Disney NYE

[DisneyCP2002]

Alright I need some help please I have been to the world going on 12x's now but never on NYE. I know to expect wall to wall people and long waits but I need some tips from those that have done the world on NYE. Which park is best? I was thinking Epcot because of how spread out it is. I am not big on seeing the fireworks, so that's not a major factor. I've seen the July 4th big shows so I can live without the big wait. Anyway what park would I probably enjoy most on NYE's day/night. I do realize that once I am in a park that morning I need to stay put, since likely the parks will reach capicity. Anyway the main thing I would want to do is rides & shows. Parade is optional. Anyway I just need input from those who have done Disney on NYE. Oh and my tentative travel dates are 12/28 - 1/1/2011.

Okay another question LOL What is the latest date the Candlelight Processional will run? I am hoping that it will still be running either the 28, 29, or 30th.

 

[ChrisandMeghann]

I just want to say your crazy lol. Anyway i have never gone but what i have read is that epcot and magic kingdom are really bad. Epcot bc everyone thinks the same thing you do "its the biggest park we should go there" and magic kingdom bc its...well the magic kingdom. If i were going it would either be HS or AK. Good luck to you hope every thing goes well.

 

[MassJester]

I did it three years agao, and am doing it again this year.

I arrived the morning of New Year's Eve and the crowds were impressive--however, it wasn't such a popular day for travel and check-in and so those experiences went pretty well.

Make your dining choices as soon as you can. "Playing it by ear" (even Mouse Ear) is not a success strategy.

NYE and New Year's Day are nuts. But after that the parks calm down substantially.

It was a good time.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We stayed at BWV 2 years ago. We went to the last CP which was on the 30th, and then took the monorails over to the MK and we stayed there to see the preview of the MK NYE fireworks at midnight.

For the 31st we got to EPCOT around 3, and stayed there through midnight. It got very very crowded after their first showing of Illuminations, but we stuck it out and enjoyed their fireworks which began a bit before Midnight.

We're going to do the same things this year!!!

Bobbi

 

[howlongtildisney]

I was at DHS for this past NYE. It was very crowded but manageable. Here are my tips:

-For the whole week, get there at rope drop if you want to get anything done. We could get most of a park accomplished before the crowds arrived around 10 or 11.
-On the day of NYE itself, don't expect to get much done. It's really crowded. When we went back after our afternoon break, we got some CS food, went to the Osbourne lights, and people watched until midnight.
-We went to the fireworks dessert party at MK on the 30th. It was $35 a person or so, but it was worth it because the crowds were ham to ham all down Main Street. Loved it!
-Get to the park at rope drop on New Year's Day. I've done this twice now and the parks are empty. Nobody gets up early after staying up late the night before.

Have fun!

 

[taymaesmom]

We did NYE at AK, we had no desire to fight crowds or to stay in the parks til midnight. So we hit AK at the 7 am EMH opening, we rode Primeval Whirl 3 times without getting off, then our girls rode triceratops spin with no wait, we then walked right on to Dinosaur 2 times, we head over to Expedition Everest and rode 3 times with only 5 min waits each time. Next up we walked right onto the Safari, then the girls walked right on to Kali twice. Then we all saw TTBAB with no wait either, by then it was 10 am so we grabbed a snack and people watched, the crowds were really starting to pick up and we had done everything we came for except lunch, so we walked the Pagani rainforest trail then had lunch at Yak and Yeti. We left AK at 11:15 and a sign out front said MK was already closed to capacity! We spent the rest of the day at DTD and even saw Avatar in 3D while there!

 

[Rpsemont]

What about if you JUST want to see the NYE fireworks? We will have spent 12/16-12/24 in the parks, but would like to see the NYE preview at MK on the 30th and haven't decided whether to see NYE at EP or DHS
Can you get into the parks at 9PM or later? or are they closed to capacity?
Does it matter whether you're an on site quest or not?

Can you see either EP or DHS from outside the respective parks?

 

[Cando86]

We did NYE at MK (I know) this past year.

From everything I read, I was honestly expecting wall to wall crowds all day, not being able to move, not being able to ride anything etc. We went with those expectations and we were pleasantly surprised. We arrived at rope drop and stayed well past midnight, so it was a long day but worth it.

We were able to ride many rides (using the Wait Times app on my iPhone to see which rides had low wait times).
Also, the crowds were not NEARLY as bad as I was expecting. It did get very crowded around the hub for the fireworks. After the fireworks, they had a DJ in front of the castle who was amazing and so much fun. A lot of people cleared out after the fireworks so we were able to get right up in front of the castle and danced for hours.

I would recommend it for sure! We had a wonderful time

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We did NYE at MK (I know) this past year.

From everything I read, I was honestly expecting wall to wall crowds all day, not being able to move, not being able to ride anything etc. We went with those expectations and we were pleasantly surprised. We arrived at rope drop and stayed well past midnight, so it was a long day but worth it.

