Hi everyone - relatively new Liner here, but happy to be one!
We have ADR on 11/9 for the Wind Down at Epcot and were looking soooo forward to it, until I saw that the park is open until 10:00 that night. Ugh - 94% of the appeal was being in a nearly empty park as the day came to a close. So… what the general consensus? Worth it, or not? I’d love to hear from folks that have done it, but any opinion is welcomed!
What time is your reservation? If it’s before 10:00, I’d consider cancelling or rescheduling for another night. But, I would also have to assume that the restaurants that are open for the Wind Down won’t be open to other guests at the same time. They probably close at 9:00. And, since everything else will be closed at 10:00, the only real exclusivity you’re getting is the restaurant service. I would imagine that once you’re done winding down, the park will be practically empty as you leave.
The park closes at 10:00 and I have a 10:20 wind down ADR.
Then the park will be closed and emptied out by the time you’re done with wind down… Right? Sounds like your wind down time begins after it closes… Should be just as good!
This is the second time I am doing this. I had a great time the first time! @BubbieS, you will enjoy it and you do walk out through an empty park!
My reservation is for 9:20, and the park closes at 10. I’m still deciding what to do. I didn’t see any other days available while we are there. I’ll keep checking back I guess. Thanks everyone!
Did they recently change the Epcot hours for that night? I think they just have not changed the wind down hours yet.
WDW Website says Epcot is open until 10:00 that night. Our ADR for wind down is confirmed at 9:20. No biggie - if this is my biggest problem today, then I’m a very lucky girl! 
Yes, but the reason it happens 20 minutes after closing is because they close those bars a little early to set up. If it is 9:20 then they would be closing them an hour early. You know Disney, they would never lose that much money on purpose! Look for a change of time! 
What’s a wind down?
I get that, but my reservation is for 40 minutes before the park closes. 9:20 res, 10:00 closing. I was wondering if it’s worth it to have the “wind down” while the park was still open.
@Stitcharella - the Wind Down is an event at four different restaurants/lounges at Epcot. It includes some drinks and small plates representative of the country that you bought the ticket for. We have Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, so we have a flight of wines and some different food options. I think the tix were $35.00
Cool! Thx! How do u get tix?
I agree I would call and find out if they changed the time - it wouldn’t bother me to begin my wind down while park is open but the whole point as you say is for it to begin at or after closing.
I bought them on My Disney Experience - just like making an ADR
I know it says 9:20 but from the Disney site:
Each nightly celebration begins immediately after the conclusion of evening fireworks.
It starts 20 minutes after closing so something in wrong.
We just did the Wind Down at La Cava last weekend. It was scheduled to be a 9:00 closing, but at last minute they added late EMH. I was kind of irritated because like you, I wanted to see the park closed. But it ended up great! The event was sold out and our seats were reserved, so it felt very private and special. The presentation was wonderful, and we stayed for another drink with our new friends after. By the time we left, the WS was very quiet, even if it wasn’t totally empty, and we had a ball. Best wishes to you!
The fact of the matter is, you don’t really get to see much of the park. After the wind-down is finished, they have cast members “escorting” you to one of the two exits; not really much look-around time. But the La Cava event was excellent; I did it twice in one trip. And the 4 locations close QUITE early in preparation; I think as early as 6:00 PM… As for timing, I’m 90% certain it’s linked to Illuminations (20 min after the scheduled show time), and not park closing. On “most” nights, the park closes at 9:00 PM and Illuminations starts at 9:00 PM, so it’s the same thing, but on nights when EP has PMEMH, the wind-dowm still starts at 9:20. The event itself is still “private”, but there will be some people in the park.
We did one at 9:20 on an EMH night. The park closed at 11, so when we left, we were able to get on a couple of rides and everything. But for a 10pm closing, you will still be leaving the park after everyone else, as the wind down usually winds down around 11pm.