Remember when Epcot World Showcase opened at 9am?

[Cinerama261]

I remember passing all the people waiting in line to see the Future World attractions and we went to World Showcase with no lines. Once we finished World Showcase, the lines at Future World were a lot shorter.

 

[minnie mum]

Didn't they only do that for a very short period when Epcot first opened in 1982? I don't think there are many Disers who were attending 30+ years ago. Our first visit to Epcot wasn't til 1983, but we have always spent the morning in FW anyway. My only memory of that first visit was how hot it was and wishing the trees were big enough to cast some shade.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Didn't they only do that for a very short period when Epcot first opened in 1982? I don't think there are many Disers who were attending 30+ years ago. Our first visit to Epcot wasn't til 1983, but we have always spent the morning in FW anyway. My only memory of that first visit was how hot it was and wishing the trees were big enough to cast some shade.

They did it for several years. I don't think the change to an 11:00am open happened until after 9/11/2001.

 

[amg35]

Didn't they only do that for a very short period when Epcot first opened in 1982? I don't think there are many Disers who were attending 30+ years ago. Our first visit to Epcot wasn't til 1983, but we have always spent the morning in FW anyway. My only memory of that first visit was how hot it was and wishing the trees were big enough to cast some shade.

I was there in 1982! I was 8, so I don't remember what time World Showcase opened.

 

[andyman8]

Didn't they only do that for a very short period when Epcot first opened in 1982? I don't think there are many Disers who were attending 30+ years ago. Our first visit to Epcot wasn't til 1983, but we have always spent the morning in FW anyway. My only memory of that first visit was how hot it was and wishing the trees were big enough to cast some shade.

There was a period when they were doing it prior to 9/11. The cutbacks Disney had to make to survive the tourism halt caused by those attacks put an end to that.

 

[siskaren]

They did it for several years. I don't think the change to an 11:00am open happened until after 9/11/2001.

I'm pretty sure the 11am opening started well before 9/11. I assume that like minniemum, most people start with the attractions at FW and that Disney therefore didn't see the need to open WS before 11 because most people weren't going over there before 11 anyway.

 

[DebbieB]

I agree that it was before 2001. My first trip was in 1994, I think it was open at 9:00 then but I'm almost positive it changed by the time of our second trip in 1996. We started going twice a year in 1998 and I don't remember a 9:00 opening then.

 

[jsilvers]

Based on some quick research, it looks like that it was around 1994-95 that WS started opening later than FW. The oldest WDW guidebook on my shelf (Frommer's '96) indicates that by that time WS routinely opened at 11am, but an excerpt from the 1994 Unofficial Guide available through Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=0j...hwithinvolume&q="more+people+entering+future") refers to guests entering WS before 11am, which suggests that the policy hadn't changed yet.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I never paid attention to when any of the parks opened when I was a kid, but I do know that Epcot hasn't opened before 11 since 2005, when I started going as a college kid and into adulthood. Same, too, as that is what my husband and I would do. We'd go to Soarin, Livin' with the Land, Spaceship Earth, and head to World Showcase for the rest of the day.

 

[bastos]

I can remember being there in the eighties - I think 1986 - with my parents. I know we RAN and did Spaceship Earth. When we walked to Mexico after - and around most of the countries - they were relatively empty until into the afternoon. One-ish?

I know Mexico was the second thing we did. And we ABSOLUTELY were there when it opened.

 

[keypooh90]

I always thought the change happened after 9/11. I remember that change when we went in 11/2001, but that could just be my memory being off.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I'm pretty sure It had to be after early 1994. The first time I went with my DH (bf back then) was February 1994, and I always loved to do WS first back then. I am almost certain we did it that first trip, but I don't recall when it stopped. It was college and the trips have blended together in my aging memory I actually preferred to do FW at night. It was empty, and we'd get in every single ride after dinner and before illuminations. That's how I'd done it as a kid, so that was the way I continued to do it. My parents never wanted to be at Epcot during the day, we'd go to Mk every morning, pool afternoon at CR, Epcot for dinner then rides til the fireworks, the back to the CR, which was one of the few onsite places back then in the 80s!

 

[maccagerl]

We were there in 1987, and I remember entering Epcot first thing in the morning and going straight over to the French bakery to get fresh croissants and pastries for breakfast , and sitting at the little tables in the courtyard while we ate.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Based on some quick research, it looks like that it was around 1994-95 that WS started opening later than FW. The oldest WDW guidebook on my shelf (Frommer's '96) indicates that by that time WS routinely opened at 11am, but an excerpt from the 1994 Unofficial Guide available through Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=0j...hwithinvolume&q="more+people+entering+future") refers to guests entering WS before 11am, which suggests that the policy hadn't changed yet.

Sounds about right. I actually had that 1994 Unofficial Guide until last year. For reference . The explanation was something to the effect of "guest touring habits" - most visitors were heading to WS late in the morning.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Sounds about right. I actually had that 1994 Unofficial Guide until last year. For reference . The explanation was something to the effect of "guest touring habits" - most visitors were heading to WS late in the morning.

Yep another cutback we requested. LOL

 

[Simba's Mom]

We were there in 1987, and I remember entering Epcot first thing in the morning and going straight over to the French bakery to get fresh croissants and pastries for breakfast , and sitting at the little tables in the courtyard while we ate.

Funny, our first visit was in 1987 and that's the one thing I remember most also! I think the change happened just before our last visit with young kids, in 1994. I was so disappointed that we wouldn't be able to eat breakfast at the French Bakery any more. I was thrilled to hear that the French Bakery is now available in the AM again.

 

[Jane Eyre]

Because World Showcase was our favorite, on a couple of trips in the 1990's and later we would ride the boat across the lagoon right after opening, and we were usually the only people wandering around Italy, Morocco, etc. I always believed Disney started the later opening time just because it was more efficient --- not enough people in WS until 11 am or later to make it worthwhile.

 

[beaprn]

Didn't they only do that for a very short period when Epcot first opened in 1982? I don't think there are many Disers who were attending 30+ years ago. Our first visit to Epcot wasn't til 1983, but we have always spent the morning in FW anyway. My only memory of that first visit was how hot it was and wishing the trees were big enough to cast some shade.

Speak for yourself- Epcot opening was not THAT long ago. LOL. Hand count please! Alot of the opening pavilions are long gone Future world had alot more to offer then IMO. Altho I do enjoy Mission Space.

 

[beaprn]

There was a period when they were doing it prior to 9/11. The cutbacks Disney had to make to survive the tourism halt caused by those attacks put an end to that.

Actually, 2001 was the first time I remember Disney offering "sales" on their on site hotels. Usually it was so expensive to stay onsite that we always stayed off site. I remember staying onsite and the parks being so clear of the crowds I was so use to. At that time the bad guys were winning because people were not traveling and Disney the happiest places on earth was not so happy.

 

[keypooh90]

Actually, 2001 was the first time I remember Disney offering "sales" on their on site hotels. Usually it was so expensive to stay onsite that we always stayed off site. I remember staying onsite and the parks being so clear of the crowds I was so use to. At that time the bad guys were winning because people were not traveling and Disney the happiest places on earth was not so happy.

Yep. I remember how dead the parks were in November 2001 when we were there. It was almost eerily empty!