Parking tram drivers were recently trained outside of EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort as the imminent return of tram services nears. Parking tram services are expected to return to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at some point in September after missing their previously announced “2022” return date.
Parking Trams Returning to EPCOT
We noticed this particular round of training on September 3, though training has been occurring since at least late August.
This driver was being trained near the Eve lot on the “Space” side of EPCOT’s parking lot. The lot is located behind the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind show building and opened this past July.
Tram driver training has been occurring at various parking lots outside of EPCOT over the past few days, as we noticed training occurring near the Moana lot on the “Earth” side of EPCOT’s lot on September 1. Training has also recently occurred outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Parking Trams Returning to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney Parks announced the heavily-anticipated return of parking trams to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in late August. Parking trams transport guests who park their vehicle in a lot at a drop-off point closer to the park’s entrance, minimizing the distance they have to walk.
Parking trams have been absent from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios since March 2020 when tram services were suspended at all four Walt Disney World Parks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All parks were closed for a short time in mid-2020, with tram services suspended for the sake of physical distancing when Walt Disney World began its phased reopening in July of that year.
Disney Parks announced that tram services would be returning to Magic Kingdom in December 2021, sharing in the same announcement that parking trams “would be returning to . . . other Walt Disney World theme parks throughout 2022.” Tram services returned to Magic Kingdom on December 19, 2021 and to Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 27, 2022 but did not return to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the announced timeframe.
Parking tram services have been absent from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for over 1,200 days. When they ultimately return at some point in September, it will be the first time that tram services will be offered at all four Walt Disney World Parks since 2020.
The return of parking trams is just another change in the ongoing overhaul of the parking structure at EPCOT. The Eve lot was recently constructed, and all of the lots received new names in January of 2023. Fresh sod was placed around the new EPCOT ride-share loop in late August, indicating that the project is nearing completion. The parking lot renovations coincide with a years-long park reimagining that’s seen EPCOT add Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and the upcoming Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.
Are you excited about the return of parking trams to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Do you plan to utilize the service? Let us know in the comments.
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