We're just back from what was an amazing New Year's trip - except for our horrifying experince at Epcot on NYE. We were prepared for rudeness. We were prepared for incredible crowds. We were not prepared for Disney's inexplicable lack of crowd control on what is labeled by Disney's own employees "the busiest day of the year". We had entered through the international gateway after the earlier illuminations finished. We needed to get over to Norway for the princess dinner at 8:40pm. Our big mistake - going the "shorter" way on the map - through Canada, future world direction. When we had walked through England and Canada ropes had been set up with CM's on hand - having all folks going the same direction to the right of the walkway - worked great. While crowds were thick, walkways were, well, walkable, and manageable.
As we left Canada & got closer to FW, crowds slowly got thicker then thicker, then before we realized what happened we were stuck in the largest human gridlock situation I have ever been in. I was holding my 5 yr dd's hand, trying to squeeze forward with the crowd. I got separated from my dh, and two other (older) dds. We were "stuck" not moving at all except perhaps a few inches. The crowd was getting more and more panicked - including me, the longer we were not moving - at least 10 minutes. At no time did I see any CM's to aid in this logjam.
Suddenly a woman from behind me starts pushing on me. I turned and said "please stop pushing, we'll all going the same direction". She then, proceeded to push on us hard enough that my dd fell forward - she didn't hit the ground, as we were crushed together, but she was pushed hard enough that she fell forward onto the man's legs in front of us. I yelled at the woman that I have a little girl here, and you almost knocked her over. She kept pointing to her 10yr old-ish dd and said "Mother" "mother" while pushing me out of the way. I went ballistic, "what am I, if not a mother? My little girls was PUSHED over by you" She just shoved her way onto the man in front of me, till he gave her a few inches and she continued to push ahead, saying something to me in what sounded like a Russian or Slavic dialect. I switched to Spanish, which I can also speak, but of course, she couldn't understand me, or care to understand me. Anyway, now I was close to tears in this sea of humans, holding my dd tightly, and praying we'd make it out alive (seriously, I was that scared).
After five more minutes I finally saw 2 CM's enter the fray. Shortly after this, I saw a quarterback type kid pushing himself and his friends through - I literally held onto his friend and we were finally pushed through.
Meanwhile, my dh was back further, and because he had a stroller, became separated from my other two dds. My one dd, who has claustrophobia, started having a panic attack, and began hyerventalating. My dh found the girls, struggled to keep the 3 of them together - he tried to go back, or to the sides but was unable to move at all. People in front of him began turning around, saying the CM's say to go back. Of course, the people behind, refused to budge. My dh could now see if he stood on tiptoes, that there was now an empty space being created by the cm's (don't know if this was a too late crowd control measure, or if someone got hurt). He was finally able to push a path to the side and he and my dds stayed there, till he was able to get my dd to breathe normally again. During all this time, he did not see one single CM. After another 10 minutes or so, he and dds walked the long way all around the ws to meet me and dd who were now safely in Norway (though 20 minutes late for adr)
Crowds cannot be helped at Epcot on NYE. This situation however was completely avoidable, and could have completely been adverted with proper man power and crowd control. It is completely unacceptable, and easily could have ended in tragedy (it may have for someone unbeknowst to me). This is a comon bottleneck - all the more reason for crowd precautions to be put in place as they were elsewhere in WS that night. This is the most anti-disney thing I have ever experienced at DW, or for that matter anywhere (the Great Wall of China and NYE in Times Square NYC! pale in comparison!) I did complain (very emotionally) that evening to the manager of Akershus, as he was the only manager type person I could find that night - he was very nice, but really, what could he do?
I intend to write a formal letter of complaint, once I find the name of the person who heads operations at Epcot. I just don't want this situation to repeat itself and end in major tragedy. We were shaken all through the princess dinner (thankfully my youngest dd was so enthralled w/the princesses that she was ok). We decided not to let this horrific event spoil our evening. We did stay till midnight, illuminations was great, and we left w/no issues right afterwards thru the I.G. The only positive thing to come from this was that the crowds seemed easy after this - even Main Street USA right after Wishes on a Saturday night! If anyone knows a name I can write to, pleas pm me - thanks.
