I Almost Got Locked Out of EPCOT — Here's What Happened

When it comes to Walt Disney World’s theme parks, EPCOT stands alone as being the only one to feature two entrances: The park’s main entrance in front of Spaceship Earth, and the International Gateway, which sits near the France Pavilion in World Showcase.

International Gateway

While the Gateway has been in place for decades, it was mainly used as an entrance for hotels within walking or boat distance of the back of the park… until 2019. That’s when the Walt Disney World Skyliner opened, allowing guests from Pop Century, Art of Animation, the Riviera Resort, the Caribbean Beach Resort, and Hollywood Studios to enter through the entrance. While that has made traveling to EPCOT more convenient for many guests, it can also lead to some interesting issues… like almost getting locked out of the park and being unable to return to your car!

Last summer, one of our team members spent a day at EPCOT before leaving through the International Gateway to walk to the nearby Boardwalk Resort for a dining reservation at the Cake Bake Shop that night.

Cake Bake Shop

Initially, things went well… until they ordered dessert. That’s when they realized that by the time they ate said desserts, they’d be at the restaurant past closing time. The issue? Their car was parked in EPCOT’s parking lot… outside the park’s front entrance! Plus, they’d stored some belongings in one of the park’s lockers. In other words, if they didn’t get back in the park, they’d have massive problems!

Lockers in EPCOT

In the case of our team member, they let their server know what was going on, and the Cake Back Shop staff was super-accommodating. They packed the cake slices to-go, and our team member and their party were able to cross back into EPCOT with only MINUTES to spare before park closing! In fact, they enjoyed their Cake Bake slices while watching the Luminous fireworks, turning a potentially stressful situation into a magical moment.

They are pretty good cakes

However, what if they hadn’t made it? What options would they — or someone else in that situation — have if they did miss the cutoff and find themselves outside of EPCOT? Well, first off, they could have explained the situation to guest relations over at the International Gateway to figure out a solution for getting back their stuff and their car from the parking lot.

International Gateway

If they were unable to get into the park, they could have made arrangements to pick up their belongings the next day, and a rideshare service like Uber to pick them up from the Boardwalk and take them back over to the front of the park to reach their vehicle at least.

Disney doesn’t want you to be stranded, so they will do their best to make sure you’re able to get back to your car so you can get home or to your hotel!

Rideshare sign at EPCOT

EPCOT’s International Gateway provides a unique access point to EPCOT for guests at nearby hotels as well as those on the Skyliner route. However, if you find yourself leaving the park to dine at a nearby resort, be sure to keep your eye on the clock to avoid getting locked out of the park if your belongings or vehicle are still on the other side. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney tips.

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