Howdy folks…this is our first trip to Disney World and I’d like to take my kiddos (9, 6, and 5) to dinner on New Year’s Eve to the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Right now we are currently planning to be in Epcot for the day until the 6pm fireworks finish. I’m wondering two things - 1) What is the earliest you would book a dinner reservation at WCC?; and, 2) What is the best way to get from Epcot to WCC? I think taking the ferry would be a fun experience, but also feel a little nervous about this option. Thank you in advance for any advice on this!
There is no ferry from Epcot to WCC or wilderness lodge. You can bus to WL from EP that would likely be the fastest via Disney transport. You could also grab a cab or über.
This tool is awesome for planning travel.
I would take the bus from Epcot to WL. To get back to your resort after dinner you can take the boat from WL to MK and get a bus back to your resort.
I would give myself 2 hours (walk to bus at 6:30- expect to wait a couple of buses- travel) so 8:30 for dinner. If you get there faster you can use that time to enjoy the lobby.
1 Like
there is a ferry from MK to WL.
I think you would need at least 1hr from park departure to ADR time.
Another option is to take the monorail from Epcot to TTC and then to the Contemporary - and then the ferry over to Whispering Canyon. It might be worth it to avoid the MK crowds at that ferry.
The above recommendations are all reasonable. Personally, I would bus directly to WL from EP and then after dinner take the boat from WL to MK and catch a bus back to my resort from there. I agree that 8:30 is probably the earliest ADR you would want to make.
A related question for you… Was there a specific reason that you chose WWC for NYE when you were going to be in EP? WL is not exactly the easiest place to get to, and you’ll be at the park that has what is arguably the highest concentration of very good dining choices anywhere in WDW. And just outside the IG is the BW/BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin area where there are also many great dining choices. And just beyond that is DHS with yet more good dining options.
Personally, after a full day of hiking in EP and dealing with high crowd levels, the last thing I would want to do to end the day is to spend 90-plus minutes getting to dinner (especially knowing that the trip back to my resort after dinner would be as long or longer). To me, watching the 6:00 fireworks, having a dinner ADR in EP at 6:30 or 7:00 and then catching a bus directly to my resort around 8:00 or 8:30 sounds like a MUCH more enjoyable evening.
4 Likes
Definitely agree. I would recommend doing WCC on an MK day then you CAN take the ferry. WL and Epcot make look close but the transport between them can be kind of a pain.
Thank you all very much for the recommendations! I’m starting to rethink my plans for the day given the feedback above. It is so helpful to have this forum to use to get information.
bswan26 - Great question! I was concerned about my kiddos being able to last long enough in Epcot, so my initial plan was to arrive at 10:30am and battle security/entry, eat at Garden Grill at 11:30, visit some rides and attractions from 12:30-5:45, watch the 6pm fireworks, and then head to dinner at WCC. We are not big late night people, so I thought we would turn in at a decent hour and then wake up early to hit MK on January 1. However, I read today that Epcot can reach capacity, so perhaps I need to rethink the whole day. With the parks being so crowded that time of year, I don’t want to spin my wheels if I can make smarter decisions/planning now.