NEWS: Epcot testing extended dining hours

[jedimaster1227]

Disney has announced that it will do a short test of "extra hour" dining after park closure for three of its table service offerings at Epcot.

 

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/03/extra-time-to-dine-at-epcot/

 

Do you like the idea of an extra hour for dining in the evening at Epcot? Give it a try from March 28 through April 10, and let us know what you think — you can book your “extra hour” table at Coral Reef Restaurant, Garden Grill or Le Cellier Steakhouse. Then get ready to relax and sip a post-prandial cocktail or linger over dessert while the Epcot crowds dwindle.

 

Share with us what you think about the idea. And we’ll share with you that we recommend the decadent Chocolate Wave (with a little sparkling rosé) if you’re at Coral Reef Restaurant; an extra scoop of all-you-care-to-eat strawberry-rhubarb crisp with cream at Garden Grill or the Chocolate-on-Chocolate Whiskey Cake at Le Cellier. You’ll walk it off on the way to the car.

 

I think this will be a good chance for me to finally eat at Le Cellier (which has been completely booked for the last six months) again, if anything else!

[SharkTums]

I'm a bit unclear on this? What is the last time you can book now? How late will it go? I assume this is on non-EMH nights?

 

More Chip and Dale at the Garden Grill is cool with me! Plus with the jetlag we're usually up late so I wouldn't mind a nice dinner after Illuminations one night.

[jedimaster1227]

I believe the latest you can book a seat at any of the restaurants is the standard hour of closing (typically 9:00 pm) for the park. As long as you are in the restaurant at that time, you will be served. Plus, if you are going in at that time, you will be eating through Illuminations' duration and will likely leave right around the time that the inferno barge burn off is done (if they haven't changed they way they have done things from last year). From what I can tell, it is just an extra hour of dining operation, putting guests out within two hours of park closing as opposed to the standard one. I would also guess that it isn't being done during Extra Magic Hour nights.

[Electerik]

Well, they need to do something. As it stands, Epcot is a park full of restaurants that you can't eat at.

 

/Sick of Moroccan food.

[taytig]

I think that this is a great idea. Walking out of the park when there are only a handful of other guests around you is a great experience. You can really see everything the park offers at night and there is a calmness that isn't there during the day.

 

I can only hope that this will extend to other restaurants as well, but I feel for the cast members who now have to add another hour to their shifts.

 

Will this mean the shops will extend their hours too? If so, I can see this turning into another hour in the park and it may lose some of it's appeal (at least for me).

 

David