NY Eve plans

[Andrea817]

We had the best time at Epcot for NYE! I have been wanting to attend for years but was always weary of the crowds and leaving at the end of the night. On January 1, 2016 I sat on the couch with DH showing him videos from Epcot the night before and I said "next year, we're going"...and we did!

We are huge BC fans and I made sure to book our stay there for ease of returning "home" after the festivities. We planned our Epcot park day for the 30th so we could thoroughly enjoy the park and rides. The 31st we took it easy, ate a late breakfast at the resort and then walked around Disney Springs for a while. We went back to the resort, napped, showered, and headed to dinner at Cape May Cafe at 6:45pm. I originally had an ADR for San Angel Inn but decided (after lots of reading on the boards) that dinner at the resort would be a better idea for us rather than fighting through the crowds. We headed into Epcot at around 8:15pm with absolutely no line at International Gateway.

All I can say is...WOW! It was everything I expected and so much more. Was it busy? Yes! But completely organized! The streets were taped off with arrows and cast members were directing "traffic" all night to avoid chaos and people walking into each other. The vibe was incredible, so much fun but tons of families enjoying together. We loved every moment of it! Italy was amazing and although we checked out every stage, we spent the majority of our time there. Like previous posters stated, the lines for drinks and restrooms were insane! I was glad we planned it like we did and only came for the night time festivities, I think had we have been there all day tired and fighting the crowds it may not have been as enjoyable. We lucked out and found a little store in Italy that was selling beer and were able to get drinks with zero line We held out for restrooms until we got back to the room, there was no way I was waiting in those lines.

The fireworks were incredible! It was just a magical experience and Disney definitely does everything better!! We left once the music stopped at 1am and walked leisurely back to our room at the BC. I didn't check the time but I would say we were back to our room by 1:30am the latest.

We will definitely be back next year, this was hands down the best NYE I have ever had & DH agrees. He can't stop saying how awesome it was

Thank you all for your posts and past experiences as they helped us plan such a great evening!

 

[practicallyperfect77]

For those of you that went to Epcot last night, how was it? We are going to WDW for Xmas next year and I want to do Epcot on NYE. We will be staying DVC and Wilderness Lodge so I'm concerned about how long it will take to get out of the park and back there.

I was at Epcot to ring in 2017...so much fun and very glad I decided to cross this bucket list item off my list. =) I was staying at Pop and got in line for the bus around 10:30am....there were easily 4 buses worth of people so I went to HS instead and took a boat over. There were only maybe 5 people in front of me at the IG and I arrived in France and bought my first drink about 11:20. I had decided I was going to go slow and drink my way around the world (also a bucket list item). I paced myself very well so I actually felt fine. Met a wonderful couple while in lone for a drink in the UK and ended up sittong with them on a bench b/t UK and Canada where we chatted until fireworks. The show was absolutely amazing. I will say getting out of the park was craziness and I was by myself so didn't even have anyone to lose. Thankfully I stopped to go to the restroom before leaving the park b/c I waited 1 hr 20 mins to get on a bus. I got to bus stop around 12:30 and not on bus until 1:50. I really don't think staying in the park til 1 would have made a difference b/c the line was just as long at 1:50 as it was when I got in it. If I ever go again, I would make sure to stay at an Epcot resort so I could walk home.....well worth the price in my opinion.

I will say I enjoyed the fireworks at MK better. It could have been view tho too as I did have trees in front of me ar Epcot.

 

[lindaso]

Definitely go to MK on the 30th. We watched Holiday Wishes at 7:30 and then the NYE fireworks later on and both were incredible. There were a lot of people but we were right up in front of the castle and I never felt people were crowding on top of us. It was so good that we really didn't feel the need to go crazy at Epcot on the 31st. We had an awesome dinner at Tokyo Dining at 5:30 and then walked around soaking up the atmosphere. We rode Ellen since we never want to invest 50 minutes on a normal day. We got a spot inside the masking tape at about 10:00 and just hung out. The fireworks were really good but the MK ones we saw the night before were better. We had booked our stay at the Yacht Club so we could just walk back. Really easy.

Honestly, we had read and heard all the nightmares about crowds that week but it was totally manageable.

 

[Keels]

@HopperFan @Andrea817 -- I'm glad y'all enjoyed it! I think the fireworks in the World Showcase are better than being in NYC to see the ball drop, honestly, if you're going for a "bucket list" experience!

And like you - I did it once thinking it would be a one-and-done experience, and now it's become my favorite holiday tradition!

The sleeping people are a little weird, sure, but if the weather is beautiful like it was this time around, there's really nothing more perfect than lounging on the "Forbidden Grass" for a little bit and enjoying the sunshine. Last year, I took my iPad and enjoyed a cocktail in the sunshine while I read that month's book club book and waited for my husband to arrive from his morning fishing trip for our Happy Hour ADR at Spice Road. It was downright delightful and a nice, chill break before what was going to be a hectic evening. Then I just threw my big purse with my iPad back in a locker (I also take a hoodie and a change of shoes and store them on days like this) and it was back at it for the rest of the night.

