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/minnie-van/

You can see where they are with the Lyft app. Typically you don't have to wait long.

If you would like an extended ride, you could also take the gondola from HS

 

[Mle8308]

Are you there right now? If so, the Skyliner is scheduled to reopen on1/31, though it could be earlier or possibly later. You could bus to DHS then use the Skyliner, if it has reopened. Or as others have suggested, walk. It’s not easy to enter at IG if you aren’t staying at at Crescent Lake Resort. Minnie Van to the Beach Club might be your best bet if you are set on entering at IG.

 

[musicguy856]

Uber and Lyft can drop off at Swan or Dolphin since they don’t have a guard gate there. It would be a shorter walk than HS.

 

[Skippyboo]

If you are trying to rope drop Ratatouille on early entry thus why you want the IG instead of main entry. Buying Genie + and booking Ratatouille might be cheaper than Minnie van depending on your party size. If you aren’t going to Ratatouille then what entrance you use at Epcot really doesn’t matter.

 

[allimaree]

Thanks, everyone! Yes, we were hoping to rope drop Remy's but that's a good thought about ILL being a better buy. Honestly, I was hoping to do both and ride it twice, lol. We will be there in March so Skyliner should be running. If that doesn't work, we'll plan on a Minnie Van to Beach Club.

I really should edit my old signature as that group is from a trip a long time ago. It will be 4 of us, Myself and husband and two teenagers.

 

[allimaree]

View attachment 735760

Is Epcot Station where we're trying to go? Or is that by the main gate?

 

[georgina]

Thanks, everyone! Yes, we were hoping to rope drop Remy's but that's a good thought about ILL being a better buy. Honestly, I was hoping to do both and ride it twice, lol. We will be there in March so Skyliner should be running. If that doesn't work, we'll plan on a Minnie Van to Beach Club.

I really should edit my old signature as that group is from a trip a long time ago. It will be 4 of us, Myself and husband and two teenagers.

You can’t get Remy through buying ILL, Guardians is the only ILL at Epcot now. You can do G+ for it and rope drop it also. And yes, the Epcot skyliner station is by the International Gateway which is closest entrance to Remy.

 

[Mle8308]

Is Epcot Station where we're trying to go? Or is that by the main gate?

If you took the bus to DHS, you board the Skyliner there. You would transfer to the Epcot line at the Caribbean Beach station. So, you would get off at the Caribbean Beach station and follow the signs for the Epcot line, it’s very easy. It’s probably a 15 minute trip, but add in a little time because there will be lines.

 

[Goofy4]

Thanks, everyone! Yes, we were hoping to rope drop Remy's but that's a good thought about ILL being a better buy. Honestly, I was hoping to do both and ride it twice, lol. We will be there in March so Skyliner should be running. If that doesn't work, we'll plan on a Minnie Van to Beach Club.

I really should edit my old signature as that group is from a trip a long time ago. It will be 4 of us, Myself and husband and two teenagers.

2 weeks ago Remy was 70 minutes right about regular park opening. That could be an overstated wait time, but I just wanted to mention that it does back up fast. So, you have the right idea, it's just not easy to get there. We opted to go Genie+ LL.

The Epcot Station is at the IG.

 

[Goofy4]

The website says the boats start running at 8:30. If that's true, that's not early enough to help you, so you may want to plan on walking (good idea anyways so you don't have to wait).

Also, if memory serves, the Beach Club boat will first travel over to the Boardwalk.

 

[allimaree]

If you took the bus to DHS, you board the Skyliner there. You would transfer to the Epcot line at the Caribbean Beach station. So, you would get off at the Caribbean Beach station and follow the signs for the Epcot line, it’s very easy. It’s probably a 15 minute trip, but add in a little time because there will be lines.

Thank you so much for this detail! I don't know what I don't know until I get there.

 

[coasternut22]

In order to get on Remy without any wait by entering IG at early entry, you need to be at the front of the rope drop pack. For an 8am early entry, you need to be at IG between 7-7:15am to have a 0-10 minute wait once you are in the park. At 7am, the skyliner starts, and the first batch of people will be arriving by 7:10ish, plus the Epcot resorts area people will be walking to IG during that time. If you arrive to IG after 7:15am, you will be looking at a 30 minute wait once you get in. If you arrive to IG at 7:45am, you will have a 60 minute wait once you get in. Essentially, you have to arrive at IG by 7:15 to make early entry rope drop worth it.

My advice is to rideshare to Swolphin. You will not get the parking lot security issue you will get at Boardwalk or Beach Club. It's a 10 minute walk to IG from there. And you can control when you arrive, leaving as early as you want from AKL.

Resort transportation and skyliner starts one hour prior to early entry. In a perfect scenario, you would catch the first bus to HS from AKL at 7am. Say it takes 15 minutes to get to HS. Then it would take 30 minutes to take the skyliner to IG. Your BEST arrival time at IG is 7:45am. You could walk from HS to IG. I can make that walk in 15 minutes, but my family couldn't (more likely 25 minutes). So the earliest you could possibly be at IG is 7:30-7:40. At that time, you are looking at a 30-45 minute wait for Remy, with possibly an hour.

Pay for the rideshare to Swolfin. Arrive there at 6:45am. Walk to IG by 7am, get right on Remy at early entry, and you can possibly get on or a good spot in line for Frozen before the non-resort guests are let in at 8:30am. You've knocked out two priority attractions by 9am without G+.

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you so much for this detail! I don't know what I don't know until I get there.

We're all here to help!

 

[allimaree]

Never mind. Asked a question before I saw the answer and now I can't figure out how to delete.