Thank you for the detailed descriptions of 12/30 and 12/31 in MK! We, too, are veteran Disney goers but have never been during Christmas week. I’ve heard the horror stories but we have always wanted to “try” NYE in Disney.
We are definitely planning to hit MK on 12/30 vs. 12/31 but will also have our 2 yr. old DGS with us.
Are the crowds on 12/30 still a bit overwhelming for a family with a toddler & stroller? Our thought was to do the early dessert party to help have a bit tamer environment.
For those who have gone on 12/30, does this sound like the best option for our situation? The last thing I want for our DGS’s first visit is for him to be frightened. He’s not typically scared of much, but I guess I am hopeful the party helps control the atmosphere. There will be 6 adults and the 2 yr. old. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Also, thoughts on a park for actual NYE would be helpful. (The little one will not be with us for midnight fireworks.)
Thanks tons!
To answer your specific question - yes, on 12/30 the crowds are still overwhelming for a family with a 2 yr old and a stroller. I've taken my adult nieces and their children (ages 6-3) with me on trips for
MNSSHP and the Christmas Party. I have never offered to take them on an NYE trip, because in my opinion, it's too crowded, and I'd be terrified of losing the kids. That said, in my trips the past 2 years I saw lots of people with strollers. In every case they looked more than a little bit frustrated/harried. The "fun/party" atmosphere I mentioned no doubt led to some of the frustration for the folks with strollers. In Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and in front of the castle are giant LOUD dance parties complete with flashing lights, etc. It's like being in an under-21 family-friendly nightclub. At the Hub in front of the castle is a HUGE sea of people dancing to the DJ. Volume is such that music can clearly be heard all the way down main street. People on main street are dancing to that DJ as well, so walkers/strollers stick to the sidewalks. In Frontierland, the dance party is right in front of Country Bears and the Riverboat. It's another huge crowd that takes up the entire street. You can bypass it by walking on the sidewalk by the Riverboat (which is packed with people doing the same thing). In Frontierland, the volume is so loud you can clearly hear the dance party music from way over by Splash and Big Thunder Mountain. Music includes old-school dance standards such as the Macarena, Thriller, Kung Fu Fighting, YMCA, Don't Stop Believing, plus a ton of "new" dance music. My teens LOVED the dance parties. 2 year olds might find them noisy/scary (or who knows, they might find them fun). For the fireworks - if I had a 2 year old, I would definitely do a Dessert party, preferably the Tomorrowland Terrace party, where you could let your kid out of the stroller, sit in a chair, and run around a bit. I'm sure Plaza Garden would be fine too. Attached here are a couple of stills from a video I took of the Frontierland dance party. This was taken around 7pm on 12/30/2018 (so the night was young. It gets crazier as it goes on.) Sorry for the poor quality. I wish I could upload a video, but the file is too large. For 12/31, if I were you I would not even attempt the MK. I have not been to other parks on 12/31, so I can't speak to them (but after my one in-park NYE experience, I'm not going to attempt a park on 12/31 ever again, lol!)
I really appreciate getting feedback on my ideas from those of you who have experienced the madness 
the New Year's holiday crowds at MK. 
I had made the ADR for the Plaza since I am worried about the counter service options being crazy long lines and no tables on the 30th. So, I am not sure what to do. I figure with all the crowds after the 6:30 fireworks show and before our 8 pm dinner reservation, we will probably spend the time fighting with the crowds along Main Street and maybe wander around the stores a bit. I would love to see some attractions instead but it may not be feasible. I scheduled a dinner for us since I figured it would be a good way to sit and rest from the crowds and pass time until the later fireworks show. After dinner we will try to hit Adventureland for a bit and then head out and watch the fireworks from just outside MK or maybe ride the monorail over to the GF and watch the show from there. Not sure. 
But it’s another park I would never ever take younger kids to on NYE nights! Older kids would have a blast though.