We were able to ride many rides (using the Wait Times app on my iPhone to see which rides had low wait times).
Also, the crowds were not NEARLY as bad as I was expecting. It did get very crowded around the hub for the fireworks. After the fireworks, they had a DJ in front of the castle who was amazing and so much fun. A lot of people cleared out after the fireworks so we were able to get right up in front of the castle and danced for hours.

I would recommend it for sure! We had a wonderful time

This was our experience as well although we were in the MK on the 30th. Right by the hub was crowded while people waiting for the fireworks but I thought the crowds during the day were manageable. No, we didn't get to do everything but we did more than we had thought we would.

We spent NYE in EPCOT and did want to see the fireworks. We had an early dinner at the Biergarten and then kind of camped out. Took turns going to get snacks & drinks. Met some great people and really enjoyed the night.

 

[Hobbitmomma]

We are going this year as well. Our plan for NYE is to be at DHS early then have dinner at 6:30 at Cape May Cafe. If we can still get back into the park after dinner (and still want to) we'll go back, if not, we'll hang out at the boardwalk until the kids get tired. We can take or leave the fireworks. How much stamina our kids have (10 & 12) will really dictate what we do. We are going with the attitude that we'll do what we can and not sweat the rest.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

we went the last two years for NYE and in 2008 that was our wedding day at the Polynesian

The first year we were at Epcot all day after the wedding. We walked from Poly to the TTC which was deserted and i mean COMPLETELY deserted, it was so odd. Then we rode the monorail with only one other person in our train car, and then when we were heading to Epcot we saw the massive amounts of cars on the road. Can anyone explain why the TTC and monorail was so empty?

We got off the monorail and walked through the line with no bags and never had to wait except to put our ticket in the turnstile, short wait. We did manage to do a few rides, like Ellen's Engery Adventure. THey had a lot of shows going on, like in the American Adventure, the acrobats, oh and make sure you see the Japanese candy maker under where Teppan Edo is. We saw that test track had a 4 hour wait and the line went so far away from the building it's beyond me how they could tell what they were in line for. We rode Donald's Boat ride, didnt have much of a wait but we had none since my dad was in a scooter. We used our FP for Soarin. After the first fireworks we were gridlocked (which is scary b/c NO one moves) for awhile trying to get to France.

Once past France it was fine. You must have an ADR and with that there are even tons of people waiting and wanting to get in. They had cool ice bars set up and dance parties in different countries which we did last year and that was SO AWESOME! We were at Italy's dance party and it was just like being in a club, lazers, smoke, dance music. It was only bad b/c of all the people who werent dancing yet were on the dance floor or trying to walk through with their kids. In 08 we went back to the Poly after France and then watched MK's fireworks from the Poly beach which was romantic and spectacular. Then we went to MK and danced infront of the castle to the awesome dance party. I wished MK was open later!! Last year we did Epcot again and stayed for the fireworks this time, which were beyond comprehension.. mind blowing!!
We ended up getting in some VIP area b/c the guy w/ the clip board waved us in, maybe b/c we were in our mickey wedding ears and had our pins on? Anyway we were right by the water and had a spectacular view. I think MK and Epcot's fireworks are both tremendous, but Epcot i think wins b/c of how they first celebrate each countries above their country and then do a gigantic show that pounds right through you!

I think NYE is a wonderful time to visit, probably the most exciting! You got late late late emh, beautiful decor, amazing fireworks, MK's same NYE are also the night before, and great weather.. oh both years we had to wear our winter coats at night and in 08 we were both still cold. The crowds are annoying and it's packed, but if you can stay up late you'll have the park to yourself at 2am-5am in MK.

 

[robinb]

Anyway what park would I probably enjoy most on NYE's day/night. I do realize that once I am in a park that morning I need to stay put, since likely the parks will reach capicity. Anyway the main thing I would want to do is rides & shows. Parade is optional. Anyway I just need input from those who have done Disney on NYE. Oh and my tentative travel dates are 12/28 - 1/1/2011.

The ONLY way you will be able to do rides and see shows is to get to the park of your choice at ROPE DROP and "churn" fast passes. Get a FP as soon as you get in the park and then get a new one as soon as your next available FP window opens. Don't worry about riding the attractions in the FP window because you can always ride later on in the day. FP Soarin' and go ride Test Track right away. Consider the single rider line. Other Epcot hints ... The Living Seas Nemo ride has no line early and a HUGE line later in the day. Hit the World Showcase as soon as you can. Malstrom and the Mexico ride will have no wait if you go in the first hour the WS is open. Shows will be fairly easy to get into but full. Once it hits mid-afternoon there will be grid-lock everywhere so that's the time to use your FPs from earlier in the day.