As we left Canada & got closer to FW, crowds slowly got thicker then thicker, then before we realized what happened we were stuck in the largest human gridlock situation I have ever been in. I was holding my 5 yr dd's hand, trying to squeeze forward with the crowd. I got separated from my dh, and two other (older) dds. We were "stuck" not moving at all except perhaps a few inches. The crowd was getting more and more panicked - including me, the longer we were not moving - at least 10 minutes. At no time did I see any CM's to aid in this logjam.
Suddenly a woman from behind me starts pushing on me. I turned and said "please stop pushing, we'll all going the same direction". She then, proceeded to push on us hard enough that my dd fell forward - she didn't hit the ground, as we were crushed together, but she was pushed hard enough that she fell forward onto the man's legs in front of us. I yelled at the woman that I have a little girl here, and you almost knocked her over. She kept pointing to her 10yr old-ish dd and said "Mother" "mother" while pushing me out of the way. I went ballistic, "what am I, if not a mother? My little girls was PUSHED over by you" She just shoved her way onto the man in front of me, till he gave her a few inches and she continued to push ahead, saying something to me in what sounded like a Russian or Slavic dialect. I switched to Spanish, which I can also speak, but of course, she couldn't understand me, or care to understand me. Anyway, now I was close to tears in this sea of humans, holding my dd tightly, and praying we'd make it out alive (seriously, I was that scared).
After five more minutes I finally saw 2 CM's enter the fray. Shortly after this, I saw a quarterback type kid pushing himself and his friends through - I literally held onto his friend and we were finally pushed through.
Meanwhile, my dh was back further, and because he had a stroller, became separated from my other two dds. My one dd, who has claustrophobia, started having a panic attack, and began hyerventalating. My dh found the girls, struggled to keep the 3 of them together - he tried to go back, or to the sides but was unable to move at all. People in front of him began turning around, saying the CM's say to go back. Of course, the people behind, refused to budge. My dh could now see if he stood on tiptoes, that there was now an empty space being created by the cm's (don't know if this was a too late crowd control measure, or if someone got hurt). He was finally able to push a path to the side and he and my dds stayed there, till he was able to get my dd to breathe normally again. During all this time, he did not see one single CM. After another 10 minutes or so, he and dds walked the long way all around the ws to meet me and dd who were now safely in Norway (though 20 minutes late for adr)
Crowds cannot be helped at Epcot on NYE. This situation however was completely avoidable, and could have completely been adverted with proper man power and crowd control. It is completely unacceptable, and easily could have ended in tragedy (it may have for someone unbeknowst to me). This is a comon bottleneck - all the more reason for crowd precautions to be put in place as they were elsewhere in WS that night. This is the most anti-disney thing I have ever experienced at DW, or for that matter anywhere (the Great Wall of China and NYE in Times Square NYC! pale in comparison!) I did complain (very emotionally) that evening to the manager of Akershus, as he was the only manager type person I could find that night - he was very nice, but really, what could he do?
I intend to write a formal letter of complaint, once I find the name of the person who heads operations at Epcot. I just don't want this situation to repeat itself and end in major tragedy. We were shaken all through the princess dinner (thankfully my youngest dd was so enthralled w/the princesses that she was ok). We decided not to let this horrific event spoil our evening. We did stay till midnight, illuminations was great, and we left w/no issues right afterwards thru the I.G. The only positive thing to come from this was that the crowds seemed easy after this - even Main Street USA right after Wishes on a Saturday night! If anyone knows a name I can write to, pleas pm me - thanks.
Some of us just get lost without them. 
You literally coudn't move, and everyone was right on top of each other. I become very anxious in situations like that, because you really can't move and you're dependent upon everyone else not to push, etc.
