Just Back: 29 Dec- 4 Jan.....10 Thoughts.

[zdad59]

Can you comment on arriving on the 1st for touring parks in the weekdays after the holiday? How were the crowds? I'm most interested in what would correspond to Wed-Thurs. of your trip. I think we could save Universal for the weekend when the marathon is in full swing. I'm not sure we could get there in time for NYE.

The morning of the 1st is pretty light but it builds in the afternoon. The 2nd and 3rd were crowded but not too bad. The 4th was VERY crowded because of the start of race weekend. The 5K was on the 4th and folks with medals were all over the place in MK.

 

[BlueFairy]

This particular NY week it was still VERY crowded. It's all how school breaks fell this year. Majority of schools remained out all week so crowds remained high all week. Plus, you had the Marathon coming in on the back end of the week. There wasn't much drop off/change from the days before New Years to the days after. That isn't always the case, especially if New Years Eve falls at the end of the week and schools return soon after New Years day vs. a full week after.

The morning of the 1st is pretty light but it builds in the afternoon. The 2nd and 3rd were crowded but not too bad. The 4th was VERY crowded because of the start of race weekend. The 5K was on the 4th and folks with medals were all over the place in MK.

VERY helpful insight. Thanks so much to you both!

 

[zdad59]

OMG, that crowd in your video. I have never been there with it THAT crowded.

That was nothing. On NYE Eve, they did the NYE fireworks twice....6:30 and 11:50. The video was from the 6:30 show. On NYE we were in EPCOT. There was gridlock between Mexico and China for a couple hours. Literally not moving. Took us 30 minutes to walk that short distance with me as a lead blocker (and I was a offensive guard).

If you are going to go over the Christmas - NYE holiday, be ready for more people than you've ever seen. As I said, you have to do it at least once, but for us once is enough.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Great report, thanks for sharing.

 

[NinaBella]

That was nothing. On NYE Eve, they did the NYE fireworks twice....6:30 and 11:50. The video was from the 6:30 show. On NYE we were in EPCOT. There was gridlock between Mexico and China for a couple hours. Literally not moving. Took us 30 minutes to walk that short distance with me as a lead blocker (and I was a offensive guard).

If you are going to go over the Christmas - NYE holiday, be ready for more people than you've ever seen. As I said, you have to do it at least once, but for us once is enough.

Most central Florida don’t go in that crowd. We just don’t.

 

[DaisyNY]

In no particular order....
(A full trip report will follow in coming days on the Trip Report board)

1. Do FOP, even if its in the pouring rain. We had a 10am FP+ on Wednesday. Ugly, rainy day and mama had a cold. She insisted we go use the FP and boy are we glad. Best ride in Disney. "Soarin' on Steroids" mama says.
2. Disney Transportation is awesome. We stayed at All Star Movies. In the 7 days we were there, we had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus twice.
3. Narcoosee's is worth 2 dining credits. One of the best meals we had at Disney in 36 years of going.
4. NYE Fireworks at MK are incredible. WOW...just awesome. And the castle all decked out was spectacular. Saw them on NYE Eve.
5. EPCOT on NYE was insane. WAY too many people there. We had fun with the crowds. Fireworks were OK. Don't hold a candle to MK show.
6. Taking the route out the Int'l Gateway and walking to HS after EPCOT NYE show was a great idea I got from the board. After the fireworks, we were back at ASM by 12:55. Walked right onto a bus at HS.
7. HS needs a big refurb. The Star Wars stage shows are eh. RNR and ToT are good, but Indy Jones and even the Star Wars ride need work. I hope the new Toy Story section and the Star Wars world build it up some.
8. Staying at ASM was fun, but we like WL too much. The holiday price for WL was way out of this world, so we chose ASM. A nice room. We stayed in the armpit of Buzz Lightyear. (Buzz was right outside our room, to the left. Was told by the manager at ASM that they getting ready for a complete refurb. Gutting every room.
9. Bongo's Cuban Café was great food. We ate there the night we arrived. Really enjoyed the flavors and the service.
10. Going to Disney over the holiday is a must do. Now that we've done it, no need to go back at such a crazy time. But it was so worth it to do it. Saw things you'll never see any other time, and the way Disney does it is top shelf.