I've done Epcot NYE ... six? times now, and it never gets old. I love the DJs. I love the bands. I don't so much like the noisemakers, but it just makes me so happy to see people so excited and festive - just the idea of celebrating the coming year warms my heart. Each year, we end up meeting a fun new couple somewhere that we have dinner with (I've started making my 10 p.m. ADR for four people instead of just two since we ALWAYS meet a couple to hang out with), and then party the night away.

I usually get to the park around 10 or 11 a.m. before the mad rush starts and have always found that I can get A LOT done early, if I want to ride rides and then save my FP+s for later in the day - holidays like this are where knowledge of FP+ is perfect, even despite Epcot tiering their E-Tickets.

 

[HopperFan]

@HopperFan @Andrea817 -- I'm glad y'all enjoyed it! I think the fireworks in the World Showcase are better than being in NYC to see the ball drop, honestly, if you're going for a "bucket list" experience!

And like you - I did it once thinking it would be a one-and-done experience, and now it's become my favorite holiday tradition!

The sleeping people are a little weird, sure, but if the weather is beautiful like it was this time around, there's really nothing more perfect than lounging on the "Forbidden Grass" for a little bit and enjoying the sunshine. Last year, I took my iPad and enjoyed a cocktail in the sunshine while I read that month's book club book and waited for my husband to arrive from his morning fishing trip for our Happy Hour ADR at Spice Road. It was downright delightful and a nice, chill break before what was going to be a hectic evening. Then I just threw my big purse with my iPad back in a locker (I also take a hoodie and a change of shoes and store them on days like this) and it was back at it for the rest of the night.

I've done Epcot NYE ... six? times now, and it never gets old. I love the DJs. I love the bands. I don't so much like the noisemakers, but it just makes me so happy to see people so excited and festive - just the idea of celebrating the coming year warms my heart. Each year, we end up meeting a fun new couple somewhere that we have dinner with (I've started making my 10 p.m. ADR for four people instead of just two since we ALWAYS meet a couple to hang out with), and then party the night away.

I usually get to the park around 10 or 11 a.m. before the mad rush starts and have always found that I can get A LOT done early, if I want to ride rides and then save my FP+s for later in the day - holidays like this are where knowledge of FP+ is perfect, even despite Epcot tiering their E-Tickets.

I've done Times Square in .... 19 degrees and active snow .... so this was MUCH better in that way. We stayed right in Times Square. DS2 and DD were in the center corral at the stage (got in 7 hours after they closed it thanks to DH's high security connect to NYPD), they are laughing at Mariah thing, they said they do their show about 3-4 times before actually doing it so make sure they are perfect. They say J-Lo perform 3 times. DH DS1 and I headed out at 10 and a nice officer allowed us in a corral just a block up, still a view. EVERYONE should do it once ... the ball is cool and the fireworks cool but what I LOVED was all the confetti coming off the buildings. WOW. Kinda looked like the NYE finale but it fell on us. But I have to say that getting out of Times Square much like getting out of the parks on NYE.

One of my FAVORITE NYE has been New Orleans. Great fun and great weather.

 

[Keels]

One of my FAVORITE NYE has been New Orleans. Great fun and great weather.

I thought this might be the year for NOLA, but we opted to stay here in Orlando once we got here (we come out and spend like a month or so during the holidays because I can't deal with the cold weather at home). I've been pretty committed to Marathon Weekend for the Dopey Challenge (last year, this year and next year), so I'm thinking 2019 will be the year we can make that happen.

 

[HopperFan]

I thought this might be the year for NOLA, but we opted to stay here in Orlando once we got here (we come out and spend like a month or so during the holidays because I can't deal with the cold weather at home). I've been pretty committed to Marathon Weekend for the Dopey Challenge (last year, this year and next year), so I'm thinking 2019 will be the year we can make that happen.

Book early so you are close proximity to the Quarter. Be sure to include a tour of Mardi Gras World. They make the floats and it really is interesting, you see them work, you see some of the floats. They made all the decor that WAS in POFQ food court, some are duplicates of floats decor and they make the Chickfila cows on the billboards. Great site for any info or help is http://www.neworleans.com/. I didn't book hotel via them on our trips (did Mardi Gras also) but did book some tickets and they are available once there to help (needed them once).

Have fun at the marathon, DS did it a few years and did the SW one last year.

 

[Keels]

Book early so you are close proximity to the Quarter.

Will do. We generally go to NOLA 6-8 times a year, so we have our favorite places (JW Marriott on Canal or the Renaissance in the Arts/Warehouse District), so I'll definitely keep that in mind!

 

[HopperFan]

Will do. We generally go to NOLA 6-8 times a year, so we have our favorite places (JW Marriott on Canal or the Renaissance in the Arts/Warehouse District), so I'll definitely keep that in mind!

Oh you need no help. NYE we stayed in warehouse at the Embassy Suites. It was great for the free drinks before we headed out. Def walkable. Mardi Gras we stayed off St. Charles closer to Canal at Homewood. PERFECT for the parade route.

 

[Keels]

Oh you need no help. NYE we stayed in warehouse at the Embassy Suites. It was great for the free drinks before we headed out. Def walkable. Mardi Gras we stayed off St. Charles closer to Canal at Homewood. PERFECT for the parade route.

I love both of those areas!!! And seriously, New Year's Day brunch at Red Gravy or Ruby Slipper? C'mon. I'm already thinking about it.