Epcot To Introduce After Hours Wind Down Experience
Have you ever walked around Epcot’s World Showcase after IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth has ended and thought, “I wish one of these restaurants were open so I could grab a drink and a light snack.” Well, now that option is a possibility!
Disney is introducing the new After Hours Wind Down. During this special experience, guests will be able to sit down in an intimate setting and sample appetizers and beverages from one of four different lounges found in World Showcase. The lounges guests can choose from include: La Cava del Tequila (Mexico), Spice Road Table (Morocco), Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar (Italy), and Rose & Crown Pub (United Kingdom). You may only choose one dining location per night.
Menu offerings include a selection of small bites, paired with one beverage flight. Additional beverages can be purchased, if guests choose.
The event is for adults, 21 and up, and takes place Thursdays-Sundays, from 9:20 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. It is scheduled to run from April 17 – September 15.
The cost is $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity. A special ticket is needed to take part in this experience, and admission to Epcot is required but not included in the price.
Guests can schedule this experience up to 180 days in advance and may do so by calling (407) WDW-DINE or visiting Disney’s website.
This is the second new unique dining offering Epcot has introduced lately. Recently, the park rolled out the IllumiNations Sparkling Dessert Party.
(Note that we also covered this news in a previous post: Epcot After Hours Alcohol Tasting Events Begin April 17.)
hmmm, seems to me Disney is missing an opportunity to make even more money. Agree with the poster about not wanting over tired children so why not limit it to guests 15 and above and serve them something non-alchoholic? I know my two youngest daughters (16 & 17) would enjoy something like this. At $35 and no alchohol that’s a larger profit margin for Disney.
Does anyone know where the menus are for this special event? I would like to see the choices before committing to a lounge. And this would be a little bit cooler if it was a taste tour where you got to go to all of them and have a little bite and drink at each lounge.
Personally, I think making this a separate admission is a great idea.
If Epcot restaurants simply extended hours, that would not easily facilitate that this be an adult-oriented experience. (How do you usher families with little ones out while letting adults stay?) While I love visiting WDW with my family and extended family, it’ll be very nice to have the option of NOT having to worry about overtired children at an event like this.
Plus, there’s that thing that Disney loves so much… profit. And a separate admission makes it much easier to measure the profitability of this type of endeavor. 🙂
They could have more capacity by extending hours, but closing down any of the attractions that are kid friendly.
But if you turn EPCOT into a huge drinking party at night, it will OFFEND parents of little ones.
EPCOT has that problem now somewhat. I think they minimize an event like this specifically because they don’t want to basically let all the EPCOT bars (and only the bars) stay open after 9pm.
But it’s easy enough to usher out the under 21 set. They usher people out before special events fairly often.
I agree. Why is this a ticketed event rather than just having those restaurants stay open later?
I like this idea well enough…but why doesn’t Epcot just keep some of the restaurants open until 10 or 11 on most nights. I guess Disney doesn’t want people to get too out of hand at park themselves at Rose & Crown all night but for those of us who want to imbibe somewhat responsibly, it would be cool to be able to sit at a bar or have a great meal AFTER Illuminations instead of having to eat at 6:30 to have a chance of getting a good spot to see the show.