A few pics....

MK NYE Finale

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10215289932547597

Castle at night....
View attachment 292608

NYE at EPCOT
View attachment 292609

Beautiful fireworks...Thanks for sharing!

 

[brave321]

OMG, that crowd in your video. I have never been there with it THAT crowded.

That's Main Street and the hub. The rest of the park wasn't too bad that night imo. We were mainly in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Still crowded, but the crowds in those areas were way worse than anywhere else in the park. We did the dessert party for fireworks. BEST decision of the whole trip. We were able to stay away from those crowds and the plaza garden was so roomy that many people brought blankets.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

That's Main Street and the hub. The rest of the park wasn't too bad that night imo. We were mainly in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Still crowded, but the crowds in those areas were way worse than anywhere else in the park. We did the dessert party for fireworks. BEST decision of the whole trip. We were able to stay away from those crowds and the plaza garden was so roomy that many people brought blankets.

It’s sort of funny...the 6:30PM MK Plaza Garden dessert party on 12/30 was the least crowded Plaza Garden dessert party I have attended by far. The hub was an absolute zoo, but the Plaza Garden was fantastic! I was honestly shocked how empty it was compared to a normal HEA night.

It was fun with the dance party music too. Great MK atmosphere!

 

[Gehrig1B]

I'll piggyback with my thoughts as we arrived 30 December and returned home today, 7 January.

1) We did FOP twice, the second time was more enjoyable for me. I am not a big fan of simulation rides. I can list 5 Disney rides I prefer over FOP but I do see why there is a buzz. The technology is awesome. I would never stand in line 60 minutes, let alone 4 hours.

2) We did not have the same experiences with Disney buses. We waited 55 minutes for a bus at AK one evening, trying to get to MK for EMH. Many upset folks. Did not help that the previous bus driver commented that a bus was no more than 5 minutes away! Another morning it took us 90 minutes to get to AK from WL. This was a strange result of circumstances including marathon weekend. Funny thing is our kids got on a bus 30 minutes after we did and beat us to AK. Ours stopped at all the monorail resorts for some reason.

3) Our best meal was Art Smith's by far... Did not dine at Narcoosee's. Worst dining experience was probably Skipper Canteen. Tusker House is still the only buffet we will do and it was exceptional as always. We did brunch there.

4) MK NYE fireworks for first time, usually go to Epcot. Very happy with the dessert party because I had read a lot of bad reviews. Included party favors and some excellent desserts... never ran out of anything. Garden Plaza was excellent viewing of the fireworks.

5) We did Epcot fireworks on NYE eve. We had a late reservation at Rose and Crown and watched fireworks from there. Then headed over to MK and rode Big Thunder at midnight with fireworks exploding all around us. Fantastic timing!

6) Staying at WL makes it easy to get home after NYE fireworks. Fighting through the crowd to the boat launch took a little effort but about 5 minutes of fighting up stream and we were on the boat. We stayed until 1:00 am before exiting.

7) We loved HS as always and find the park truly amazing. I fear the crowds as the new lands open in the next 18 months or so. The new Baseline Tap house is great and the Groot meet and greet was fun with Starlord. Rode RnR and ToT multiple times!

8) WL is amazing and not that all the work is done it was a wonderful respite from the craziness of the parks. I wish the cold weather had cooperated more as Geyser Point was not open several mornings because of the low temperatures. Watched the night parade from our balcony and MK fireworks from Geyser Point.

9) We do Disney World every NYE and highly recommend. The crowds are crazy, but manageable. All the Christmas decorations are still in place. We always get hoppers and stying at WL we visited MK every day or night but one. There is something about being able to finish each evening at MK with only a 10 minute boat ride home. We didn't make it to the 3:00 am closing on the 30th though... Must be getting old.

10) We found everyone pretty kind and saw little in the way of rude and crazy behavior often mentioned on the boards. Maybe the cold weather had everyone on their best behavior. The boat pilots must get special mention as they navigated the lake some days in 35° weather with very little to keep them warm!

 

[ols386]

Thanks for the overview. Glad you had a great visit.